The former local Congressman who led the effort to repeal the military’s ban on openly gay servicemembers was nominated on Wednesday for a top military post.
Former Congressman Patrick Murphy was nominated as Under Secretary of the Army, a Department of Defense post. He represented Pennsylvania’s Eighth District in Congress from 2007-11 and was the first Iraq War veteran elected to Congress. Murphy earned a Bronze Star for Service for his 2003-04 deployment to Iraq as a paratrooper with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.
Murphy was the prime sponsor of the legislation to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military’s ban on openly service by LGB people. Congress overturned that measure in December 2010 and it was officially lifted in September 2011.
He is a partner at Fox Rothschild LLP, headquartered in Philadelphia, and is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
“I am grateful that these talented and dedicated individuals have agreed to take on these important roles and devote their talents to serving the American people,” President Obama said about Murphy and the other administration nominees announced Wednesday. “I look forward to working with them.”