John Murtha Dead

U.S. House of Representatives member John Murtha passed away at the age of 77 on the afternoon of February 8, 2010. Murtha died at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Virginia, where he was hospitalized in the intensive care unit for complications from gallbladder surgery.http://www.wjactv.com/news/22500487/detail.html

Prior to his death, Murtha was listed in "grave" condition after developing a post-surgery infection. His condition improved after he received antibiotics, however he took a turn for the worse in the hours before his death.http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/02/john-murtha-in-stable-conditio.html?wprss=44

Murtha served in the U.S. Marines during the Vietnam War, earning many honors including a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. In 1974, Murtha became the first veteran of the war to be elected to Congress, taking over the seat in Pennsylvania's 12 District from the deceased John P. Saylor. He also served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives as well from 1969 to 1973.http://www.murtha.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=318&Itemid=1

John Murtha was named in the 1980 Abscam scandal, which investigated a number of politicians who were approached by Middle Eastern businessmen for bribes. The FBI however did not pursue any charges in the matter as he declined the bribes during the videotaped exchange.http://spectator.org/archives/2006/09/29/murtha-and-the-fbi-the-directo

Despite the scandal, Murtha served 19 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the eighth-most senior member and the fourth-longest serving member from Pennsylvania. Murtha was also a member of the Committee on Appropriations, acting as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Defense.http://www.murtha.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=318&Itemid=1 Additionally, Murtha was a strong opponent of the Iraq War, suggesting the United States withdraw it's troops in 2005.http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/08/john.murtha.obit/index.html