I didn't realize it at the time, but what happened on September 11th would completely change the trajectory of my life.
Very quickly, America was a nation at war. I was angry about us being attacked, and I wanted to do my part. I wanted to fight back.
I was unwilling to let other people go and fight for me. I grew up in a working class family, and I wasn't going to have other working class kids go and bear the burden on my behalf.
I was a senior in college on 9/11. I had just started the last year of my ROTC. I had a National Guard contract, so I was going to be commissioned in the National Guard as an officer. After the September 11th attacks, I went to my ROTC unit commander and asked for a transition to an active duty contract. Less than a year later, I was an infantry officer going through all the training and getting ready to go to war. I would deploy three times to the Middle East, and end up completing three combat tours, first in Iraq as a paratrooper, and then in Afghanistan as an Army Ranger.
Later, my views changed about what “fighting back” actually looks like, and how to do that the right way versus the wrong way. But at the time, that's what it meant to me.
My time in the military still guides my belief in service today. Now, as a Member of Congress, I have a duty and obligation to keep our nation safe and protect our servicemembers. I take my oath seriously and believe there is no higher calling than service to one’s country.
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