Tucson Region

McSally will take over D-M unit Monday

A Tucson-based fighter pilot who successfully sued the Pentagon over a policy regarding the attire of military women when off base will become the first woman commander of a combat aviation unit Monday morning at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base ceremony. Lt. Col. Martha McSally will be officially installed as commander of D-M's 354th Fighter Squadron at a 9 a.m. change-of-command ceremony, said Lt. Rebecca Garland, a base spokesperson. McSally sued Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld three years ago over a policy that required military women in Saudi Arabia to wear Muslim attire when off base. A year later, Congress sided with McSally and banned the forced wearing of black cloaks known as abayas. McSally argued that forcing her to wear the Muslim attire was offensive to her as a Christian. She will succeed Lt. Col. John Horner as commander of the squadron of 22 A-10 and OA-10 aircraft and more than 245 personnel known as the "Bulldogs." Horner, who has served as commander since February of 2003, is heading to Harvard to further his education, Garland said. During his tenure as squadron commander, the Bulldogs flew more than 6,900 combat hours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Garland said. Monday's ceremony is closed to the public, Garland said. "Basically, at the ceremony, the old commander will turn over the flag and all responsibilities to Lieutenant Colonel McSally," she said. "There will be an official formation standing out in the hangar composed of the whole squadron." The squadron flies in combat missions, search and rescue efforts, and other missions, and is poised to deploy at a moment's notice anywhere in the world, Garland said. Members of the Bulldogs complete an annual flying program of more than 11,000 hours, she said.