Kirk has served his country well

Over the course of my life, I've seen a lot of things. But never before have I seen an organized political campaign to denigrate the service of an honorable man like I've seen here in Illinois. Mark Kirk distinguished himself throughout his 21-year career in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

In Congress, he became a champion for veterans, helping save the North Chicago VA hospital from closing. Commander Kirk served our country in Operation Allied Force (Kosovo), Operation Northern Watch (Iraq) and in Afghanistan twice the first deployment of a sitting member of the House of Representatives into an imminent danger area since 1942.

Mr. Kirk completed the Navy's survival school and other training requirements to enable him to fly on missions over the skies of Iraq. In 2009, upon his return from Afghanistan, General John Nicholson wrote of Kirk's performance: “Completely selfless and demonstrating tremendous personal courage, CDR Kirk performed duties in two of the most dangerous provinces of Afghanistan Helmand and Kandahar routinely traveling to remote bases to enable the best coordination possible with Allies and Afghans.”

With our troops now deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq, and with a declining number of veterans serving in Congress, our country needs someone like Kirk in the United States Senate. That's why the Veterans of Foreign Wars PAC endorsed Kirk in the upcoming election.

During his time in Congress, Kirk supported the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill to send our newest veterans to college. He voted to raise the pay for our troops repeatedly while voting to freeze his own pay four times. He backed the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John D. Fry scholarship, which provides a deceased service-member's children the G.I. Bill benefits their parent earned. And to help disabled veterans, Kirk voted to allow concurrent receipt of retirement and disability payments.

Yes, Kirk made mistakes. He's not perfect. But I've yet to meet the man who is. What I do know is that Kirk is a patriot, a statesman and, above all, a good and decent man. I only hope that the people who read this see through the smokescreens of a desperate political campaign and join me in sending Mark Kirk to the United States Senate.

Allen J. Lynch

Gurnee