Fletcher: Being a Marine “deeply personal”
Mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher, appearing on the Good Morning San Diego program on Veterans Day, talked about why he joined the Marines and how he plans to serve the military community if he's elected.
Fletcher said being a veteran is “deeply personal,” and he outlined his plan to help veterans once their service time ends. “I think about my buddies every single day,” said Fletcher. “I think of all those that didn't come back, and I think about those that partially came back, meaning they're back but they're not the same.”
Fletcher's plan would ensure the city's hiring policy would give veterans first crack at city jobs, not only as police or firefighters, for which Fletcher admitted veterans are a natural fit, but for all city departments and services. But Fletcher's desire to incorporate more veterans into the workforce doesn't end with city jobs. He said if elected he'll make a concerted effort to help private sector employers understand the value and benefits of hiring a veteran. “If you hire a veteran you'll get someone who understands teamwork, someone who understands adversity, and someone who understand battling through difficulty,” he said. “When I was a Marine it didn't matter if it was hot or cold, raining or snowing, you just kept going until you got the job done.”
Having joined the Marines via MCRD in 1997, Fletcher said he was welcomed to San Diego by a screaming drill instructor, but he loved being a Marine. His service time included deployments to some of the most dangerous areas of the Middle East during the Second Gulf War, but insists he got the better end of the deal. “I always say in the context of what the Marine Corps gave me and what I gave it, we never got back even,” he said. “It gave me a lot more than I gave it.”
Fletcher is one of the leading candidates to replace former mayor Bob Filner in next Tuesday's special election.
The four major candidates: City Councilmen Kevin Faulconer and David Alvarez, former city attorney Mike Aguirre, and Fletcher will appear in a round table debate hosted by KUSI on Wednesday. You can watch that debate Wednesday night at 9pm on KUSI, or via live stream on KUSI.com.
