Former senator and veteran Max Cleland dies

Cleland, 79, died at home in Atlanta on Tuesday from congestive heart failure, according to his caregiver. The former U.S. Army captain received the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for his tour in Vietnam, during which he lost his right arm and both legs in an accidental grenade blast. After returning home, Cleland plunged into a decadeslong career in Georgia and national politics. Lawmakers poured out support on Tuesday, and President Joe Biden called Cleland “a man of unflinching patriotism, boundless courage, and rare character.”

What else did Cleland do? After lengthy stints in military hospitals, Cleland felt purposeless as a 25-year-old triple amputee. Cleland had an interest in politics from a semester and internship in Washington and decided to cope with his grief through political service. He served as a Democratic state senator from 1971 to 1975 before heading up the Veterans Administration as its youngest administrator. In 1983, Cleland was elected Georgia’s secretary of state, a position he held until 1996 when he won a U.S. Senate seat. He was known for focusing on military issues. He lost a reelection bid in 2002 after Republican opponent Saxby Chambliss released an ad that painted Cleland as soft on the war on terror by equating his voting record with support for terrorists. President Barack Obama later appointed Cleland as secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission. In his 2009 memoir, Cleland wrote, “I have learned that it is possible to become strong at the broken places.”

Dig deeper: Read Sharon Dierberger’s story on how one Vietnam veteran pays tribute to other service members through Honor Flights.