Charlie Norwood has died.
Rep. Charles Norwood, a seven-term Republican congressman from Georgia, has died after battling cancer and lung disease, his office says.
Norwood had left Washington last week to receive hospice care at home in Georgia, forgoing further treatment for lung cancer that has spread to his liver. At that time, Norwood’s spokesman, John Stone, said the seven-term Republican was not yet resigning from Congress but had decided to go home to Augusta, Ga., to be with his family and “put it in the Lord’s hands.” “He has spent three months just sick as a dog and finally just said, ‘That’s it. I’m going home,’” Stone said. The goal, Stone said, was to make Norwood as comfortable as he can be, “for as long as the Lord will let him stay with us, and nobody knows how long that will be.”
Norwood, 65, received a lung transplant in 2004. He suffers from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease. Last year, doctors discovered a small cancerous tumor on his nontransplanted lung. They removed the cancer with surgery but then discovered more on his liver when Norwood returned to Washington after easily winning re-election in November.
Sad news.
His official site is inaccessible at the moment. His Wikipedia entry notes his military service:
Norwood served as a Captain in the United States Army from 1967 from 1969, beginning with an assignment to the U.S. Army Dental Corps at Sandia Army Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1968 he was transferred to the Medical Battalion of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam, and served a combat tour at Quin Yon, An Khe, and LZ English at Bon Son. During his tour, he participated in experimental military dental practices that are now standard procedure for the armed forces. Norwood was one of the first participants in the Army’s outreach program that delivered dentists to forward firebases in lieu of transferring patients to rear treatment areas. He also provided some of the first field-based dental treatment of military guard dogs, and assisted in non-dental trauma care in Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals.
In recognition of his service under combat conditions, Norwood was awarded the Combat Medical Badge and two Bronze Stars.
It reminds us, too, that “During the State of the Union address on January 23, 2007, President Bush noted Congressman Norwood’s absence from the Hall of the House and extended his thoughts for a speedy recovery” and informs that, “At approximately 2:02 PM Eastern time on February 13, 2007 a few moments of silence were observed for Norwood on the House floor.”
UPDATE: His page is back up, thus far without notice of his passing. His bio reveals a man who actually got quite a bit of legislating done.
