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Rep. Jack Murtha, Vietnam vet and Iraq War critic, dies at 77

Posted by on February 9th, 2010

PETER JACKSON Associated Press Writer

9:50 PM MST, February 8, 2010

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Rep. John Murtha, the tall, gruff-mannered former Marine who became the de facto voice of veterans on Capitol Hill and later an outspoken and influential critic of the Iraq War, died Monday following complications from gallbladder surgery. he was 77. Rep. Bob Brady, a longtime friend, said the late congressman’s large intestine was damaged during surgery and an infection led him to be hospitalized with a fever. “There will never be another Jack Murtha,” Brady said. “He went out on top of his game.” the Pennsylvania Democrat died at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., where he was admitted on Jan. 31. the gallbladder surgery was performed days earlier at the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md., which didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment. in 1974, Murtha, then an officer in the Marine Reserves, became the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress. Ethical questions often shadowed his congressional service, but he was best known for being among Congress’ most hawkish Democrats. he wielded considerable clout for two decades as the ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee that oversees Pentagon spending. Murtha voted in 2002 to authorize President George W. Bush to use military force in Iraq, but his growing frustration over the administration’s handling of the war prompted him in November 2005 to call for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops. “The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion,” he said. Murtha’s opposition to the Iraq war rattled Washington, where he enjoyed bipartisan respect for his work on military issues. on Capitol Hill, Murtha was seen as speaking for those in uniform when it came to military matters. Murtha “was the first Vietnam veteran to serve in Congress, and he was incredibly effective in his service in the House,” said Rep. David Obey, a Democrat and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. “He understood the misery of war. every person who serves in the military has lost an advocate and a good friend today.” Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said that in part because of Murtha, “America is now on track to removing all combat troops from that country by this summer.” President Barack Obama called Murtha, who was known in his home state for helping bring money and projects to areas depressed by the decline of the coal and steel industries, “a steadfast advocate for the people of Pennsylvania for nearly 40 years” with a “tough-as-nails” reputation. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, remembered Murtha as a tireless advocate for veterans and the military. “From health care to weapons procurement, from shipbuilding to pay and benefits, no one understood the needs of our modern military better than he did,” Mullen said in a statement. “That we remain the greatest military in the history of world is testament in no small part to his vigilance and stewardship,” he said. known for his seriousness, Murtha also had a lighter side. Gov. Ed Rendell recalled Monday that “he was a funny guy, he always enjoyed a good laugh and he was somebody who was a great and loyal friend.” Rendell said Monday that he has not decided when to schedule a special election to replace Murtha. he has 10 days by law; the political parties must come up with their own candidates. the governor said that it would save taxpayer money to hold the election on may 18, the state’s planned primary date, but that he might set it sooner in the event of urgent congressional issues. Murtha was born June 17, 1932. the former newspaper delivery boy left college in 1952 to join the Marines, where he rose through the ranks to become a drill instructor at Parris Island, S.C., and later served in the 2nd Marine Division. he settled in Johnstown, then volunteered for Vietnam, where he served as an intelligence officer and earned a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. he was serving in the Pennsylvania House in Harrisburg when he was elected to Congress in a special election in 1974. in 1990, he retired from the Marine Reserves as a colonel. “Ever since I was a young boy, I had two goals in life — I wanted to be a colonel in the Marine Corps and a member of Congress,” Murtha wrote in his 2004 book, “From Vietnam to 9/11.” Murtha’s criticism of the Iraq war intensified in 2006, when he accused Marines of murdering Iraqi civilians “in cold blood” at Haditha, after one Marine died and two were wounded by a roadside bomb.