Pic Of The Moment: Tom Cotton Says Iran Problem Could Be Solved With "Several Days" Of Bombing

[EarlG]

5. "Ideologically insane," "dumb as a stump" -- yes. "Chickenhawk" -- no.

In March 2005, Cotton entered Officer Candidate School, and on June 2005 was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.[16][17][18] As a newly commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, Cotton was first stationed at Fort Benning, GA where he entered a 14 week Officer’s Basic Course; completing this in November 2005. Cotton then continued with more military training while he attended both the U.S. Army Airborne School and Ranger School but was not assigned to a Ranger Battalion.[3]

In May 2006, one year and 4 months after enlistement and subsequent officer training, 2LT Cotton deployed to Baghdad as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom as a platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division. In Iraq, 2LT Cotton was responsible for a 41-man air assault infantry platoon in the 506th Infantry Regiment,[20] who planned and performed daily combat patrols.[14]

In December 2006, Cotton was promoted to 1st Lieutenant after nearly two years as 2LT. After the completion of his first 6 month deployment 1LT Cotton did not return to deployment active combat, instead became a member of the prestigious 3rd US Infantry Regiment's The Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetary; again as a platoon leader.[21] After nearly two years ceremonial duties, 1LT Cotton was allowed to return to his professed passion: active duty deployment.

In October 2008, 1LT Cotton deployed to eastern Afghanistan. 1LT Cotton was stationed within the Regional Command East at its Gamberi Forward operating base located in one of the command's fourteen province locations, Laghman Province. The overall mission at 1LT Cotton's duty station - the Gamberi FOB from April 2008 to June 2009, during Operation Enduring Freedom IX - included military logistics, civil reconstruction engineering, government organization, and training from a Joint Task Force. The Joint Task Force at Gamberi FOB included Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA), the 101st Airborne Division, NATO, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Interagency Partners, and CJTF-101/Regional Command East Forces. These joint forces secured the citizenry governance, and helped reconstruct a sutainable economy in order to extend Afghanistan (GIRoA) authority as the legitimate government of the Afghan people.[22][23][24] According to Cotton's biography, he stated his assigned duty was as a military logistics officer of a Provincial Reconstruction Team, where he also helped plan logistical operations for counter-insurgency.[3][25] Cotton's eleven-month deployment to Gamberi FOB in Laghan province ended when he returned from Afghanistan on July 20, 2009.

In September 2009, Officer Cotton was honorably discharged from Active Duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. One year later in July 2010, according to Cotton's military service record brief, Officer Cotton re-enlisted in the United States Army Reserve.[13] Cotton's military record shows his final discharge from both Active duty and Reserve duty was in May 2013.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cotton#Military_service