Where I Stand
Veterans
My service didn't end with retirement. It simply gave me a new way to serve.
Why This Matters
For twenty years, I wore the uniform of the United States Navy. Retirement didn't end my commitment to serving others—it simply gave me a new way to serve.
Our nation has a solemn obligation to every man and woman who answered the call to defend it. That obligation doesn't end when they take off the uniform.
Keeping our promises to veterans means more than speeches on Veterans Day. It means ensuring we receive the care, respect, and support we've earned through our service.
Veteran suicide isn't just another policy issue to me. Over the years, I've stood at the gravesides of thirteen fellow veterans who ultimately lost the battle within.
Those losses are something I carry with me. They remind me that when we ask Americans to wear the uniform, our responsibility to them doesn't end when they take it off. That's why this isn't just another campaign promise for me. It's personal.
My Perspective
My experience with the Department of Veterans Affairs has generally been a positive one. I've been fortunate to receive quality care from doctors, nurses, and staff who truly care about veterans.
Where I believe we need improvement isn't with the people—it's with the bureaucracy.
Too many veterans spend months waiting on claims, navigating unnecessary paperwork, or struggling to access the care they've already earned. We can do better, and we owe it to every man and woman who served.
Protect Earned Benefits
Benefits earned through military service should never be treated as political bargaining chips.
Cut VA Bureaucracy
Veterans should not have to fight months of paperwork to receive the care and benefits they have earned.
Improve VA Accountability
The Department of Veterans Affairs must serve veterans first, not protect broken systems.
Expand Community Care
When the VA cannot provide timely treatment, veterans should have access to care in their own communities.
Strengthen Mental Health Support
PTSD, suicide prevention, and mental health treatment must be treated with urgency and seriousness.
Respect Veteran Choice
Veterans should have access to traditional medicine, community care, mental health support, and complementary, holistic, herbal, and alternative therapies when appropriate in consultation with their healthcare providers.
The Bottom Line
No veteran who survived the battlefield should come home and lose the battle within. Every veteran suicide is a tragedy, and one is too many.
We owe our veterans more than gratitude—we owe them a system that responds quickly, treats them with dignity, and never stops working to ensure every veteran has hope, support, and access to the care they've earned.
Until veteran suicide is no longer a daily reality, our work is not finished.
My Oath
For twenty years, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
That oath did not end the day I retired from the United States Navy. It is a promise that continues to guide my life and my service.
Before I cast a vote, I'll ask one question: Is it constitutional?