Iraq Veteran Heading to Congress Goes to VA

It really seems like this is the guy we've been waiting for. Two tours of Iraq and speaks his own mind about the lack of support politicians gave the troops and then, wow, he actually goes to the VA for medical care. He knows what it is like!

D.C. rookie Seth Moulton takes a veteran’s approach
Sets up role in Congress
Boston Globe
By Cat Zakrzewski
GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
DECEMBER 01, 2014

DREW ANGERER FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
Representative-elect Seth Moulton took a run on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON — Seth Moulton wants to ensure that Congress has a vigorous debate over authorizing troops in Iraq and Syria. He is looking for a full team of staffers and vowing to help fix the bureaucratic morass at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

But first, the Democrat has to find his office.

Moulton, sitting unnoticed in gym shorts and sneakers at a French cafe near the Capitol one recent day, reflected on the whirlwind of activity since he won election in November — from selecting office space to his efforts to land a spot on one of the House’s more coveted committees, on Armed Services.

One of the first things he hopes to do, Moulton said, is add pressure on the Republican-led Congress to vote before any combat troops are sent to Iraq.

“I saw some of the consequences of failed leadership in Washington,” said Moulton, a former Marine who served four tours in Iraq. “I think the politicians didn’t know what they were doing when they got us into Iraq, and then they didn’t have our backs when we were there.”

Moulton, 36, said he hopes to play a role in reforming VA health care, which came under fire earlier this year due to a backlog in disability claims.

He currently receives his medical care through the VA, and he said he plans to continue to do so even after he is sworn in to the 114th Congress. Even though he trusts his own primary care physician, he said the bureaucracy was flawed.

“I know what it’s like to wait in line two hours just to have your blood drawn,” he said. “People who should have been fired a long time ago are still on the job.”
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