Six recent combat veterans win congressional races

[unhappycamper]

Six recent combat veterans win congressional races
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, November 6, 2008

WASHINGTON — Six veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom won their congressional races Tuesday, giving recent combat veterans their biggest presence in national government yet.

In 2006 Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., was the only veteran who served on the ground in the most recent Iraq conflict to win election to Congress. Murphy, a former Army captain, worked as a military lawyer with the 82nd Airborne Division in 2003-2004.

He easily won re-election to the seat, defeating Marine Corps veteran Tom Manion by 57 percent to 42 percent, according to preliminary state election results.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is the only other current member of Congress to boast recent war experience. Graham is a colonel in the Air Force Reserve and spent time performing legal duties in Iraq for more than a month over two active-duty tours in 2007.

Graham, who served in the U.S. House for eight years before his election to the Senate in 2002, won his re-election bid over Democrat Bob Conley, 58 percent to 42 percent.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=58659



uhc comment: Duncan 'lemon chicken' Hunter's son was among this group.