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Further Reading

LPD 26 John Murtha

The secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) honored the legacy of the late U.S. Representative John Murtha by declaring 23 April 2010 that the Navy's 10th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, LPD 26, will bear his name. News accounts noted that in April 2010, critics lobbied Mabus to reconsider plans for the USS John P. Murtha, citing his opposition to the Iraq war. Given that the sitting President of the United States, Commander and Chief and Leader of the Free World, Barack Hussein Obama, had also been critical of the war in Iraq, this was not a particularly compelling argument. John Murtha is, however, a bad name for a San Antonio class amphibious ship because all the other ships of this class are named after cities.

The announcement was made at John P. Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County airport in Johnstown, Pa., a town Murtha held close to his heart. SECNAV Ray Mabus was accompanied by Joyce and Donna Murtha, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Representative Norm Dicks of Washington and U.S. Representative David Obey of Wisconsin. "John Patrick Murtha served our country his entire adult life," said Mabus. "Both in uniform as a Marine and in the halls of Congress, he dedicated himself to the United States of America." Murtha's service began when he joined the Marine Corps in 1952 and served in the Korean War. He also saw service in Vietnam in 1966, a tour that earned him the Bronze Star with Valor device, two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. Murtha retired from military service as a colonel in 1990. He had 37 years of active and Reserve service.

Murtha represented Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District from 1974 until his death in 2010. In his position as the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, he oversaw appropriations for the Department of Defense, which included the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and the intelligence community. He was a driving force for the Navy's shipbuilding program, providing necessary funds to grow and maintain the fleet and preserve the industrial base.

Representative John Murtha, a key pro-defense Democrat who during 36 years in the U.S. House of Representatives became one of the most powerful members of Congress, died on 08 February 2010 at age 77 of complications from surgery. At 1.9-meters-tall, John Murtha towered over most other lawmakers, and could always be depended upon to give a reporter his time on questions regarding funding for the U.S. military and soldiers fighting in foreign battles. When he died of complications from gallbladder surgery, Murtha - a Vietnam War veteran with two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star - headed the powerful Subcommittee on Defense of the House Committee on Appropriations, a position he was elected to in 1974 and used to push for Pentagon funding.

He was among the most skillful politicians on Capitol Hill at channeling funds to his local district through "earmarks" -- provisions in legislation directing that money be spent on specific projects. Although he voted in support of a resolution in late 2002 to authorize use of military force in Iraq, Murtha gradually became disillusioned with the conduct of the war. As he stepped up his criticism, he became a proponent of "redeploying" American troops out of Iraq, but maintaining forces at sufficient levels in the region to respond quickly to emergencies as needed.

Murtha became the center of controversy with his allegation that U.S. soldiers had killed unarmed civilians "in cold blood" in the Iraqi city of Haditha, which he attributed to the strain on U.S. forces. He suggested that the military tried to cover up the alleged incident. He reacted angrily to revelations that U.S. soldiers and interrogators at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq had physically and psychologically tortured prisoners, saying in a speech on the House floor that "no circumstance whatsoever justifies torture - no emergencies, state of war, no level of political instability." "The words torture, cruelty and abuse elicit images of draconian and brutal dictatorship," said John Murtha. "These words are reserved for the worst of human rights offenders and should never include the United States of America."

In his more than three decades in Congress, Murtha was also the focus of ethical controversies, most recently centering on contributions by lobbyists and corporate clients to his campaign coffers. In 1980, he was caught up in the FBI anti-corruption sting operation called ABSCAM in which he was videotaped turning down a $50,000 bribe. But he indicated that he might accept future offers. Named an unindicted co-conspirator, he testified against two lawmakers in the case, in which six members of Congress were convicted. In 2006, after Democrats captured control of the House of Representatives from Republicans in mid-term elections, Murtha was endorsed by the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to lead the Democratic majority. Maryland Representative Steny Hoyer won the position after a Democratic caucus election.

"Throughout his time in Congress, Jack Murtha remained a Marine. He always did what he thought best for our country and he championed the interests of service men and women." said Mabus. The future USS John P. Murtha will transport and land Marines, their equipment and supplies and will support amphibious assault, special operations or expeditionary warfare missions for a projected 30 years. "She will serve as a visible symbol of the freedoms Chairman Murtha held dear, and his example will live on in the steel of that ship and in all those who will serve aboard her." said Mabus.