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Joseph Maxwell "Max" Cleland (born August 24, 1942) is an American politician from Georgia. Cleland, a Democrat, is a disabled US Army veteran of the Vietnam War, a recipient of the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for valorous actions in combat, and a former U.S. Senator. He was also Administrator of Veterans Affairs (now a Cabinet-level position). From 2003 to 2007 he served on the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, a presidentially-appointed position. He has served as Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission since May, 2009. Since he left office in 2003, no other Democrat from Georgia has served a full term in the United States Senate. ==Early life and military service== Cleland was born on August 24, 1942 in Atlanta, the son of Juanita Wilda (Kesler) and Joseph Hughie Cleland.〔http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/hugh-cleland-95-father-of-former-us-sen-max-clelan/nQf3y/〕 He grew up in Lithonia, Georgia, and graduated from Stetson University in the class of 1964, where he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Cleland was named outstanding senior in high school.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://josephsoninstitute.org/public/resources/poc_cleland_strong-broken-places.html )〕 He went on to receive a master's degree from Emory University (Georgia). Cleland then served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, attaining the rank of Captain. He was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for valorous action in combat, including during the Battle of Khe Sanh on April 4, 1968. On April 8, 1968, Captain Cleland was the Battalion Signal Officer for the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division during the Battle of Khe Sanh. On April 8, with a month left in his tour, Cleland was ordered to set up a radio relay station on a nearby hill. A helicopter flew him and two soldiers to the treeless top of Hill 471, east of Khe Sanh. Cleland knew some of the soldiers camped there from Operation Pegasus. He told the pilot he was going to stay a while with friends. When the helicopter landed, Cleland jumped out, followed by the two soldiers. They ducked beneath the rotors and turned to watch the liftoff. Cleland reached down to pick up a grenade he believed had popped off his flak jacket. It exploded and the blast slammed him backward, shredding both his legs and one arm. David Lloyd, a Marine in a nearby mortar bunker, rushed to the scene, took off his web belt and tied it around one of Cleland's legs to control bleeding.〔() Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 44 (Friday, March 19, 1999) pages S2992-S2993〕 When the medics arrived, Lloyd left to help another injured soldier – one of the two who had gotten off the helicopter with Cleland. Lloyd says that the unnamed soldier was crying. 'It was mine,' he said, 'it was my grenade.' According to Lloyd, the private had failed to take the extra precaution that experienced soldiers did when they grabbed M-26 grenades from the ammo box: bend the pins, or tape them in place, so they couldn't accidentally dislodge. This soldier had a flak jacket full of grenades with treacherously straight pins, Lloyd says. "He was a walking death trap."〔Thompson, Neal. "30 Years of Self-Loathing, and Then, Finally, the Truth." ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' December 5, 1999: 1. Find Articles. October 11, 2006.〕 Due to the severity of his injuries, doctors amputated both of Cleland's legs above the knee, and his right forearm. He was 25 years old.〔"Max Cleland." ''Contemporary Heroes and Heroines'', Book IV. Gale Group, 2000.〕 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「Max Cleland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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