Crenshaw hails cops, nurses as 'heroes' in speech touting 'American greatness'
Crenshaw spoke Wednesday during the third night of the Republican National Convention
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a rising star in the Republican Party, lauded the courage and strength of Americans in the face of adversity during the third night of the Republican National Convention.
He said heroism is "not relegated to the battlefields."
"Every single day we see them, if you just know where to look," Crenshaw said. "It’s the nurse who volunteers for back to back shifts caring for COVID patients because she feels that’s her duty. It’s the parent who will re-learn algebra because there’s no way they’re letting their kid fall behind while schools are closed. It’s the cop that gets spit on one day and will save a child’s life the next."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The retired Navy SEAL, a recipient of two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart, delivered a personal speech on Wednesday night detailing his experiences as in Afghanistan when his friend, "laid down cover fire against Taliban insurgents so that I could walk – blind and bloodied – to the Medevac helicopter and survive. But he didn’t. Dave was killed two months later. He died a hero to this great country."
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He said that American is a country of heroes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I believe that, so should you," Crenshaw said. "We are a people with a common set of ideals conceived in liberty. A people that have sacrificed time and again — for our freedom, and the freedom of others. That’s something no other country — ever, anywhere — can claim."
At 36 years old, the former Navy SEAL, who lost his right eye in combat in Afghanistan when he was hit by an IED explosion in 2012, is one of the youngest Republican members of the House of Representatives.
He retired from the military in 2016 and subsequently earned a master’s degree from Harvard University.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Crenshaw also acknowledged President Trump's push to increase the military budget and the U.S. war against ISIS.
"The defeat of ISIS was the result of America believing in our heroes, our President having their backs and rebuilding our military so we’d have what we needed to finish the mission," he said. "The cowering of Iran and the restoration of the deterrence once lost is the result of America believing in her own might again."
Crenshaw was catapulted into national prominence when "Saturday Night Live" cast member Pete Davidson mocked him during a 2018 skit.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This November, Crenshaw, a first-term congressman representing a Houston-area district, is facing an electoral challenge from Sima Ladjevardian, an Iranian-born attorney and a former advisor to Beto O'Rourke.