Happy Veterans’ Day!  How big of a deal is the military in North Carolina?  Well, it’s is a pretty big deal.

North Carolina has the 3rd largest military population in the U.S., with 5 military bases, a military ocean terminal and US Coast Guard base. We have the 9th largest population of veterans in the country with 769,000 vets living across all 100 counties.  The military supports about one-tenth of North Carolina’s economy. Eighty-two of our one hundred counties received defense contracts last year.

And our North Carolina General Assembly reflects the importance of the military to the state.  Fourteen of our fifty state Senators bring military experience to their lawmaking responsibilities while twenty five of the one hundred and twenty members of the House of Representatives have military experience. That’s twenty three percent of our General Assembly with military experience.

With many thanks for their service to our country and to our state, here are the members of the North Carolina General Assembly with military experience: Happy Veterans’ Day!

Representative Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke)

Representative John Blust (R-Guilford)

Representative Robert Brawley (R-Iredell)

Representative Bill Brawley (R-Mecklenburg)

Representative Mark Brody (R-Union)

Senator Pete Brunstetter (R-Forsyth)

Senator Ben Clark (D-Hoke)

Representative George Cleveland (R-Onslow)

Senator David Curtis (R-Lincoln)

Senator Warren Daniel (R-Burke)

Representative Leo Daughtry (R-Johnston)

Senator Don Davis (D-Greene)

Representative John Faircloth (R-Guilford)

Representative Elmer Floyd (D-Cumberland)

Representative Jim Fulghum, MD (R- Wake)

Representative Ken Goodman (D-Richmond)

Senator Thom Goolsby (R-New Hanover)

Representative Larry Hall (D-Durham)

Senator Fletcher Hartsell (R-Cabarrus)

Representative Kelly Hastings (R-Gaston)

Representative Mark Hollo (R-Alexander)

Representative Craig Horn (R-Union)

Senator Clark Jenkins (D-Edgecombe)

Representative Grier Martin (D-Wake)

Senator Wesley Meredith (R-Cumberland)

Representative Mickey Michaux (D-Durham)

Senator Earline Parmon (D- Forsyth)

Senator Louis Pate (R-Wayne)

Representative Garland Pierce (D-Scotland)

Senator Ron Rabin (R-Harnett)

Representative Dennis Riddell (R-Alamance)

Senator Dan Soucek (R-Watauga)

Representative Michael Speciale (R-Craven)

Representative Paul Stam (R-Wake)

Representative John Szoka (R-Cumberland)

Senator Tommy Tucker (R- Union)

Representative Roger West (R-Cherokee)

Representative Chris Whitmire (R-Transylvania)

Representative Winkie Wilkins (D-Person)