medicineman
New Member
This is the kind of man we need in power in the House, A real patriot, not some sniveling son of influence that has no Idea about war or sacrifice!Early life and military service
Murtha was born in New Martinsville, West Virginia, near the border with Ohio, and grew up in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, where as a youth he became an Eagle Scout. He also worked delivering newspapers and at a gas station before graduating from The Kiski School, an all-male boarding school in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania.
Murtha left Washington and Jefferson College in 1952 to join the Marine Corps and was awarded the American Spirit Honor Medal for displaying outstanding leadership qualities during training. Murtha rose through the ranks to become a drill instructor at Parris Island and was selected for Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia. Murtha was then assigned to the Second Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Murtha remained in the Marine Corps Reserves, and ran a small business, Johnstown Minute Car Wash. He also attended the University of Pittsburgh on the G.I. Bill, and received a degree in economics. Murtha later took graduate courses from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Murtha married his wife Joyce on 10 June 1955 they have three children and live in Johnstown.
In 1959, Murtha, then a captain, took command of the 34th Special Infantry Company, Marine Corps Reserves, in Johnstown. He remained in the Reserves after his discharge from active duty until he volunteered for service in the Vietnam War, serving from 1966 to 1967, serving as a battalion staff officer (S-2 Intelligence Section), receiving the Bronze Star with Valor device, two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He retired from the Reserves as a colonel in 1990, receiving the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.
https://www.rollitup.org/
[edit] Political career
Murtha was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1968 and served there until 1974, when he ran in a special election for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district. The seat had come open after 24-year incumbent Republican John P. Saylor died in October 1973. Murtha won by 122 votes, making him the first Vietnam veteran to serve in Congress. He won a full term later that year with 58 percent of the vote and has been re-elected 14 times without substantial opposition. He chaired the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense from 1991 to 1995, and has since served as its ranking Democrat.
Murtha's lowest percentage came in 1980, when he received 59.6 percent of the vote against Charles A. Getty.[citation needed] This challenge occurred during the Abscam investigation conducted by the FBI.
The sting involved undercover FBI agents posing as representatives of wealthy Arab sheiks willing to pay to obtain asylum in the United States. During the meeting in a Washington, D.C. townhouse, the agent offered Murtha $50,000 cash, and he refused it, stating I'm not interested...at this point.[4][5] The charges against him were dropped in return for his testimony against Representative Frank Thompson. A grand jury did not indict Murtha; on a 6-6 tied vote, he was eventually cleared by the House Ethics Committee in July 1981. Murtha has always declared he was innocent and has said, I met with two men who I believed had a substantial line of credit that could provide up to 1,000 jobs for the district. I broke no law. I took no money.[6]
On 9 June 2006, Murtha informed Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi that he will run for Majority Leader if the Democrats gain control of the House in the 2006 midterm elections; however, the current Democratic whip, Rep. Steny Hoyer, may prove to be competition.[2]
Murtha was born in New Martinsville, West Virginia, near the border with Ohio, and grew up in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, where as a youth he became an Eagle Scout. He also worked delivering newspapers and at a gas station before graduating from The Kiski School, an all-male boarding school in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania.
Murtha left Washington and Jefferson College in 1952 to join the Marine Corps and was awarded the American Spirit Honor Medal for displaying outstanding leadership qualities during training. Murtha rose through the ranks to become a drill instructor at Parris Island and was selected for Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia. Murtha was then assigned to the Second Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Murtha remained in the Marine Corps Reserves, and ran a small business, Johnstown Minute Car Wash. He also attended the University of Pittsburgh on the G.I. Bill, and received a degree in economics. Murtha later took graduate courses from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Murtha married his wife Joyce on 10 June 1955 they have three children and live in Johnstown.
In 1959, Murtha, then a captain, took command of the 34th Special Infantry Company, Marine Corps Reserves, in Johnstown. He remained in the Reserves after his discharge from active duty until he volunteered for service in the Vietnam War, serving from 1966 to 1967, serving as a battalion staff officer (S-2 Intelligence Section), receiving the Bronze Star with Valor device, two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He retired from the Reserves as a colonel in 1990, receiving the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.
https://www.rollitup.org/
[edit] Political career
Murtha was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1968 and served there until 1974, when he ran in a special election for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district. The seat had come open after 24-year incumbent Republican John P. Saylor died in October 1973. Murtha won by 122 votes, making him the first Vietnam veteran to serve in Congress. He won a full term later that year with 58 percent of the vote and has been re-elected 14 times without substantial opposition. He chaired the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense from 1991 to 1995, and has since served as its ranking Democrat.
Murtha's lowest percentage came in 1980, when he received 59.6 percent of the vote against Charles A. Getty.[citation needed] This challenge occurred during the Abscam investigation conducted by the FBI.
The sting involved undercover FBI agents posing as representatives of wealthy Arab sheiks willing to pay to obtain asylum in the United States. During the meeting in a Washington, D.C. townhouse, the agent offered Murtha $50,000 cash, and he refused it, stating I'm not interested...at this point.[4][5] The charges against him were dropped in return for his testimony against Representative Frank Thompson. A grand jury did not indict Murtha; on a 6-6 tied vote, he was eventually cleared by the House Ethics Committee in July 1981. Murtha has always declared he was innocent and has said, I met with two men who I believed had a substantial line of credit that could provide up to 1,000 jobs for the district. I broke no law. I took no money.[6]
On 9 June 2006, Murtha informed Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi that he will run for Majority Leader if the Democrats gain control of the House in the 2006 midterm elections; however, the current Democratic whip, Rep. Steny Hoyer, may prove to be competition.[2]
