I signed up for the Marine Corps at 17. The oath I swore to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, never expired. That same commitment drives everything I do today.
I served as an Infantry Rifleman (0311) from 2000 to 2004, reaching the rank of Sergeant. I was stationed in Washington, D.C. and witnessed the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. I stood as part of the first Honor Guard at Ground Zero in New York City after the rubble was cleared.
I deployed twice to Iraq. First with 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines during the initial push into Baghdad, where my battalion tore down Saddam Hussein's statue. I returned with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines and fought in the Battle of Husaybah, a precursor to the First Battle of Fallujah.
The Marine Corps taught me what happens when you commit to something bigger than yourself. You see the mission and you go. While working families take a backseat, corporations become people and billionaires get bailouts. Politicians refuse to stand for the people who elected them while programs that keep families like mine afloat come under attack.
When my grandmother took me in after my mother gave me up, her Teamster pension, Medicare, and Social Security gave her stability. I will work to ensure the government works to help people like her.
My benefits and healthcare as a veteran exist because working families pay for them. Those families deserve someone in Congress fighting just as hard for them as they fight for us.
Right now, veterans across the 4th District drive hours for basic care. There is not a single VA clinic in Tooele, Sevier, Millard, or Sanpete counties. That is unacceptable for a district with Camp Williams, Dugway Proving Ground, and the Tooele Army Depot. The VA has lost over 40,000 employees, including thousands of nurses and doctors. Veterans need real advocates, not politicians who use them for photo ops.
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