Gabriel Wilson
Dr. Gabriel Wilson | |
|---|---|
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| United States Senator from Virginia | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2021 Serving with Mark Warner | |
| Preceded by | Tim Kaine |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gabriel Wilson August 20, 1948 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Princeton University (PhD) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1970-2011 |
| Rank |  General |
| Commands |
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| Battles/wars |
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Dr. Gabriel Wilson (Born August 20, 1948) is an American politician, author and retired United States Army General, serving as the junior United States Senator from Virginia as of January 3, 2021. In his 41 years in the United States Army, he commanded forces in the War in Afghanistan, War in Iraq and First Gulf War.
Wilson was commissioned in the United States Army through West Point Military Academy. From a service family, and a career servicemember, Wilson retired in 2011 and went on to hold multiple private sector roles. In early 2019, Tim Kaine announced his retirement from the United States Senate at the next election, and thus, Gabriel Wilson declared his intention to run for the seat. Running on a mainstream platform, and agreeing with the anti-Wadeism of the Democratic party at the time, he won both the primary and the general election handily.
In the aftermath of the January 6 insurrection, Gabriel accused then-President Frank Wade of having planned a coup and called him an enemy of democracy and freedom. As Senator, Gabriel has earned a reputation of a policy wonk, as he eschewed sloganeering for charts and statistics in explaining his policy proposals. He criticized the hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan - claiming that it was this botched up withdrawal that led to the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban and eroded trust in the US internationally - but strongly supports President Jim Byron's actions in support of Ukraine. He has called Putin "our century's Hitler" and "a menace to the liberal international order".