Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Candidate For Congress Called Up For Duty
It would've been nice to see Greg Philips give a putz like Curt Weldon a run for his money, but he's on to something far nobler.
PHILADELPHIA - Congressional candidate Greg Philips will get a chance to serve his country, but it won't be in Washington. The suburban Philadelphia Democrat ended his long-shot bid to unseat Republican Rep. Curt Weldon on Tuesday after his Naval Reserve unit was called up for duty in Kuwait.
A lieutenant in the Navy's Civil Engineers Corps, Philips is scheduled to report for duty on July 26, then spend at least a year in the Iraq theater working with a logistics battalion that specializes in unloading military cargo ships.
Defense Department regulations generally prohibit members of the armed forces from running for office while on active duty. The Pentagon can waive the restriction, but Philips said he is ready to "put the politics behind me."
"That was a campaign, this is a real-world military operation, and my focus now is giving it all my effort," Philips said.
Best of luck, Greg. We hope you come home safe and soon...
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