Veterans, Legionnaires among newest members of Congress

Veterans, Legionnaires among newest members of Congress

As the 114th Congress convened this week, included were 58 freshmen in the House and 13 new lawmakers in the Senate.

The returning legislators featured an influx of veterans. Of the 25 OIF/OEF veterans serving in this Congress, five are freshman. Notably, Sens. Tom Cotton and Joni Ernst are the first post-9/11 veteran senators.

While members of Congress are getting younger and more diverse, Legionnaires are also among the ranks of congressional members. Six freshmen are Legionnaires.

Following are names of the veteran freshmen of the 114th Congress:

ALASKA: Senate – Dan Sullivan (R), (Persian Gulf) [Legionnaire]

ARIZONA: House-District 2 – Martha McSally (R), (Panama, Persian Gulf) [Legionnaire]

House-7 – Ruben Gallego (D), (Persian Gulf)

ARKANSAS: Senate – Tom Cotton (R), (Persian Gulf) [Legionnaire]

CALIFORNIA: House-25 – Steve Knight (R), (Lebanon-Grenada)

GEORGIA: House-11 – Barry Loudermilk (R), (Lebanon-Grenada, Panama, Persian Gulf) [Legionnaire]

HAWAII: House-1 – Mark Takai (D) (Persian Gulf)

ILLINOIS: House-12 – Mike Bost (R), (Lebanon-Grenada) [Legionnaire]

IOWA: Senate – Joni Ernst (R), (Persian Gulf)

LOUISIANA: House- 5 – Ralph Abraham (R), (Peacetime)

MASSACHUSETTS: House-6 – Seth Moulton (D), (Persian Gulf)

MICHIGAN: Senate – Gary Peters (D), (Persian Gulf)

MONTANA: At Large – Ryan Zinke (R) (Panama, Persian Gulf)

NEW YORK: House-1 – Lee Zeldin (R), (Persian Gulf)

OKLAHOMA: House-5 – Steve Russell (R), (Panama, Persian Gulf)

TEXAS: House-36 – Brian Babin (R), [Legionnaire]