The voters of Tennessee’s Third District will elect a brand new congressman this November. The field of candidates is crowded before the state primaries in August. The Republican roster of candidates all proclaim good conservative values, such as support for traditional family values, right to keep and bare arms, etc., etc.

Along with wrestling with the problems that the current ‘progressive’ administration is creating for the country today, we will elect a person who has a vote in one way or another to send our sons and daughters into harm’s way. This is one reason that I, as a voter, will usually defer to a veteran for my vote for the office of Congressman, Senator, or President. The veteran will have had at least a glimpse of the ravages of war and conflict and understands the results of his actions in office.

When a veteran takes the oath of office to protect and defend the constitution, he or she is actually reaffirming the oath that they took in becoming a veteran. Veterans know and respect leadership.

Looking at the candidates for the Third District, I see no veterans. I see people touting their accomplishments and calling it proof of leadership. The candidates include a couple of lawyers, a trained heath care professional, and a trained professional engineer. Among this collection of very competent able bodied professional people, who has truly demonstrated principles of leadership?

Leadership is, forgive me if I oversimplify, saying we need to have a big hole dug and I’ll pick up a shovel and help do it. The work is hard, dirty, and could be dangerous. But I’ll lead the way and get in there and shovel along with you even though I may get hurt or killed doing it. A real leader would not just point to the shovels and picks and say, go do it.

Only one person among the Republican candidates has demonstrated the leadership qualities I want to have in office when a vote is taken to send young men and women into the field of battle. That person is Tommy Crangle. Tommy is not a veteran in the traditional sense, but like all veterans of Iraq war, he was a volunteer and a true leader.

During the dark and dangerous days of the Iraq war, he volunteered for six assignments in Iraq to help rebuild the electric infrastructure of that ravaged nation, a nation that is now a democracy.

The other candidates could have all volunteered valuable services during that trying time, providing medical care or helping to build a solid government. They did not put it on the line along with our brave fighting soldiers and sailors. Too many IEDs, too many snipers, too many fanatics, just too dangerous. They said, let someone else go do it. Tommy Crangle did put it out there and did go do it. I believe he is the only one of this collection worthy of having a vote to send people into harm’s way, for he has ‘been there and done that’. The others could have and did not.

Rollin Van Alstine
Rutledge, Tn.