Record Number of Veterans Back Home, Many Running for Office
Nov 9, 2012
Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) November 8, 2012 – The population of recent combat veterans in the U.S. is higher than at any time since the Vietnam era.
It should not be surprising that there seem to be an unprecedented number of veterans running for local and state offices this election cycle. Current candidates include Illinois congressional candidate and Iraqi vet Tammy Duckworth, California’s Republican nominee for the 53rd Congressional District and Iraqi vet Nick Popaditch, and Iraqi vet and Arizona State House candidate Mark Cardenas.
Meanwhile, the number of service people who hold public office continues to decline. Close to 90 percent of the members of the U.S. House and Senate were military members in 1969; currently, according the Congressional Research Service, only 20 percent of members serve, or have served in the military. The presence of post-military politicians peaked in the postwar era; by the end of the Second World War, there were roughly 16 million service people who “came home” to serve, a move which also included running for political offices.
“Working in public office is just another way these men and women are serving their country,” stated veterans’ lawyer James Fausone.
The push to get more veterans into public office is headed up by Veterans Campaign, a non-partisan organization working to train veterans to run for public office. Their stated goal includes supporting and encouraging veterans by running workshops, lectures and research to demystify the campaign process. Veterans Campaign supports veterans as valuable and electable leaders, possessing exemplary leadership backgrounds, the ability to work with many different types of people, and a depth of understanding the bureaucratic steps and tangles so familiar to anyone working with foreign policy affairs and government systems.
According to a Harvard study cited by Veterans Campaign, Americans are becoming more confident in military personnel; with currently, 82 percent of U.S. citizens reporting confidence in the members of the armed forces. Younger Americans, ages 18 to 25, also report they believe U.S. politics is excessively partisan. According to Veterans Campaign, this dissatisfaction with the current atmosphere creates an opportune time to help veterans continue to serve their country, this time in office.
James G. Fausone is a Veterans disability attorney and Veterans attorney with Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC. To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability attorney or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC
41700 West Six Mile Road, Suite 101
Northville, MI 48168
Toll Free Phone: 800.693.4800
