Duncan D. Hunter
R-California, Marine Corps
Bio: Congressman Duncan D. Hunter represents California’s 50th Congressional District consisting of East and Northern County San Diego. In 2008, Hunter was elected to his first term in the House of Representatives, succeeding his father, Duncan L. Hunter, who retired after serving 14 consecutive terms in Congress.
Hunter is a native of San Diego. He graduated from Granite Hills High School in El Cajon and earned a degree in Business Administration from San Diego State University. Hunter worked to pay for his education by creating websites and programming databases and ecommerce systems for high-tech companies. Immediately after graduation, he went to work full time in San Diego as a Business Analyst.
Hunter is a strong conservative who is committed to strengthening national security, enforcing our borders, creating opportunities for American workers and protecting the interests of taxpayers. He is also a strong proponent of the Second Amendment, protecting traditional marriage and the rights of the unborn.
Congressman Hunter and his wife live in Alpine, California. They are the proud parents of three children: Duncan, Elizabeth and Sarah.
Military Bio: Soon after our nation was attacked on September 11, 2001, Hunter quit his job and joined the United States Marine Corps. Hunter entered active service as a Lieutenant in 2002 and excelled in the area of field artillery, much like his grandfather, Robert O. Hunter, who was a Marine Corps artillery officer in World War II.
Over the course of his service career, Hunter served three combat tours overseas: two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. In 2003, Hunter deployed to Iraq with the 1st Marine Division. Hunter completed his second tour in 2004, where he and his fellow Marines were at the center of combat operations in Fallujah, Iraq.
In September 2005, four years after he quit his job and joined the Marine Corps, Hunter was honorably discharged from active military service and started a successful residential development company. Still a Marine Reservist, he was promoted to the rank of Captain in 2006, and to the rank of Major in 2012.
Less than two years before Hunter was elected, he was recalled to active duty and deployed to Afghanistan. Hunter returned home after more than six months on the front lines and, with the support of the San Diego community, became the first Marine combat veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan elected to Congress.
Legislation:
Principles
- Deliver quality health care for veterans
- Ensure veterans receive their entitled benefits
- Improve the military awards process
As a Marine veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I fully understand the needs and sacrifices of our service members and their families. Our commitment to our military men and women does not cease when their active service to our country ends—caring for our veterans must remain a top priority in Congress.
Speaking with local veterans at San Diego’s Veterans Day parade
San Diego has a large, active veteran population and it is important that those who wore the uniform for their country have access to quality and affordable care. For this reason, I strongly support efforts that will ensure adequate health care funding for our military families and retirees as well as preserve retirement benefits.
I am also working to address the unacceptable backlog in processing benefits at the Veterans Administration. As highlighted in a column I wrote, the average processing time for benefit applications is 273 days, and in some areas of the country, the wait approaches two years. For this reason, I authored a letter to President Obama urging him to take action on this important issue.
I have also authored a number of measures to improve the military awards process. H.R. 833 would ensure that the Purple Heart is not ranked lower than the Distinguished Warfare Medal. H.R. 1186 would award the Congressional Gold Medal to two Navy Seals that were killed while defending the American consulate in Libya. H. Con. Res. 26 would recommend that Raphael Peralta, a Marine who sacrificed his life in Iraq to protect his fellow Marines, be awarded the Medal of Honor. I also offered an amendment to the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act to name a Navy ship for Raphael Peralta.