Jack Murtha died at the age of 77 today from Lung Cancer
February 9, 2010
News in the US reports death of Congressman Jack Murtha, which is a great loss for the country, the military men and women and for the lung cancer community. The Pennsylvania Democrat had been suffering from complications from gallbladder surgery. He died at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., with his family at his bedside.
John Patrick “Jack” Murtha (June 17, 1932 – February 8, 2010) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democrat, represented Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1974 until his death in 2010.
Jack Murtha “was the first Vietnam veteran to serve in Congress, and he was incredibly effective in his service in the House,” said Rep. David Obey, a Democrat and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. “He understood the misery of war. Every person who serves in the military has lost an advocate and a good friend today.”
Murtha was a perennial target of critics of so-called pay-to-play politics. He routinely drew the attention of ethical watchdogs with off-the-floor activities, from his entanglement in the corruption probe three decades ago to the more recent scrutiny of the connection between special-interest spending known as earmarks and the raising of cash for campaigns.
Congressman Murtha, who chaired the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, will be extolled — and rightly so — as one of the greatest congressional leaders ever on defense and security issues. He was proud of his service as a former Marine and equally proud of his reputation as a fearless and tireless champion of military men and women. He was also a compassionate champion on the issue of lung cancer and its disproportionate impact on those who served our country. Chairman Murtha established and funded the first lung cancer research program within the Department of Defense. Murtha defended the practice of earmarking.
The money, he said, benefited his constituents. Murtha became chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee in 1989. Murtha’s critics recall the Abscam corruption probe, in which the FBI caught him on videotape in a 1980 sting operation turning down a $50,000 bribe offer while holding out the possibility that he might take money in the future.
Obama, in a statement, said Jack Murtha had been a “respected voice” on issues of national security. Gates said he had worked with Murtha for over 20 years, “starting back in the Reagan administration when I was at CIA.
“I will always remember and be grateful for Congressman Murtha’s personal efforts on behalf of the Afghan resistance fighting the Soviets – efforts that helped bring about the end of the Cold War,” Gates said in a statement.
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