Congressman Heck to headline Lincoln Day Dinner

Friday night’s annual GOP Lincoln Dinner will be special for two reasons.

First and foremost, the dinner falls on the birthday of the 16th president, considered by many historians as one of the greatest leaders in United States history.

Second, Dr. Joe Heck, a Republican representative from Nevada’s Third Congressional District and a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Harry Reid, will be the keynote speaker.

Tickets are still available but time is of the essence. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the diner and program begin at 7 p.m. at the Fallon Convention Center The cost is $50 per person. In addition to the dinner, there will be a 50/50 raffle, silent and live auction and a gun raffle.

Many state and local Republicans are expected to attend the Lincoln Day Dinner. Churchill County District Attorney Art Mallory will serve as master of ceremonies.

The three-term congressman is running against Catherine Cortez Masto, a former Nevada state attorney general. Both are hoping to succeed current Sen. Harry Reid, who said in March 2015 that he wouldn’t seek re-election this year. Reid’s announcement ends a three-decade career in the Senate.

According to Heck’s website, he was elected to his current seat in the House of Representatives in 2010 and is only the third person to hold this seat since its creation. He serves on the Education and Workforce Committee, and the Armed Services Committee where he is chairman of the Military Personnel Subcommittee. He is a member of the House Permanent Committee on Intelligence and chairs the Subcommittee on Department of Defense Intelligence and Overhead Architecture.

Heck has more than 35 years in public service as a physician, Army Reservist and community volunteer. Previously, Heck served as a volunteer firefighter and ambulance attendant, Search & Rescue team member and SWAT physician. A brigadier general in the U.S. Army Reserves, he was called to active duty three times, including a deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As a small business owner, he served as the president and medical director of Specialized Medical Operations, Inc., a corporation dedicated to providing quality medical training, consulting and operational support to law enforcement, EMS and Military Special Operations. Heck has lectured and published widely on special operations medical support, the medical response to acts of terrorism and emergency preparedness and response.

Heck represented Nevada State Senate District 5 from 2004 through 2008, serving on the Natural Resources, Human Resources and Education and the Commerce and Labor committees and as vice-chair of the Transportation and Homeland Security Committee.