WASHINGTON — Rep. Tim Griffin has received a promotion — not in the U.S. House of Representatives, but at his other job with the U.S. Army Reserve, where he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Griffin, a Little Rock Republican, is one of nine members currently serving in the military.
While it used to be the norm for legislators to have a military background, a dwindling number have served in uniform. The majority of congressmen were veterans in the 1980s. In the incoming Congress, less than 20 percent of lawmakers will have served.
Griffin said military service did not necessarily mean a legislator will keep service members and veterans in mind when casting votes. But it can help.
“It’s generally helpful to have a good representation of people who have served,” he said.
The two roles can be difficult to fulfill at times.
“Sometimes, it’s been quite a burden,” he said. “Other times, it will be just a matter of completing your monthly drill.”
At the beginning of the current Congress, there were 118 members who have served or are serving in the military — about 22 percent of all lawmakers on Capitol Hill — according to records kept by the Library of Congress’ Congressional Research Service.
In the Congress that will convene in January, only 18 percent will have a military background according to a USA Today report.
That number will include Arkansas’ four House members, each of whom served in the U.S. Army. The state’s two senators, Sen. Mark Pry- or, a Democrat, and Sen. John Boozman, a Republican, have not served in uniform.
The dwindling representation of veterans and current service members on Capitol Hill is a far cry from the 91st Congress, in 1969-71, when 398 lawmakers were veterans.
According to Chad Miles, a U.S. Army Veteran from Detroit who runs a website called whoserved.com, twothirds of the lawmakers who have served in the military are Republicans.
Louis Celli, national legislative director for the American Legion, a veterans’ advocacy group, said the reduction is because of the long period of relative peace between the end of the Vietnam War and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The end of the draft in 1973 and the move to an all-volunteer force also had a dramatic effect.
Veterans are “keenly” aware of the benefits they’ve earned, Celli said, and appreciate fellow veterans who represent them in Congress.
“When those benefits come under attack, we take that as a personal affront,” he said.
Members who have served represent a range of views, according to Kevin Martin, executive director of Peace Action, a Maryland peace advocacy group.
“They’re not all crazy militarists, and they’re not all pacifists,” he said.
The decline of members who have served in the military has not hindered the Pentagon, Martin said.
“It’s not like the military has a hard time getting its views known in Congress,” he said.
Members of Congress who are veterans or currently serve bring a necessary perspective to foreign-affairs debates on Capitol Hill, said Kent Hillhouse, president of the Army Reserve Association. Because they’ve experienced life in the military, they understand the dangers of combat.
“The military guys are the guys who don’t want to go to war because they’re the ones who will get killed,” Hillhouse said.
Members who have served as higher-ranking officers, Hillhouse said, bring a broader strategic perspective to the debate.
“They can look at the big picture,” he said.
Griffin got the orders on Nov. 21, but he hasn’t received the silver oak leaf insignia indicating his rank — he plans to get the pin at a ceremony in the near future. He joined the service in 1996, served in Iraq and was promoted to major in 2006.
His assignment as the Command Judge Advocate of the Reserve’s Southeast Medical Area Readiness Group requires him to provide legal advice to soldiers and officers on disciplinary matters and courtsmartial, he said, something he can do in between votes on the House floor and meeting with constituents.
“There’s a certain amount of flexibility in the National Guard and Reserve,” Griffin said. “Very rarely do you have to do something that minute.”
As a lieutenant colonel, Griffin will receive a pay raise. He will receive $1,035 for oncea-month weekend drills, an increase over the $946 he received as a major. And for his annual two-week training period, Griffin will receive $3,621, an increase over his previous $3,307 in training pay.
“It’s a little bump,” Griffin said, “which is always welcome.”
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 11/28/2012