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|branch=25px United States Army |serviceyears=1948–1952 |rank=25px Staff sergeant |battles=Korean War *Battle of Kunu-ri |unit=25px 503rd Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division |awards=Bronze Star (with valor device) Purple Heart }} Charles Bernard "Charlie" Rangel (; born June 11, 1930) is the U.S. Representative for . A member of the Democratic Party, he is the second-longest currently serving member of the House of Representatives, serving continuously since 1971. As its most senior member, he is also the Dean of New York's congressional delegation. Rangel was the first African-American Chair of the influential House Ways and Means Committee. He is also a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Rangel was born in Harlem in New York City. He earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, where he led a group of soldiers out of a deadly Chinese army encirclement during the Battle of Kunu-ri in 1950. Rangel graduated from New York University in 1957 and St. John's University School of Law in 1960. He then worked as a private lawyer, Assistant U.S. Attorney, and legal counsel during the early-mid-1960s. He served two terms in the New York State Assembly, from 1967 to 1971, and then defeated long-time incumbent Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. in a primary challenge on his way to being elected to the House of Representatives. Once there, Rangel rose rapidly in the Democratic ranks, combining solidly liberal views with a pragmatic approach towards finding political and legislative compromises. His long-time concerns with battling the importation and effects of illegal drugs led to his becoming chair of the House Select Committee on Narcotics, where he helped define national policy on the issue during the 1980s. As one of Harlem's "Gang of Four", he also became a leader in New York City and State politics. He played a significant role in the creation of the 1995 Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation and the national Empowerment Zone Act, which helped change the economic face of Harlem and other inner-city areas. Rangel is known both for his genial manner, with an ability to win over fellow legislators, and for his blunt speaking; he has long been outspoken about his views and has been arrested several times as part of political demonstrations. He was a strong opponent of the George W. Bush administration and the Iraq War, and he put forth proposals to reinstate the draft during the 2000s. Beginning in 2008, Rangel faced a series of allegations of ethics violations and failures to comply with tax laws. The House Ethics Committee focused on whether Rangel improperly rented multiple rent-stabilized New York apartments, improperly used his office in raising money for the Rangel Center at the City College of New York, and failed to disclose rental income from his villa in the Dominican Republic. In March 2010, Rangel stepped aside as Ways and Means Chair. In November 2010, the Ethics Committee found Rangel guilty of 11 counts of violating House ethics rules, and on December 2, 2010, the full House approved a sanction of censure against him. Rangel has since faced two strong primary challenges in a now primarily Hispanic district but has prevailed. He has stated that his current term will be his last. ==Early life, military service, and education== Rangel was born in Harlem in New York City on June 11, 1930. His father, Ralph Rangel, was from Puerto Rico and came to New York in 1914, while his African American mother, Blanche Mary Wharton Rangel, was from New York City with family roots in Virginia. Charles was the second of three children,〔 with an older brother Ralph Jr. and a younger sister Frances.〔 Ralph Rangel sometimes worked as a laborer in a garage,〔 but he was mostly a frequently absent, unemployed man who was abusive to his wife and who left the family when Charles was six years old.〔 Charles was raised by his mother, who worked as a maid and as a seamstress in a factory in New York's Garment District, and by his maternal grandfather.〔〔''Current Biography Yearbook 1984'', p. 338.〕 Many summers were spent in Accomac, Virginia, where his maternal family had roots.〔Rangel, ''And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since'', pp. 1–2.〕 Charles was brought up as a Roman Catholic.〔Rangel, ''And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since'', pp. 11–13.〕 Rangel did well in elementary and middle school,〔 and began working at a neighborhood drug store at the age of eight.〔 Rangel then attended DeWitt Clinton High School,〔 but was often truant and was sometimes driven home by the police.〔 His maternal grandfather, an early role model who worked in a courthouse and knew many judges and lawyers, kept him from getting into more serious trouble.〔 Rangel dropped out at age 16 during his junior year and worked in various low-paying jobs, including selling shoes.〔〔〔Moothart, Allegra J. ("Rep. Charles Rangel (New York)–Ways and Means Committee" ), ''U.S. News & World Report''. Retrieved March 16, 2007.〕 Rangel then enlisted in the United States Army, and served from 1948 to 1952.〔 During the Korean War, he was an artillery operations specialist in the all-black 503rd Field Artillery Battalion in the 2nd Infantry Division,〔〔 equipped with the 155 mm Howitzer M1.〔Appleman, ''Disaster in Korea'', p. 236.〕 (While President Harry S. Truman had signed the order to desegregate the military in 1948, little progress in doing so had been made during peacetime, and the large majority of units initially sent to Korea were still segregated.) Rangel's unit arrived in Pusan, South Korea, in August 1950 and then began moving north as U.N. forces advanced deep into North Korea.〔Rangel, ''And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since'', pp. 62–63.〕 In late November 1950, after the Chinese intervention into the war, his unit was caught up in heavy fighting in North Korea as part of the U.N. forces retreat from the Yalu River. In the Battle of Kunu-ri, the 2nd Infantry was assigned to hold a road position near Kunu-ri while the rest of the Eighth Army retreated to Sunchon, 21 miles further south. On the night of November 29, 1950, the 2nd Infantry was attacked by gradually encircling forces of the Chinese Army, who set up a fireblock to cut off any U.S. retreat. The eerie blare of Chinese night-fighting bugle calls and communication flares〔Fehrenbach, ''This Kind of War'', pp. 200–201.〕 piercing the freezing air led to what Rangel later described as a "waking nightmare, scene by scene, and we couldn't see any possible way out of the situation."〔Rangel, ''And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since'', p. 64.〕 During the day of November 30, the order came to withdraw the 2nd Infantry in phases, but the 503rd Artillery Battalion was sixth of eight in the order and could not get out in daylight when air cover was possible.〔Appleman, ''Disaster in Korea'', pp. 237–238.〕 On the night of November 30, Rangel was part of a retreating vehicle column that was trapped and attacked by Chinese forces.〔〔 In the subzero cold, Rangel was injured in the back by shrapnel from a Chinese shell. He later wrote that the blast threw him into a ditch and caused him to pray fervently to Jesus.〔 Up and down the line of the retreat, unit cohesion disappeared under attack and officers lost contact with their men.〔Fehrenbach, ''This Kind of War'', pp. 225–226.〕 There was screaming and moaning around him and some U.S. soldiers were being taken prisoner,〔 but despite feeling overwhelming fear Rangel resolved to try to escape over an imposing mountain: "From the rim of that gully it just looked like everything had to be better on the other side of that damn mountain."〔 Others nearby looked to Rangel, who though only a private first class had a reputation for leadership in the unit and had gained the nickname "Sarge".〔Rangel, ''And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since'', pp. 66–67.〕 Rangel led some 40 men from his unit over the mountain during the night and out of the Chinese encirclement.〔 Other groups were trying to do the same, but some men dropped from the severe conditions or got lost and were never heard from again.〔Appleman, ''Disaster in Korea'', pp. 277–278.〕〔Fehrenbach, ''This Kind of War'', p. 234.〕 By midday on December 1, U.S. aircraft were dropping supplies and directions to Rangel's group and others, and had a raft ready to take them across the Taedong River; groups from the 503rd Artillery reached Sunchon that afternoon.〔〔Rangel, ''And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since'', pp. 68–69.〕 Overall, no part of the 2nd Infantry suffered as many casualties as the artillery;〔Appleman, ''Disaster in Korea'', p. 237.〕 it tried to save, but eventually lost, all its guns,〔Fehrenbach, ''This Kind of War'', p. 232.〕 and nearly half of the battalion was killed in the overall battle. Rangel was treated first at a field hospital, then moved to a general hospital well behind the lines in South Korea where he recuperated.〔Rangel, ''And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since'', pp. 69, 73–75.〕 He eventually returned to regular duty, then was rotated back to the U.S. in July 1951.〔 Rangel was awarded a Purple Heart for his wounds, the Bronze Star with Valor for his actions in the face of death, and three battle stars.〔 His Army unit was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation〔Unit citations are given to the entire membership of the unit, not just one person, and are required to be worn by soldiers that subsequently serve in that unit.〕 and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.〔 p. 88.〕 In 2000, Rangel reflected to CBS News that "Since Kunu Ri – and I mean it with all my heart, I have never, never had a bad day." After an honorable discharge from the Army in 1952 with the rank of staff sergeant, he returned home to headlines in ''The New York Amsterdam News''.〔 Rangel later viewed his time in the Army, away from the poverty of his youth, as a major turning point in his life: "When I was exposed to a different life, even if that life was just the Army, I knew damn well I couldn't get back to the same life I had left." Rangel finished high school, completing two years of studies in one year and graduating in 1953.〔 Rangel then received a Bachelor of Science degree from the New York University School of Commerce in 1957, where he made the dean's list.〔 Then, on full scholarship, he obtained his law degree from the St. John's University School of Law in 1960.〔HometoHarlem.com: ("Charles Rangel / Politician, social activist." ). Retrieved March 16, 2007.〕 Rangel is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He is also a member of the fraternity's World Policy Council, a think tank whose purpose is to expand Alpha Phi Alpha's involvement in politics and social and current policy to encompass international concerns. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Charles Rangel」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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