By Paul Gattis
With fiery rhetoric describing U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama as a “laughingstock,” the NAACP on Thursday condemned his use of military holds to protest the Pentagon’s new policy on abortions for service members.
At a press conference in downtown Huntsville across the street from one of Tuberville’s offices across the state, NAACP Alabama President Benard Simelton said the national organization as well as the state conference passed resolutions in July calling for Tuberville to back off his months-long hold on military promotions.
Tuberville has invoked the holds in objection to a U.S. Department of Defense policy providing paid leave and travel expenses for those seeking abortions currently stationed in states, such as Alabama, that have restricted access.
Simelton is an Air Force veteran and said requests to meet with Tuberville have been declined by members of the senator’s staff because Tuberville’s schedule was filled.
“Today, we assemble across from Sen. Tuberville’s office here in Huntsville, Alabama, to urge him, to encourage him, to release the holds that he has on these military promotions,” Simelton said. “And for him to stop being the laughingstock in the U.S. Senate.”
Tuberville’s office did not respond to a request for comment Thursday by AL.com regarding the NAACP resolutions nor the criticism of the senator by the organization.
While Democrats in the Senate oppose Tuberville’s position as well as the Senate’s top Republican, Mitch McConnell, some Republican colleagues such as South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, Utah’s Mike Lee and Kansas’ Roger Marshall have given their support. Tuberville has also said that 5,000 veterans have signed their support of his holds in a petition.
Conversely, seven former secretaries of state — who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations — have said the holds are harming military readiness. Tuberville, citing congressional testimony from military leaders, has disputed that claim.
Tuberville has said repeatedly he will not lift his holds until the defense department rescinds its policy or Congress votes its support – an unlikely scenario given Republican control of the House of Representatives. About 300 promotions have been held with the number expected to climb to about 600 by the end of the year.
Those holds include five military commands or defense program offices at Redstone Arsenal, AL.com has reported.
“It’s hurting the military, so consequently it would be hurting Redstone Arsenal, yes,” Maj. Gen. (retired) Jim Pillsbury told AL.com. Pillsbury retired in 2011 as the deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Materiel Command at Redstone. “We’re playing musical chairs with senior folks both in uniform and in the civilian ranks to try to fill some holes.”
At the Huntsville press conference, though, NAACP officials spoke of real-world effects of the holds on military members and their families while noting that Tuberville has not served in the military.
“Of course, the honorable Senator would have no knowledge of what it’s like to serve in the military, due to the fact that he has always had the privilege of watching others serve,” said Jerry Burnett, president of the Huntsville/Madison County NAACP chapter who said he served with the Marines in Vietnam. “Had it been the other way around, he would know better than to be playing games by tying (service members) hands and expecting them to do their job protecting this country.
“GIs do whatever they need in order to do their job properly and protect us. To (maintain his holds), the honorable Sen. Tuberville is going to sit down and play games with his knee on their neck. So I would humbly ask the senator to please take your knee off of the men and women who was serving in the military. Take your knee off of their neck.”
Kecia Hendrix, who said she served in the Middle East during a 20-year career in the Army, described herself as a disabled veteran. She spoke at the press conference from a wheelchair.
“You represent Alabama,” she said. “You’re supposed to be for the people. But right now, I don’t see that. I need for you to let go of the promotions. We serve. We deserve it. We fight for our country. I took an oath to serve my country.”
