General Hugh Shelton Endorses Hillary
By V on May 5, 2008 at 6:35 PM in Barack Obama, Commander in Chief, Flag officers, Hillary Clinton
Gen. Hugh Shelton, a native North Carolinian:
“You know in the history of our great nation, there has been only one former President who received an endorsement of a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs prior to being elected. And in this case, not only one, but two former Chiefs along with a former Vice Chairman have expressed their support for Senator Clinton. And so I’m proud to be one of those two [in endorsing Sen. Hillary Clinton for president].”
Today, in General Shelton’s hometown paper, The Daily Southerner, Gen. Shelton endorses Hillary: “An opinion piece deserves a frank opinion,” and that, “Unlike any other candidate, she knows that maintaining a highly-trained military and alert military goes beyond throwing dollars at the Pentagon or giving upbeat speeches.”
Sen. Clinton has gotten to know our military during her time as first lady and as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Unlike any other candidate, she knows that maintaining a highly-trained military and alert military goes beyond throwing dollars at the Pentagon or giving upbeat speeches. She understands the impact of endless commitments on the service families who also serve our country.
She has already worked hard to build the morale, training and ultimately the capabilities of our armed forces, and she uniquely understands the importance of remembering those on our forgotten front line in Afghanistan.
We need a president like Sen. Clinton, who understands that a successful foreign policy combines equal parts of economic strength, military readiness and diplomatic persuasion. … (Read all of Gen. Shelton’s endorsement .)
In the long history of our nation, there has been only one former Green Beret to become the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs — General Hugh Shelton. 
He stands beside Hillary and 34 of his fellow Generals and Admirals in enthusiastically endorsing Hillary Clinton for President and next Commander-in-Chief. General Shelton served two tours of duty in Vietnam, and was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. He was assistant commander of the 101st Airborne Division during Operation Desert Storm in Iraq, and later commanded the 82nd Airborne Division. Prior to serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Shelton commanded U.S. Special Operations Forces. He served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s highest ranking military office, from 1997-2001.
Gen. Shelton goes on to note Hillary’s tenacity, her commitment to the military and veterans, and her record of achievement on Armed Services committee.
Why are so many military leaders supporting Hillary? Sometimes I think back to my own years in the service and get caught up in the interplay between light and dark, from no-nothing boot camp newbie to old salt, the remembrances of both good times with my buddies, and that deadly day in Beirut. While twenty-plus years have taken off some of the edges, my patriotism burns undimmed and the experience of that warrior culture remains part of my fiber. So, I find something that is touching and true in the seemingly contradictory juxtaposition of all those gruff old warriors and their respect for that small, middle aged woman — Hillary.
But I understand why these warriors respect her, they find in her a kindred spririt, a toughness, a tenacity and a willingness to fight against the odds for what is right. Barack likes to claim that he is, “skinny, but he’s tough,” but Hillary has fought alongside these Generals and Admirals on issues they deeply care about. She has earned their respect.
What has Barack done? Skated out on his NATO subcommittee duties? (He hasn’t done much. Read this post by Joe Wilson.) So, just like General Shelton, I too am proud to be supporting Hillary Clinton for next Commander-in-Chief. See many more endorsements below:
(The player just above has 23 video endorsements. Roll over with your mouse to access the controls.)
by Ronald Scott
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