Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) tweeted a welcome photo in January 2019 with two of his colleagues, marking the swearing-in ceremony of fellow wounded veterans and Republican congressmen Jim Baird and Dan Crenshaw.
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) tweeted a welcome photo in January 2019 with two of his colleagues, marking the swearing-in ceremony of fellow wounded veterans and Republican congressmen Jim Baird and Dan Crenshaw.
"5 eyes. 5 arms. 4 legs. All American. Welcome to Congress, @ElectJimBaird & @DanCrenshawTX," Mast tweeted on the first day of the 116th Congress.
The tweet paid homage to the congressmen's sacrifices while serving their country.
All three members of Congress were injured in the line of duty while serving in the US military. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) and Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) were both injured in separate IED explosions while serving in Afghanistan. Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL, lost an eye and partially lost vision in the other. Mast, who was a bomb disposal expert with the US Army, lost both of his legs. Baird served in the Vietnam War where he lost an arm. Between the three lawmakers, there have also been three Purple Hearts and four Bronze Stars awarded between them.
The Bronze Stars are awarded to soldiers or civilians for heroic or distinguished achievements or services in a designated combat zone. The Purple Hearts are only given out to members of the military who were killed or injured in the line of duty.
Crenshaw garnered attention when comedian Pete Davidson mocked the veteran's eye patch in a "Saturday Night Live" sketch, saying he looked "like a hitman in a porno movie."
"I'm sorry, I know he lost his eye in war or whatever," Davidson added after the joke. Following outrage over the comment, Davidson apologized on the subsequent SNL episode. "The man is a war hero and he deserves all the respect in the world," he said. After Davidson joked in the sketch that Republicans and Democrats alike could agree the comedian was a jerk, Crenshaw joined the actor in a cameo appearance. "There's a lot of lessons to learn here, not just that the left and right can still agree on some things, but also this: Americans can forgive one another," Crenshaw said on the show.
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