Last Saturday evening we lost a solid, hardworking Senator,
a staunch conservative, and a true patriot; U.S. Senator
Lindsey Graham (R-SC) suddenly passed away.
Just two days after his 71st birthday and a day after returning
from an official an official visit to Kiev, Ukraine, Graham
died from what was reported as a "brief and sudden illness"
in his home. Graham's colleagues on both sides of the aisle in
the Senate respected and admired him greatly for, among other
things, reaching and working across party lines on many issues,
including assisting Afghan refugees. Graham was a senator who
understood the United States' role in the world.
Graham was born in Central, South Carolina, the son of parents
who operated a restaurant, a liquor store, and a pool hall. He was
the first member of his family to attend college, where he joined
the Reserve Officer Training Corps. When Graham was twenty
his parents died, and he took over the upbringing of his much
younger sister Darline, who was 13 at the time. The service
allowed Graham to attend the University of South Carolina
in Columbia so he could be Darline's legal guardian.
Graham graduated with a BA in psychology in 1977, earning a
Juris Doctor from his university's law school in 1981.
Upon graduation, he was commissioned as an officer in the
JAG Corps (Judge Advocate General Corps) in the United
States Air Force in 1982 and began active duty straightaway.
Graham worked his way up to the rank of Colonel, serving
in the Air National Guard and later the Air Force Reserve.
In 2014 he received a Bronze Star for meritorious service as
a senior legal adviser to the Air Force in Iraq and Afghanistan.
His legal training and experience made him a good choice to be
on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
A neoconservative, Graham was derisively called a "moderate
Republican" by the Tea Party. He called himself a "fairly conser-
vative Republican" and a "Reagan Republican" with "a twang of
moderation" and an "independent streak". But just when
conservatives in the GOP were ready to write Graham off as a
RINO (Republican in Name Only) he would assert his conservative
leanings on a particular issue and quell the harsh criticism aimed at
him --- his staunchly pro-life stance on abortion being one such
instance, where he sponsored the Pain-Capable Unborn Child
Protection Act, which bans abortion after 20 weeks of gestation
on a nation-wide basis, making exceptions to save the life of the
mother, pregnancy through rape or incest.
Graham also received awards from national animal protection
organizations for, among other things, supporting the end of the
slaughter of horses, particularly that done for commercial purposes.
He also worked to ban shipping horses to slaughter facilities in
other countries.
Graham always supported the maintenance of the United States'
military capabilities in order for our country to be able to defend
herself as well as to fulfill its responsibilities as an ally to nations,
especially those under threat from hostile neighboring countries
i.e. Israel and the existential threats from Iran and various terrorist
groups allied with Iran.
Sen. Graham worked to preserve the United States' exceptionalism
in every way it is exceptional. His work is now finished, and he
is rightfully honored as a faithful public servant and advocate for
the well-being of our country and we, her people. Requiescat in pace,
Senator. Thank you for all you have done.
MEM
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