As voters prepare to head to the polls, I wanted to take a minute to reflect on what it means to wake up every morning under the beautiful 50 stars and 13 red and white stripes…
All I have ever wanted to do was serve my country. I was injured on September 19, 2010 when an improvised explosive device detonated beneath me. As I laid on the ground with a plume of dirt surrounding me, I remember my guys applying tourniquets to both of my legs and then carrying me on a stretcher to our helicopter. Their selfless acts of courage are the only reason that I am still here today.
A few days later, I woke up in Walter Reed Army Medical Center. First, I learned to sit up in bed, then I learned to walk again and then run. I haven’t stopped since because while I knew I would likely never again be an asset on the battlefield in Afghanistan, I also knew that the United States of America was the greatest country on earth. That meant that every day I woke up, I had the opportunity to make the most of it. I knew I wanted to use every minute I had left on this earth in service to something greater than myself.
So, unwilling to sit on my butt and feel sorry for myself, I set my sights on running for public office to continue my fight defending our nation from enemies both foreign and domestic!
