On Wednesday, August 27th, Patrick Joseph Murphy, a Widener Law alum and Pennsylvania’s Congressman from the 8th Congressional district, will speak at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, leading a tribute to active-duty military personnel and their families.The theme for Wednesday evening’s program is “Securing America’s Future”, and Congressman Murphy will present alongside Tammy Duckworth, a former Congressional candidate from Illinois and an Iraq War veteran who lost both of her legs when her Black Hawk helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. Murphy’s presentation will focus on a range of topics including providing adequate mental healthcare for veterans, how to shift foreign policy, and the future for Iraq and Afghanistan. Senator Joe Biden, the Vice Presidential nominee, will be the featured speaker for the evening.Congressman Murphy graduated from Widener Law’s Harrisburg campus in 1999 after earning his B.S. from King’s College in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, where he participated in the ROTC program, graduating with the rank of Second Lieutenant. While at Widener Law, Congressman Murphy participated in the Trial Advocacy Honor Society and was the President of the St. Thomas More Society.In 2000, he joined the military faculty at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and taught constitutional law. After the September 11th attacks, he volunteered for overseas deployment, serving first in Bosnia in 2002, and then in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003 and 2004 as a paratrooper and JAG corps attorney with the 82nd airborne division. He returned to Pennsylvania after leaving Iraq and ran for Congress. He won the election for Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, and was sworn into office on January 4th, 2007.