America’s military is massive, and its members are often sent by our government to fight in locations all over the world. That being the case, I believe America and its military would benefit from more veterans in higher government positions. Those who would vote to deploy our troops ought to know what it truly means to be deployed in military service.
One lawmaker who understands military service well is Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX), a former Army captain. We recently had a conversation.
Hunt comes from a military family. His father was an Army lieutenant colonel. His sister graduated from the Military Academy at West Point in 1993. She taught math there when Wesley and his brother were both cadets.
“Being at West Point, saluting my sister, was a complete family affair,” Hunt said.
But the close family military service connection did not end there. Anyone at West Point in the early 2000s knew they would be heading to war. In 2006, Hunt was a captain serving as an Apache gunship helicopter pilot in Iraq. One day, his sister flew a helicopter out of Baghdad and surprised him in the tactical operations center at Camp Taji. They have a great family wartime photo.
Hunt’s brother, who by that time had transferred to the Navy, was aboard a destroyer on the Persian Gulf at the same time.
All three of Hunt’s parents’ children were simultaneously deployed. I wondered how they felt about that.
“We had praying parents that raised us to go out and do our job,” Hunt said. “They were very proud. We grew up in a very conservative Baptist home. Always believed in God and service.”
Like most politicians, Hunt is an accomplished public speaker. Talking to so many, often on similar topics, his language sounded a bit polished. I wanted to get beyond that and was curious about the Apache helicopter, like the ones I saw in Afghanistan.
“What’s it like to fly that thing?” I eagerly asked.
His response was much more about the mission than the machine.
“It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life,” he said.
He explained that his role with the Apache was to provide air support to ground units under enemy fire. Obviously, this is critically important.
“Time is of the essence when you get the call over the radio. When we flew overhead, the guys on the ground felt safer,” Hunt said.
I have been in a ground unit with an Apache overhead. I did feel safer. Surely, nobody in that Afghan mountain village would want to take a shot at me when I had that gunship up there.
Perhaps childishly, I marveled at the Apache helicopter and asked about its weapons. Hunt’s voice revealed respect and admiration for their power. He mentioned feeling the recoil, shooting the Hellfire missiles, and smelling the powder from the 30 mm chain gun.
But Hunt was more serious than I.
“I met a father whose son was in one of the ground units I flew over. He thanked me for keeping his son alive,” he said.
It was not a boast. I could tell Hunt felt the weight of such an important mission.
DEMANDING TRUTH IN THE NEW YEAR
“My military experience is what gave me my grit and resolve to serve this country. That’s what I’m doing in Congress, serving the great state of Texas,” he said in a well-practiced politician’s cadence.
Then he spoke about all the good soldiers who did not make it home, and the captain was back. There was no politics in the sorrow in his voice as he lamented his West Point classmates who made that ultimate sacrifice. That sacred duty, to remember and honor the fallen, especially the fallen with whom we served, transcends consideration for politics or the power of our weapons. America needs more leaders like Hunt who understand that.
Trent Reedy, author of several books, including Enduring Freedom, served as a combat engineer in the Iowa Army National Guard from 1999 to 2005, including a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
*Some names and call signs in this story may have been changed due to operational security or privacy concerns.
