Can bonds built in military service help elected officials overcome the partisan divide?

Last month I asked to hear from, or about, any veterans who might be running for local office for the first time.

I hoped that shining a spotlight on a few such newcomers might encourage other veterans to throw their hats in the ring, no matter what their political leanings might be.

I am concerned that veterans are underrepresented in elected office. On the national level, nearly three out of every four members of Congress in the early 1970s had some kind of military service. Today it’s about one in six.

According to an informal survey by the Rhode Island Office of Veterans Services, there are 10 veterans currently serving in the R.I. General Assembly. That’s less than one in 11, a disappointingly low ratio.

That makes it more difficult to prioritize and address issues affecting the veteran community. And most candidates for national office started in their own communities first.

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First-time candidates

I heard from three such candidates: Kevin Lowther, a progressive Democrat running for Westerly Town Council: Matt McCoy, a Democrat running for North Kingstown Town Council; and Sean Comella from Richmond, who is running for the District 39 General Assembly seat as an independent.

To be fair, there are a number of other veterans who are running for office as non-incumbents — and some are in the same races as the three men named above. In North Kingstown, for example, Randy Wietman is also running for Town Council. He’s a retired Navy commander with 29 years of service. Will King is a Vietnam Army vet who was an officer of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Will has, however, run for office before.

Another candidate for Westerly Town Council is Bill Aiello, a retired Air Force veteran running as an independent. He, too, is not a first-time candidate.

To be clear, this column is not intended as an endorsement.

I believe shared non-political experiences make it more likely that common ground can be found on difficult political issues. Decades ago, our congressmen spent a good part of the year in Washington. They weren’t jetting home every weekend to politic or fundraise.

They often joined the same clubs and played golf at the same courses. Their wives interacted as well, with kids often in the same schools. This created “outside the office” friendships, even among politicians at opposite ends of the political spectrum. These friendships went a long way toward providing a basis for political compromise, rather than the polarization we have today.

Brotherhood established in a melting pot such as the military – especially the cauldron of combat – can ratchet those bonds up a notch.

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Seventy-five years ago

In 1946, three soldiers named Dan, Bob and Phil were recovering from WWII wounds at the Percy Jones Army Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan. Aspiring surgeon Dan lost part of his right arm while leading his infantry platoon in Italy. Phil had been wounded on Utah Beach during the D-Day invasion when shrapnel damaged his right arm. Bob had been badly wounded and partially paralyzed by a German shell. Like Dan, he had also hoped to become a doctor.

The three young men, all from diverse backgrounds and ideologies, bonded over rehab challenges and card games.

What are the odds that all three would become U.S. senators, and that the hospital in which they recovered would be renamed for them?

Phil was Democrat Philip Hart, who served as a Michigan senator from 1959 until his death in 1976. Known as the "conscience of the Senate,” the Hart Senate Office Building is named for him.

Bob was Bob Dole, a future Republican senator and presidential candidate. Dan was Democrat Dan Inouye, a Medal of Honor recipient who was the first Japanese-American to serve in both the House and the Senate.

These three men were on opposing sides of many issues, but they were able to call on their shared experiences and long-term friendships to find compromise.

In 2003, the Battle Creek hospital was renamed the Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center.

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Matthew Baldwin McCoy

A New Jersey native, he enlisted in the Navy in 1980, spending 13 years as an enlisted sailor. He advanced to chief operation specialist (surface warfare) before accepting a commission in 1993. He retired in 2003 after completing 23 years of service.

A job offer from Raytheon in Portsmouth brought Matt to Rhode Island. He worked there until 2016 as a systems engineer, initially on the Zumwalt-class destroyer program.

Now semi-retired, he consults for small businesses with government contracts. 

McCoy is very active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He headed up the Rhode Island World War One Centennial Commission and is now vice chair of the local Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Program. He was recently appointed to the board of directors of the Quonset Development Corporation.

For what it’s worth, McCoy disagrees with my belief that shared military service could help reduce the polarization that afflicts our society.

“I’d like to believe that is true, but unfortunately I think that both the active duty military and veteran communities have become highly politically divided in the past decade.”

Kevin J. Lowther II

“I was born in New London, raised in Westerly and grew up in the Army,” is how Lowther describes himself.

After graduating from Westerly High in 2000, he earned an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy. He graduated from West Point in 2004, and spent the next 13 years on active duty in the Corps of Engineers. In 2006 he deployed to Baghdad where he earned a Bronze Star. His other assignments included service in Korea, Egypt, Kuwait and Germany, as well as a four-month tour in Afghanistan.

His proudest military accomplishment: “Bringing all my soldiers back from Baghdad alive.”

Having accomplished his goals of “seeing the world, getting usable skills and protecting my loved ones,” he thought it was time “to bet on myself and see if I could make a bigger impact in the world as a civilian.”

After earning an MBA from the University of Miami in 2019, he returned to Westerly and made a radical career change. “I always wanted to be a musician,” he said. "I never in a million years thought I would have the chance.”

Performing as a contemporary violinist, he has been nationally recognized for his modern take on that instrument.

In 2020 he became more involved in community activity, co-founding the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition. He was appointed to the town planning board in 2021.

Sean Comella

“Public service is paramount to me,” Comella said. His life to date confirms that is not an empty statement.

He joined the Army National Guard on his 18th birthday, seeking a military police assignment that could help him achieve his eventual goal – to become a police officer.

He deployed as a member of a NATO Peacekeeping Force in the Balkans in 2000. Three years later he went to Iraq with the 119th Military Police Company.

Since joining the Providence Police Department in 2007, he has been a member of the Violent Crime Task Force, Narcotics Unit, and the Homeland Security/Weapons Bureau. Sergeant Comella now serves as a member of the Special Response Unit, Providence’s SWAT team.

He has received numerous decorations for valor and service, both from the Army and from law enforcement. He has earned a BS in criminal justice from Roger Williams University.

Why are you running for office?

All three men gave similar answers to this question: they want to make their local community a better place.

"I grew up here, I'm a graduate of Westerly High School, and I care deeply about this town," Lowther said.

McCoy: “North Kingstown is my home and I care about how it is governed. I want to have a direct role in tackling the challenges that affect our town.”

Comella said, “I can't stand on the sidelines anymore. I was a victim of the bystander effect. It's now time to take action.

“My core values of duty, loyalty and love for country were solidified by my military service. I want to carry that concept of service to the State House.”

Why do you think military service helps make one a better candidate?

McCoy believes military service increases one’s desire to continue serving your nation and community. He doesn’t think it matters whether someone served one enlistment or retired after decades of service. You either served or you didn’t, and that’s what matters.

He also added this important caveat: “Simply being a veteran is not sufficient reason for voters to elect you. A candidate must have other requisite skills, abilities and experience needed to govern effectively.”

Lowther believes that successful political leaders have to inspire others, then plan and execute. The military prepares you to do that better than most other backgrounds.

Comella said, “Prior military service makes you more well-rounded. If you have deployed to a place like Iraq, you see how other people live. You no longer take for granted what we have here. You appreciate it more.”

All three candidates believe their military experience helps them function more effectively under stress, thus making correct decisions more often.

What’s a big takeaway from campaigning? From knocking on doors and talking with people, Comella has learned that most folks don't like divisive partisan politics. “The extremes of the left and right drown out the moderate voices of the vast majority of average working Rhode Islanders.”

Food for thought indeed.

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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: For some veterans, service to our country means getting elected