Here are some top presidential candidates from the past decade for comparison. Note that these are only those who actually served in the military in some form. Clinton avoided military service by taking a Rhodes Scholor appointment in England. Dean was graded 1-Y during his draft induction physical due to unfused vertebra.
Candidate #1 enlisted in the Army and was eventually assigned to the 10th Mountain Division as a 2nd Lt. His unit was sent into combat where the candidate served at the front line. During an action, his platoon came under fire. His radioman was hit. The candidate got out of the comparative safety of his foxhole to help the downed radioman. He came under machine gun fire and was severely injured. The candidate waited 9 hours on the battlefield before being pulled to an evac hospital for medical treatment. The candidate was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his service.
Candidate #2 graduated from the US Naval Academy and flew fighters. He had the opportunity to leave service after his minimum obligation was up and avoid combat, however his continued service saw him shot down over enemy lines where he was a POW for 5 years in one of the most notoriously cruel prisoner of war camps in the 20th century. His survival through that ordeal alone speaks volumes about this candidate's character. He was awarded the Silver Star, a Legion of Merit for Valor, a Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze Stars, two Commendation medals and two Purple Hearts.
Candidate #3 enlisted in the Army after graduating cum laude from an Ivy League school. Rather than taking an opportunity to go to OCS, he remained an enlisted man. The candidate's father was a VIP and could have exerted influence to keep the candidate stateside. However, the candidate was sent into a combat zone as a combat reporter for Stars & Stripes. The candidate served with an engineering unit which frequently came under harassment fire and he was sent on volunteer missions to more forward engineering units in unsecured areas. The candidate never fired his weapon. Only service awards were bestowed. He returned to the States to attend Divinity school.
Candidate #4 enlisted in the Navy after graduating college. The candidate served in a non-combat role for a tour in a hostile zone. When his obligation ended, he re-enlisted to serve a second tour, this time in a combat role. While on patrol, his boat was attacked from shore. The candidate charged his boat and attacked the enemy. He beached the boat at the enemy camp, and personally jumped on shore to ensure the threat was neutralized. The candidate was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts before leaving service.
Candidate #5 is a graduate from the US Military Academy at West Point. The candidate chose the path of an infantryman and served in combat. While on patrol, his company came under fire. He was shot four times (in the leg, hip, hand, and shoulder), but continued to give orders in command of his company to neutralize the threat and get his men to safety. Before leaving this combat zone, he was awarded the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart.
Candidate #6 had the opportunity to enlist in the regular armed services but instead chose the National Guard, which at the time saw more limited duty. He was tested and earned a score in the 95th percentile for officer candidacy (outstanding), 50th percentile for navigator slot (promising material), and 25th percentile pilot slot (minimum qualification). After basic he was given a pilot slot and commissioned. He immediately took a leave of absence to work on a political campaign. He successfully earned his wings in fighter aircraft after two years of active duty training. Eighteen months later, he requested to be reassigned to different Guard unit so as to work on another political campaign. The Guard unit he requested had no aircraft for him to fly. Two years after the US government invested millions on training this candidate he failed to take the required flight physical and was removed from flight duty. Six months later he earned flight crew status back, but did not fly for the remaining 7 months of his service.
One of these candidates is not like the others...for one of them, the only shots fired at him were filled with tequila.
Seriously, if any of the first 5 candidates were my son, I would be proud of the service they gave their country. For the 6th candidate, I think I would have given him a long lecture about the meaning of responsibility and commitment the first time they mentioned that they were going to take a leave of absence from duty to go work on a political campaign, and a longer lecture after he failed to show up for his physical.
