A record 16 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan were elected to Congress on Tuesday night and two more veterans remained locked in races Wednesday that were too close to call.
The winners included nine first-time officeholders and seven incumbents.
All but two of the victorious veterans seeking U.S. House and U.S. Senate seats represent the Republican Party. They included Brad Wenstrup, who deployed to Iraq in 2005 as a combat surgeon. Wenstrup will represent Ohio’s 2nd congressional district which sits east of Cincinnati.
For the Democrats, Tammy Duckworth captured Illinois’ 8th congressional district, which spans Chicago’s northern suburbs. Duckworth, who served as a captain in the Army National Guard, lost both of her legs and partial use of her right arm when her helicopter was shot down over Iraq in 2004. She becomes the first female veteran of Iraq or Afghanistan to serve in Congress.
“It’s a very powerful moment. She also became the first severely wounded veteran to be elected,” said Paul Rieckhoff, founder and chief executive officer of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan group representing veterans of those two wars. “We are looking to her to really reach beyond politics and lead us all forward. She can be our generation’s John McCain or Max Cleland.”
McCain, an Arizona senator and the GOP’s 2008 presidential nominee, was shot down over North Vietnam in 1967, breaking both arms and a leg and becoming a prisoner of war. Cleland, a former Democrat senator from Georgia, earned the Silver Star and Bronze Star during the Vietnam War, losing both legs above the knee and his right forearm to a grenade explosion.
The 16 veteran victories — the largest single wave of former service members heading to Congress since the 1980s, according to IAVA — represent “a huge step forward for the new veterans movement and a huge step forward for America,” Rieckhoff told NBC News. He called those collective outcomes "historic."
“What we’ve seen from this community is an extraordinary focus on country as well as some pragmatic solutions. We believe these folks can work together across party lines and be a shot in the arm in Washington — exactly what America needs right now,” said Rieckhoff, who served as a first lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in Iraq during 2003 and 2004.
“People think all we’re really doing over there is pulling triggers and dropping bombs. We’re also rebuilding schools, rebuilding infrastructure,” he added. “There’s no better testing ground for a political career than, say, helping the people of Fallujah (Iraq) get their water running again. Think about Staten Island right now — that’s (looking) like Fallujah.”
Overall, post-9/11 veterans competed for 42 Congressional seats on Tuesday night.
The upper tier of the 100 most “military-friendly” employers this year includes three financial giants and three transportation behemoths, but as U.S. companies measurably boost veteran-hiring rates, they’re “not quite there yet,” said the publisher of the ranking, released Thursday.
“As more employers adopt similar policies, it’s getting more competitive to make this list,” said Sean Collins, vice president of Victory Media, which offers its annual index via militaryfriendly.com. “If you’re looking at the list in an isolated sense, that’s a great thing.”
The top-rated “military-friendly” corporation, reports G.I. Jobs, is San Antonio-based USAA, a financial-services outfit created in 1922 by Army officers as a mutual insurance company for other service members. USAA recently launched an initiative called “Combat to Claims,” training post-9/11 veterans to become claims adjustors.
“The reason the program is working so well is because military folks have such a sense of discipline and order,” said Joe Robles, the CEO of USAA and a retired Army major general.
Other highly ranked “military-friendly” employers include Deloitte (No. 3), General Electric (No. 9) and railroad operators CSX (No. 2) and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (No. 5).
“They are able to weave military into the fabric of their companies, as just a way of doing business,” said Collins, who served as a pilot in the U.S. Navy from 2001 to 2009, reaching the rank of lieutenant.
Meanwhile, just keeping a foothold in the elite G.I. Jobs list is equally challenging. Amazon.com – the No. 1 “military friendly” corporation on the 2011 list — comes in at No. 89 this year, despite hiring 600 veterans since January. T-Mobile, No. 10 in last year’s G.I. Jobs index — now sits at No. 71.
Now in its tenth year, the list is assembled through a survey of companies inside and outside the Fortune 1000, Collins said. To ensure consistent comparisons and to capture a broad snapshot of the American employment landscape, Victory Media only assesses businesses with annual revenues of at least $500 million. A weighted scoring system then stacks the top 100: “recruiting efforts” compose 35 percent of a company’s overall “military-friendly” grade, followed by factors such as “recruiting results” and “retention.”
G.I. Jobs — which publishes a similar annual breakdown of the best colleges for veterans — recently partnered with Orion International, the nation’s largest military-recruiting firm. Orion, which specializes in finding civilian careers for junior military officers, noncommissioned officers and enlisted technicians, is actively working to help several U.S. companies grab future spots in the coveted top 100.
“We’re trying to build new programs within a lot of companies that have not been in play with hiring a lot of veterans in the past,” said Mike Starich, president of Orion and a former Marine.
Quote by wickedpam:
I believe it was Eric Cantor who was told back in October
Quote by wickedpam:
Is Jill Kelly like super hot or something?
Quote by Raine:She's an unpaid social liason....Quote by wickedpam:
Is Jill Kelly like super hot or something?
Quote by wickedpam:
I believe it was Eric Cantor who was told back in October
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by wickedpam:
I believe it was Eric Cantor who was told back in October
About?
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by wickedpam:
I believe it was Eric Cantor who was told back in October
About?
WORCESTER — A major water main break near Worcester State University forced officials to shut down the water supply to the entire city Monday while crews worked to repair the line.
Robert L. Moylan, the city’s director of public works and parks, said a citywide water shutdown was initiated late in the afternoon at the water treatment plant off Reservoir Street to try to gain control of the 40-inch main that leads to the 30-inch main that broke earlier in the afternoon.
The 40-inch main needed to be shut down before repairs could begin on the 30-inch main, he said. The system was expected to be repaired by early morning.
Classes at the university, where at least one building — Ghosh Science and Technology Center — was flooded, were canceled for Tuesday.
The city of Worcester had not made a decision on whether to hold classes as of Monday evening.
The entire city had to be taken offline because crews had trouble getting all the gate valves leading to the main shut off, Moylan said. Officials have more confidence in the gate valves near the treatment plant.
Quote by TriSec:
Here we go...
WORCESTER — A major water main break near Worcester State University forced officials to shut down the water supply to the entire city Monday while crews worked to repair the line.
Robert L. Moylan, the city’s director of public works and parks, said a citywide water shutdown was initiated late in the afternoon at the water treatment plant off Reservoir Street to try to gain control of the 40-inch main that leads to the 30-inch main that broke earlier in the afternoon.
The 40-inch main needed to be shut down before repairs could begin on the 30-inch main, he said. The system was expected to be repaired by early morning.
Classes at the university, where at least one building — Ghosh Science and Technology Center — was flooded, were canceled for Tuesday.
The city of Worcester had not made a decision on whether to hold classes as of Monday evening.
The entire city had to be taken offline because crews had trouble getting all the gate valves leading to the main shut off, Moylan said. Officials have more confidence in the gate valves near the treatment plant.
Quote by Raine:About patraeus' affair.Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by wickedpam:
I believe it was Eric Cantor who was told back in October
About?
Quote by Raine:She's an unpaid social liason....Quote by wickedpam:
Is Jill Kelly like super hot or something?
Ms. Kelley, a volunteer with wounded veterans and military families, brought her complaint to a rank-and-file agent she knew from a previous encounter with the F.B.I. office, the official also said. That agent, who had previously pursued a friendship with Ms. Kelley and had earlier sent her shirtless photographs of himself, was “just a conduit†for the complaint, he said. He had no training in cybercrime, was not part of the cyber squad handling the case and was never assigned to the investigation.
But the agent, who was not identified, continued to “nose around†about the case, and eventually his superiors “told him to stay the hell away from it, and he was not invited to briefings,†the official said. The Wall Street Journal first reported on Monday night that the agent had been barred from the case.
So this FBI agent who had sent shirtless pics of himself to one of the investigation's subjects decided that he would tell Cantor because he believed it was covered up to protect Obama. Remember, the only person calling him a whistle blower was Cantor. Look at my comment history and you'll notice I said this before.
Cantor lied about this person being a whistleblower. Instead it was a person who was continuously trying to compromise an ongoing investigation, and leaked it to Cantor for purely political reasons.
Based on what we're learning this morning, it appears much of this scandal was fueled by bizarre personal conduct, and a strange FBI agent who was a little too eager to undermine President Obama before the election with a controversy that had nothing to do with the White House.
Indeed, had the FBI agent in question not believed weird conspiracy theories about the president, he wouldn't have gone to Republican lawmakers, who in turn wouldn't have pushed the issue, which means the Petraeus scandal -- which involved no criminal wrongdoing -- probably would have gone away without further incident.
Quote by Mondobubba:
Photoshop nerds rejoice. "Gif" is the OAD word of the year.
Quote by Mondobubba:
This is going to blow up in the Unspeakable Hosebag, Eric Cantor's smug little face.
Quote by Scoopster:
Mornin' all..
Dayum yo.. check out the biceps on that chick!
Quote by clintster:Quote by Mondobubba:
Photoshop nerds rejoice. "Gif" is the OAD word of the year.
GIF? What was second? "Lewinsky"?
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by clintster:Quote by Mondobubba:
Photoshop nerds rejoice. "Gif" is the OAD word of the year.
GIF? What was second? "Lewinsky"?
"YOLO" look it up.
Quote by Raine:Quote by Mondobubba:
This is going to blow up in the Unspeakable Hosebag, Eric Cantor's smug little face.
I think so as well. I also think that a few more people will be swept up in this mess.
And now for more bizarritude...
video:
Quote by Raine:
Officially, this needs to become an HBO miniseries. Gen. John Allen also helped Jill Kelley's sister During Custody Battle.
WTF?
Quote by Raine:
Officially, this needs to become an HBO miniseries. Gen. John Allen also helped Jill Kelley's sister During Custody Battle.
WTF?
Do you really think you are viewed as anything but unwanted pieces of sewer waste by real Americans ??? You are not !!! My suggestion to all of you, who think you are being clever and signing a petition to dissolve your rights to seen be seen as an American citizen with the rights thereof in our beloved Constitution and Bill of Rights, is to claim temporary insanity.
Failing to do so, I would suggest you pack your bags and leave before the violence against you begins, because I fear for your safety. You have crossed the line and declared that you no longer love America !!! Well Americans don't love you either !!! We despise you, in fact we see you as the Nazi pieces of trash you are. So please for your own good and safety leave America before your stupidity causes violence to come to you.
It is okay to disagree with the president, it is okay to say you don't like the direction America is headed, it's okay to vote for what you believe in. It is not okay to be an un-American Fascist pig with the desire to break America apart for your your political gain !! That is in essence what you are doing when you want to secede from America. You rebel scum !!! The south will never rise again,
because it was wrong and stupid and so are you !!! Does that make you mad ?? I hope so it is meant too !!! It is meant to make you so mad that you actually examine what kind of stupidity you are willing to do against this great nation just so your little racist tantrums can be aired publically !!! It is meant to call you out and allow you to be recognized as the pieces of sewer waste you are.
Continued...
Quote by TriSec:
My new hero.
Much as I personally would love to see these asshats put up or shut up and actually do it...
Do you really think you are viewed as anything but unwanted pieces of sewer waste by real Americans ??? You are not !!! My suggestion to all of you, who think you are being clever and signing a petition to dissolve your rights to seen be seen as an American citizen with the rights thereof in our beloved Constitution and Bill of Rights, is to claim temporary insanity.
Failing to do so, I would suggest you pack your bags and leave before the violence against you begins, because I fear for your safety. You have crossed the line and declared that you no longer love America !!! Well Americans don't love you either !!! We despise you, in fact we see you as the Nazi pieces of trash you are. So please for your own good and safety leave America before your stupidity causes violence to come to you.
It is okay to disagree with the president, it is okay to say you don't like the direction America is headed, it's okay to vote for what you believe in. It is not okay to be an un-American Fascist pig with the desire to break America apart for your your political gain !! That is in essence what you are doing when you want to secede from America. You rebel scum !!! The south will never rise again,
because it was wrong and stupid and so are you !!! Does that make you mad ?? I hope so it is meant too !!! It is meant to make you so mad that you actually examine what kind of stupidity you are willing to do against this great nation just so your little racist tantrums can be aired publically !!! It is meant to call you out and allow you to be recognized as the pieces of sewer waste you are.
Continued...
WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:
Deport Everyone That Signed A Petition To Withdraw Their State From The United States Of America.
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Raine:Quote by Mondobubba:
This is going to blow up in the Unspeakable Hosebag, Eric Cantor's smug little face.
I think so as well. I also think that a few more people will be swept up in this mess.
And now for more bizarritude...
video:
Book title...
Quote by Raine:Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Raine:Quote by Mondobubba:
This is going to blow up in the Unspeakable Hosebag, Eric Cantor's smug little face.
I think so as well. I also think that a few more people will be swept up in this mess.
And now for more bizarritude...
video:
Book title...
Denver channel 7 is mortified...
Quote by velveeta jones:
I heart Paula.
That's the t-shirt I want for X-mas.
Quote by wickedpam:
Question: Does everyone want to do Blogger Joe again this year?
Quote by Raine:I'm All In.Quote by wickedpam:
Question: Does everyone want to do Blogger Joe again this year?
oops, better use a better turn of the phrase.