Team,

Two years ago today, I was prepared to use a ballpoint pen as a weapon.

The small details of the January 6 insurrection are still vivid to this day. The pen in my pocket. The pins I helped my colleagues take off so they wouldn’t be identifiable if a mob breached the House floor. The gas masks we were instructed to put on in case of an attack. The sound of gunshot and breaking glass.

My colleagues and I were there to do what the American people sent us to do: ensure a peaceful transfer of power. Instead, on January 6th, 2021, we feared for the worst.

As a violent mob attacked our Capitol, I entered a mindset I hadn’t experienced in more than 15 years back when I was an Army Ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was ready to do anything necessary to protect this country — not from foreign enemies like I did overseas, but from home-grown terrorists incited by the former president.

The insurrectionists who tried to overthrow our government failed that day — but the fight to defend our democracy continues.

That day, we realized we needed to respond to this threat with a commitment to a new type of American patriotism, one rooted in humility that recognizes our faults, commits to the truth, and dedicates our actions to service.

American democracy exists because generations throughout history stood up and fought for it. January 6 showed how fragile democracy truly is. This year — and every year after — we must renew our dedication to strengthen it.

Thank you,

— Jason