After 30 years, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan is signing off from duty from the United States Marine Corps Reserves, he told the Must Read Alaska Show on Friday. He is the only member of any of the military reserves in the U.S. Senate; senators and congressional representatives can be reservists but not active-duty military.
“I am breaking some news on Must Read Alaska because you guys are so great. It’s a little bittersweet for me though. I just recently retired as a full-bird colonel in the US Marines…I am going to have a my retirement party back home in Alaska,” Sullivan said.
Listen to this episode at this link.
Sullivan is attached to a Marine reconnaissance battalion based in Hawaii.
His first deployment after joining was in the Taiwan Strait, which may be one reason he focuses on national security in that tense region of the world, the area between Taiwan and China, and is a staunch defender of Taiwan in his role as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He is also on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
Since 1993, Sullivan has served in a variety of command and staff billets on active duty and in the reserves, including: TRAP (Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel) Force commander and 81mm mortar platoon commander, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable); Weapons Company executive officer, Second Battalion, Fifth Marines; commanding officer, Delta Company, Anti-Terrorism Battalion; executive officer, Echo Company, Fourth Reconnaissance Battalion; and commanding officer, 6th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company.
In 2004, Sullivan was recalled to active duty for a year and a half to serve as a staff officer to the commander of U.S. Central Command, General John Abizaid, spending substantial time deployed in the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, and Central Asia.
In July 2013, Sullivan was recalled to active duty to serve with a Joint Task Force in Afghanistan focusing on dismantling terrorist networks and criminalizing the Taliban insurgency.
Sullivan, now 59 years old, trains seasonally with the Marine Corps and while serving in the U.S. Senate, can often be seen jogging around the U.S. Capitol to stay fit.
The easiest place to hear the show is at the Must Read Alaska Facebook page, but it will also be posted at all of the usual places where people pick up podcast broadcasts — Spotify, Amazon, Alexa, Podbean and more.
Thank you for your service and to your family who shared the postings.
Highest respect for all of our military in all branches,
Where we might or do disagree politically, the desire to thank you for standing for elective office is also noted.
Cheers,
A.M.Johnson-Ketchikan
Wasn’t he a lawyer?
I knew people like Danny when I was in the Corps. We called them “Feather Merchants”. They only looked out for themselves, but they could always tell you which way the wind was blowing.
Feather Merchant or not, he served when others did not. That’s a lot more than most Americans.
We called them Lifers way back when. I agree. Always looking to see which way the wind blows before making a decision. Apparently nothing has changed. Vote for something then make a passionate speech deploring that which he just voted for. Facts matter.
Did you serve with him, or you just badmouthing him because you don’t agree with his poltics? Is every officer that rises through the ranks a “Feather Merchant”?
I served with him and he a lot of respect for him
My hat is off to you Senator ‼️ Thanks for serving.
Sullivan is probably being forced out of the Marine Reserves for not being transexual enough.
Reservists and Guardsmen have a mandatory retirement age of 60. That’s when you start drawing your retirement pay.
Well. He is getting older. It’s that time to start heading down to part-time work load. However I doubt he and his generation will be retiring from work life completely. They have too many mouths needing to be fed, tsktsktsktsk, and until they get more Americans working and off the government Boomers and GenX and millennials be working a long Tim probably up to death. Tsktsktsk. I hope the generations like working or learn to like working.
Sullivan is part of the GenX generation being 59. The older half. There are 50 year olds needing to be working now. They been on government assistance all their life. Now their millennial kids are grown or their older GenZ kids are grown and they are on public assistance like their GenX parent. If our leaders really wanted to do something they’d make their generation work and their GenZ young adults work instead of thinking government money will always be there like it was for Sullivan’s generation for government jobs, government grants, government appropriations, and government assistance. Cause one day it will not be there.
I know I know. My comments up there went off on a tangent. An idea popped into my head hearing Sullivan like those his age who worked all their life are starting to slow down doing part time work and i went rolling with it. I am happy he worked all his life to be able to slow down when its appropriate. That’s why young adults must work cause we won’t be young forever and we need to get going working, saving, and investing early so like Sullivan we can slow down at 60. Sullivan made the right choice as an Alaskan to work eventhough it was along government work instead of private sector work that actually contributes to the prosperity of a State. But at least he did something not like so many of his generation. Tsktsktsk
I dislike you as a Senator, but I genuinely appreciate your service.
I read the headline hoping it was the senate he was retiring from. But they don’t do that till they are in their 90’s or they die.
He was my CO in D Co, ATBn
Thank you for your service Senator.
Congratulations, Sir. Semper Fi………..
Senator Thank you for your service, May you and Julie enjoy whatever time this gives you
Keep up the good work Honorable Senator
Your neighbor
He served. Did you?
Are those the only Americans that count now?
The answer appears to be no; more of a swap from one government teat to another.
And disregard MA’s arrogant criticisms. He is MRAK’s own flatulent blast in a crowded elevator.
Too bad there’s no conscription so you coulda’ sucked that teat in the sandbox, too.
Sullivan is “staunch defender of Taiwan in his role as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.”
How does Sullivan defend Taiwan through the Armed Services Committee which is a simply a cash diverting subsidiary of our corrupt military industrial complex? This statement is a deflection for the fact that Sullivan votes to funnel public funds to armament companies that produce very profitable but out dated and ineffective weapon systems to countries for whom our state department creates violent crises for which the host country ends up destroyed. When has Sullivan, as a veteran, stood up and demanded we end the support for the failed fascist regime we installed in the Ukraine? How many hundreds of thousands more Ukrainian and Russian boys must die for no good reason? When has Sullivan stood up to Mitch McConnell and demanded our military be brought home and deployed on our borders to defend our country? Retiring is a smart move as there are a lot of US and NATO officers buried in the rubble of underground bunkers in the Ukraine where they have been directing the terrorist use of the weapons we have been providing the Azov backed regime. Fortunately our navy is occupied in another failing whack a mole mission against Yemeni Houthis instead of fulfilling the Neocon dream of starting a hot war with China over Taiwan.
He should probably just retire altogether but that sweet sweet MIC money
He announces his retirement and then wants to start a war.
Are you talking about the war that the Muslim terrorists and those who support Muslim terrorists have already started?
I’m sure Dan supports the Ukraine quagmire. Dan has never seen a war that didn’t get his juices flowing. Ukraine, Tiawan, Iran, Israel, Syria Sullivan will support them all, all those bombs flying around to and fro, collateral damage, dead babies, no peace never peace its not good for his masters profits In many cases even the example you bring he supports funding both sides as many Washingtonians do.
Steve-O, would you include President Biden in the supporting Terrorist group? Apparently he has allocated Tax Payer $ to a group that was involved in the October 7 butchery.
‘https://mustreadalaska.com/sullivan-president-needs-to-order-lethal-response-to-killing-of-u-s-green-berets-in-jordan/’
Here’s my comment from that article:
Steve-O January 28, 2024 At 1:02 pm
President Biden has time and time again shown that he is fully in support of the Iranian regime and their actions. He de-listed the terrorist Houthis from the Specially Designated Global Terrorists list in his first month in office, he is still working to reinstall the failed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that allows Iran to develop nuclear weapons, he’s allowed Iran access to BILLIONS that have been inaccessible, he’s removed or waived sanctions that has allowed upwards of $35,000,000,000.00 in oil sales to proceed, he’s cleared the way for $10,000,000,000.00 in payments from Iraq just a month after the Iranian backed terrorists Hamas attacked Israel, the list goes on an on. In fact whenever someone says that Iran is supporting terrorists groups they should be saying the Iranian regime that Biden supports is supporting terrorist groups.
President Biden doesn’t follow a practice of appeasement with Iran, he is facilitating their actions.
He and Lyndsay Graham are calling for retaliation. The usual war mongers.
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