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Freshman Rep. Chris Carney, D-Pa., went to Langley Air Force Base on September 10. He wasn't there to hold a press conference or to take off on an overseas junket. Instead, he was reporting for two weeks of active duty as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

In an interview before leaving, Carney said he could not divulge the details of his classified mission, which involves counter-terrorism work under the Predator UAV program. He noted only, "These are actual combat missions. These are not training missions." But he did discuss the responsibilities that go along with being both a member of Congress and a military reservist.

Asked about the potential inconvenience of serving on active duty during his first year on Capitol Hill, Carney said that other reservists face similar situations. "No matter if you're a member of Congress or a regular member of society -- if you're a schoolteacher or a checkout clerk -- it's always a time out of your normal routine," he said. "But it's important, and everybody who wears a uniform understands that."

Because he's a member of Congress, Carney said, he will not get paid for his military service; he also has to pay his own travel, lodging, and food expenses. The 48-year-old father of five has been in the Reserve for almost 13 years. "My father was in the Navy, my uncle was in the Navy, I have a brother in the Navy," he said. "We have a service ethic in our family, and it's just part of that that I'm fulfilling."

Before he ousted scandal-plagued Rep. Don Sherwood, R-Pa., last November, Carney worked in the Pentagon on counter-terrorism issues in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. He also was an associate professor of political science at Penn State University (Worthington Scranton).

Along with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Reps. Steve Buyer, R-Ind., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., Carney is one of a handful of lawmakers in the Reserves. Although they sit on opposite sides of the aisle, Carney and Kirk, a Naval Reserve intelligence officer, enjoy camaraderie. "Serving in the Reserve also helps you transcend partisan differences," Kirk said in a statement about Carney's mission. "I consider myself a shipmate to Congressman Carney first and a colleague in Congress second."

It once was more common for legislators to simultaneously serve in the military. In fact, a statue of Sen. Edward Baker, R-Ore., who was killed in uniform in the Civil War, stands in the Capitol. But because of the Constitution's "incompatibility" clause, which states that no senator or representative shall be appointed to any civil office, some ambiguity has always lingered over whether individuals may serve in Congress and the military at the same time.

At least eight members of Congress, including Rep. Fiorello La Guardia, R-N.Y., served during World War I, but they did not get military pay. According to congressional historical sources, at least 24 House members, including then-Rep. Lyndon Johnson, D-Texas, served in World War II.

Don Ritchie, the associate Senate historian, said that congressional leaders complained that they were unable to get quorums during the 1940s because so many members had enlisted. President Roosevelt subsequently signed an executive order prohibiting members from serving. After Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., R-Mass., was refused a second tour in WWII, he resigned his seat to serve in the Army in Europe, but he was re-elected in 1946.

At the start of the Korean War, 96 members of Congress were in the Reserves or the National Guard, but none were ordered to active duty. In 1990, during the run-up to the first Persian Gulf War, 13 House members who served in the Guard or Reserves were told that they could not be called to active duty. "Over time, the numbers diminished because the draft was abolished, and they also diminished because the number of women in Congress increased," and not as many women had military service, Ritchie said.

Nowadays, Congress has few veterans. More than 70 percent of lawmakers had military experience in the 1970s, compared with 26 percent in 2005-2006, according to a study by Congressional Quarterly. "It's a reflection of the declining military service amongst the American people" in general, said Richard Kohn, a history professor at the University of North Carolina. "Fewer and fewer of the people choosing political careers have been veterans. I think it's going to go back, as both parties are recruiting veterans to run."

Candidates and sitting lawmakers can get political mileage by touting their military service. But members of Congress can also learn from active duty. "If you're basing your entire military experience on movies and books that you've read, that's not the same thing as living through boot camp, going overseas, being separated from your family, and being put in harm's way," said Steve Robertson, national legislative director for the American Legion.