Veterans at Center of Key Senate Races

NATION VIDEO GAMES COLLEGE FOOTBALL Hard-hit South Virus-inspired Clemson quarterback digging out from titles entertain Trevor Lawrence tests Hurricane Zeta and educate positive for COVID-19 Page 7 Page 12 Back page ‘Small number’ of USS Ford sailors test positive for coronavirus » Page 5 Volume 79, No. 140A ©SS 2020 CONTINGENCY EDITION Saturday, October 31, 2020 stripes.com Free to Deployed Areas ELECTION 2020 Veterans at center of key Senate races BY STEVE BEYNON Stars and Stripes WASHINGTON — There are 182 veterans running for Con- gress this year, some at the center of the most competitive contests that will decide which party con- trols the Senate. Yet the number of veterans in Congress and running is far lower than in previous generations. Overall, 53 Democrat and 110 Republican veterans won their party nominations for House races, according to Veterans Campaign, a nonpartisan group that assists veterans running for office, and Military Times. In the Senate, 19 veterans are running as challengers or incumbents. The numbers of those who served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam were much larger than the in post-9/11 wars, but as veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan grow older, more are seeking po- litical office. “It’s been in decline for the last 40 to 50 years. This year we saw a slight uptick, but overall, it has been going down,” Seth Lynn, ex- ecutive director of Veterans Cam- paign, said in a press conference Thursday. “What’s striking is right now if you look at the different generations ... the older generation had the greater number of veterans proportionately. But now for the first time, we have the highest portion of veterans [in Air Force takes steps to facilitate women’s advancement Congress] among millennials. ... That’s a good indication of a turn- around in the near future.” BY MISSY RYAN She sought a different exception that sometimes is Capt. Cecilia Tuma, SEE VETERANS ON PAGE 8 The Washington Post granted if pilot candidates can pass a separate mea- a pilot with surement exam conducted in the aircraft cockpit. the 492nd Democrat When Alexandra Jackson joined the West Vir- Her superiors in the Air National Guard had never Expeditionary Amy McGrath, ginia Air National Guard in 2018, she was looking conducted such a test for the C-17 and had to work Fighter Squadron, a former Marine forward to becoming a pilot with the 167th Airlift with Air Force officials to create one. She eventu- is pictured in fighter pilot, Wing, like her father. But at 5-foot-1, three inches ally passed and recently learned she can begin of- August. Women faces an uphill shorter than the minimum standard, Jackson soon ficer training school next year. account for 5% of battle in her learned she would need a waiver to fly her unit’s Jackson was elated but also frustrated by the pilots and just 2% bid to unseat C-17 transport plane and one of the two trainer air- delay. Had the cockpit been designed to accommo- of fighter pilots in Senate Majority craft before that. date a wider range of body sizes, she would be in the the Air Force. Leader Mitch final stages of training, or perhaps already flying. Jackson applied for the waivers but was denied. JONATHAN YOUNG McConnell, “It was heartbreaking, to say the least,” she said. SEE CLEARED ON PAGE 4 U.S. Air Force R-Ky. TIMOTHY D. EASLEY/AP PAGE 2 •STARS AND STRIPES• Saturday, October 31, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EXCHANGE RATES Military rates Switzerland (Franc) ...........................0.9152 Japan picks Mitsubishi Heavy to develop fighter Euro costs (Nov. 2)................................ $1.14 Thailand (Baht) .................................... 31.15 Dollar buys (Nov. 2) ..............................€0.83 Turkey (Lira) ........................................8.3795 British pound (Nov. 2) ..........................$1.27 (Military exchange rates are those Associated Press The next generation fighters, the development of our next gen- Japanese yen (Nov. 2) ........................102.00 available to customers at military banking South Korean won (Nov. 2) ............1,100.00 currently known as F-X, are part eration fighter jets,” Defense Min- Commercial rates facilities in the country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the TOKYO — Japan has picked Bahrain (Dinar) ...................................0.3770 of Japan’s upgrading of its aging ister Nobuo Kishi told reporters Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as British pound ....................................$1.2967 nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., fighter jet fleet as the country in making the announcement. Canada (Dollar) ..................................1.3303 a main contractor to develop the purchasing British pounds in Germany), builds up its military capability Mitsubishi will decide on other China (Yuan) .......................................6.6824 check with your local military banking country’s own next generation Denmark (Krone) ...............................6.3711 to counter growing threats from participants in the project, in- facility. Commercial rates are interbank stealth fighter for launch in the Egypt (Pound) ...................................15.6993 China and North Korea. The next cluding avionics, engine and Euro ....................................... $1.1687/0.8557 rates provided for reference when buying 2030s, the defense minister said generation stealth jet will replace other parts makers. Japan also is Hong Kong (Dollar) ............................7.7537 currency. All figures are foreign currencies Friday. Hungary (Forint) ................................314.02 to one dollar, except for the British pound, F-2s that Japan co-developed considering co-developing some Israel (Shekel) ....................................3.4078 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, Separately, Mitsubishi an- with the U.S. They are due to be parts with foreign contractors Japan (Yen) ..........................................104.52 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) nounced that it was suspending retired around 2035. The Defense including those in the U.S. and Kuwait (Dinar) ....................................0.3060 INTEREST RATES its civilian aircraft project given Norway (Krone) ..................................9.4910 Ministry is seeking $556 million Britain. Philippines (Peso) ................................48.42 Prime rate ................................................3.25 uncertainties for the travel in- in the 2021 budget for research Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force Poland (Zloty) .........................................3.95 Discount rate ..........................................0.25 dustry due to the coronavirus Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ..........................3.7507 Federal funds market rate ...................0.09 into developing the aircraft. has a fleet of about 290 fighter Singapore (Dollar) .............................1.3641 3-month bill .............................................0.09 pandemic. “We will steadily push forward jets. South Korea (Won) ..........................1133.14 30-year bond ...........................................1.62 WEATHER OUTLOOK SATURDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST SATURDAY IN EUROPE SUNDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 63/41 Kabul 70/43 Seoul 61/40 Baghdad 93/58 Kandahar 78/41 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 56/51 66/41 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 59/46 51/44 68/57 Iwakuni 68/52 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 87/79 Brussels 57/47 Guam 92/63 60/51 Ramstein 73/54 86/78 Lajes, 61/44 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 86/53 90/76 67/64 62/48 58/45 Aviano/ Vicenza 64/47 Naples 71/55 Okinawa Morón 77/72 78/50 Sigonella Rota 73/53 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 88/80 77/53 71/61 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ............ 11 Comics ............................. 18 Crossword ........................ 18 Gadgets & Tech ................. 16 Health and Fitness ............15 Movies ............................. 14 Opinion ............................ 17 Sports ......................... 19-24 Video Games ................12-13 Saturday, October 31, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• PAGE 3 MILITARY Air Force C-17 pilot lauded for Kandahar landing Above: In BY J.P. LAWRENCE reported and the jet appeared to this YouTube Stars and Stripes have suffered only superficial screenshot, a damage. U.S. Air Force KABUL, Afghanistan — The Enemy activity was not in- C-17 Globemaster pilot of a U.S. C-17 cargo jet avert- volved and an investigation is on- III makes an ed disaster during an emergency going, said a statement on Twitter emergency landing landing in Kandahar last week, by Col. Sonny Leggett, spokesman at Ahmad Shah an Afghan airport official said. for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan. The Baba International The Globemaster III plane statement did not name the pilot Airport in skidded down the runway with its in command. Kandahar, nose landing gear up at Ahmad The plane had reported tech- Afghanistan, on Shah Baba International Airport nical problems and was diverted Oct. 18 with the on the morning of Oct. 18, Mas- in midair to Kandahar, Pashtoon nose landing gear soud Pashtoon, the airport’s di- said. still up. No injuries rector, said Thursday. The emergency landing left the were reported and “The pilot did an excellent job C-17 stranded. The airport did the jet appeared and the damage was less (than it not have the machinery needed to have suffered could have been) to the aircraft to take the aircraft off the run- only superficial and the runway,”

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