April 5, 2006
Media contact: Jeff Schrade (202)224-9093

(Washington, DC) Army Captain David Buffaloe is a man of many talents. In both Iraq and Afghanistan he successfully led attacks on numerous enemy positions. His courage under fire caused him to be awarded the Bronze Star Medal - twice.

Now he is gaining some new battlefield experiences, but in a different type of battle - the battle of ideas. David is currently working in the nation's capital where he is serving as a "Military Fellow" on the staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

"Having a highly trained veteran on the staff with such recent battlefield experience has been a tremendous asset to me and members of the committee," said Chairman Larry Craig (R-Idaho).

Like many who work in the nation's capital, Captain Buffaloe's life has been one of preparation meeting opportunity.

"I had always been wary of politicians," claims Buffaloe. But on a visit to Washington, DC, a few years ago, the young military officer stopped by the senator's office. "On my way out, I saw General Shahkashvili, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the senior ranking man in uniform, walking in. He asked if I knew Senator Craig," Buffaloe said. "He looked at me and said, 'You know, he is a really great man.' That assessment from that officer made a strong impact on me, and it's a large part of the reason I'm working for Senator Craig today."

One year ago Buffaloe was accepted into the Army's prestigious "Office of the Secretary of Defense Intern Program." The program included one year in a fully funded Masters Degree program in Policy Management at Georgetown University - where David has been included on the Dean's list and the Chancellor's list, and had articles published in the Georgetown Public Policy Review. The Army asked him to augment his studies by serving a public policy internship.

When he completes his time on Capitol Hill, Buffaloe will work for the Pentagon's Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization - a special task force which is tasked to think up new ways of defeating road-side and car-bombs. He will at the same time pursue a doctorate at George Mason University and a Master of Science degree in Strategic Intelligence from the Defense Intelligence Agency's Joint Military Intelligence College.

David Buffaloe grew up in Pocatello, Idaho, and graduated from Highland High School in 1989. He enlisted in the Army during the first Gulf War and later he received a competitive Army nomination to go to West Point, graduating in 1996. His days as a Captain are coming to an end; on May 18th, Senator Craig will pin on his Major's Gold Oak Leaf in a promotion ceremony on Capitol Hill.

He is the son of now deceased Vernon Buffaloe, an eastern Idaho high school band director and Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel, and also deceased JoZelle Buffaloe, an eastern Idaho math teacher and pharmacist.

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