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CONGRESS HAS FEWEST VETERANS SINCE WORLD WAR II --

While military service used to be viewed widely as a prerequisite

for running for Congress, the number of elected officials

with a military background has declined steadily since

the draft ended after the Vietnam War.

 

 

For a look at the report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) mentioned in this story...go here...
http://www.opencrs.com/rpts
/RS22555_20061215.pdf

So, who are the veterans in Congress?

At the end of the following article, I have posted lists of House and Senate Members who are veterans.

Story here... http://seattletimes.nwsource
.com/html/politics/2003886811
_vetcong16.html

Story below:

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Congress has fewest veterans since WWII

By Susan Kuczka
Chicago Tribune

WASHINGTON — As the debate over the Iraq war rages in Congress, the Capitol Hill office of Rep. Chris Carney, D-Pa., is where fellow lawmakers frequently gather to seek free military advice.

"I think it's because it's somewhat of an anomaly to have a congressman here with a counterterrorism background," said Carney, a Navy Reserve lieutenant commander who serves his monthly weekend rotation at the Pentagon's war room.

Less than one-quarter of the members of Congress have a military background, the lowest ratio since World War II, according to figures compiled by the Congressional Research Service. That fact rankles some critics who argue that most lawmakers who vote to pay for wars and send troops lack combat experience themselves.

Besides Carney, one other congressman goes on active reserve duty while serving on Capitol Hill. Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., is a Navy Reserve intelligence officer who also fulfills his duty in the Pentagon's war room.

"It's a great reality check for me because this allows me to sort of be very in touch with the 2 million Americans who are in uniform," Kirk said as he came off a recent 12-hour overnight shift. "Sometimes you can sense a real disconnect between Americans who wear the uniform and everybody else."

The disconnect also can be evident on Capitol Hill.

While military service used to be viewed widely as a prerequisite for running for Congress, the number of elected officials with a military background has declined steadily since the draft ended after the Vietnam War. Currently, 129 members of the 110th Congress have served in the military, including in the reserves or National Guard. Only one — Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., the first Air Force Academy graduate to serve in Congress — is female.

They speak the language

Wilson, a Rhodes scholar who earned her master's and doctoral degrees from Oxford University before serving on the National Security Council, said her Air Force background has been a big help in sorting through acronyms during congressional debate about the military and national security.

"Everyone comes with their own life stories, and when people start talking about banking, I'm very quickly over my head. But for those of us who have worn the uniform, when folks in the military start talking, it's like they're singing a song we knew as children," said Wilson, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee.

In modern days, Congress hit a high for military veterans in the mid-1970s, when nearly 80 percent of federal lawmakers had a military background. From 1951 to 1992, more than half of all members of Congress had military experience, congressional records show.

With the end of the draft and the downsizing of the nation's military heading into the 21st century, the pool of congressional candidates with military experience shrunk. Today's military force represents a fraction — less than 1 percent — of the nation's population.

"After the end of the Cold War, we declared a 'peace dividend' and shrunk the size of our military 40 percent," said Steve Strobridge, director of government and relations for the Military Officers Association of America. "That decision's being questioned now, when you see how much we're overusing our people. But I think people are realizing now that it wasn't just the Soviet Union we were on guard against."

The shrinking pool of congressional members with military backgrounds has proved to be a strain on organizations representing veterans and military personnel.

"You feel like you're in 'Military 101' when they don't even know the difference between the most basic things, like the difference between a brigade and a division," said Jon Soltz, an Iraq war veteran and chairman of VoteVets.org, a group formed to support the election of vets who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. "It makes it real difficult because they're more susceptible to political spin."

The Pentagon also has taken notice. The Defense Department recently conducted a major overhaul of its legislative-affairs office at the Pentagon, the division's first restructuring in nearly two decades.

The makeover included orders to beef up staff of military and civilian workers at the Pentagon to communicate the Pentagon's agenda more aggressively and respond to requests for information from members of Congress while simultaneously learning how to climb the ropes of the legislative branch of government, officials said.

Only six of the 60 new members elected to Congress last year had military experience, and having a military background didn't automatically translate into victory at the polls, according to the Military Officers Association of America.

Of the six veterans who served in Iraq and ran for Congress in 2006, only Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., was elected; he served two tours in Iraq after the Sept. 11 attacks. Others, such as Illinois' Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat who ran for an open seat in west suburban Chicago's 6th Congressional District, came close as voters in traditionally Republican strongholds crossed party lines to support anti-war candidates.

On the flip side, voters looking for candidates promising to end the Iraq conflict nearly capsized the re-election plans of Republican incumbents such as Kirk, who beat a challenge in his north suburban 10th District seat when political novice and marketing consultant Dan Seals made the Iraq war the No. 1 issue.

"Mark Kirk has been an architect, supporter and cheerleader over the last six years of the worst foreign-policy debacle in a generation," Seals said recently. "The fact is we deserve elected officials with the courage and judgment to make America safer, not continue to support a disaster."

Heading into 2008, Democratic Party officials are seeking to recruit candidates with military backgrounds, especially in hotly contested races in California, Florida, Michigan, New York and Ohio, said Doug Thornell, national press secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

"We think it [having a military background] helps both on the campaign trail as well as when you become a member of Congress," he said.

As long as the Iraq war continues to dominate headlines, political experts think veterans could have more success at the voting booth since it's likely more candidates will emerge from their ranks.

Whether more consensus would develop in Congress on tough military issues is debatable. The handful of members with children or extended-family members serving in military — such as Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. — have differed on the best course of action in the current campaign even when the safety of loved ones is at the top of their agenda.

Vets don't always agree

The emotional strain of having a son or daughter overseas played out unexpectedly at a White House reception in November for freshman members of Congress. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., snubbed President Bush after the president asked him, "How's your boy?"

Webb, a Vietnam War veteran whose son is a Marine serving in Iraq, responded, "I'd like to get them out of Iraq," a comment he often had made on the campaign trail. When Bush pressed him, "That's not what I asked you. How's your boy? ," Webb answered, "That's between me and my boy, Mr. President," and abruptly ending the conversation.

While they don't speak with one voice, those who are part of a vanishing breed said they have no plans to walk away from the debate in Congress over the use of U.S. troops.

"I think having a military perspective is important because protecting the nation's security is something you do 24/7, not just some of the time," Carney said.

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List of veterans in the Senate is here...
http://grunt.space.swri.edu/senatevet.htm

List below:

-------------------------

Note: "#" in front of the name indicates a combat veteran.

* #Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI)
U.S. Army 1945-47

* Robert Bennett (R-UT)
National Guard 1957-61

* Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Army Reserves 1968-74

* #Thomas Carper (D-DEL)
U.S. Navy 1968-1973
Navy Reserve 1973-1991

* Thad Cochran (R-MS)
U.S. Navy 1959-61

* Jon Corzine (D-NJ)
USMCR 1969-1975

* Larry Craig (R-ID)
National Guard 1970-72

* Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT)
Army Reserve 1969-75

* Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Air National Guard 1967-73

* Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

* #Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
U.S. Army 1967-68

* Tom Harkins (D-IA)
U.S. Navy 1962-67
Navy Reserve 1968-74

* James M. Inhofe (R-OK)
U.S. Army 1954-56

* #Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Medal Of Honor
U.S. Army 1943-47

* Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
National Guard 1966-1972

* Jim Jeffords (I-VT)
U.S. Navy 1956-59
Navy Reserve 1959-1990

* Tim Johnson (D-SD)
U.S. Army 1969-

* Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
U.S. Army 1951-53

* #John Robert Kerry (D-MA)
U.S. Navy 1966-1970

* Herb Kohl (D-WI)
Army Reserve 1958-64

* Frank Lautenburg (D-NJ)
U.S. Army 1942-46

* Richard Lugar (R-IN)
U.S. Navy 1957-60

* #John R. McCain (R-AZ)
U.S. Navy 1958-81
POW Vietnam 1967-73

* Frank Murkowski (R-AK)
US Coast Guard 1955-57

* Bill Nelson (D-FL)
U.S. Army 1968-1970

* Pat Roberts (R-KS)
U.S. Marine Corps (1958-62)

* Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Army Reserves 1973-86

* Arlen Specter (R-PA)
U.S. Air Force 1951-53

* #Ted Stevens (R-AK)
Army Air Corps 1943-46

* #John R. Warner (R-VA)
U.S. Navy 1945-46
Marine Corps 1950-52
Marine Corps Reserves 1952-1964

* #Jim Webb (D-VA)
U.S. Marine Corps 1964-1972
Ass't Sec. of Defense 1984-1987
Secretary of the Navy 1987-1988

-------------------------

List of veterans in the House is here...
http://grunt.space.swri.edu/housevet.htm

List below:

-------------------------

"#" in front of the name indicates a combat veteran.

* #Joe Baca (D-42 CA)
U.S. Army 1966-1968

* Spencer Bachus (R-06 AL)
National Guard 1969-1971

* Sanford D. Bishop (D-02 GA)
U.S. Army 1971

* John Boehner (R-08 OH)
U.S. Navy 1968

* #Leonard L. Boswell (D-03 IA)
U.S. Army 1956-1976

* #Allen Boyd, Jr. (D-02 FL)
U.S. Army 1969-1971

* Dan Burton (R-05 IN)
U.S. Army 1957-1958
Army Reserves 1958-1962

* Stephen E. Buyer (R-04 IN)
U.S. Army 1984-1987, 1990
Army Reserve 1980-1984, 1987-Present

* Christopher Carney (D-10PA)
Naval Reserves 1995 - Present

* Howard Coble (R-06 NC)
Coast Guard 1952-1956, 1977-1978
Coast Guard Reserve 1960-1982

* Mike Conway (R-11 TX)
U.S. Army 1970-1972

* John Conyers (D-14 MI)
National Guard 1948-1950
U.S. Army 1950-1954
Army Reserve 1954-1957

* Robert E. Cramer, Jr. (D-05 AL)
U.S. Army 1972
Army Reserves 1976-1978

* Geoff Davis (R-04 KY)
U.S. Army 1976-1987

* Thomas M. Davis (R-11 VA)
U.S. Army 1971-1972
Army Reserves 1972-1979

* Nathan Deal (R-09 GA)
U.S. Army 1966-1968

* Peter A. DeFazio (D-04 OR)
U.S. Air Force 1967-1971

* William D. Delahunt (D-10 MA)
Coast Guard Reserve 1963-1971

* John D. Dingell (D-16 MI)
U.S. Army 1945-1946

* John F. Duncan, Jr. (R-02 TN)
Army Reserve 1970-1987

* Bob Etheridge (D-02 NC)
U.S. Army 1965-1967

* Terry Everett (R-02 AL)
U.S. Air Force 1955-1959

* #Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (R-11 NJ)
U.S. Army 1969-1971

* #Wayne T. Gilchrest (R-01 MD)
U.S. Marines 1964-1968

* Paul Gillmor (R-05 OH)
U.S. Air Force 1965-1966

* Louie Gohmert (R-01 TX)
U.S. Army 1977-1982

* Charles A. Gonzales (D-20 TX)
National Guard 1969-1975

* Virgil H. Goode, Jr. (R-05 VA)
National Guard 1969-1975

* Bart Gordon (D-6 TN)
US Army Reserve 1971-72

* Phil Hare (D-17IL)
Army Reserves 1969-1975

* Ralph M. Hall (R-04 TX)
U.S. Navy 1942-1945

* Doc Hastings (R-04 WA)
Army Reserves 1964-1969

* Maurice Hinchey (D-22 NY)
U.S. Navy 1956-59

* David L. Hobson (R-07 OH)
National Guard 1958-1963

* #Duncan Hunter (R-52 CA)
U.S. Army 1969-1971

* William J. Jefferson (D-02 LA)
U.S. Army 1969-1972
Army Reserve 1975

* #Sam Johnson (R-03 TX)
U.S. Air Force 1951-1979

* Walter B. Jones, Jr. (R-03 NC)
National Guard 1967-1971

* Paul E. Kanjorski (D-11 PA)
U.S. Army 1960-1961

* Peter King (R-03 NY)
National Guard 1968-1973

* #John Kline (R-02 MN)
USMC 1969-1994

* Ron Lewis (R-02 KY)
U.S. Navy 1973

* John Linder (R-7 GA)
US Air Force 1967-69

* Edward J. Markey (D-07 MA)
Army Reserves 1968-1973

* #James Marshall (D-3 GA)
U.S. Army 1968-1970

* Jim McDermott (D-07 WA)
U.S. Navy 1968-1970

* Alan Mollohan (D-01 WV)
U.S. Army 1970
Army Reserves 1970-1983

* Dennis Moore (D-03 KS)
U.S. Army 1970
Army Reserves 1970-1972

* Patrick Murphy (D-08PA)
Army 199-2004

* #John Murtha (D-12 PA)
U.S. Marines 1952-1955, 1966-1967
Marines Reserve 1967-1990

* #Charlie Norwood (R-9 GA)
U.S. Army 1967-1969

* Soloman P. Ortiz (D-27 TX)
U.S. Army 1960-1962

* William Pascrell, Jr. (D-08 NJ)
U.S. Army 1961
Army Reserves 1962-1967

* Ron Paul (R-14 TX)
U.S. Air Force 1963-1965
National Guard 1965-1968

* Collin C. Peterson (D-07 MN)
National Guard 1963-1969

* John E. Peterson (R-05 PA)
U.S. Army 1957
Army Reserves 1958-1963

* #Joseph R. Pitts (R-16 PA)
U.S. Air Force 1963-1969

* Ted Poe (R-2 TX)
Air Force Reserve 1970-1976

* Jim Ramstad (R-03 MN)
Army Reserves 1968-1974

* #Charles B. Rangel (D-15 NY)
U.S. Army 1948-1952

* Ralph Regula (R-16 OH)
U.S. Navy 1944-1946

* #Silvestre Reyes (D-16 TX)
U.S. Army 1966-1968

* Harold Rogers (R-05 KY)
National Guard 1957-1964

* Mike Rogers (R-8 MI)
US Army 1985-89

* Bobby Rush (D-01 IL)
U.S. Army 1963-1968

* John Salazar (D-03 CO)
U.S. Army 1973-1976

* Robert C. Scott (D-03 VA)
Army Reserves 1970-1974
National Guard 1974-1976

* Jose E. Serrano (D-16 NY)
U.S. Army 1964-1966

* Joe Sestak(D-07PA)
U.S. Navy [Admiral] 1970-2006

* John Shadegg (R-03AZ)
National Guard 1969-1975

* John Shimkus (R-19 IL)
U.S. Army 1980-1984
Army Reserves 1987-Present

* #Vic Snyder (D-02 AR)
U.S. Marines 1967-1969

* John M. Spratt, Jr. (D-05 SC)
U.S. Army 1969-1971

* Fortney P. Stark (D-13 CA)
U.S. Air Force 1955-1957

* Cliff Stearns (R-06 FL)
U.S. Air Force 1963-1967

* John S. Tanner (D-08 TN)
U.S. Navy 1968-1972
National Guard 1974-2000

* Gene Taylor (D-05 MS)
Coast Guard Reserve 1971-1984

* #Mike Thompson (D-01 CA)
U.S. Army 1968-1969

* Edolphus Towns (D-10 NY)
U.S. Army 1956-1958

* Tim Walz (D-01MI)
National Guard 1981-2005

* Dave Weldon (R-15 FL)
U.S. Army 1981-1987
Army Reserves 1987-1992

* Ed Whitfield (R-01 KY)
Army Reserve 1967-1970

* Roger F. Wicker (R-01 MS)
U.S. Air Force 1976-1980
Air Force Reserve 1980-Present

* Heather A. Wilson (R-01 NM)
U.S. Air Force 1978-1989
*Only woman veteran in Congress.

* Joe Wilson (R-2 SC)
US Army Reserve 1972-75

* Frank R. Wolf (R-10 VA)
U.S. Army 1962-1963
Army Reserves 1963-1967

* C.W. Bill Young (R-10 FL)
National Guard 1948-1957

* Don Young (R-All AK)
U.S. Army 1955-1957

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Larry Scott  --