Editing Darrell Issa (section)

==Early life, education, and military service==
The second of six children, Issa was born in [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]], the son of Martha (née Bielfelt) and William Issa, who sold trucks and [[ground valve]]s.<ref>{{cite news|author=Leduff, Charlie|date=July 23, 2003|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/23/us/california-recall-backer-feels-heat.html|title=California Recall Backer Feels Heat|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=September 30, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/158119841.html?dids=158119841%3A158119841&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&type=current&date=Sep+01%2C+2002&author=FAYE+FIORE&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=The+Rock%2C+the+Hard+Place+and+the+Man+in+the+Middle%3B+As+%27an+Arab+American+Who+Grew+Up+Delivering+Poultry+for+a+Rabbi%2C%27+San+Diego-+Area+Congressman+Darrell+Issa+Is+Facing+a+Telling+Post-Sept.+11+Political+Dilemma%3A+%27So+Who+Am+I%3F%27&pqatl=google|title=Los Angeles Times: The Rock, the Hard Place and the Man in the Middle|publisher=Pqasb.pqarchiver.com|date=September 1, 2002|access-date=September 30, 2013|url-access=subscription|archive-date=March 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325070718/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/158119841.html?dids=158119841%3A158119841&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&type=current&date=Sep%2001%2C%202002&author=FAYE%20FIORE&pub=Los%20Angeles%20Times&desc=The%20Rock%2C%20the%20Hard%20Place%20and%20the%20Man%20in%20the%20Middle%3B%20As%20%27an%20Arab%20American%20Who%20Grew%20Up%20Delivering%20Poultry%20for%20a%20Rabbi%2C%27%20San%20Diego-%20Area%20Congressman%20Darrell%20Issa%20Is%20Facing%20a%20Telling%20Post-Sept.%2011%20Political%20Dilemma%3A%20%27So%20Who%20Am%20I%3F%27&pqatl=google|url-status=dead}}</ref> His father was the son of Lebanese Christian immigrants, and a member of the [[Maronite Catholic Church|Maronite Catholic]] faith. His mother is of [[German American|German]] and [[Bohemian (demonym)|Bohemian]] ([[Czech American|Czech]]) descent and a [[Latter-day Saint]].<ref name=WaPo2001>{{cite news |title=Transcript: Issa on Bomb Plot|issue=On Politics |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=December 12, 2001|author=eMediaMillWorks|access-date=September 7, 2013 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/transcripts/issa_text121201.html|quote=Following is the full transcript of a press conference held by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) on the reported plot to bomb his California offices. Rep. Issa is the grandson of Lebanese immigrants. Other speakers: Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman (R-N.Y.), Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), Rep. Gary L. Ackerman (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.).}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/20011026/aponline175845_000.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203013459/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/20011026/aponline175845_000.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 3, 2014|title=Rep. Issa: I Was Profiling Victim|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=October 26, 2001|access-date=September 30, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/01/24/dont-look-back-ryan-lizza|title=Don't Look Back|magazine=The New Yorker|access-date=November 7, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>

During his childhood, the large family moved to a three-bedroom house in the predominantly [[American Jews|Jewish]] suburb of [[Cleveland Heights, Ohio|Cleveland Heights]]. Many of Issa's friends were Jewish, and he reportedly worked for a [[rabbi]] at one point. He became very familiar with [[Jewish culture]].<ref name="Lizza New Yorker story">{{cite news|last=Lizza|first=Ryan|author-link=Ryan Lizza |title=Don't Look Back|url=https://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/01/24/110124fa_fact_lizza?currentPage=all|newspaper=The New Yorker |date=January 24, 2011|access-date=January 20, 2011}}</ref>

In 1970, on his 17th birthday, Issa dropped out of high school and enlisted in the [[United States Army|Army]].<ref name="Lizza New Yorker story"/><ref>Broder, David S. (December 21, 1997). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/keyraces98/stories/ca122197.htm "California's Battle of the Bankbooks"], ''[[The Washington Post]]''; accessed November 11, 2016.</ref> He became an [[bomb disposal|Explosive Ordnance Disposal]] (EOD) technician assigned to the 145th Ordnance Detachment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2003-08-01-0308010436-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627055238/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2003-08-01/news/0308010436_1_darrell-issa-fort-ord-military-records |url-status=live |archive-date=June 27, 2013 |title=Darrell Issa Biography – Burnishing his biography – Baltimore Sun|work=Baltimore Sun|date=August 2003 }}</ref> Trained to defuse bombs, Issa has said that his unit provided security for President [[Richard Nixon]], sweeping stadiums for bombs before games in the [[1971 World Series]].<ref name="army record">Williams, Lance. (May 29, 1998). [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1998/05/29/NEWS12714.dtl&type=printable Issa's Army record in doubt: Candidate's account can't be verified]. ''San Francisco Chronicle''.</ref> A May 1998 investigation by Lance Williams of the ''[[San Francisco Examiner]]'' found that Nixon had not attended any 1971 World Series games, but that Issa's unit did perform security sweeps during the series. First Lady [[Pat Nixon]] was present at Game 2 of the series, where she threw the first pitch.<ref name="First Lady Pat Nixon Throws First Pitch">{{cite news |title=1971 World Series |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1971ws.shtml |date=October 11, 1971}}</ref> After the series, Issa was transferred to a [[supply depot]], a result of receiving poor ratings.<ref name="Lizza New Yorker story"/>

Issa received a hardship [[discharge (military)|discharge]] from the Army in 1972 after his father suffered a heart attack. After that, he earned a [[General Educational Development]] (GED) certificate.<ref name="Lizza New Yorker story"/>

Twice that year, Issa was arrested. In the first incident, a [[grand jury]] indicted him for theft of a [[Maserati]], in a complicated scheme with his brother William, but prosecutors dropped the charge.<ref name=Williams>{{cite web|last=Williams|first=Lance|publisher=San Francisco Examiner|date=July 2, 2003|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/07/02/MN153221.DTL&ao=all|title=Darrell Issa held twice on illegal weapons charges and convicted in '70s on misdemeanor count}}</ref><ref name="Lizza New Yorker story"/> In the second incident, he was stopped for driving the wrong way on a one-way street, and a police officer noticed a firearm in his car's glove compartment; Issa was charged with [[concealed carry in the United States|carrying a concealed weapon]]. He pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm and was sentenced to six months' [[probation]] and a small fine.<ref name=Williams/> Issa has said he believes the record has since been [[expungement|expunged]].<ref name="Lizza New Yorker story"/>

Issa majored in business administration at [[Siena Heights University]], a small [[Roman Catholic]] college in [[Adrian, Michigan]], completing his degree at the [[Kent State University at Stark|Stark campus]] of [[Kent State University]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Ballotpedia |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Darrell_Issa |website=Darrell Issa |publisher=Ballotpedia |access-date=24 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Darrell Issa |url=https://www.arabamerica.com/arabamericans/darrell-issa-4/ |website=Arab-America |access-date=24 October 2020}}</ref> While at Kent State, he enrolled in the [[Reserve Officer Training Corps]]; at graduation he was commissioned as a [[second lieutenant]].<ref name="Lizza New Yorker story"/>

Issa served in the [[United States Army Reserve|Army Reserve]] from 1976 to 1980, and was promoted to [[captain (United States O-3)|captain]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ausa.org/legislation/congressionalinfo/Documents/OAS%20112th%20Congress.pdf|title=Once a Soldier... Always a Soldier |author=Staff|year=2011|work=Legislative Agenda|publisher=[[Association of the United States Army]]|access-date=January 26, 2013 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021200011/http://www.ausa.org/legislation/congressionalinfo/Documents/OAS%20112th%20Congress.pdf|archive-date=October 21, 2013}}</ref> From September 9 to 26, 1980, Issa served on [[active duty]] while training with the [[77th Armor Regiment (United States)|1/77th Armor Battalion]] as an Assistant [[Staff (military)|S-1]]. His evaluation report, by then-[[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lt. Col.]] [[Wesley Clark]], read, "This officer's performance far exceeded that of any other reserve officer who has worked in the battalion" and "Promote ahead of contemporaries. Unlimited potential."<ref name="Lizza New Yorker story"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1998/05/29/NEWS12714.dtl|title=Issa's Army record in doubt |publisher=SFGate |date=May 29, 1998|access-date=July 15, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://talkingpointsmemo.com/documents/2010/06/gen-wes-clark-praises-darrell-issas-military-service.php?page=1|title=Gen. Wes Clark Praises Darrell Issa's Military Service |publisher=Talkingpointsmemo.com|access-date=July 15, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204210039/http://talkingpointsmemo.com/documents/2010/06/gen-wes-clark-praises-darrell-issas-military-service.php?page=1|archive-date=December 4, 2012}}</ref>

Shortly before his discharge from the Army in 1980, Issa was again indicted for [[motor vehicle theft|grand theft auto]]. The prosecution dropped the case in August 1980. In 1981, Issa was in a car crash. The other motorist sued him for $20,000; they eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.<ref name="Lizza New Yorker story"/>