Former US Vice President Dick Cheney Dies: Through Gulf War To Terrorist Attacks With Heart Disease

JAKARTA - Richard Bruce Cheney or better known as Dick Cheney, vice president who is considered the most "real" in United States history, breathed his last on Monday at the age of 84.

US 46th Vice President during the administration of President George W. Bush in these two periods (2001-2009) died of pneumonia complications and heart disease and blood vessels at his residence in Northern Virginia, according to the family in a statement, reported by The New York Times November 5.

The US 17th Minister of Defense in the era of the George HW Bush government has hadile heart disease for a long time. He is known to have suffered five heart attacks in the period 1978 to 2010.

He used tools to regulate his heart rate since 2001. However, this disease does not affect his performance as vice president for two terms.

After retiring, Cheney underwent a heart transplant which was considered successful and quite active since then.

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska on January 30, 1941, Cheney who is a Republican politician married Lynne Vincent and has two daughters, Elizebeth "Liz" Lynne Cheney and Mary Claire Cheney.

Liz followed her to the Republican political world as a member of the US House of Representatives from Wyoming, in the same chair as her father when he was a member of Congress. However, she was criticized by the party after harshly criticizing Donald Trump for the attack on Capitol Hill, Washington DC on January 6, 2021, quoted by The Guardian.

In addition to the vice president and defense minister, Cheney has been a member of the House of Representatives and is listed as the youngest White House Chief of Staff in history.

"For decades, Dick Cheney has served our country, including the White House Chief of Staff, Members of the Wyoming Congress, the Secretary of Defense, and the Vice President of the United States," the family said in a statement, quoted by Sky News.

"Dick Cheney is a great and kind man who teaches his children and grandchildren to love our country, and live life with courage, honor, love, kindness, and fighting spirit," he continued.

"We are very grateful for everything Dick Cheney has done for our country. And we are very blessed to have loved and loved by this noble great man," the statement said.

As an accomplished Washington insider, Cheney is the designer and implementer of President Bush's main initiatives: deploying military force to advance, they say, the struggle for democracy abroad, fighting for a free market and deregulation at home, as well as strengthening the power of the presidency which, according to the two figures, has been unfairly restricted by Congress and courts after the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal.

As Mr. Bush's most trusted and valuable advisor, Cheney explores international and domestic policy fields at will. Like a super cabinet official with an unlimited portfolio. He uses his authority to fight for war, propose or overturn laws, recommend Supreme Court candidates, influence balance for tax cuts, advance allied interests, and fend off opponents.

However, it was in the national security arena that he had the most profound impact. As defense minister, he helped design a strategy in the Gulf War that succeeded in expelling Iraq from Kuwait in 1991, and then took on the main role a decade later in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack.

When the attack occurred, President Bush, who was on a visit to Florida, was then flown to a safe location in Louisiana and Nebraska. Vice President Cheney, who later took the war at the White House, activated defense measures across the country, put American troops on standby around the world, and ordered the evacuation of the Capitol Building as well as the evacuation of government leaders to safe places.

From the White House bunker, he continued to communicate with the president and other officials and maintained what many called iron hands that were firm at the helm during the crisis.

To prevent future attacks, he advocates aggressive policies including non-permanent supervision, indefinite detention, and brutal interrogation tactics.

Vice President Cheney also greatly influenced President Bush's decision to invade Afghanistan to hunt down Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden who masterminded the September 11 attacks, and to suppress the Taliban fanatical regime that has protected terrorists and imposed brutal theoretics on the Afghan people.

He also prompted an Iraqi invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein in 2003, complete an unfinished job from his previous term of office, but instead sparked years of war.

Until yesterday, no information had been released by the family or the building regarding Cheney's funeral, quoted from USA Today.

White House Press Secretary Krypto Leavitt told reporters President Donald Trump "knows" the death of Cheney, as well as flags raised by half a pole in accordance with applicable regulations.

President Trump himself has not released a statement regarding Cheney's death, until Tuesday afternoon local time.

In the 2024 US Presidential Election, Cheney surprised many by saying he would have the incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris who was promoted by the Democratic Party, instead of Trump who was promoted by the Republican Party.

Reducing strong criticism, Cheney at the time said Trump was unfit to occupy the White House and a serious threat to American democracy.

"We have an obligation to prioritize the state above the interests of partisans to defend our constitution," Cheney said.

In a statement, Bush said the death of the vice president was a "loss for the nation".

"As a young aide to the White House and chief of staff, a member of Congress, my Minister of Defense, and my Vice President, Dick has won high trust and appreciation from five presidents," he said, quoted by ABC News.

"History will remember him as one of the best public servants of his generation, a patriot who brings integrity, high intelligence, and seriousness of goals into every position he holds," he said.