Former Senator, war hero Max Cleland in Carson City on Wednesday
Former U.S. senator, Vietnam war hero, advocate for disabled veterans and author Max Cleland will speak to Democrats in Carson City on Wednesday, officials announced Sunday.
The Carson City Democratic Central Committee invited the former Georgia senator to speak about ongoing policy issues for the November midterm election. He will address the public at 7 p.m. in the AFSCME building at the southwest corner of Robinson and Roop streets in Carson City.
Born and raised Georgia, Cleland is a graduate of Emory University. He served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, attaining the rank of Captain. He was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for valorous action in combat, including during the Battle of Khe Sanh on April 4, 1968.
On April 8, 1968 Cleland lost both legs and his right arm to a grenade explosion. Drawing on his own experience of pain, depression, and frustration, he rose up to accomplish significant improvements for veterans returning from war.
Cleland served from 1971 to 1975 in the Georgia Senate, and became an advocate for affairs relating to veterans. He was the administrator of the United States Veterans Administration under President Jimmy Carter, a fellow Georgian, from 1977 to 1981. He then served 14 years as Secretary of State of Georgia from 1982 to 1996.
Following the retirement of Georgia Senator Sam Nunn, Cleland ran and won a U.S. Senate seat. As a Democrat his politics were viewed as moderate, supporting some Republican budgetary measures, and President George W. Bush's 2001 tax-cut package.
His record on national defense and homeland security was more centrist. He voted to federalize airport security after 9/11, and supported the war on terror. Cleland was strongly pro-free trade, voting to normalize trade relations with Vietnam, to make China's NTR status permanent, and to extend free trade to Andean nations, according to Wikipedia.
Cleland was one of the 29 Senate Democrats who backed the authorization to go to war in Iraq.
In 2002, following a defeat for re-election, he went on to teach at American University and worked on the presidential campaign of fellow Vietnam war veteran Sen. John Kerry, who won the 2004 Democratic nomination but was defeated by George Bush in the general election.
Cleland's official Senatorial papers are held by the University of Georgia's Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. His Veterans Administration papers are held in the Carter Center.
Last year, Cleland wrote his autobiography, "Heart of a Patriot — How I Found The Courage To Survive Vietnam, Walter Reed, and Karl Rove." http://books.simonandschuster.com/Heart-of-a-Patriot/Max-Cleland/9781439126059
In May 2009 Cleland was nominated by President Obama to serve as the next Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission.
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