A Different Kind of Service

News Article

Members of Congress clash on many things, but legislators of all political stripes usually agree it's important to care for the nation's military and its veterans. During what was one of the least productive Congresses in recent history -- the 113th -- lawmakers debated how best to address sexual assault in the military, improving the Veterans Affairs health care system, and how the U.S. should respond to the rise of the Islamic State group in the Middle East.

With fixes to some of these issues still on the congressional to-do list, the members of the legislature who are military veterans may have opportunities to speak to their service experiences and influence debate about how Congress can best meet the needs of the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Four veterans were newly elected to the Senate, while 13 were elected to the House for the first time. Overall, the total number of veterans in Congress has declined sharply since the 1970s, when veterans' ranks peaked at 72 percent of members in the House and 78 percent in the Senate, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Those numbers now stand at about 19 percent and 21 percent, respectively, according to U.S. News calculations and data from Veterans Campaign, a nonpartisan program of the National Association for Uniformed Services that provides training for former service members interested in getting into politics.

The "selfless" attitude that veterans possess is something that "we just need so much more of right now," says Seth Lynn, executive director of Veterans Campaign. "I hope and I believe that many of those people will take that same selfless attitude with them to elected office," he says.

U.S. News spoke with four Iraq War veterans who are freshman members of the House of Repesentatives of the 114th Congress.
...

Ryan Zinke, R-Mont.

A former football player at the University of Oregon, Ryan Zinke says it was an Oregon alumnus named "Admiral Dick," who used to give pep talks before football games, who inspired him to become a Navy SEAL. Zinke served as a SEAL for 23 years, retiring from active duty in 2008, the same year in which he was elected to the Montana state Senate. The former member of SEAL Team Six is now the Treasure State's lone representative in the House. The Republican lawmaker says he believes it is time "to take our country back," noting that some of the major problems facing the country, including the federal budget deficit and the "excessive" government regulation that he says is stifling businesses, can be solved. "Maybe that's the SEAL in me," Zinke says. "Never quit and, you know, remain confident that you can complete the mission."

One issue area about which Zinke has expressed concern is defense policy. He approaches the matter not just as a veteran, but as the father of a former Navy diver and father-in-law of a Navy SEAL. Zinke says he is concerned for the military as a whole and wants to ensure that it maintains its strength and capability. "I just want to make sure that when we do put our troops into harm's way that they have every advantage on the field of battle to win decisively," he says.

Zinke also wants to ensure that the armed forces have not only the material support they need, but also a clear plan for forging ahead in the battle against the Islamic State group. He would like to see Congress "demand" such a plan, with concrete milestones, from the White House.

In September, President Barack Obama said the U.S. effort to combat the radical group would "not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil." Some lawmakers, including Zinke, oppose the president's strategy, saying such a prohibition could hinder the operation's effectiveness. "The air operations alone are just a pinprick," says Zinke, who believes boots on the ground will be necessary.

Zinke was one of six new GOP members recommended by the House Republican Steering Committee for a position on the Armed Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over defense policy. He also will serve on the Committee on Natural Resources, a post he was hoping for since he hails from a state where such resources abound.

Source