Lexington, KY - As the U.S. Senate prepares to address President Obama’s nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel for defense secretary, one Kentucky official with past experience on Hagel’s staff believes the former U.S. senator from Nebraska and Vietnam vet is an excellent choice.
Nathan Mick, Garrard County’s economic development director, worked for Hagel for more than five years in Washington, D.C., and served as his deputy chief of staff. Mick, who said he still stays in touch with Hagel and his family, called his time on Hagel’s staff a “high honor.”
“He's a statesman with profound leadership, character and integrity who has always done what he thinks is right and cared less about how it would be received,” Mick said. “That's refreshing.”
Mick said he expects a rigorous Senate confirmation process, but he predicts that Hagel will ultimately be confirmed as the nation’s next secretary of defense.
“Senator Hagel voluntarily enlisted to serve our country in Vietnam and continued his service at the Department of Veterans Affairs, USO, and in the United States Senate,” Mick said. “He will make plenty of tough decisions at the Pentagon, but I know he will do the right thing for our country and our troops. He is a patriot, enlisted Vietnam veteran, and fine American."