Veterans and Leadership
Veterans Day is an American tradition to honor those who have served in the armed forces of the United States. Their service is rooted in love of country and community.
These values not only shape the brave Americans who enlist in military service, but they also help guide our servicemembers who later become political leaders.
Throughout American history, some who take the oath to enlist in our military later take the presidential oath of office.
America’s first president under the Constitution, General George Washington, led the Continental Army in the fight against the British throne.
Responding to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall’s biography of Washington, Gouverneur Morris, a contemporary of both, wrote to Marshall: “…few men of such steady, persevering industry ever existed, and perhaps no one who so completely commanded himself.”
Another military leader to fight Great Britain before pursuing the presidency was our 7th president and the first from the Democratic Party, Andrew Jackson.
In addition to receiving heavy praise for his role in the Battle of New Orleans, Jackson’s campaign to squash the Seminole created negotiating room for the U.S. to acquire Florida.
While Jackson’s military focus during the War of 1812 was in the South, American forces also had to respond to British attacks in the North.
William Henry Harrison, later America’s 10th president, commanded an army following the British capture of Detroit. Harrison pushed back British and Indian forces in a campaign that led to the recapture of Detroit and even the invasion of Ontario, Canada.
Harrison’s lead in Canada at the Battle of the Thames was considered one of the greatest American victories along with Jackson’s at New Orleans.
Unfortunately, Harrison served as president for just 31 days before his death, becoming the first president to die in office and remaining the shortest-serving president to this day.
The next president to die in office was another Virginia-born military leader, Zachary Taylor.
Taylor’s exceptional command during the Mexican-American War earned him major general honors, three Congressional Gold Medals (the only person in U.S. history) and comparisons to Washington and Jackson.
Serving under Taylor in the war effort was Ulysses S. Grant. The conflict helped shape Grant in his preparation to lead the Union Army during the Civil War.
Grant would later become our country’s first president elected following the Civil War, and the first since Jackson to complete two consecutive terms.
Among others to go from fighting in the Civil War to later living in the White House included the likes of Benjamin Harrison, James Garfield and William McKinley.
As the 25th president, McKinley helped exert American power in the Western Hemisphere, most notably during the Spanish-American War.
American forces showed incredible strength, with leaders like Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders valiantly fighting in Cuba against Spanish armed forces.
Following Roosevelt’s resounding success in the War, he became a rising star in the Republican Party. Accordingly, McKinley tapped Roosevelt as his new vice president. McKinley’s assassination in 1901 meant the Spanish-American War hero would take the reins of the presidency, and in 1904, would be elected in his own right.
Another Republican war hero to become president is General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Eisenhower, among other campaigns, oversaw the Allied operation in World War II, Operation Overlord, which is one of the most consequential military feats in U.S. military history. The Allied landings at Normandy, the largest seaborne invasion in history, represented the first major breach of Hitler’s “Fortress Europe” and paved the way for America and our Allies to defeat Nazi forces.
Across the world in the Pacific Theater, American forces faced a different threat.
Naval warfare against Japan required courageous aviators to bomb Japanese-held islands. One naval aviator, 19-year-old George Herbert Walker Bush, took on a variety of combat missions.
During one attack, Bush was shot down by enemy fire. He parachuted into the ocean, spending four hours on a life raft before being rescued.
Bush’s military service preceded his rise in public service, where he would become America’s 41st president.
These are just some of the many presidents to have a military service background.
America’s military leaders not only fight on the battlefield, but also on American soil to protect our rights, our way of life and our country.
Obviously, not all veterans can become president. But whether they become president or return to contribute to their communities, every American owes them a debt of gratitude. So, please join me in thanking our veterans for all they do and have done for our country. Happy Veterans Day!
If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at https://morgangriffith.house.gov/.
