24 Senators Who Answered The Call From Battlefield To Capitol

Before building Columbia Hospital Corporation and serving as Florida governor, Rick Scott spent thirty months on active duty in the Navy during the Vietnam era. Stationed on the USS Glover, he operated shipboard radar systems tracking maritime vessels.

Lindsey Graham joined the Air Force in 1982, serving on active duty in Europe as a military prosecutor and defense attorney before transferring to the South Carolina Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. He deployed during Operation Desert Shield and completed duties in Iraq & Afghanistan while serving in Congress.

Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker began his legal career as a captain in the Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps. After active duty, he continued serving in the Air Force Reserve until 2004, advising base commanders on military justice and civil law.

Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan was deployed to the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa during his long Marine Corps career. Retiring as a Colonel in 2024, Sullivan commanded an antitank platoon, intelligence units, and served in active combat deployments.

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst dedicated over twenty-three years to the Army Reserve and National Guard. During Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, she commanded the 1168th Transportation Company, leading dangerous supply convoys into Kuwait and southern Iraq.

Indiana Senator Todd Young earned an appointment to Annapolis and graduated with honors. As a Marine Corps rifle company commander and intelligence officer, Captain Young led detachments combating narcotics smuggling in the Caribbean.

Leaving a lucrative legal career to enlist after September 11, Tom Cotton earned his Ranger tab and commissioned as an infantry officer. He led combat patrols in Baghdad during the troop surge and later served as an operations officer in eastern Afghanistan, earning a Bronze Star.

Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1971 and spent nearly a decade on active duty. Qualified as an Army Ranger and master parachutist, he commanded a rifle company in the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel served alongside his brother Tom in the Mekong Delta in 1968. Surviving severe burns and shrapnel wounds, Sergeant Hagel pulled his wounded brother from an exploding personnel carrier, later becoming Secretary of Defense.

Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater flew hazardous supply routes from India over the Hump into China during World War II. An accomplished aviator with over twelve thousand flight hours, he helped establish the Arizona Air National Guard and flew jet fighters until his sixties.

Alaska Senator Ted Stevens flew C-47 transport planes supporting General Claire Chennault's Flying Tigers in the China-Burma-India theater. Flying over treacherous mountain ranges and Japanese-controlled airspace, Stevens delivered vital ammunition, fuel, and medical cargo.

Enlisting in the Army Air Forces in 1942, Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen rose to Major by age twenty-three. Stationed in southern Italy, he commanded the 449th Bombardment Group, piloting heavy bombers through dense flak and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Massachusetts Senator Edward Brooke served with distinction in World War II, leading infantry combat patrols through the rugged Apennine Mountains. Later becoming the first popularly elected African American senator, Brooke credited his military service with instilling lifelong leadership.

South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond volunteered for combat duty despite holding a judicial position. Landing in Normandy on June 6, 1944, his glider crashed into an orchard, but Captain Thurmond rallied survivors to capture German defensive positions, earning a Bronze Star.

South Dakota Senator George McGovern flew a B-24 Liberator nicknamed the Dakota Queen with the 455th Bombardment Group. On several occasions, McGovern brought his severely damaged bomber back safely on emergency landings, saving his entire crew from enemy fire.

Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth was among the first women to fly combat missions in Iraq. On November 12, 2004, her UH-60 helicopter was hit by an insurgent rocket-propelled grenade near Baghdad. Despite losing both legs, she helped co-pilot the aircraft to a safe emergency landing.

Georgia Senator Max Cleland volunteered for duty in Vietnam with the 1st Cavalry Division. In April 1968, a dropped grenade exploded near his position, causing the loss of both legs and his right arm. Cleland survived to lead the Veterans Administration before entering the Senate.

Illinois Senator Paul Douglas was an economics professor when he enlisted in the Marines following Pearl Harbor. Despite his age, Douglas insisted on front-line duty, carrying ammunition under fire on Peleliu and suffering severe machine gun wounds on Okinawa, earning the Bronze Star.

Alabama Senator Jeremiah Denton was shot down over North Vietnam in 1965. During a coerced propaganda broadcast in 1966, Commander Denton feigned light sensitivity to blink out T-O-R-T-U-R-E in Morse code, alerting American intelligence to the brutal conditions prisoners endured.

Ohio Senator John Glenn shot down three MiG fighters in Korea before becoming the first American to orbit the Earth in Friendship 7. Known among fellow aviators for his steady composure under enemy fire, Glenn completed fifty-nine combat missions in World War II and ninety in Korea.

Before becoming a senator, vice president, and president, Harry S. Truman commanded two hundred men in Battery D of the 129th Field Artillery. Under heavy German counter-battery shelling in France, Captain Truman held his men together without losing a single soldier.

Kansas Senator Bob Dole led an assault against German defensive machine gun nests on Colle della Spe in April 1945. Struck by exploding shrapnel that shattered his shoulder and paralyzed his arms, Dole endured years of surgeries, earning two Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star.

Arizona Senator John McCain was shot down on his twenty-third bombing mission over North Vietnam in 1967. Despite severe fractures and enduring solitary confinement, Lieutenant Commander McCain famously refused early release until all men captured before him were freed.

Serving with the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye charged three German machine gun bunkers on Colle Musatello. Despite being struck in the stomach and having his right arm shattered by a grenade, Lieutenant Inouye destroyed the positions, earning the Medal of Honor.