Air Force Reserve Col. Lindsey Graham—Republican senator from South Carolina—spent part of his August break serving in Afghanistan, where as a military lawyer he helped instruct Afghan military judges and lawyers. McClatchy Newspapers’ James Rosen reports that Graham has become “the first sitting member of Congress in decades to perform military duty in a war zone.” Rosen also writes that the South Carolina Senator’s homespun humor lost something in the translation.
The incoming head of the 7th Air Force will face an intense mission while relying on 4th-generation fighters to stave off looming threats from North Korea and China.