Joseph Bouchard
| Joseph Bouchard | |
|---|---|
Joseph F. Bouchard, August 20, 2008
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| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 83rd district |
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In office 2008–2010 |
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| Preceded by | Leo Wardrup |
| Succeeded by | Chris Stolle |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 17, 1954 Pensacola, Florida |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Rita Therese Lara |
| Children | Ellen Lara |
| Residence | Virginia Beach, Virginia |
| Alma mater | United States Naval Academy, Naval Postgraduate School, Stanford University |
| Occupation | Corporate executive |
| Profession | Naval officer |
| Committees | Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources; Finance; Science and Technology |
| Awards | Presidential Service Badge, Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (3 awards) |
| Website | www.delegatebouchard.com |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1976–2003 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands |
USS Oldendorf (DD-972) Naval Station Norfolk |
Joseph F. Bouchard (born July 17, 1954 in Pensacola, Florida) is an American politician of the Democratic Party. From 2008 to 2010 he was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He represented the 83rd district in Virginia Beach. He was defeated for reelection on November 3, 2009 by a 59% to 41% landslide.
Dr. Bouchard retired from the Navy in 2003 as a Captain after 27 years on active duty. He commanded the destroyer USS Oldendorf and Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval base.
Dr. Bouchard was a specialist in strategic and operational planning, including assignments as Branch Head, Strategy and Concepts Branch, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; Deputy Senior Director for Defense Policy and Arms Control, National Security Council, The White House; and Deputy Director, Navy Operations Group (Deep Blue), which was responsible for planning the Navy’s role in the war on terror. At the National Security Council, he was principal author of the National Security Strategy, 1997-1999. He received numerous personal decorations, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the highest non-combat award in the US military.
When serving as a National Security Council White House official, Bouchard strongly opposed gays serving in the military, particularly on submarines. In a handwritten addendum to a National Security Council memorandum, document released by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Bouchard wrote about Petty Officer Keith Meinhold, "Morale and cohesion of whatever sub he is put on will be destroyed. Navy must decide which crew it will sacrifice. Hopefully Navy can find a sub being decommissioned to put him on so an operational unit will not be ruined."
Dr. Bouchard is widely recognized as an expert on national defense and homeland security, and has received several awards for his leadership in port security, including the Secretary of Defense 2002 Annual Antiterrorism Award, Secretary of Transportation 2002 Partnering for Excellence Award, Virginia Port Authority Medal of Excellence, and the Virginia Maritime Association Port Champion Award.
Dr. Bouchard graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy, where he majored in International Security Affairs and studied Chinese and Japanese. He earned a Master of Arts degree in National Security Affairs from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and a Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (international relations and strategic studies) from Stanford University. Dr. Bouchard is the author of Command in Crisis and numerous articles on defense, naval and homeland security matters, and has won multiple awards for his naval history writings.
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