9/11 Family Members, Veterans, and Gen. Wesley Clark Endorse Coleen Rowley for U.S. Congress (MN-District 2)

St. Paul, MN (PRWEB) November 1, 2006

DFL congressional candidate Coleen Rowley was joined by disabled veterans, retired military officers, those concerned with air safety, and family members of 9-ll victims. Alice Hoglan (mother of United Flight 93 hero Mark Bingham), retired Air Force Colonel Ginny Johnson, Retired Major General Jerald N. Albrecht, Steve Silver (brother of 9-11 victim Valerie Silver), and Gail Dunham, President of the National Air Disaster Alliance and Foundation, all expressed their gratitude for the support Rowley showed for families in the aftermath of 9-11, as well as her continued support for military and veterans' issues.

Alice Hoglan's son, Mark Bingham, has been recognized as an American hero and one of the passengers who stormed the cockpit of United Flight 93 before it crashed into a Pennsylvania field. The fact that Mark is believed to have played a prominent role in the passengers' effort to take over Flight 93 has made Hoglan an international icon.

For Hoglan, airline safety and lax security standards remain her primary focus. In interviews, she has said that the only reason that she returned to her job of 17 years as a United flight attendant was to observe firsthand the lack of airline security. What she has found makes her angry, and is one of the reasons she supports Coleen Rowley for Congress, Hoglan says.

Colonel Ginny Johnson was the senior Judge Advocate for the Minnesota National Guard and spent almost 15 years in military intelligence, serving on the staffs of General Schwarzkopf and General Powell during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. She retired from active duty in April 2006, after 27 years with the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard. She was medically retired as a result of combat-related injuries sustained in Iraq, where she worked with seven multi-national Army and Marine Divisions on reconstruction efforts.

Stephen Silver is the brother of Valerie Silver Ellis who was lost in the World Trade Center attack on September 11th. Valerie was an employee of Cantor Fitzgerald, located on the top floor of the North Tower.

"I support Coleen's candidacy because of her honesty, integrity and absence of obligation to special interest groups," Silver said. He became familiar with Coleen when he heard on the news about the "13-page letter" Coleen had written to the Director of the FBI on May 21, 2002.

"As soon as I heard the news, I pulled the letter from the Internet, closed my office door, and read the letter three times," he said.

Major General Gerald N. Albrecht retired from the U.S. Army Reserve after more than 42 years of uniformed service. "The real surrender has been by the Bush administration and its supporters who have surrendered our military might and treasure to the failed neo-con notion of world domination through unilateral strength of arms," Albrecht said.

Gail Dunham is President of the National Air Disaster Alliance and Foundation.

Rowley expressed her thanks for the support of both the veterans and the 9-11 families.

In related news, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, General Wesley Clark endorses the candidacy of Coleen Rowley for the US House of Representatives.

"In voting for Coleen Rowley, Minnesotans will have an opportunity to change the current corrupt politics-as-usual in Washington, DC. To change the current state of affairs, we need to vote for someone who will lead with strong moral values and ethical responsibility who will stand up for what she believes is right," said General Wesley Clark.

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