Senators Service

[dodgerdogtx]

Ok, when you combine a REALLY REALLY slow day at work with the proper motivation, this is what you get.

Back in the posts about OIF that broke down into a spitting of rhetoric on both sides, claims were made about various political figures' patriotism as measured by their military service, so I figured I'd actually look it up.

My research was limited only to the Senators bios posted on their official websites off of www.Senate.gov (you try reading all 100 bios and see how far you get), so if any error was made, I blame the Senators' webmasters.

The results are:

14% of the Senate served in the U.S. Army. 10 are Democrats (Senators Ankara, HI, Bingaman, NM, Dodd, CT, Hollings, SC, Inouye, HI, Kennedy, MA, Kohl, WI, Laughtenberg, NJ, Nelson, FL, Reed, RI) 3 are Republican (Hagel, NE, Inhofe, OK, Sessions, AL) and 1 Independent (Jeffords, VT)

7% served in the U.S. Navy. 4 are Democrats (Byrd, WV, Carper, DE, Harkin, IA, Kerry, MA) and 3 are Republican (Cochran, MS, Lugar, IN, McCain, AZ)

5% were U.S. Marines. 1 is a Democrat (Corzine, NJ) and 4 are Republican (Burns, MT, Roberts, KS, Thomas, WY, Warner, VA)

4% played flyboy in the U.S. Air Force. 1 is a Democrat (Daschle, SD) and 3 are Republican (Campbell, CO, Specter, PA,, Stevens, AK)

Senator Enzi, R-WY served the Wyoming Air National Guard and Senators Dodd and Rockefeller, both Democrats spent time in the Peace Corps.

For those of you too lazy to count the breadown is as follows:

ARMY- 14% (10 Dem, 3 Rep, 1 Ind)
NAVY- 7% (4 Dem, 3 Rep)
USMC- 5% (1 Dem, 4 Rep)
USAF- 4% (1 Dem, 3 Rep)
USPC- 2% (2 Dem)
ANG- 1% (1 Rep)

53% (22 Dem, 31 Rep) of the Senate did not serve, not including the 15 female Senators (9 Dem, 6 Rep) who were not draft eligible.

The bottom line is we need to elect more Navy guys to the Senate y'all!

"Scars heal, glory fades
and all we're left with are the memories made,

Pain hurts, but only for a minute
Life is short so go on and live it,
CUZ THE CHICKS DIG IT"

 

[room5047]

bravo zulu for the good research, dodger!

it's all very interesting; tho i imagine that prior service records are of little value in predicting anyone's future "patriotism", however one defines and measures intangibles like that. there are many kinds of patriotism and many kinds of faithful service to higher ideals. if anything, most of our politicians on either side of the aisle are a little too quick to "wave the bloody flag" for votes and support nowadays. like you said, instead of vitriol and partisan rhetoric, we should all make our own judgment calls on who is a decent role model according to our own standards.

show me your WAARRRR face!

 

[46Driver]

I'm sure that Zell Miller (Democrat) from Georgia served in the USMC. And not to forget, my just retired Senator Strom Thurmond (R - SC) was a colonel in the Army and the oldest soldier to hit the beaches at D-DAY - and he just retired from the Senate in 2003! (and he had a kid - the mom was a Miss South Carolina - when he was 71 - that's pre-Viagra

 

[Hudson]

Didn't Stom Thurmond fight during the civil war in the confederate army? he he he

 

[NuSnake]

yes....he was General Lee's right hand man

If a frog had wings he wouldnt bump his ass all the time

 

[beau]

How old was Miss South Carolina at the time? Lucky Bastard!

Finch

GO SOONERS!!!

 

[46Driver]

I think she was in her early 30's. Rumor also is out that Bush is going to appoint Strom to the Supreme Court since he was around when they wrote the Constitution - seriously, I am sure he landed in the first wave at D-Day but I can't remember if it was Omaha or Utah Beach.

 

[46Driver]

This just came out on the Drudge Report. The State newspaper (our biggest paper) accidentally ran an obituary of Strom. In it, it says he was a 42 year old LtCol who flew in on the gliders that landed behind German lines at the beginning of D-Day (59 years ago to the day since today is June 6th!).