On The Front Lines: Rep. Chris Gibson

In 1981, the day after his 17th birthday, Chris Gibson enlisted in the Army National Guard. Still in high school, he started off as a private in the infantry. Later, when he was attending Siena College, he joined the ROTC. By 1984 he had graduated from officer to second lieutenant. 

Over his 29 years of military service, Gibson was deployed a total of seven times, at the same time earning master’s degrees in arts and public administration, as well as a doctoral degree in government at Cornell University. From 1995 to 1998 he taught government to cadets at West Point. 

Gibson was on a fast track to high-ranking leadership in the Army, achieving the rank of colonel of the 82nd Airborne Division and receiving such recognitions as the Purple Heart and four Bronze Star medals. However, in 2010 he retired from the military to run for office. He was elected to Congress eight months later. 

“I went from the highest esteemed public institution to the least esteemed one in the fastest amount of time,” Gibson joked. 

One lesson he has taken away from his military service is the importance of collaboration in the best interest of the country. Public opinion invariably regards Congress as mired in partisan division, but Gibson said the United States government’s difficulties are nothing compared with the problems he has witnessed abroad in Iraq. He believes there should be more veterans in elected office, because they’re focused on service to others and mission accomplishment. 

“You can have any view you want, but at the end of the day, you need to get things done,” Gibson said. 

The Congressman’s most recent legislative achievement in veterans’ affairs is in the realm of healthcare information management. Beginning in December of 2016, the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs will merge their medical record software systems to facilitate the process of helping veterans get the healthcare they need more efficiently. 

Military Branch: Army 

Rank Achieved: Colonel