Husker Wannabe Commander!Charles Timothy (Chuck) Hagel is the senior U.S. Senator from Nebraska, a Republican politician first elected to the Senate in 1996.
Hagel has been an outspoken critic of the Bush administration and the war in Iraq. In January 2007, he responded to President George W. Bush's escalation plan stating, "The President's strategy will cost more American lives, sink us deeper into the bog of Iraq making it more difficult to get out, cost billions of dollars more, further strain an American military that has already reached its breaking point, further diminish America's standing in the Middle East, and continue to allow the Iraqis to walk away from their responsibilities." Hagel supports getting American troops out of Iraq.
Hagel was born in North Platte, Nebraska to parents of German decent. He attended St. Bonaventure High School in Columbus, Nebraska before studying at the Brown Institute for Radio and Television in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After graduating in 1966, and before moving on to the University of Nebraska, Hagel served in the Vietnam War between 1967 and 1968.
In Vietnam, Hagel and his brother served as squad leaders of the U.S. Army's 9th Infantry Division. Hagel received many military decorations and honors that include two purple hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.
In 1969, he began work as a newscaster and talk show host with radio stations KBON and KLNG in Omaha, Nebraska. He graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1971.
From 1971 to 1977, he was administrative assistant to Congressman John Y. McCollister (R-Nebraska). In 1981 Hagel was nominated by Ronald Reagan to serve as Deputy Administrator of the Veterans Administration. Following that, he served as Deputy Commissioner General of the United States for the 1982 World's Fair.
Hagel has prolific experience in the corporate business world. From 1977 until 1980, Hagel was Manager of Government Affairs for The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company in Washington, D.C. In the 1980's, Hagel co-founded the publicly traded corporation, Vanguard Cellular Systems, Inc. He also served as president and chief executive officer of the Private Sector Council (PSC).
He was deputy director and chief operating officer of the 1990 Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations (G-7 Summit) and president and chief executive officer of the World USO (United Service Organization --offering morale and recreational services to members of the U.S. military).
Before the senatorial race of 1996, Hagel was president of the private investment banking firm, McCarthy & Co in Omaha, Nebraska. He is also the former CEO of American Information Systems (AIS), renamed Electronic Systems & Software (ES&S) in 1997. AIS/EC&S manufactures voting machine of which have been under scrutiny since the 2000 Presidential Election due to the ease with which they can be tampered with.
He was elected to the Senate in 1996 with 54% of the vote. Reelected in 2002, Hagel won over 83% of the votes. It was the largest margin of victory for any statewide race in the history of Nebraska.
As Senator, Hagel has been deputy whip for the Republican Caucus and serves on four senate committees: Foreign Relations; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Intelligence and Rules. Hagel became well known for his open criticism of the Bush administration. He has compared the war in Iraq to the Vietnam War and challenged the political intent behind homeland security and the Patriot Act as tools of party politics instead of legislation for better security.
He is active in numerous Vietnam veteran groups and committees including a position as chairman of the $240 million Agent Orange Settlement Fund.
In 2005 Hagel was named "Midlander of the Year" by the The Omaha World Herald. He has been honored with numerous distinctions for his service to the public and scholarly and civic achievement, some of which include:
The University Club's William Howard Taft Public Service Award; the European Institute's Transatlantic Leadership Award and the National School Board Association's Special Recognition Award.
Professor Charlyne Berens of the University of Nebraska published a book about Hagel titled, Chuck Hagel: Moving Forward (2006).
Hagel married Lilibet Ziller in 1985. They have two children, Allyn (1990) and Ziller (1992). | 
