RUTHFULLY YOURS

One of the most enduring values my Parents instilled in me was a sense of duty through service to my Country, America.  Leading by example, my Father served in WWII, my Mother served 25 years as a civilian with the 6th Marine Corps District Headquarters in Atlanta, my older Brother served in the Marine Corps and was wounded during the Battle of Khe Sanh in the Vietnam War, and my young Nephew currently serves as a Captain in the Army, already having served 2 tours in Afghanistan.

The 22 years of active duty service in which I proudly wore an Army uniform defined my life.  My military service brought me to 13 countries, including 2 tours in Iraq (Operation Desert Storm & Operation Iraqi Freedom).  After retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2004, my sense of duty and commitment to public service brought me to Deerfield Beach High School as a teacher, and later motivated me to return to the battelfield of Afghanistan, where I served as a Civilian Advisor to the Afghan Army for 2 ½ years.  It is this commitment to serving my Country, and its citizens, that has motivated me to run for Congress.

As our campaign to restore honor, integrity and character to Washington, DC gains momentum, our incumbent opponent – Democratic Congressman Ron Klein – has made a series of moves that evidences he will do and say anything to win.  As our campaign continues to address the issues affecting South Florida, Klein and his political cronies have all but announced that they will distort my proven record of honorable service in the name of retaining power.

During the next 3 months, this dishonorable opponent is going to try to distort and falsify my service in Iraq as a combat Battalion Commander in 2003.  Let me be perfectly clear – as a Battalion Commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom, my number one priority was the safety and lives of my men.  I am proud to have sacrificed my military career in order to carry out that solemn promise to each of them and their families.