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Armed Forces farewell for the Honorable Barack H. Obama
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ash Carter, the Obama administration defense secretary who opened military combat jobs to women, has died at age 68.
The dean of Harvard University’s Kennedy School says Carter suffered a heart attack Monday. In December 2015, after three years of study and debate, Carter ordered the military to open all jobs to women, removing the final barriers that kept women from serving in combat, including the most dangerous and grueling commando posts.
The following year, Carter ended the ban on transgender troops serving in the U.S. military, saying it was the right thing to do. The Philadelphia native’s family says he “loved nothing more than spending time with the troops.”
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