Chip Kennett: A Silent Patriot Under the Dome | Commentary (Roll Call)

We wanted to share this commentary from Roll Call, written by Bradford Fitch:

I did not know Chip Kennett, but I knew him. Chip’s story was beautifully told in a Roll Call article last week (“Capitol Hill Helps One of It’s Own: Chip Kennett Finds Help in Unexpected Places;” Roll Call, Jan. 14). It was the story of a dedicated staffer who found love in the halls of Congress and married his wife, Sheila. To staffers, it was a perfectly normal story — many have found their life-mates down the hall in a Senate or House office building. It was normal, until three years ago, when Chip was diagnosed with lung cancer. His battle ended on Jan. 17, when his wife posted on Facebook, “Chip received a brand new body up in heaven that is free of cancer and simply full of everlasting life.”

“Many media outlets are more content depicting the caricature of democracy — the craven, driven, ambitious, greedy corner of Congress. The “human” side is rarely shown. Little thought is given to the staffers who answer the phones, draft the letters and forge the deals which result in the laws of our land. And then, something happens to wake us up and remind us that Capitol Hill is a community, and there are real lives making up the broader congressional family. …

Continue reading at Roll Call: Chip Kennett: A Silent Patriot Under the Dome | Commentary