Max Rose is a freshman member of the United States House of Representatives. He represents the 11th District of New York, made up of Staten Island and part of Brooklyn. A Democrat, he is considered to be moderate.
Before going into politics, Rose was a Ranger in the United States Army. He has since transferred to the Army National Guard and currently holds the rank of captain. As noted by CNN, he temporarily left the campaign trail in 2018 for training exercises. Rose is now being called to duty once again.
Deploying as part of the effort against the novel coronavirus
Max Rose is being called to duty by the New York Army National Guard. Instead of being sent overseas, Rose and his unit are to remain stateside. They are being deployed as part of the ongoing effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Rose had previously been spotted volunteering at a testing site for the virus. He's allowed to step aside from his military duties if need be for a Congressional vote. As such, Rose downplayed his role. According to Axios, he stated 'I am just trying to do my duty and my small part.'
Tomorrow, I will be deploying to the National Guard to do my small part to assist in the response to the coronavirus on Staten Island.
Wanted you to hear from me what this means. We will get through this—together. pic.twitter.com/ycwNtGi4ty
— Rep. Max Rose (@RepMaxRose) March 31, 2020As an officer in the United States Army, Rose was wounded while serving in the War in Afghanistan.
He later became a member of the elite Army Rangers. Rose's decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Rose is a member of the House Committees on Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs. He currently chairs the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism.
Several members of Congress also serve in the military
Many members of Congress also concurrently serve in the military as members of the National Guard and Reserve. They include Steve Stivers and Trent Kelly. Stivers, a Republican from Ohio, is a Brigadier General in the Ohio National Guard. Similarly, Mississippi Republican Trent Kelly is a Brigadier General in the Mississippi National Guard.
Other members have retired from the military either before or during their Congressional careers. Scott Perry, a Pennsylvania Republican, has been a member of the House since 2013. He retired from the Pennsylvania National Guard in 2019 as a Brigadier General. Jack Bergman retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 2009 as a Lieutenant General. Since 2017, he's been a member of the House from Michigan as a Republican.
Perhaps one member of the modern Congress to at the same time serve in the military stands out. That being Lyndon B. Johnson. The Texas Democrat was a member of the U.S. Navy Reserve throughout his Congressional career. As a member of the House, Johnson served under General Douglas MacArthur in World War II.
He remained in the Navy Reserve while in the Senate. Which included time as the majority whip, the minority leader and the majority leader.
Johnson was a member still of the Navy Reserve during his time as vice president of the United States. It wasn't until 1964, almost two months into his first term as president, that Johnson resigned from the Navy Reserve. He held the rank of Commander. Which might have been a conflict with his role as commander-in-chief of the U.S. military.
