Quotes from Martha McSally

Before I became a fighter pilot, everyone said that women didn't have the physical strength. Well, I had just completed the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon.

I'm always looking for people on the other side of the aisle for any initiative I'm sponsoring - men and women - to move things forward.

As an A-10 squadron commander in the Air Force, I was required to be ready to deploy my 24 Warthogs and team anywhere in the world within 24 hours, including the Korean Peninsula.

If we want the most effective fighting force, we need to pick the most qualified capable man for the job, even if it's a woman.

Before running for office, I was an A-10 squadron commander with 325 combat hours. During my time in uniform and since coming to the House and taking up the fight to keep the plane, I have heard countless stories from American soldiers about how the A-10 saved their lives.

I served my country in uniform for 26 years.

We have women entering lower-paying career fields. Women are still, culturally, the primary caregivers for children, even though we would love to have fathers and mothers share responsibility.

Maybe I'll start a little group of us that's called the Don't Do Stupid Stuff caucus. I'm going to be in the D.D.S.S. caucus. I'm going to lead it. There's no reason for us to be doing stupid things that are not getting us anywhere.

I was in Saudi Arabia on 9/11 and was part of the initial leadership team to execute the initial combat operations in Afghanistan.

From flying in the cockpit of an A-10 to chairing hearings on Capitol Hill, I've learned that each of us will face struggles as we pursue our goals.

Ultimately, it's not our responsibility to turn Afghanistan into a 21st-century, vibrant, economic, liberal democracy with a little L. Our responsibility is to keep Americans safe, to make sure we don't have a failed state in a region. It's not our responsibility to reconstruct Afghanistan.