Dan Crenshaw Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Dan Crenshaw

• Dan Crenshaw is an American politician, retired US Navy SEAL, member of the Republican Party, and author, who has represented Texas’ 2nd Congressional district in the US Congress three times. Crenshaw has gained popularity for wearing an eye patch on his right eye due to an injury sustained during his deployment in Afghanistan in 2012.

• Dan spent his early childhood in Texas.
  

  A photo of Dan taken in his childhood

• Dan attended school in various countries because his father had a job that required him to move frequently.

• He gained fluency in speaking Spanish as he spent considerable time with his family in South America.

• During his time at Tufts University, Crenshaw enrolled in the US Navy’s Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program.

• Following his graduation from Tufts, he attended the Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island to undergo officer training.

• Later, Dan arrived at the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado and joined Class 264 of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) intending to become a SEAL.

• After that, Crenshaw went to the United States Army Airborne School, popularly known as Jump School, in Fort Moore, Georgia. He received basic training to become a paratrooper (military parachutist) there.

• Later, he completed a 26-week SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) course.

• After completing the 26-week-long SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) in June 2008, he received the Special Warfare Insignia, commonly referred to as the SEAL Trident badge, and was appointed as the Naval Special Warfare Officer with the code 1130. While giving an interview, Dan talked about it and said,
  

  It was hard – some days really kicked us hard. We were basically their dummies. There was lots of hand-to-hand combat, it meant getting shot at, too. They also used real guns but replaced the lead with paint, which hurt. It’s kind of hard to explain why I wanted to do it – there’s a lot of reasons. I used to read books about it in middle school. I guess I really like the need to compete and be the best. There’s definitely a patriotic sense to it, too.”

• He was sent to Iraq after becoming a SEAL. There, he joined SEAL Team Three and participated in numerous operations aimed at assisting the coalition forces, which included the NATO and the Iraqi troops, in eliminating the pockets of insurgency.
  

  Dan holding a rifle while serving in the SEALs

• After his tenure in Iraq, Dan went to Afghanistan. There, he conducted military operations against the Taliban under Operation Enduring Freedom, which was led by the US.

• In 2012, Dan was sent to Afghanistan’s Helmand Province to support the US Army in their efforts against terrorism. While on a patrol mission, he sustained serious injuries when insurgents triggered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), causing Dan to fall into a coma.
  

  A photo of Dan taken while he was serving in Afghanistan

• The blast resulted in Dan suffering from numerous bone fractures, and it inflicted significant harm to his eyesight, leading to the complete loss of his right eye and partial vision impairment in his left eye due to damage to the retina.

• Dan returned to his duties after getting discharged from the hospital. As per reports, Dan had to adapt to using a weapon from the left hand as he could no longer aim with his right eye, making it difficult for him to accurately aim his weapon.

• Dan was deployed to the Middle East in 2014.

• He was posted to South Korea in 2016. Dan resigned from the US Navy in the same year.

• In his decade-long tenure in the US Navy, Dan received multiple accolades, such as two Bronze Stars, one of which was earned for valour, a Purple Heart recognizing his injuries sustained in Afghanistan, and the Navy Commendation Medal with valour.

• According to Dan, he did not want to leave the US Navy and wanted to continue his service. However, he was asked to give his resignation as the Navy thought that his injuries reduced his effectiveness as a SEAL. Dan also claimed that he found it very difficult to stay and serve in the Navy after getting injured. While giving an interview, Dan said,
  

  I certainly miss [the military]. I never wanted to leave. I was injured in 2012 and fought the system to stay in for at least two [more] deployments, and that ended up being an impossible hill to climb. Just because of the medical waivers that you need from the top echelons of the Navy in order to continue to deploy without it being questioned every single time.”

  

  Dan Crenshaw in his uniform

• After leaving the military, Dan got involved in social work. He joined several NGOs that worked to assist the mentally and physically disabled war veterans of the United States Armed Forces.

• After Hurricane Harvey caused massive destruction in the US in 2017, Dan offered his help to people who lost their properties due to the calamity.

• He became a member of the Republican Party after completing his postgraduation in 2017.
  

  Dan with Tara during his graduation ceremony at Harvard Kennedy School

• He declared his candidacy for the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in November 2017.

• He secured the second position in the 2018 Republican Party’s primary elections by securing 12,679 votes.

• In the Republican primary runoff elections, held in the same year, he secured 11,562 votes more than his nearest rival Kevin Roberts.
  

  Daniel Crenshaw addressing a gathering during an electoral campaign

• For the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections, Crenshaw started an online store to sell various products to fund his election campaign. The website states that the funds raised also go towards aiding disadvantaged individuals and community development.
  

  Logo of Den Crenshaw for Congress

• Pete Davidson, a comedian who appears in Saturday Night Live (SNL), made fun of Dan Crenshaw by saying that wearing an eye patch made him look like a hitman from an adult film. After the remark, Pete was criticised by the viewers for making fun of a disabled war veteran. Davidson later apologized to the viewers and said,
  

  I made a joke about Lieutenant Commander Dan Crenshaw, and on behalf of the show and myself, I apologize. I mean this from the bottom of my heart. It was a poor choice of words. The man is a war hero, and he deserves all the respect in the world.”

  

  Dan Crenshaw shaking hands with Pete Davidson

  Later, Davidson, while doing a comedy show that was exclusively aired on Netflix, said that he saw nothing wrong with his “hitman” remark on Dan and claimed that he was forced to apologise as many people threatened to shoot him for not doing so. ^[8]The Washington Post

• He received a total of 52.8% of votes in the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections. Dan emphasized two key issues during his election campaign: addressing immigration management and enacting policy reforms aimed at reducing unauthorized border crossings along the Texas-Mexico border. In an interview, Dan talked about contesting the elections and said,
  

  I am running for Congress to continue fighting for the country I love. I am running because our country needs leaders, not politicians. I fought and bled for ten years as a Navy SEAL in Iraq, Afghanistan, and South Korea, because I know the importance of service before self.”

  

  Dan Crenshaw’s 2018 Congress elections poster

• He is known for his straightforward stand on different political issues including abortion and firearm regulations.

• In 2019, Dan voiced his opinion against the legalisation of abortion in the US by criticising the 1973 Supreme Court’s ruling in the Roe v. Wade case. In his statement, Dan said that the legalisation went against conservative American values. He also argued that the right to pass laws regarding the legalisation of abortion should be given to the state.

• After the US government proposed a law to criminalise the sale and purchase of semi-automatic firearms, Dan expressed his views against the law and favoured the continuation of the existing “liberal” gun laws in the US in 2019.

• To extend the provisions given in the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act, Dan co-sponsored a bill in Congress in the same year.

• Dan voted against two impeachment bills presented against President Donald Trump in 2019 in the House of Representatives.

• Despite being a member of the Republican Party, Dan has frequently spoken against Donald Trump’s policies and statements.
  

  Dan Crenshaw shaking hands with President Donald Trump

• In June 2019, a journalist named Wahajat Ali posted a tweet in which he claimed that Dan had opposed the enactment of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act. Later, Dan took to Twitter (now X) and dismissed the accusations. He urged Ali to fact-check as he was a co-sponsor of the bill. The journalist later removed his tweet and publicly apologized to Dan. ^[9]Fox News

• In 2019, Dan Crenshaw’s first book titled Safety Off: Life Lessons for an Unpredictable and Unsafe World was published.

• Following the loss of his right eye, Dan started wearing different glass prosthetic eyes. In 2019, he showed a distinct glass eye featuring the Captain America emblem.
  

  Dan Crenshaw showing his Captain America glass prosthetic eyeball

• Dan reportedly spent around $11 million on his 2020 Congress elections campaign, making it the most expensive campaign in the history of the United States.
  

  Dan Crenshaw’s electoral campaigning ad

• In 2020, Crenshaw and 125 fellow members of Congress supported the Texas v. Pennsylvania lawsuit by submitting an amicus brief to the Supreme Court. This legal action aimed to question the validity of the 2020 U.S. presidential elections, and it was initiated following concerns raised by Donald Trump regarding the election procedures.

• In the same year, Fortune Magazine mentioned Crenshaw’s name in its 40 Under 40 list in the “Government and Politics” category.

• In 2020, Dan started hosting the podcast “Hold These Truths” through which he has interviewed many notable individuals.

• Dan’s second book, Fortitude: American Resilience in the Era of Outrage, which was released in 2021 became the New York Times bestseller.

• He penned another book titled Fame, Blame, and the Raft of Shame in the same year.

• Dan Crenshaw trained in urban combat with the Homeland Security Investigations – Houston in 2021.
  

  A photo of Dan taken while he was doing a room clearance drill with the Homeland Security Investigations

• Crenshaw had to undergo an emergency operation to fix the left eye’s vision after the retina was dislocated in the same year. According to him, he was unable to see anything for a month after the surgery.

• After the Joe Biden administration ordered the US troops to pull out of Afghanistan in 2021, Dan criticised the decision of the government through an Instagram post in which he said that the troops were pulled out without proper planning. He wrote,
  

  Biden botched this withdrawal beyond belief. Their exit strategy was about optics instead of ground truth. But the problem runs even deeper than that: a widespread belief that foreign policy be dictated by a single, emotional slogan: no more endless wars!”

  

  Dan Crenshaw’s post uploaded by him on his Instagram account

• Dan signed a resolution in 2022 seeking the removal of the Russian Federation from the permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
  

  A photo of the resolution signed by Crenshaw in 2022

• In 2023, he spoke against the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, aimed at preventing firearm sales by manufacturers until a detailed background check of the buyer was completed.

• Crenshaw has often spoken against the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare.

• Dan has supported Israel on numerous occasions. He has given statements supporting increasing the military and economic assistance provided by the US to Israel. He has also spoken against many politicians for not giving their support and criticising Israel. While giving an interview, Dan spoke about Israel and said,
  

  As a long-time supporter of Israel, I will ensure that our alliance does not waver, and that America continues to support Israeli security, advocate for her on the international stage, and contain the threat from Iran and terrorism across the region. If you’re criticizing Israel, but you’re doing it in a way that implies that the Jewish people in America have a dual loyalty, that’s anti-Semitism. It’s more than just criticizing Israeli policy.”

• Dan loves animals. He owns two Kokonis as pets.
  

  Dan with his two pet dogs and Tara Blake

• He’s a close friend of the former US Navy SEAL lieutenant and Congressman Morgan Luttrell. Dan endorsed Morgan’s congressional campaign in 2022.
  

  Dan Crenshaw posing for a photo with Morgan Luttrell during an event

• Dan Crenshaw criticized the practicality of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in a 2021 tweet, but it was revealed in 2022 that he had invested a significant amount of money in the EV industry. ^[10]Business Insider

• Dan, on numerous occasions, has spoken against the US government’s mandate for COVID-19 vaccination, particularly for members of the US Armed Forces.

• Dan has appeared on many talk shows, including Jocko Willink’s Jocko Podcast.
  

  A snap from the podcast hosted by Jocko Willink