My Fellow Americans (and anyone who likes a good Cinderella Story),
I told a little bit of this story to a small group of people a couple weeks back and I thought it might be worth revisiting, especially since my Tennessee Volunteers are undefeated 8 games into the season and ranked #2 in the nation.
I enlisted in the US Navy 8 weeks after 9/11. I was 20 years old and would serve for 5 years, primarily overseas. As my service drew to a close, I knew I wanted to try college again (my original attempt was short on what you might call “classic” results, i.e. a degree).
I had in my mind the key to success was sit in the front row, go to every class, and go to a school with a good football team. The school I chose to use my GI Bill at was the University of Tennessee (Thank you to the American Taxpayers).
True to my plan I sat in the front row and went to every class. Unfortunately, my Tennessee Volunteers did not deliver and had quite the slide into irrelevancy as a program. Luckily it didn’t jinx my academic career this time around and I was able to go back to the greatest Navy in the world and begin another academic program that would take way more than “sitting in the front row and going to every class”.
Becoming a Naval Aviator and Mission Commander of a combat aircrew took perseverance, courage, skill, grit, and determination and even longer than getting a college degree. It took a commitment to something greater than myself, greater than the man or woman next to me, it took a commitment to ALL the people of the United States of America past, present and future. It took believing that it could be done and that it was worth doing.
So why is this a Cinderella story, what does it have to do with the University of Tennessee, or running for US Congress?
As the fans stormed the field in Knoxville after a win over Alabama and threw the goal posts in the Tennessee river, people all over social media ridiculed them for celebrating so much: the same people who said the program was done, it would never be anything again and it would never beat Alabama. “They” said it was too challenging.
Since day one of even contemplating a campaign for US congress in the 6th district of Colorado I have had to defend my claim that it could be won. I heard everything from it was “suicide” to its “gone too blue”, “you don’t have enough money”, “it’s an uphill climb”, “you have a major challenge”, “the polls are against you”. BUT we aren’t hoping this is a Cinderella season for this campaign, we are fighting for it.
These are Cinderella stories because they were/are challenges, because the end was never certain, because it takes years or decades to achieve and because we succeeded against the odds and will again.
A Cinderella story is THE American story. Let’s make it one here in Colorado on November 8th.
Will you rush $5, $10, $25, or even $50 to win on Election Day?
Can you pledge to support my campaign and ensure that CD-6 is a Cinderella story on November 8th?
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