I am an Air Force veteran, a (transplanted) Texan, a Democrat and I am all for women pursuing political office.
I have previously written about political candidates possessing three of the four “qualifications.”
But this is the story of one who has all four and for whom closed doors – whether real or metaphorical — are no obstacle, for she is an ass kicking, door-and-barriers-breaking, motorcycle-riding Texas Democrat.
Austin, Texas, suburbanite Mary Jennings “MJ” Hegar is also a decorated, battle-tested combat pilot, the proud mom of “two precocious kids, ages 2 and 6 months, and three amazingly resilient and smart step kids, ages 16, 10, and 8” and hopefully part of the (blue) wave of female veterans that will change our politics, and our country, for the better this November — part of the ambitious Democratic strategy to appeal to moderate voters this November.
Hegar has a compelling biography that matches perfectly with the broad Democratic strategy to reach moderate voters with a record number of female candidates, many of them battle-tested women.
Molly Mitchell, the Director of Media Affairs for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, says, “We worked tirelessly to recruit a historic number of candidates with records of service, including female veterans…These candidates have powerful personal stories and strong independent profiles that excite the grassroots base and prevent Republicans from successfully putting our candidates into ideological boxes…”
This is her story:
As depicted in the video, “Doors,” (below) Hegar survived childhood domestic abuse. One of her earliest memories is that of watching her dad throw her mom through a glass door.
As a young girl she also dreamt of flying in the Air Force and of “lobbying lawmakers to reverse outdated policies.”
Hegar served in the U.S. Air Force first in aircraft maintenance and eventually realized her dream of flying when she joined the Air National Guard and flew HH-60 Pave Hawks helicopters including during three tours in Afghanistan.
It was in 2009, during her third combat tour in Afghanistan while co-piloting a helicopter during a combat search-and-rescue mission, that Hegar and her helicopter were shot by Taliban troops outside Kandahar.
Wounded, Hegar “hung on as the helicopter went down a few miles away. Two Army helicopters rescued the downed crew. Hegar returned fire as they circled over 150 Taliban fighters below. She earned the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross with “V” device for her actions, which helped save the lives of those aboard her helicopter,” according to Military.com.
After serving 12 years, a Major Hegar separated from the Air Force, but nor before experiencing sexual assault herself and fighting the negative effects of gender inequality in her military career.
In 2012, Hegar and three other female veterans filed suit against then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, calling restrictions against women serving in ground combat units unconstitutional. In January 2013, Panetta lifted the ban on women serving in front-line combat units, and the rest is history.
As seen on the video, Hegar still has the helicopter door, “all that was left after her aircraft was shot down.”
Today Hegar is on a mission to knock down yet another door, the door to political national office.
She is running against eight-term Republican incumbent John Carter in Texas’ 31st Congressional District, the same man who once denied her a meeting when she was seeking congressional support in her quest to allow women to serve in combat.
Some consider her mission to knock down this door an uphill battle. They don’t know her. “It is not the first time she has faced a closed door and prevailed.”
Hegar understands the mission and has the vision:
As an Air Force officer, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Divisive policies that isolate us from the world with no consideration for our history of religious freedom, welcoming immigrants, supporting our allies, and fulfilling our promises pose a threat to the very ideals upon which our country and our Constitution were founded. It’s time we stop simply voting down party lines and start electing strong, reasonable, solution-oriented citizens.
We wish her success.
CODA: . In 2017, Hegar published the memoir Shoot Like a Girl, which describes her service in Afghanistan.
Lead image: MJ Hegar in her rescue helicopter (Courtesy MJ For Texas)
