Contrary to what Cortez Masto said today, here’s what Iraq veteran and Brigadier General Joe Heck has ‘going for him’

Contrary to what Cortez Masto said today, here’s what Iraq veteran and Brigadier General Joe Heck has ‘going for him’

(Brian Baluta, Dr. Joe Heck) Today, Catherine Cortez Masto did her best Harry “I tell the truth. Maybe not the truth, but it’s how I feel” Reid impression, once again stating she doesn’t think much of Iraq veteran and Army Reserve Brigadier General, Dr. Joe Heck’s accomplishments.

“Harry Reid’s takeover of her campaign is so complete that Cortez Masto sounds and acts just like him now,” said Heck spokesperson Brian Baluta. “Either Cortez Masto is spending too much time with the Reid staffers who parachuted in to try to save her campaign or the polls have her so desperate she’s trying Reid’s ‘it’s not a lie if you believe it’ technique.”

For more than 25 years, Dr. Heck served as a community volunteer, physician, firefighter, search and rescue team member, ambulance attendant, SWAT physician, and member of the Army Reserve. Contrary to Cortez Masto’s political hackery, here’s what Joe Heck “has going for him.”

• 1991 – Received a direct commission in the U.S. Army Reserves Medical Corps and currently holds the rank of Brigadier General. He was called to active duty three times, including Iraq in 2008 where he ran the emergency services and aeromedical evacuation section of a combat support hospital in Al-Anbar province.
• 1992 — After completing his residency in emergency medicine at the Albert Einstein Medical Center, was recruited to work in the emergency department at what was then Humana Hospital – Sunrise in Las Vegas.
• 1993 — Volunteered with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Search and Rescue unit.
• 1995 — Established the LVMPD SWAT tactical medicine program.
• 1998 — Recruited to be the medical director for the Department of Defense program that provided medical support to federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, U.S. Marshals Service Special Operations Group, ATF Special Response Teams, and U.S. Secret Service Protective Operations, among others.
• 2001 – Served as a first responder at Ground Zero immediately following the September 11 attacks.
• 2002 — Started his own small business called Specialized Medical Operations, Inc. and ran the company for eight years, including guiding it through the financial crisis.
• 2006 — Graduated from the U.S. Army War College, earning a Masters of Strategic Studies.

As a U.S. Representative, Heck has fought for veterans including hundreds of cases that helped recover more than $1.6 million in back compensation. Following the housing crisis, his office handled 705 housing cases, successfully closing 631 to help families keep their homes during the housing crisis — an 89.5 percent success rate. And unlike Harry Reid and Cortez Masto, Joe Heckalways puts the people of Nevada first, reaching across the aisle to get important legislation signed into law, including:

• H.R. 1816 — Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act, which ended the flawed Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) policy of counting the aid and attendance benefit for low-income, disabled veterans as regular income.
• H.R. 468 – Enhancing Services for Runaway and Homeless Victims for Youth Trafficking Act of 2015.
• H.R. 803 — Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (contains Rep. Heck’s H.R. 3611 from 112th Congress).
• H.R. 258 – Stolen Valor Act of 2013.
• H.R. 697 – Three Kids Mine Remediation and Reclamation Act.
• H.R. 470 – Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2011.

Heck also introduced and is working to pass bipartisan legislation on the issues most important to Nevadans, including Social Security, public safety and education:

• H.R. 5295, the SENIOR COLA Guarantee Act of 2016
• H.R. 373, Good Samaritan Search and Recovery Act
• H.R. 5528, the Simplifying the Application for Student Aid Act
• H.R. 5152, the Career and Technical Education Act contained in H.R. 5587, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act
• H.R. 5529, the Accessing Higher Education Opportunities Act
• H.R. 1117, Creating Access to Residency Education (CARE) Act

“While Catherine Cortez Masto is doing her best to be Harry Reid 2.0 and is blind to the service of an accomplished veteran, JoeHeck focuses on Nevada and serving the people of our state,” said Baluta.

Dr. Joe Heck is a member of the U.S. Army Reserve. Use of his military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense.