Last year, with your help, VoteVets.org made history. Because of your support, four candidates who served during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were elected to Congress with high hopes, and they have not disappointed. Congressmen Patrick Murphy, Joe Sestak, Tim Walz, and Chris Carney have become strong leaders in the House of Representatives, and are giving a heavy dose of reality about what is, and what is not, supporting the troops.
Imagine, for a moment, if we had more like them. Think about how the debate would change if more Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were able to take to the floor, and the credibility that would add to criticisms of the president's failed policy in Iraq.
I know it seems like a long way off, but it's time to start the work to add to their ranks. This past week, VoteVets.org PAC announced our endorsement of two more veterans who are running for Congress -- John Boccieri and Jonathan Powers.
Both of these 21st Century Patriots promise to bring more strength of leadership to a place where it is sorely lacking -- Capitol Hill.
We'll be saying more about both these candidates in the coming weeks, but for right now, let's look at John Bocceri.
John is in his first term as a member of the Ohio State Senate. He served our country by enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. He is an Air Force Reserve Major and aircraft commander aboard the C-130 aircraft, and was stationed at Youngstown Joint Air Reserve Station. He recently deployed in 4 rotations to support our troops in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Boccieri has served our nation in over 40 countries and has eleven years of service in the U.S. Military.
Previously, in his role as staff officer, he supported Presidential visits to Arkansas and also worked on base-wide support of three treaties- Open Skies, Chemical Weapons Compliance, and START II Treaties. As a commissioned Lieutenant in the military, he worked with base-wide support for the Department of Defense, Department of the Air Force, the State Department, the White House Communications Staff, the Secret Service, and Air Force and Marine Advance Agents.
John has a tremendous opportunity to take this district. Republican Congressman Ralph Regula, an 18-term incumbent, was only able to get 58 percent of the vote last election. That might be a good percentage for anyone else, but it's awfully low for someone who has been in Congress almost two decades. So, this is a very winnable district for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
Please do your part to help out these fine veterans lend support to the strong voices we've already sent to Congress. As you know, in today's politics, money talks. So, let's get these guys off to a huge start and show that America want the Voice of America's 21st Century Patriot in Congress!
Take a look at John's site, and donate here.