ON JAN. 6, MARTHA MCSALLY, A RETIRED AIR FORCE COLONEL AND FIGHTER PILOT, stood on the floor of the House of Representa- tives, ready for her next mission. Following two hard-fought campaigns, she raised her right hand and was sworn in as the representative for Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District.

A political newcomer, she was head- ing into uncharted territory, but something was very familiar about the landscape. “The oath of office of a military officer is the same exact oath of office as a member of Congress. Exact wording,” she says. “I just con- sider this my next assignment.” McSally is one of 82 U.S. represen-

tatives who have served or are serv- ing in the U.S. military, according to a report issued by Veterans Campaign, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organiza- tion with a mission to train veterans to run for public office. A total of 21 veterans can be found in the Sen- ate. For the first time since 1944, not a single World War II veteran is among them. In the 1970s, veterans made up nearly three-quarters of Congress. Today, only about 20 percent have worn the uniform. While the de- cline largely can be attributed to demographics and the introduction

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of the all-volunteer force, it still is seen as cause for concern by many. “We need veterans to serve for so

many reasons,” McSally says. “On the one hand, Congress is making deci- sions that are impacting our readi- ness, policies that are impacting our military, our national security, and it’s so important to have people who have served and understand the im- pact of these types of decisions.” In addition to that unique perspec-

tive, veterans also bring certain core values to the table, she says. “We’re going to do what’s best for the coun- try, what’s best for the people that we represent, and not necessarily what’s most expedient or self-serving. We’re very solution-oriented,” she says. “I think those are the type of values that we really need in office.”

Mutual respect According to a recent Gallup survey, a mere 14 percent of the American

public approves of the job Congress is doing. The military, on the other hand, gets very high marks. “The military background of a candidate isn’t just going to convey strength on national security and veterans’ issues,” says Seth Lynn, director of Veterans Campaign and a major in the Marine Corps Reserve. “It con- veys integrity. People just naturally associate the military with integrity.” Gallup reports that 72 percent of Americans have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the military, giving higher ratings to the nation’s armed services than any other institution listed in the survey, including small business, organized religion, and the medical system. “I’ve put some charts together

where I’ve looked at the general level of confidence in Congress over the years and how it’s gone down,” Lynn says. “It’s gone down almost in paral- lel to the number of vets in Congress.”

PHOTOS: FACING PAGE, LEFT, COURTESY OF TULSI GABBARD; RIGHT, COURTESY OF MARTHA MCSALLY; PREVIOUS SPREAD, JACQUELYN MARTIN/AP