Taking the Hill

"The Irish American son of a Philadelphia cop and a legal secretary, Patrick Murphy worked multiple jobs and joined the ROTC to pay his way through college and law school. After graduating he rose through the ranks of the army to become the youngest professor at West Point. In 2003, he deployed to Baghdad as a captain with the 82nd Airborne Division. As a paratrooper, Murphy earned the Bronze Star for service. He was also a witness to the strategic blunders of the Bush administration and those appointed by it. When Murphy returned home, he believed that the best way for him to help change America's course in Iraq - and to honor the memory of nineteen of his fellow paratroopers who were killed there - was to run for office. Even though he was a political novice and had just $322 in his personal bank account, Murphy ran a gutsy grassroots campaign against a popular Republican incumbent backed by the Republican Party machine. Despite being outspent by almost $3 million, Murphy won a dramatic, no-holds-barred contest by less than 1 percent of the vote, one of the closest races in the country."--BOOK JACKET.Murphy, Patrick J. is the author of 'Taking the Hill', published 2008 under ISBN 9780805086959 and ISBN 0805086951.