John — Today is a very special day for our family: It’s my father’s 96th birthday (Or 24th birthday if you only count the leap years!)

Will you help my family celebrate his birthday by signing his birthday card and adding your well wishes? It would mean so much to him — and I’ll explain why below.

My father, Ed — or as he’s known to many, Boca Eddie — taught me so many lessons while growing up. A proud veteran who left high school early to join the army at the end of WWII, he taught his two sons to respect those in uniform and to love our country. Here we are together at the WWII Memorial on the National Mall.

As kids, we moved around a lot for his work. From Massachusetts to Arizona, ending up in the Bay Area when I was eleven. Through it all, my parents worked hard to make sure my brother Dan and I had good neighborhoods to live in and good public schools to attend.

Even when times were tough — and there were times he said we all needed to tighten our belts — he made sure we gave back to others in our community.

You see, public service and giving back were important values in our household.

My parents believed in doing good for your community, being compassionate to everyone, and extending a helping hand to anyone needing one.

Those lessons have resonated with me in my work to this day. They have led me to pursue criminal justice reform, to make housing the homeless a top priority, to attack discrimination head-on, and to ensure the rule of law is applied justly.

I am who I am today because of my parents, and I know he’s proud of the work I am doing each day to protect our democracy and make the world a better place.

And oh yeah, it won’t surprise you to know that he doesn’t think much of Donald Trump. Without putting too fine a point on it — he thinks the man is a putz.

Another thing to know about my dad is that he calls it like it is. In fact, I remember telling him many years ago — when he turned 80 and was campaigning for Obama in Florida — that he had earned the right to speak his peace and not give a rat's ass if people didn’t like it. He assured me that he hadn’t waited until 80 to feel that way. So you can imagine how he is at 96!

So to bring an extra big smile to his face on his 96th birthday, will you sign his birthday card today?

SIGN THE CARD

Thank you, John. I wouldn’t be who I am today without my father, and I want to make sure he has a great day.

— Adam

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