9/11 survivor encouraged to see more Iraq, Afghanistan veterans running for office

Eve Samples | Treasure Coast Newspapers

Florida Voices is a project of the USA TODAY Network-Florida that spotlights issues important to Floridians this election year. Learn more, including how to nominate a Floridian.

Dan Green was 25 years old and working at the Pentagon when a hijacked jetliner struck the building on Sept. 11, 2001.

Being there shifted the course of his life, professionally and personally.

A former Eagle Scout, Green had been employed as a civilian at the Pentagon but often thought about joining the military. The 9/11 attacks erased any lingering doubts.

"Knowing people that were killed, seeing the wounded in the months and weeks that went on, it was like the most natural thing in the world because you feel it personally,” Green recalls.

By mid-2003, he was in the Navy Reserves. In the 15 years that have followed, Green has devoted his life to the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen — even as many Americans have stopped thinking much about them.

9/11 Pentagon survivor offers unique view on war, veterans in office | Florida Voices Dan Green, of Vero Beach, works at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and is a reservist.

Now 42 and a lieutenant commander, Green has been deployed four times with the Navy: twice to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq, most recently as a tribal and political engagement officer in Baghdad in 2015-16. He also served as a civilian in Afghanistan, working for the U.S. Department of State in 2005-06 with a provincial reconstruction team.

When he wasn't physically entrenched in the conflicts, he was writing about them. Green, who has a doctorate in political science from George Washington University, has authored two books and co-authored a third. He has published more than four dozen journal articles on the military conflicts.

His devotion to our country's recent wars has come at a personal cost.

"I pretty much lost my 20s to my 30s to it — willfully, gladly. But, you know, I’m not married yet, no kids. Those are things I’m starting to think about now,” Green says.

His work shapes how he views politics this election year.

Green splits his time between Vero Beach and Washington D.C., but is registered to vote in Florida. He is encouraged by the wave of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans running for office this year. Close to 200 veterans are running for office this election cycle, according to With Honor, a political committee that aims to get veterans from both major parties elected.

People who climb the ranks in the military are trained to be leaders, and they have a culture of teamwork, Green says.

“I think they tend to put the mission first," he explains. "They tend to put selfless service over parochial, narrow or selfish interests."

He believes Americans are hungry for those qualities in their elected leaders.

“These are concepts that sometimes exist in politics, but they often don't," Green says.

His experiences overseas taught him intimate lessons about tolerance — lessons he believes we can apply, far more easily, to our fellow citizens in the United States.

“I know more now about Islam because I’ve had to learn it, I’ve enjoyed learning about it, than I probably know, in some ways, other faiths,” Green says.

He can point out the mosques on a map of Fallujah, where he served in 2007. He can explain the differences between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.

“When you’re out in the middle of nowhere and it’s you and the Afghans, you’re just neighbors — and you’re just trying to help them fight against these different insurgent groups," Green says.

The art of relationship-building was vital during his deployments. Working as a tribal and political engagement officer in Afghanistan, Green met locals with whom he initially thought he had nothing in common.

“And my God, you know what, he hates getting old just like you do. He wants his kids to go to a good school just like you do. You know, he prays in his own way, and that’s totally fine. And guess what, he respects how I do my thing, and that’s cool too," Green says.

They didn't always agree on everything, but they found common ground on the big issues. In the United States, he believes we can bridge our partisan divides far more easily.

"We all speak the same language, we’re all Americans,” Green says.

Green's institutional knowledge of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is vital for the United States, which frequently rotates troops and other personnel out of conflicts. Green tries to help others understand insights he has gleaned from his years in those countries.

“The Taliban and Al Qaeda are still on their first tour, as I like to put it," Green says. "We visit the war they live. And you’ve got to be as passionate about it as they are.”

Successful foreign policy, he believes, requires overwhelming interest and understanding of foreign culture and history.

“And not falling prey to just bumper-sticker solutions that sell well but are insufficient for the long term,” Green says.

When asked if he's optimistic that the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan will wind down soon, Green hedges.

"When you start a war like Iraq or Afghanistan, you’re the most confident in your ability, but you’re the least wise," he says.

"And towards the end of these conflicts, you tend to be the wisest you’ve ever been, but the least confident in your ability to shape it."

How would you describe Florida at this moment in history?

I think our economy here in Florida is diversifying quite a bit. It’s not just the traditional industries we’ve long known — tourism, agriculture — but also international shipping, commercial space development. I think our state is growing really, really well.

What issues will you be thinking about this election year?

I’m a reservist, so I’m always one foot in civilian and military. So it’s kind of a mix of both of those worlds.

A big issue for me is just getting the federal government to operate well in terms of passing a budget on time. Trying to address the budget deficit, trying to address the debt we have as a country. It’s mind-blowing how large it has grown in the last few decades.

Also, getting some stable leadership in the VA, then also empowering them to innovate and reform. That’s a big issue. Thankfully, because we have such a strong civil society, we have a lot of groups that are helping veterans independent of the VA. That’s the strength, I think, of our country — that a lot of other countries don’t necessarily always have. We can suffer the weakness of our federal government because our civil society’s so strong.

When you think about the future of Florida, what worries you?

There are many things, but a big one is kind of out of left field: instability in Venezuela, Nicaragua and Mexico. They’re not doing very well. I’m worried about the possibility of economic refugees and the impact on trade.

What makes you feel hopeful?

I’m really encouraged by all the Iraq and Afghanistan vets who are running for office and getting involved. I think people appreciate their perspective and the kind of leadership backgrounds they have. People are kind of tired of the same faces and the same talking points.

Dan Green

Age: 42

Occupation: Naval reserve officer and defense fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Lives in: Vero Beach (in Indian River County, where he is a registered voter) and Washington D.C.

Election issues: Federal budget deficit; stable leadership in the VA; education