Klaus Guderian
From Usgovsimulation
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| Republican Party | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Congressman | ||||
| Began Present Office: 2010 | ||||
| Electoral District | 1st Congressional District | |||
| State | Alaska | |||
| Region and Superregion | Rocky Mountains, NW | |||
| Previous Offices | Military Armored Commander, Brigadier General, Small businessman | |||
| Born | November 4th, 1960 Holy Cross, Alaska | |||
| Spouse | Marlene (Warrick)Guderian | |||
| Religion | Lutheran | |||
| Residence | Holy Cross, Alaska | |||
| Occupation | Military/Small Business | |||
| Education | West Point Class of 1982 | |||
Klaus Guderian (born November 4, 1960) is the United States Representative for the U.S. state of Alaska's 1st District congressional seat. He was a West Point Man and a military officer primarily serving with the 1st Armored Division until becoming Brigadier General in 1996. He retired from the Army in 2005 and undertook a small computer store in Holy Cross
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Biographical
His parents, Kurt Guderian and Hellen moved to the US after the Second World War, fearing that they would be arrested or worse by the Soviet occupation forces. After meeting Kurt's father and Klaus's grandfather, famous German General Heinz Guderian, Kurt boarded a transatlantic trip to first Newark, New Jersey. However they did not like the enviroment of Newark and when friends mentioned Alaska, the couple again moved to settle in the town of Holy Cross. Kurt managed to secure a job at nearby Fort Yukon Airport while Hellen was a stay at home mother. In 1960, Klaus Guderian was born in Holy Cross and was raised there throughout his life.
His father would often speak to him about the adventures of his and his grandfathers service during the war. These stories inspired Klaus to exceed in many areas of his life. When he recieved a copy of his grandfathers memoirs, Panzer Leader, it sparked Klaus's willingness to seek the battlefield. While his father was hesitant at first for the boy to pursue this career (due to his own experiences in WW2), he still encouraged Klaus to do what he felt was best for him. Klaus graduated and soon sent off to West Point to continue the tradition of the Guderians. He graduated 6th of his class and was sent off to command a platoon of M48 Patton II tanks in 1st Batallion, 37th AR. In 1984, he was promoted to Captain, took command of the Batallion in 1986 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and soon the entire Regiment the next year. The 37th AR upgraded to M-60A3 tanks in 1985 and soon to M1 Abrams in 1989. In 1991, Klaus Guderian joined the 1st Armored Division in Operation Desert Storm, facing the Iraqi Republican Guard. On one mission, his unit answered to a distress call from a damamged M113 carrier and infantry. Guderian placed his personal tank between the M113 and the T-55s that were coming for the kill. He knocked out 5 of the tanks before reinforcements forced the Iraqi tankmen to retreat. He was awarded the Bronze Star for this action. After Desert Storm, Guderian was assigned as an official Army observer in UNICOM II in Somalia. He stayed around in Somalia till 1993. Guderian considered retirment till he was given the offer to become a staff officer at the Pentagon and was given his general star in 1996.
While he desired to return to combat in Afghanistan after 9/11, the Army still kept him in Pentagon. However he still protested to gain a field command he finally got his dream to lead the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He led the Brigade till 2005, when he finally retired from military life. He founded a computer shop in Holy Cross Alaska and still continues to run it. When he was tapped for the Republican race in Alaska's 1st US District, he felt it was his duty to continue his service and ran a fair campaign; winning 51% to 49%.
He married Marlene Warrick (an Army nurse he met in 1983) in 1987. They have 8 children:
-Heinz Guderian II (B: 1/17/1988) -Charles Guderian (B: 12/2/1988) -Marie Guderian (B:5/9/1991) -Elizabeth Guderian (B: 5/9/1991) -Thomas Guderian (B: 2/23/1994) -Daniel Guderian (B: 6/1/1995) -Irving Guderian (B: 9/5/1997) -Ruth Guderian (B: 12/25/1999)
United States Congress
Key Positions
Key Votes
Committee assignments
In 2011, Klaus Guderian was appointed as the Vice-Chairman of the House Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committee.
