Politician

These days, it's often women in uniform - moms, wives, even grandmothers - who deploy and leave their families behind.

When I deployed to Iraq with my fellow soldiers, putting our lives on the line for our country, no one in the media questioned our patriotism because of our religion.

I am deeply honored and humbled to represent the people of Hawai'i and will continue to do my best to bring the spirit of aloha to our nation's capital.

We cannot afford to walk down that dangerous path of government overstepping its boundaries into the most personal parts of our lives.

I volunteered to deploy to Iraq. I was one of the few soldiers who were not on the mandatory deployment roster - close to 3,000 Hawaii soldiers were.

While in the Middle East, I saw how quickly religious sectarianism and bigotry can lead to the disintegration of a country - how leaders manipulate people to fear others who are different, who look different, or who have different beliefs.

The best way to honor our troops, the less than 1% of our country's population who voluntarily put their lives on the line in service to our country, is by making sure that when they are sent into combat, it is the last option, not the first, and that the mission is worthy of their great sacrifice.