The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is endorsing a Congressman who was previously endorsed in the 2010 mid-term election, he is therefore one of the 66 Combat Veteran For Congress who have been endorsed over the last three years.  He is running for re-election to the House seat he has held for 9 years and is currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee and is the senior Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee.   Congressman John P. Kline (R-MN-2)  http://www.klineforcongress.com from Lakeville, Minnesota, is a retired Colonel and Combat Veteran who served his country in the US Marine Corps for 25 years.  John Kline was born in Allentown PA in 1947 and grew up in Corpus Christi, TX; in 1965 he graduated from W. B. Ray High School in Corpus Christi.  John went on to receive a BA in Biology from Rice University, Houston, TX in 1969, and a MS in Public Administration from Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA in 1988.  

John Kline received a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the US Marine Corps in 1969 and received his flight wings when he graduated from Flight School in 1970.  In 1972 First Lieutenant Kline saw Combat Action as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam when based in Da Nang, Vietnam.  He subsequently had tours of duty in Okinawa, Korea, and Somalia.  During his successful military career in the US Marine Corps, Col Kline commanded US Marine Base Squadron in Camp Lajeune, NC and all US Marine Aviation Forces in Operation Restore Hope in Mogadishu, Somalia.  Col Kline worked as Program Development Officer at Headquarters Marine Corps, and served as a military aide to Presidents Carter and Reagan, where his responsibilities included carrying the “nuclear” football – the package containing the nuclear launch codes.  Among his many medals and awards are four Legion of Merit Medals, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Award, a Meritorious Service Medal, a Joint Service Commendation Medal, a Naval Commendation Medal, the Presidential Service Badge, and numerous campaign medals.  Colonel Kline is a 1987 graduate of the US Army War College and retired from the US Marine Corps in 1994 with 25 years of Honorable Service.

As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Kline has distinguished himself and has been recognized by his colleagues as the foremost expert on defense and Veterans issues, and also a valuable resource on intelligence community issues. He championed bipartisan legislation that made the Minnesota National Guard’s “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon” reintegration program available nationwide.  He twice (2010, 2012) has successfully fought the Administration to ensure promises made to our troops were promises kept when the Pentagon reduce benefits after National Guard troops were deployed overseas. Earlier this year, Kline convinced the Army to reverse its decision and introduced the “Honoring Our Nation’s Outstanding Rifle Squads” (HONOR) Act, bipartisan legislation that will enable the Army to loan or donate excess rifles to memorial rifle squads and other eligible organizations – including local chapters of the American Legion and VFW.  He has been recognized numerous times for your support of Veterans and our troops. In 2012, the AMVETS awarded him with the “Silver Helmet Award” for his loyalty and dedication to America’s Veterans.  Known as the “Veterans Oscar,” the Silver Helmet award is one of the most prestigious awards given by Veteran’s organizations.  In 2008, the National Guard Bureau honored Kline with a Heritage Painting, one of its highest civilian awards, for successfully championing the “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon” legislation and his “continued support of the National Guard.”   

Congressman Kline is a member of Grace United Methodist Church in Burnsville, MN, the VFW, the American legion, the NRA, the Minneapolis Rotary Club, the national Wild Turkey Federation, the Federation of Fly Fishers, Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants unlimited, the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, the Safari Club International, and is a certified Fly Fishing Instructor.  Congressman Kline’s wife Vicki (Sheldon) is a retired Army Nurse.  He is especially proud of his two children and four grandchildren.  His son John, the father of two, is a Lieutenant colonel and helicopter pilot in the Us army, and served two tours in Afghanistan.  His daughter is a freelance author, mother of two, and the creator of PBandJAHM e-zine, which offers community support and advice for stay at home mothers across the country.  Congressman Kline and Vicky own a family farm in Houston, MN and are well aware and sensitive to issues which affect farmers.

The Combat Veterans for Congress PAC is pleased to endorse Congressman John P. Kline, Col-USMC (Ret) (R-MN-2) who continues to bring to Congress extraordinary public sector and private sector skills and wisdom to better solve problems and represent his Congressional District and the Republic. If you review Cong Kline’s positions on his Web site, you would be pleased with his stands; they agree with the Combat Veterans For Congress Mission Statement.  We look forward to working with Cong Kline, and are pleased that a Combat Veteran of his caliber is running for re-election to Congress.  If you have friends, associates, or relatives who know voters in the 2nd Congressional District of Minnesota, kindly pass this E-mail on to them, and ask them to support Cong Kline by working in his campaign, providing financial support for his campaign in any amount, and/or by networking with others who would be willing to support his campaign.  The military is one of the few remaining institutions producing the caliber of men and women needed to restore this nation to the greatness our Founding Fathers envisioned.  We have endorsed another Combat Veteran For Congress that General George Washington would have approved of.  He is a Veteran who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America” for an amount “up to and including his life.”