Former Congressman & military leader who led DADT repeal endorses Pete Buttigieg

Former Congressman Patrick Murphy has endorsed out presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. Murphy, who was instrumental in the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT), also served as President Obama’s under secretary and acting secretary of the Army.

“In the summer of 2007, when American forces were mired in Iraq and our country was deeply divided at home, I announced my support for a young leader who promised change, looked to the future, and inspired America to meet its highest ideals,” Murphy wrote in an op-ed for the Military Times.

“As a first-term congressman from a historically Republican district — and the first Iraq War veteran to serve in Congress — I bucked the conventional wisdom and was the first member of the Pennsylvania delegation to endorse a young senator named Barack Obama.”

From 2009 to 2017 Buttigieg served as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve, attaining the rank of lieutenant and deploying to Afghanistan for seven months in 2014.

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Murphy served in the role of acting secretary for five months in 2016 while Eric Fanning, the first out gay man to lead a branch of the military, waited to be confirmed by the Senate.

“Today, our nation remains entangled in endless wars abroad and in a battle for our soul here at home,” Murphy wrote. “At this challenging time, I am once again proud to stand alongside a promising young leader from the heartland who intuitively understands what it takes to win the next election and usher in a future where we can both succeed and live up to our highest ideals. That is why I’m supporting fellow combat veteran Pete Buttigieg for president.”

“Pete’s leadership was forged by combat. His foreign policy experience comes not from attending a committee hearing or a Washington cocktail party, but firsthand from behind the wheel of an armored vehicle in Afghanistan. That’s one of the reasons why I believe Pete is the candidate best prepared to bring an end to our endless war.”

DADT, the military policy that allowed gay and lesbian service members to join the military if they stayed in the closet and dismissed them if their sexuality became known to superiors, was repealed in 2010 under President Obama.

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