I have seen many posts and much discussion about the phenomenon variously known as the Band of Brothers or the Fighting Dems, or maybe just the 60 or so Veterans running for Congress this year as Democrats. One of the themes has been the question--does being a veteran qualify someone to run for Congress? Another has been something along the lines of is this a good idea. Let me answer the first question...
Absolutely not! Being a veteran is not, by itself, a good enough reason for you to support me. I have to give you more than that. So why should you support me?
Because the ten years that I spent in service to America with the Marine Corps reserve and on active duty with the Navy are only a small part of who I am.
Today I saw a movie called "Glory Road". You should go see it. It's why I coach. It's why I'm in this campaign.
In the end it's not about the game. It's what you learn about yourself from the game, and it's the difference you can make in people's lives by being part of the game.
I'm inspired!
Just over a week ago I went to Washington for the first big event for the Veterans for a Secure America-the group of Veterans running for Congress as Democrats this year. There's been much written already about this group of patriots, and the word "hero" has been used many times already. But when I look at the photo of Senator Max Cleland and my friend, Karen Meredith, a gold star mom, on stage with me after the press conference, and the photo of Karen and I with John Murtha in the halls of Congress, I can't help but ponder what it really means to be a hero. And I come to the conclusion that I am not a hero, and that's okay. Let me explain.
Senator Cleland was a young Marine officer in Vietnam when a grenade exploded as he got off a helicopter, and he lost both legs and his right arm. But he didn't lose his will to live and he didn't lose his desire to serve and he didn't lose his ability to make a difference in the world! Now THAT'S a hero!
And yet in 2002 he was attacked by people who had never served in any capacity, and his service to America was used against him. They said he didn't love America enough. They said his wounds were his own fault because it was his grenade that went off that day, as if he would have been anywhere near a grenade if he had taken all the deferments used so successfully by men like Dick Cheney, Tom Tancredo, and Bob Beauprez. And they turned his service to America into a bad thing. That's wrong!
John Murtha served with great distinction in the Marine Corps for over 30 years, seeing combat in Korea and Vietnam. He earned medals for valor and courage. And yet when he openly disagreed with the Bush Administration about the Iraq War, people who had never served a day in their life questioned his courage and his service to his Country. That's wrong!
Karen Meredith sent her only son into the Army to serve his Country and he went to Iraq as a tank commander. When he was killed and Karen continued to speak out against the war, people who never sacrificed anything for this Country began to attack her patriotism. That's wrong!
These three people are real heroes and I am humbled to be in their presence. Karen gave the one thing no parent should ever have to give, the life of her child. Max Cleland gave an arm and both legs and most of what we all take for granted in life. John Murtha gave the better part of his life to the Marine Corps. I've given nothing that compares to these sacrifices, and so I say I'm not a hero, but I stand in awe of these heroes and so many like them.
But I will fight for these extraordinary men and women, and I will stand up to defend their honor, as well as their right--and their duty--to question their government. It has been said that the duty of a true patriot is to protect his Country from his Government. That's what I intend to do!
My time in the Marine Corps and the Navy is only a part of who I am, though an important part. I am also the orphan with a heart defect who needed surgery as a baby and was lucky to even be adopted. I am the guy who donated a kidney to his sister in law two years ago because I knew it would change her life. I am a guy who left a six figure job at a big law firm to teach high school and coach high school football because I can make a difference in kids' lives. I'm a Democrat who worked and campaigned for John McCain because I believed in him.
All of these things and more make me who I am, and all of these things and more make me a person who wants to make a difference in your life and help give our Country back to the people.
In the end I'm not offering you the chance to support a man. I'm offering you the chance to fight for a cause! I'm offering you the chance to stand up for what you believe in! I'm offering you the chance to believe again--to believe in your country and to believe in our future! I'm offering you the chance to be part of something bigger than any one of us. I'm offering you the chance to take back America!
I carry a set of dog tags in my pocket. They are Ken Ballard's dog tags. Ken was Karen Meredith's son and he was killed in Iraq. I carry them to remind me of some things. They remind me that I run so that I can stand up for people who don't have a voice. And they remind me of my promise made as a young man in the Marine Corps and the Navy.
I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And I promised to give everything I had, up to and including my life, to protect people I would never meet, and to stand up for an idea, a fragile idea. That idea is a relatively new one in human history, and it says that people CAN govern themselves and all people CAN be equal, and we CAN have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
I still believe in that promise. I hope you do too. And I hope you will visit my website at WinterForCongress.com and help me fight for that wonderful idea!
Bill Winter
www.WinterForCongress.com