Hernandez, who called Clark his “personal hero,” said the general has experience that goes beyond military tactics, bolstering Clark’s claim that as a commander he was responsible for issues that would be part of a domestic policy.
“He took care of our family members in Europe,” Hernandez said, by attending to commissaries, hospitals and the educational system.
Williams, who served as a personnel officer under Clark during his time at Fort Hood, talked to the audience about Clark’s leadership traits while a divisionalcommander.
“He never forgot that we were a family, not just soldiers,” she said. “But there was not one aspect of being a soldier – your family, your children, whatever your needs are, the education...”
Undecided voters in the crowd seemed undeterred by the general’s lack of domestic experience on his resume.
Jameson Viens, a Rivier College freshman, said he’s still unsure which candidate will get his vote, but he’s narrowed the field to Clark, Kerry and former Gov. Howard Dean.
Clark’s international experience is “definitely a plus,” he said, and he noted that some presidential candidates in years past haven’t had “totally encompassing experience, either.”
Prof. Brad Stull, chair of Rivier College’s English department, said his choice is between Clark and U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich.
Stull, whose father was in the Air Force, said he’s receptive to the idea that military leaders deal with more than just combat preparation.
“Having grown up in the Air Force myself…I think that commanders of military installations are administrators as well as military leaders,” he said. “So I think he’s right and correct in saying that he’s responsible for schools, health care systems. I grew up in the Air Force Academy and, you know, indeed it’s a town…The commanding officers are responsible for administrating that entire unit.”
http://www.politicsnh.com/archives/pindell/2004/january/1_23Clark.shtml
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