Navy Combat Veteran Hillary O’Connor Mueri, Call Sign “Toro,” Stands with Captain Crozier in First Radio Ad
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Press@HillaryOConnorMueri.com
Like Captain Crozier, Hillary learned in the Navy to do the right thing.
Today, Hillary O’Connor Mueri, call sign “Toro,” former Naval Flight Officer, combat veteran, and candidate for Ohio’s 14th Congressional District, released her first radio ad, “Do The Right Thing”. In the ad, Hillary stands with Captain Brett Crozier who was recently fired for sounding the alarm on a coronavirus outbreak onboard USS Theodore Roosevelt.
Hillary, who was deployed on the USS Theodore Roosevelt for an Iraq combat tour, calls out the Trump Administration’s unfair firing of Captain Crozier. Like Captain Crozier, she learned in the Navy to never leave a shipman behind. Hillary holds that value with her today and will take it with her to Congress, never leaving Ohio families behind.
“...Captain Crozier is a hero - one who was smeared by President Trump for protecting his crew. When I was on the Theodore Roosevelt, I was taught to never leave a shipmate behind. And like Captain Crozier, I still hold that with me today. I stand with all the other men and women on USS Theodore Roosevelt and say thank you, Captain Crozier, for your service....”
Crozier is a hero who put his ship and his crew before his career, and who, in return, was fired and smeared by the Trump administration. Sources have confirmed that acting Navy secretary Modly told a colleague that Trump wanted Crozier fired. Trump said he supported the decision 100%. Modly has since offered his resignation.
The ad will run on diverse news and community programs and podcasts and--to ensure that this message gets heard across the district--it will also run during Rush Limbaugh's radio program.
Statement from Hillary:
Captain Crozier is a hero who should be reinstated immediately. When I was deployed on the USS Theodore Roosevelt for a combat tour in Iraq, we knew the true meaning of putting ship and sailors before self. Captain Crozier embodied this spirit of courageous service when he sounded the alarm that his sailors, many already stricken with COVID-19, were in grave danger. For this act of bravery, he was fired by this cowardly administration and had his name dragged through the mud. That’s wrong, and I stand with Captain Crozier and his crew.
About Hillary:
Navy Veteran Hillary O’Connor Mueri, call sign “Toro,” grew up in Painesville, Ohio. Her mom was a schoolteacher, her father was a welder--both proud union members. When she was a child, Hillary's family experienced first-hand the impact of Ohio’s changing economy: her father was laid off from his job at General Motors at Coit Road when the plant closed. She has lived the economic insecurity many families in Ohio face, and she feels, bone-deep, its effect on Ohio communities.
Hillary began taking classes at Lake Erie College while still in high school, then later studied Aviation Engineering at THE Ohio State University. There, Hillary quickly realized she didn’t want to just design fighter aircraft, she wanted to fly them. She trained for the Navy’s physical readiness test and joined ROTC.
The Navy lifted the ban on women flying in combat in 1993. Beginning flight school in 1999, Hillary was in one of the first generations of women flight officers trained from the ground up to fly in combat. A Naval Flight Officer, Hillary flew F-14s, F/A-18s, and F-16s for the U.S. Navy, including 12 combat missions in Tomcats over Iraq. She braved anti-aircraft artillery fire in order to provide close air support to imperiled ground troops.
After her military service, Hillary earned her law degree and was hired by one of the nation’s biggest law firms. With her engineering background and countless hours in a cockpit, she was a natural for solving problems within the aviation industry. She focused her practice on aviation product liability litigation, determining how mishaps occur, and how to prevent them in the future. True to her values, she also dedicated herself to pro bono work and sought justice for folks in need. With these experiences in mind, Hillary knows that the problems Ohioans face can be solved, and families’ lives can be made more economically secure through a combination of relentless determination and common sense — of which she has no shortage.
Hillary is running for Congress because she is a product of a struggling middle-class family in Painesville, Ohio, and it's time somebody put families like that first. Ohioans deserve a representative who understands us, who can speak for us, and who will fight for us and our future. Toro will never stop fighting for Ohio.
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