Elizabeth Warren’s oldest brother dies from coronavirus complications, USAF pilot who served in Vietnam was 86
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has revealed that her oldest brother has succumbed to coronavirus complications.
"My oldest brother, Don Reed, died from coronavirus on Tuesday evening," the former Democratic presidential hopeful tweeted on Thursday. "He joined the Air Force at 19 and spent his career in the military, including five and a half years off and on in combat in Vietnam. He was charming and funny, a natural leader."
Donald Reed Herring died on Tuesday night in Norman, Oklahoma, at the age of 86, the Boston Globe reported.
Herring, who proudly served in the United States Air Force for over two decades, tested positive for COVID-19 about three weeks ago.
Warren had not previously revealed that a member of her own family had contracted the deadly disease, caused by the novel coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2. Nonetheless, she confirmed the heartbreaking news in a statement to the Globe.
"I’m grateful to the nurses and other front-line staff who took care of my brother, but it is hard to know that there was no family to hold his hand or to say 'I love you' one more time. And now there's no funeral for those of us who loved him to hold each other close," Warren said. "I will miss my brother," she added.
Herring was born in 1933 and attended the University of Oklahoma. However, he enlisted in the military before graduating.
The maverick United States Air Force pilot flew state-of-the-art aircraft such as the B-47 and B-52 bombers.
He flew a total of 288 combat missions during the Vietnam War and was even promoted to a B-52 squadron pilot and later a squadron aircraft commander.
During his service, Herring earned a number of citations and commendations. He eventually retired in 1973 with a rank of lieutenant colonel. Following his retirement, Herring started his own auto-detailing business.
Senator Warren recently revealed that she is open to accepting the offer to become former Vice President Joe Biden's running mate if asked.
Speaking on MSNBC’s ‘The Rachel Maddow Show’ on Wednesday night, she expressed her willingness to become a vice-presidential candidate — a post for which a lot of women candidates seem to be in the fray since Biden vouched for a female face.
The post of the vice president could gain more significance if Biden wins the presidency this year to become the oldest commander-in-chief at 77. Experts, however, have shown less favor for Warren citing her age. A recent report said that Minnesota Senator and former presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar is a strong candidate to be picked as Biden’s running mate.
“If he asked you to be his running mate, would you say yes?” Maddow asked Warren at the show. "Yes," Warren said.
“Joe Biden is going to be an excellent president because he's fundamentally a good man,” Warren said. “He is prepared for an emergency, he will fight for every human being and most of all, he is a person who has empathy.”
“Think [about] what this means at this moment. Donald Trump measures everything in this crisis and before in terms of what it means to Donald Trump... that's why we're in so much trouble right now,” the senator added.