U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel Archives

In August 2004 as Republicans celebrated the nomination of George W. Bush, U.S. Senator Hagel (NE) told reporters the Republican Party had "come loose of its moorings." This was a bold position for someone major newspapers identified as a prospective presidential candidate but not surprising for a Republican who said the occupation of Iraq was poorly planned and had encouraged the spread of terror cells worldwide. Who is Hagel and is he a genuine player on the national stage? Berens sets out to answer these questions in her careful look at one of the most interesting and independent figures on the political scene. Berens delves into Hagel's rise to national influence and examines the background that led Hagel to an outspoken internationalism that often put him at odds with his party and president.

Hagel has long been admired for his integrity and commonsense approach to the challenges of our times. The LA Times has praised his "bold positions on foreign policy and national security." In America: Our Next Chapter, Hagel examines the state of our nation and provides meaningful proposals to guide America back onto the right path. He discusses domestic issues such as control of U.S. debt and confronts foreign policy problems, including China's growing economy and Iran's aggressive political, ideological, and nuclear stances. True to beliefs instilled in childhood, he speaks passionately about service as the path toward a renewed America.

Two brothers -- Chuck and Tom Hagel -- who went to war in Vietnam, fought in the same unit, and saved each other's life. They disagreed about the war, but they fought it together. 1968. America was divided. Flag-draped caskets came home by the thousands. Riots ravaged our cities. Assassins shot our political leaders. Black fought white, young fought old, fathers fought sons. And it was the year that two brothers from Nebraska went to war. In Vietnam, Chuck and Tom Hagel served side by side in the same rifle platoon. Together they fought in the Mekong Delta, battled snipers in Saigon, chased the enemy through the jungle, and each saved the other's life under fire. But when their one-year tour was over, these two brothers came home side-by-side but no longer in step -- one supporting the war, the other hating it. Former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and his brother Tom epitomized the best, and withstood the worst, of the most tumultuous, shocking, and consequential year in the last half-century. Following the brothers' paths from the prairie heartland through a war on the far side of the world and back to a divided America, Our Year of War tells the story of two brothers at war -- a gritty, poignant, and resonant story of a family and a nation divided yet still united.

This is a booklet published by the United States Government Printing Office. It consists of tributes delivered by senators on the floor of the U.S. Senate near the end of Chuck Hagel's final term in office.