LTC Tulsi Gabbard (Army, OIF Veteran)
“Aloha consists of this new attitude of heart, above negativism, above legalism. It is the unconditional desire to promote the true good of other people in a friendly spirit, out of a sense of kinship. Aloha seeks to do good, with no conditions attached.”
Aloha is a traditional Hawaiian greeting but to the people of Hawaii it’s more than that. It’s heart and soul. It’s a spirit of kindness and a movement baked into the belief that kindness is the way. I flew in wondering if it really would be that way.
Gazing out towards the horizon, the deep blues melted into black obsidian but as my Hawaiian Airlines flight touched down I thought very little about the landscape. Sure, it was nice to visit such a beautiful place and see some of the same places my parents had honeymooned almost 40 years previous.... But, as always, the landscape was just a small part of the story. In the almost decade I’ve been committed to this project it’s never been about the destination. “Who was the person I was going to meet? Who is Tulsi Gabbard? I’m not sure what to say other than, “Tulsi is Tulsi.”
I flew to Hawaii twice because at the heart of this endeavor is pure passion for embracing every opportunity to know the spirit of the war-fighter and when an opportunity extends itself to know someone better I never hesitate. But, what about the politician? I didn’t know and frankly… I didn’t care. She didn’t want to talk about politics and my heart knew that was the right decision.
This project is about humanity. It’s about giving the veteran a forum to speak on life as they see it. It’s the opportunity to break bread and share space with the people I’m proud to call brothers and sisters. There was never a moment in my time with Tulsi where I didn’t feel she was someone I’d already known. That familiarity is an expression of Aloha. We hung out, hiked, rucked, laughed, I watched her husband work on home projects, and we surfed (falling off a board is still surfing, right?). But at the heart of all that, one of my favorite things about Tulsi was found in the moments of silence. There’s a unique ferocity contained in her character that surely lends itself to those Samoan roots. This was evidenced on our 50 mile ruck across the island.
I’m at mile ten on our fifty mile ruck across the island and much to my chagrin I’m realizing my body won’t let me finish. As much as I’m a glutton for well-placed pain, I’m becoming increasingly aware I don’t have the gear of some of my cohorts. “Know thyself.” We hit an asphalt incline somewhere along the pre-planned route that extends for roughly a mile and my legs simply won’t propel me forward anymore. My quads are screaming obscenely and I’ve seemingly become one giant cramp. The temperature isn’t an issue but the humidity and my lack of preparedness has killed my opportunity to finish. I would pick up again at various intervals, because… well… pride I guess.
But, I’m not there to compete. I’m there to take part in something greater than myself with the people I love as family. They are my community and I’m privileged to stand shoulder to shoulder with them in remembering the fallen. The residual pain I felt in following days from bloodied soles and badly chafed thighs paled in comparison to the pride I felt as we finished at Pearl Harbor on the 80th Anniversary as the sun rose over the sleepy lagoon. That same horizon had witnessed one of the most brutal surprise attacks in world history. My pain was nothing. But I digress…back to the matter at hand.
What began with a warm embrace soon turned into “head down and eyes to the front” Tulsi. Hell… I admire that. As her pace quickened it became evident to me that the rank she carried was earned… blood, sweat, and tears. Leadership is expressed in many forms and there is no reg book or training manual that teaches that. It’s built and bred foundationally. She has that. Somewhere along the way I fell out, but Tulsi was still moving… that fire wouldn’t be extinguished. I don’t remember the exact mile marker but as Ka Lâ (sunlight) gave way to headlamps and reflective belts something transpired. She began to fall back in the pack. I remember distinctly that anyone checking on her condition was met with the same smirk. I’ve been observing human behavior closely in this community for almost a decade. I knew the smirk. Nothing about it was arrogant or rude; but the meaning was explicit. You’d have to hit her with a Mack truck to take her out of the running. And, not only did she finish, she came in smiling near the front of the pack. Keep in mind this was an 18 hour, 50 mile beatdown with very little time for breaks put on by former Green Beret Chad Conley’s Non-Profit, 50 For the Fallen. I watched high level athletes fall out twenty miles prior.
So, you want to know Tulsi Gabbard? That’s Tulsi.
When people think about Tulsi Gabbard, they think about non-biased, non-partisan. The way that you come across is a way that the American people can understand. Where did that come from? Did you grow up with dreams of this, being a spokeswoman for Hawaii?
Tulsi: First of all, I'm so glad that you came out here to Hawaii. You’ve been able to actually spend time here and get a glimpse into what is so special about Hawaii. Yes, there are the beautiful mountains, beaches, sunrises, and all of these postcard moments, but I think you also felt the Aloha spirit, which is really what makes this place so special. Aloha, for those who don't know what it means, is how we all start our conversations. And generally, instead of saying goodbye, we say aloha. The reason is because of what this word actually means at its deepest level. “Alo” means to share and “ha” represents our eternal identity as spirit, children of God.
In the Native Hawaiian greeting of aloha, according to the elders and Native Hawaiian practitioners, when they greet each other, they will not only share a verbal aloha, but physically, hold each other's shoulders, close their eyes, touch foreheads, touch noses, and just take a breath together and actually share that breath. It's a reminder that we are all connected. We are all children of God. We are all family in that sense. Regardless of race, religion, social status, gender, or any of these labels that are increasingly used to tear us apart or differentiate us. Rather, we’re reminded of the intrinsic spirit that binds us all together. Aloha allows us to have real conversations in that spirit.
Here in Hawaii, aloha really is a way of life. My first swim lesson as a kid was at Ala Moana Beach Park. Growing up near the ocean, exploring these mountains, and being raised with a sincere appreciation for the life and the land around me, I developed a sense of responsibility. In Hawaiian, this is called our kuleana — it’s a sense of duty and purpose, to not live for oneself, but to live in service to God, live in service to others, and to protect Mother Earth, protect this planet.
What about that upbringing? What do you remember about your parents? What led your path towards the United States Army?
Tulsi: To start at the foundational level, I grew up experiencing and appreciating that I was happiest when I was doing things for others, rather than just living for myself. It was the simple things as a kid, out surfing and catching an awesome wave, getting all the stoke from that, and then experiencing the stoke that comes from helping a friend of mine catch her first wave. In some ways, that was even more awesome than if I had caught the wave myself.
Experiencing that from a young age, the fulfillment and deep happiness that comes from not living for myself, but being of service to others, doing my best to serve God, that is my foundation and my motivation. It has guided the decisions I've made in my life, which direction to go, and continues to be my source of inspiration. This foundation is what motivates everything I do.
As a kid, did I envision myself being a spokesperson, being on TV, or running for office? No, no, no — on all fronts (laughs). I'm an introvert by nature. I'm the fourth of five kids, three older brothers and a younger sister. My sister is the book definition of an extrovert. I'm the book definition of an introvert, at both extremes. I had no problem with the fact that I didn't like talking to people in general. I just made my sister go out and do it for me (laughs). She and I are about two years apart, so we were locked at the hip growing up.
If one of my friends, family, or anyone I grew up with had said, “Tulsi, you're going to be the one who runs for president one day,” I would have laughed my ass off at even the concept. It wasn't that I considered these things and thought that I couldn’t do it — they just didn't even enter my consciousness. There was no interest there. I decided to run for office at 21 years old here in Hawaii because I saw a lot of people in our state legislature who were completely out of touch with the needs of our community. They were more interested in having this cushy, post-retirement, part-time gig as a state legislator, and the attention that goes with it, than they were about actually going into the community to figure out the problems and challenges, and find ways to solve or address them. So I thought, you know what, rather than complain about it, I can try to do something about it.
A lot of it was driven by my passion for protecting the environment. At the time, when I made the decision to do this, I didn't fully realize it would require me knocking on thousands of doors, talking to thousands of strangers, and giving speeches, all of which I had never done before. I’d have to do interviews with the media, which I had never done before. I had no professional training whatsoever. I had no “political” backing. No one from the party came to me, saying, “Tulsi, we think you should run for office.” Didn't happen. It was the exact opposite of that (laughs).
As I worked through my personal anxieties and challenges of being an introvert running for office, I just kept going back to my purpose. My motivation was to serve God and to serve others. That's where I found the strength to persevere and navigate my way through the obstacles. Ultimately, I ended up winning the race. And that same source of strength continues to be my guiding force today.
“As I worked through my personal anxieties and challenges of being an introvert running for office, I just kept going back to my purpose. My motivation was to serve God and to serve others. That’s where I found the strength to persevere and navigate my way through the obstacles. Ultimately, I ended up winning the race. And that same source of strength continues to be my guiding force today.”
How tough was it coming out of your shell and stepping into that space? Did you think you stood a chance at being elected?
Tulsi: Yes. It was an open seat, and there were five of us running in the primary. We were all first-time candidates. I went into it with a win-win mindset and I did my best because I wanted to be in a position to actually affect positive change for my community. I knew that I had as fair a shot as anybody else. If I win, great, I'll be in that position. If I don't win, then I will have come out the other end of this with a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge that I could then put to use towards that same outcome of trying to bring about positive change for my community.
It was harder, personally, than I ever thought it would be. I bought the voter registration list off the internet for about $100, went to Kinko's, and made a bunch of black and white Xerox copies of a brochure I had made on the computer. That's what I was armed with — by myself in a little aqua colored, 2-door Geo Metro stick shift (which I had just learned how to drive) on a hot summer day in Ewa Beach.
The first day that I went to knock on doors, I just sat there, sweating bullets for a good 20-30 minutes in my car. I don't even know if I had AC. All I remember is it was hot — really hot. I was trying to summon up the courage to knock on that first door. All these anxieties kept coming, which were normal for me in any kind of encounter. I was thinking, “Who's going to be behind that door? What if they're not nice? What if they ask me questions I don't know the answer to? What if I make a fool of myself? What if they slam the door in my face?” Every single negative scenario that I could possibly imagine was running through my head, and somehow, I had to work my way through those head trips in order to physically get out of my car and go knock on that door. Obviously, I did… eventually.
There was a very kind older Filipino woman who answered the first door I knocked on, and she couldn't have been more welcoming. She invited me into her home and gave me a glass of water. We had a great conversation. I was thinking, “Oh gosh, this is great.” Then I left, and I was like, “Oh, crap, I have to go to another door.” (laughs) And this whole process reset from the beginning. To be frank, and I’m sure other introverts can relate, whether it's knocking on doors, giving a speech in front of hundreds or a thousand people, or even walking into a reception or social function, my instinct was to go stand in the corner.
When running for office, you have to talk to people. You have to introduce yourself and share your vision. The first question is often, “Why are you running?” and you need to be able to answer that in a way that actually imparts what is in your heart. It was incredibly challenging, not only in my first campaign for State House, but also in my following campaign for City Council several years later. For years, this anxiety was something that I struggled with internally — until I got to a point when I decided it was ridiculous. I knew it wasn’t a sustainable way to do this important work for the community in the public sphere. It took some deep prayer and introspection for me to realize that my anxieties were coming from a very selfish place.
I ran through the list of my fears... What if they don't like me? What if they are angry at me? What if I look stupid? What if…? All this crap that kept internalizing itself. That’s when I realized, holy shit, I am here motivated by a desire to help and serve others, but what’s making it so difficult is my own selfishness. I needed to stop thinking about myself and instead focus on every interaction, on my purpose, and sharing my aloha, my desire to serve with whoever I was talking to. Whether it was one person I’m shaking hands with for half a second as I walk the Christmas parade in Kaneohe, or thousands of people I’m addressing at an event, or somebody I’m meeting for the first time at their front door. I decided to make every interaction count, to share my aloha, treat every person with respect, and let them know that I am there for them — they are not there for me.
That realization changed everything for me. Instead of walking into a room filled with a hundred people for a cocktail hour and feeling so much anxiety about who to talk with or wanting to hide in a corner, I came in filled with purpose. I was there to share kindness, respect, and aloha with whoever I could. It changed everything.
When you were first elected into office, was politics everything that you thought it would be? What was that like stepping into the position? Were you surprised at how tough it was?
Tulsi: I wasn't as surprised as I would have been if I was just coming in cold to the legislative process. Prior to that, I had been a part of some grassroots legislative initiatives, which actually led me to the direction of running for office in the first place. One of which was a project to build a landfill over one of our major water aquifers that supplied clean drinking water to at least a third of the island of Oahu, which has a population of about a million people. Because we are the most remote island chain in the world, you can imagine — if a landfill were to leach contaminants into our water aquifer, it would be generations before we could drink the water from it again. What do you do? We don't have desalination plants here. So at the time, the only other way to get drinking water, once those other water aquifers are maxed out, is to fly it in or ship it in, which is just not feasible. That was a community driven movement that I was a part of leading. We talked to people, we collected signatures, and we organized to let our voices be heard, saying, "Hey, this is a great danger to our community and our island."
The politician who was in charge of the State Senate at the time was greasing the wheels for the company that was trying to build the landfill. Thankfully, we were able to stop it. It was an impactful experience, and I began to understand the dynamic of what I would be walking into. Looking back at my first campaign for State House, or any political race I've run since, whether it was for City Council, Congress, or President of the United States, I've always been a very independent minded person. I have never been the pick of the party. I've always been viewed as the outsider.
Did it make it harder? Yeah, sure. I had to scrap for every single thing that we needed to run these campaigns. But I'm so grateful for that because I wasn't tainted by even the perception of being beholden to the party, and I never ever lost sight of the fact that in any one of these positions I know who I work for. I know who I was hired by. I was hired by the voters and the people in my community, in my state, who gave me their trust. That's a huge thing.
What made you decide that you wanted this career in the Army?
Tulsi: Both of my grandfathers served in the military. On my dad's side of the family, a few of my uncles had served in the military, some for their entire career. My dad had tried to join the military to be a medic during Vietnam. He went with his best friend from high school to sign up, and they planned to serve together, but were separated at MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station). His friend made it through, but my dad did not. I think they rejected him for medical reasons.
For me, I never thought I wanted to have a career in the military, just like I never thought I wanted to have a career in politics. Both of those decisions came from a place where, at the time, I felt that's where I could serve. With the military, it was because of 9/11. Like most people in this country, life changed that day. Growing up, I hadn't put much thought into foreign policy or the geopolitical threats facing Hawaii and our nation. The attacks on 9/11 were a major wake-up call. My instinct was to do my part to serve my country by going after the guys who did this — the Al-Qaeda terrorist jihadists who attacked us. Within months, I was running for State House, offering to serve my community in that capacity. I found a way to answer both calls to serve my community and the state, as well as our country. That's why I enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard.
I was elected to the state legislature in November of 2002, then enlisted in April of 2003 on the floor of the State House here, and shipped off to basic training at Fort Jackson a couple months later as soon as our legislative session was over.
Did anybody know who you were in Basic Training?
Tulsi: Not for a while. I was able to keep it quiet. Plus, this is not about politics at all. I just wanted to go through training like everybody else. On in-processing day, I was assigned to Bravo Company 2-60th at Fort Jackson. They put us all in the barracks bay, sat us down, and had us fill out all of the typical standardized forms. It was a bio sheet requesting name, address, occupation, etc. I wasn’t going to lie of course, so I put “State Representative” on there and, as one might expect, those papers were never looked at or read by anyone.
I made it through the first seven weeks or so without anybody knowing this, until one day when I was pulling CQ duty (Charge of Quarters). My assigned battle buddy and I were sitting at the CQ desk in battalion headquarters. We were both PFCs, and she was from the Midwest. The battalion Sergeant Major comes walking in and does what Sergeant Majors do, saying, “Hey, privates, how are you? How is training? Tell me a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do at home?” He's talking to my battle buddy, then comes to me and finds out I'm from Hawaii. “What do you do back home?”
I told him I was a State Representative in the State Legislature, and his jaw just dropped. He just looked at me and finally asked, “How come I don't know this?” I said, “Sergeant Major, nobody's asked. I wrote it on the form when we got here.” He replied, “Standby.” I'm pretty sure my drill sergeants got a bit of an earful after that (laughs). To their credit, other than some ribbing from the drill sergeants, of course, we were nearing the end of basic training anyway, and everything was fine. Everything was great.
How soon did you find yourself deployed? How long did that take?
Tulsi: I finished my AIT (Advanced Individual Training) in November of that year, came back and was campaigning for reelection in 2004. I didn't have any serious opposition, so it looked to be an easy reelection campaign. That summer, the Hawaii National Guard's 29th Brigade Combat Team was called up for a deployment to Iraq. I was in a headquarters medical unit and heard very quickly from my commander. He said, “Hey Tulsi. Good news. You don't have to deploy. You're not on the mandatory deployment roster because somebody else already filled the slot. So you get to stay home.”
I said, “No, I'm not staying home. That's crazy. There's no way that I'm going to stay back and watch all of you guys go and deploy to Iraq, while I sit here in this fancy office.” We went back and forth, he pushed back a little bit, and I pushed back some more. He realized I wasn’t budging. They had a different job in the medical unit that needed to be filled, so I volunteered and took it. I withdrew from my reelection campaign and went to our pre-deployment training at Fort Bliss, Camp McGregor, and Dona Ana, for all the training cycles. We trained there for a few months, then deployed to Iraq for a year after that.
What was your deployment like?
Tulsi: You never really know completely what to expect. You hear a lot, you feel like you go through an endless amount of training, but when push comes to shove, the reality is never a carbon copy of what you trained for. For me, serving in a medical unit, the realities of the human cost of war were ever present. We were primarily at LSA (Logistical Support Area) Anaconda in Iraq. Just about everybody went through there at one point or another, and our brigade went to four different battle spaces in the country. I moved around a little bit to help our medical guys who were out supporting the other teams.
On day two, I was walking around the camp at the north gate. For those who were there, you will remember very clearly, there's a huge sign. I don't know who made it, but there's a huge sign with big block letters at the gate. Before you leave every day, you see this sign that reads, “IS TODAY THE DAY?” That was an ever present reminder that any day could be our last.
Personally understanding and accepting that reality of life and death, and wanting to make the most of life, not knowing how much time we have was massive for me. This was further settled in and reinforced when we had our first casualty. And again every single day, as I executed my first duty each morning — to review the latest list generated by the Force Commander for the country. Name by name, I went through the list of everyone who had been hurt or injured in the previous 24 hours, and I would look for any of the people who belonged to our brigade combat team. My job was to make sure they were getting the care they needed. Some would stay in-country, and others needed to be evacuated as quickly as possible. I would follow them until they were back home to their families.
It was tough seeing the names of people I knew, and there were a lot of people who I didn't know, but understanding with every one of those names, there's a loved one or a family or a child back home who were worried sick about them. I came from a political background, and I understood how too many of our politicians just don't get it. They don't understand who pays the price for their decisions. We saw too many of those politicians come visit us there in Iraq, get the photo op, shake hands, pat people on the back, maybe stay for 24 hours, and then move on. And when they got back to Washington… it just made me laugh and it made me sick at the same time. I heard politicians say, “I’ve been to a combat zone 37 times and I know what this is like.” No, you don't know anything about what it’s like. So don't even try to pretend… go and talk to the people who live this experience. Look into their eyes, look into the eyes of their families, and understand the gravity of the decisions that you're making.
Congress has a constitutional responsibility to declare war. Congress has abdicated on that responsibility for a very long time, but that is the constitutionally dictated responsibility of Congress. Know the impact of that before you make that decision. Know the impact of the decisions that you make about training and readiness, taking care of families, and taking care of veterans. What happens here at home when it's time to care for the people who have made that decision to raise their right hand and take an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and who are willing to sacrifice their life to do so?
The experiences of my first deployment and the many lessons that I personally learned are what drove me to be in a position to somehow, some way, impact the decisions that are made in Washington — about our military, about foreign policy, about our veterans. I knew my own unique experiences would make better informed decisions than those that were being made at the time.
“There’s a huge sign with big block letters at the gate. Before you leave every day, you see this sign that reads, ‘IS TODAY THE DAY?’ That was an ever present reminder that any day could be our last.”
Where does that fit into the scope of your ideas of war? You're kind of known for being non-interventionist, as far as the world goes. Did that change when you were over there? Did your idea of war change?
Tulsi: Absolutely, it changed. The more I learned, the more I knew I wanted to learn more. Both in understanding the human costs and how those decisions really need to be made with the greatest level of care, honoring the sacrifices that our servicemen and women make. Also recognizing, in order to honor those sacrifices, when we go to war, it needs to be in service of the best interest of our country, in service of the safety, security, and freedom of the American people. Not in service of some military industrial complex profit-making venture. Not in the service of going and trying to be the policemen of the world or picking and choosing which dictator we want to overthrow and which country we're going to try to create a mini-America in. Which, by the way, even with the best of intentions, throughout history, has caused more harm than good for the people in these countries where we go and meddle.
When it comes to war, just from my own personal experiences, coupled with a study of history, I'm asking very simple but important questions… What is our objective? What are we trying to accomplish? Can we ensure that objective serves the best interests of the United States and the American people? Unfortunately, again, we have leaders who don't know history, who are not interested in learning from it, who are not motivated by a desire to truly be of service — and these are the people making decisions about foreign policy, about peace and war, and about our men and women in uniform. We could speak for hours about different examples… Afghanistan. Regime-change in Iraq. Regime-change in Syria. There are so many different examples that you and I and our peers have lived through. And, frankly, our friends who have not lived through these wars. Look at how our policy leaders and even some of our military leaders have devastatingly failed us and failed the country.
Was that the moment you knew you needed to be in Congress?
Tulsi: I knew that I needed to be somewhere that I could impact those tough decisions, but I didn't immediately go to Congress. You know, honestly, when I came back home to Hawaii, I wasn't sure how or where I would make an impact. I was looking at a few opportunities with different organizations that were working on foreign policy and veteran issues. After that first deployment, I began serving as a legislative aide to Hawaii's (then) U.S. Senator Dan Akaka, who was chair of the Veteran Affairs Committee at the time. He's a World War II veteran, as was his partner, U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye, a Medal of Honor recipient, who served in the famous "Go For Broke" 442nd Infantry Division, the most decorated infantry division in the Army's history. The all Japanese division was formed because the rest of the military didn't want to serve with Japanese Americans.
Working in Washington for Senator Akaka as he chaired the Veteran Affairs Committee was a great learning opportunity for me, and I was able to bring real time experience to some of the decisions and policies that he was pushing forward. As anyone who serves knows, even the best of ideas that trickle downhill become yet another death by PowerPoint. Everybody's signed in, somebody had this great idea, and we have to listen to this PowerPoint presentation. But really, is it achieving the impact that was intended? No, not at all. I was able to share my very recent experiences having just returned from a deployment, or having just gone through TAPS, etc. Especially as Guardsmen and women, the redeployment transition, what services are offered, and so on and so forth. Giving them that honest feedback that they weren't getting from the VA or from the DoD was very helpful.
How did you decide that you were going to move up the ranks and try?
Tulsi: I served in that capacity for two years, then went through OCS (Officer Candidate School) and had the privilege of leading a platoon on our second deployment with the 29th Brigade Combat Team. Again, many, many teachable moments during that deployment. I came back with an even greater motivation to be in a position of impact on these national and global issues. I just didn’t see an opportunity. I applied to the White House Fellows program for a highly competitive position in which, if selected, I could work as a special assistant to the President, to the Secretary of Defense, to the Secretary of State, to a cabinet level Secretary, and just kind of skip to the front row seats. I made it to the finals, was not selected, and felt very dejected. I thought this was what I was supposed to do. It turns out it wasn't.
That was when I ran for Honolulu City Council because I saw it as a way that I could continue to serve my community. It wasn't until 2012 when my former boss, Senator Akaka, announced that he'd be retiring from the Senate, and our Congresswoman at the time announced she would run for his seat, which left an open seat in Congress — that was when I knew the odds were long, the winds were running against me, the powers that be were pointed in a very different direction and against me, but I had to give it my best shot because this is what I had to do.
So it's fair to say that this is really the first example of real pushback from the powers that be. They don't want you there. What was it like running for that position? We've seen it so many times where somebody steps into office, they have all these ideas, and then all of sudden those ideas change very quickly. They're a shadow of what we remember of them. How were you able to maintain through the process?
Tulsi: I was very clear headed, clear eyed about why I was running, who I was serving, and who I was working for. It was for our brothers and sisters in uniform, for those who paid the ultimate price, those who came home, those who would serve after us, those who will come after us. And… it's the people of Hawaii. As I traveled around the state campaigning, whether it was a small group, a large group, or a one-on-one conversation, I told every one of them, “I'm applying for a job from you. This is a rigorous interview process for you to decide who you want to be your voice and your representative fighting for you in Washington.” And I did so again without the "establishment powers that be" here in Hawaii.
Many of them were not disrespectful, but I heard no more often than yes. A lot of them said, “Tulsi, we think you're smart. You're great. You have a bright future, but it's just not your time. Why don't you try to run for Congress in 20 or 30 years?” Respectfully, my response was along the lines of, “Ok, thanks. I'm doing this. I'm not doing it for you, and you don't get to decide the election.” So, I started out that campaign with 3% name recognition, 3% of voters in this district (Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District), which covers every island in the state, except for essentially the South Shore of Oahu, the urban corridor — 3% of the population knew who I was. Before I could convince them to vote for me, I had to say, “Hi, I'm Tulsi.”' I had to let them know that I existed in the first place.
Once again, not a position you're super comfortable with.
Tulsi: Seeing my face on billboards and signs, I physically would turn the other direction because I could not handle it. It was so uncomfortable. Then, fast forward four months before election day, and I had gone from 3% to 25%. I was running against the guy who had 100% name recognition and was backed by everyone who had something to give because (they assumed) he was going to win. Even the people who didn't like him were donating to get on his good side.
On Election Day, we beat him by 22% and it was shocking to a lot of people here. Even people in Washington, DC wondered what happened, asking what scandal had turned the election. What turned it was people exercising their voices and their votes to tell the establishment, “We get to decide, not you, not the media, not the big corporate bosses or big union bosses or big party bosses. We as voters get to decide, and this is who we trust. This is who we're sending to Washington.” I've never, ever, ever forgotten that, and I remain humbled by it. I served in Congress for eight years until I decided not to run for reelection.
“What turned it was people exercising their voices and their votes to tell the establishment, ‘We get to decide, not you, not the media, not the big corporate bosses or big union bosses or big party bosses. We as voters get to decide, and this is who we trust. This is who we’re sending to Washington.’”
What did you like most about being in that position?
Tulsi: Many people aren't even aware of this role, but my favorite part of being a congresswoman was being in a position to help individual veterans who called our office. One person, in particular, was a Vietnam veteran who was injured in combat, but never issued a Purple Heart because there was no paperwork. He's a judge here in Hawaii and has had shrapnel in his leg since the Vietnam War. We were able to help work through the red tape and the bureaucracy. It was so special because I had the honor of presenting him with his Purple Heart at Schofield Barracks, at the infantry battalion that he was assigned to during Vietnam, and he had his family there. It was such a powerful moment. To the rest of the world, that may mean nothing, but to him and to his family, it was everything.
I was able to help family members who had a medical emergency on one of the other islands and needed urgent medical care that was not available to them on that island. Being able to work all possible avenues, in order to get them, essentially, a MEDEVAC flight to come here to Oahu and get the care that they needed to ultimately save their life. There are so many stories I could share of people who called needing help from the federal government, and being able to work out those problems with them and for them, that in many cases were life changing.
I was often the call of last resort. There's someone who became a very good friend here, a local community leader in Waimānalo and a Vietnam veteran. I remember him calling my cell phone and me seeing his name pop up. I was thinking how I hadn't heard from him in a while, and I answered the phone with a, “Hey, Andy,” and he replied, “Tulsi, I'm at the hospital, Castle Hospital down the street.” He had a minor heart attack, went to the local hospital, and they were very concerned that the situation was getting worse.
The doctors told Andy he needed immediate surgery in order to prevent him from having another heart attack that could be fatal. The VA told him to wait there until they determined his eligibility! It could have taken days, and the doctors warned him he may not make it that long. Thank God he had my number. We started making phone calls and were able to get him the transport and approval he needed. It saved his life. It literally saved his life. Being in a position where I could get people to answer my calls when, unfortunately, they weren't answering the calls of the people they were supposed to be taking care of was incredibly rewarding.
What was your least favorite part? What was the hardest? You're fighting for representation for Hawaii. The other states are probably considered heavily above Hawaii.
Tulsi: That's all part of it. We're a small state. You look at states like California, Texas, New York that have strong representation in Congress. All that means is you have to make friends and build relationships on both sides of the aisle. I was able to do this for my constituents so that my colleagues would answer the phone when I called to tell them what's going on in my community. I would explain the situation and my legislation and ask them to consider it, to support it, to cosponsor it, and so on. I was able to do that and pass legislation because of those relationships.
What I liked least and what was so disheartening was the partisanship and the trivial, transactional nature of Washington gamesmanship. It angered me so much to see how much both Congress and Washington were like high school. Even on the House floor, I could take you there and sit in the gallery and point out to you all of the different cliques and where they gathered on the House floor, who's talking to who, where, and who was talking about who and where. So much petty crap.
Maybe it happens in a lot of workplaces, but we're talking about the people's House, where every single individual there was elected to do a job with serious consequences, not only related to war and peace, but related to education, health care, transportation, and all of these things that affect our everyday lives. It was just so disheartening and really unfortunate to see that there were so many people in Congress for the so-called glitz and glamor, the power and attention or the title — instead of actually doing the work of the people. Maybe they were doing the work of their party, but actually, being there to do the work of the people, more often than not, is lost. It's only gotten worse, unfortunately.
Is it hard when those ideas are shot down almost immediately within your party because you're working across the aisle? That often happens, right?
Tulsi: It often happens. It was something that we were told as new members of Congress, almost from day zero, when we showed up. It was a class of 84 new members of Congress. If I remember correctly, it was 50 Democrats, 34 Republicans. We spent the first week together, going through policy retreats, getting the lay of the land, ethics briefings, and all sorts of things. They called it freshman orientation.
After that, there was this bifurcation where Democrats go to one side, Republicans go to another side. We were literally broken up and separated. In comparing notes, we were all basically told the same thing — that this is about winning the next election. This is about either getting power or keeping power. It's not a good idea to work with people from the other party because if you do that, then it'll help them show they're effective and getting the job done, which will help them get reelected, making it harder for us to beat them. That's what we were told, and then we experienced it in practice, and that is the reality. So many critical decisions about what bills are allowed to come to the floor for a vote and whether people support it or not are being made based on how politically advantageous it is for whoever's in power, rather than what is best for the people.
How much did that come into effect when you were running for president? Did you see that heavily? Your choices to work across the aisle, do you think it hurt or helped you?
Tulsi: Well, it just depends. It's subjective. People who want their representatives to actually get things done found it to be refreshing. People who were deeply entrenched in their political party and couldn't see past that, they didn't see it as positive at all. I called out the Democratic Party, saying it was time to get back to its roots of fighting for the little guy, fighting for working people, and protecting the environment, but the party didn't take kindly to my constructive criticism. There are many examples, but ultimately, I was not a good foot soldier for the party bosses and therefore was seen as a threat to their power. So they worked with their friends in the mainstream media and big tech to do everything possible to shut me up, smear my character, and undermine my campaign.
You were in Congress for eight years. What made you decide to get out?
Tulsi: Ultimately, my decision to not run for reelection in 2020 was based on a recognition that dysfunction, partisanship, and divisiveness in Congress had gotten to such a level that I felt I could do more elsewhere. At no point had I ever thought this was a career for me — not back in 2002 when I ran for State House, or when I ran for Congress, or when I ran for President.
Some people were surprised that I didn't run again for reelection because, theoretically, maybe that's a job I could have kept for another decade. That was never a consideration or a thought that entered my mind because I didn't see it as just a job. I saw every two years as an opportunity to serve and constantly reassess how and where I could best be of service. At that point in time, I knew it was the right decision. No regrets. I felt that I could be of more positive impact and service elsewhere.
How do you see that now? What's your service now? What's the change that you want to impact most now?
Tulsi: Right now we're living in a time of chaos, cancel culture, wokeism, and censorship. Our fundamental constitutional rights and freedoms are under attack. Our freedom of speech, which used to be something that everyone could agree with, was not only good and important but something worth fighting for. Now you talk about freedom of speech and people automatically think you must be a right wing conservative. You use the word “patriot,” you must be a right wing conservative. You say the words, “I love my country…” and that makes you a right wing conservative. We're living in a time of such insanity that our constitution is being threatened in many ways. I’m using whatever platforms I have available to be a voice, to continue to uphold my oath. That oath that we take as service members is the same oath I took as a member of Congress, and it's one that I took to heart. It's not something that goes away when you lay down the uniform. It's not something that goes away in my heart. So I’m taking those stands and hopefully inspiring other people to similarly recognize that we will lose the country that we love if we don't take a stand for our freedoms and for our democracy.
“Our fundamental constitutional rights and freedoms are under attack. Our freedom of speech, which used to be something that everyone could agree with, was not only good and important but something worth fighting for. ”
How do we do that? Working across both sides of the aisle, can you really do that successfully in Washington?
Tulsi: It is possible. We need a wholesale change in leadership. I would say that across both parties. Is it possible? Yes. Is it difficult in this environment? Sure. The entrenched powers essentially stand in opposition to that. For everyone who is concerned about our future, for the parents who are concerned about what their kids are being taught in schools, for people who value freedom. We have to take action and be engaged in our political process, in some fashion, whether you're somebody who wants to run for office, you support someone who is running for office, or you are at minimum voting. Using your voice within whatever sphere of influence you have. You may think you're just one person. But when you pick up your phone, and you look at the contacts in your phone, those people are within your sphere of influence. You can have conversations with them. There may be some people who you don't agree with you on everything. Awesome. Don't see that as a negative.
Too often lately, we see people who vote differently as enemies, “Oh, they voted for the other guy, I can't talk to them.” You know what I mean? “We disagree on this, they're horrible. I'm right. They're wrong.” It's so unfortunate that this is what so much of our conversation is reduced to — us versus them — rather than getting back to our foundation of who we are as Americans and starting our conversation there. Actually having a real conversation. Listening. Learning. You and I probably agree on some things, disagree on others. You've got a different background, upbringing, perspective than I do. Through having a conversation, we both can learn and grow. Maybe we come out the other side with the same exact positions we walked in with, or maybe we're thinking about things a little differently than we had before. That's life. That happens in our everyday lives, hopefully, in our own personal and professional relationships. Such an open and free marketplace of ideas, of dialogue, and of conversations with respect — this is how each of us can bring about the changes that we want to see.
Things that we understand are part of history are not perfect. These historical ideas are not perfect, of course. As we examine them across time hindsight is 20/20. Who knows what was going on in that time, in that day and age, but the Gadsden flag, for example, is a big part of our history. To call that a terrorism emblem is just absolutely insane.
Tulsi: “Don’t Tread on Me.” This just came out from the FBI that if you have the Gadsden flag, it may be a sign that you are a domestic extremist. The Betsy Ross flag… I digress. I think it's important as we look at history and we look at both the victories and the failures, to learn, to grow, and to strive toward that more perfect union. That is such an important thing that I think is lost by people who reduce who we are as a country to the scars and the marks of our past. Rather than saying, let's learn from the bad, let's learn from the good, and together continue to strive towards that more perfect union.
We talked about divisiveness and ideals. Your ideals have changed, grown a little bit right as you've gone and as you've served in time. How have your ideals changed since you ran? Can you explain that a little bit, how do we evolve and grow?
Tulsi: I wouldn't say my ideals and principles have changed. Certainly on different issues, perhaps, as I've learned and grown and been exposed to different experiences or situations are changing. But when I say my ideals and principles haven't changed, they have always been rooted in that foundation of love of God, love of country, and my desire to always try to do what is right and in the best interest of the people of this country.
Can you speak about a comment we received criticizing something that happened in a debate during the presidential run?
Tulsi: Someone made a comment on your page about me being spineless because in one of the debates during the Democratic presidential primary, he said that, “Oh, you know, Tulsi raised her hand, agreeing that we as a country should provide free healthcare to all illegal immigrants, who come across the border and who are in the country.” There was a lot that happened in that campaign. I might not remember all the details of every single thing, but that was one specifically I remembered because I was one of the people who did not raise my hand. And I don't remember if it was in the debate, or after the debate, but I had to explain to people why I did not raise my hand, and also was vocal in that campaign and in those debates about why open border policies were detrimental to our country on many levels. His accusation was that I basically just went along with the flow, specifically on this issue of immigration, when it just was not true.
It was factually false. How do you respond to stuff like that?
Tulsi: I encourage everyone to be discerning. If you see something on social media, on TV, on the radio or a podcast, we can't always assume that it's true. If it's something that really matters to you, and it really concerns you, do your research. If you can't find the answer, go to somebody or someplace who has the answer.
What do you think when people say, “I don’t get involved in politics.” I think that's a dangerous mindset. I think protecting the Constitution is very important. The evolution of that idea is kind of changing as well. How dangerous is that mindset of, “I'm not political”?
Tulsi: The ideology of not being political is dangerous in the sense that if you live in this country, you are directly affected by the decisions politicians make. It could be a local issue like your City Council member deciding where your drinking water comes from. There are very practical implications, and you might want to care a little bit about that. If it's your local Board of Education, on which you have people who are elected, making decisions about whether or not your child who is 9 or 10 years old is being exposed to highly sexually graphic books in their schools… I'm not a parent, but I would imagine if I were, I would care a lot about that. That's politics, I suppose. But that's the political process at work. If you care about those things, you may want to learn about them and at a minimum, get involved with voting, but it requires being informed.
I've had friends in the military on active duty who've told me that very thing, “I don't do politics.” Fine, but you care about your retirement. You care about your health benefits. You care about whether or not you're going to be deployed over and over again where you’re wondering, 'What the hell are we doing in this country now? How does this have anything to do with America, or freedom, or democracy?” And so on, and so forth. Well, if you care about those things, then you should get involved, you should know what's going on. And again, the bare minimum anyone can do is vote and know who they're voting for. Make those decisions because it can be the difference between somebody voting for or against your right to free speech.
“The ideology of not being political is dangerous in the sense that if you live in this country, you are directly affected by the decisions politicians make. ”
History is so important and we talk about repeating it if we don't understand it. The idea that you can just stay out of the fray, we've seen in the last few years, is extremely dangerous. We've seen it in the past few years, how much of our lives are impacted by people staying on the outside. So it is important to maintain a certain level of care when it comes to paying attention to our government and voting.
Tulsi: I also don't think you should believe that running for office is just for somebody else. I've been encouraged by an increasing number of veterans who are running for Congress this year. It's fantastic. Veterans are running for their State House and their State Senate. It's awesome. I'm not saying just because you're a veteran, you're going to be a great leader, but veterans bring a sense of selflessness to the table. They have lived what it means to put country first. That's important.
Here in Hawaii, I was really disheartened to see that of all registered voters only 33% actually took the time to vote in our last primary. That's an abysmally low number. I would have thought that in this post-COVID environment where a lot of decisions were being made by leaders, it would fire people up and activate them a little more. But I'm pretty sure this was lower than it was in previous years. The takeaway message is that there are things happening in this country that concern you and that concern those you care about, whether they be your family, your friends, or your fellow service members. You better start paying attention. Get involved.
What's in the future? How do you want your legacy remembered?
Tulsi: I personally hate that question about legacy (laughs). I've heard you ask other people that question, but I hate it. Because my decisions are not driven by reflections on what I want my so-called legacy to be. I don't think about it. I don't think about it at all. I will continue doing what I've done, which is on an ongoing basis really looking to see how I can best serve. Never take anything off the table and be open to whatever the answer to that may be.
Thank you for making time in your busy schedule to be a part of the project.
Tulsi: I never know what my schedule is almost on any given day. I know today, but tomorrow it might change. I'm so glad that you had the opportunity to come out here. You had the opportunity to experience Hawaii. I know we've been able to come out and show you a few things. You've gone out and done some adventuring on your own. I think it's almost perfect that we're going to close out our time together in the ocean because I'm one of those people who's more comfortable in water than on land. I never wanted to join the Navy though (laughs). No offense to fellow sailors. I love the ocean. Whenever I'm home from traveling, I make it a point to get into the water as soon as possible. Especially when I was in Congress and would go back and forth between Hawaii and Washington two or three times a month… I'd get home, drop my bags, and then run down to the ocean — even if just for a quick dip because it's just special.
To learn more about Tulsi, follow her journey at her website: tulsigabbard.com, on Instagram: @tulsigabbard or X: @TulsiGabbard. Episode 52 of The Veterans Project Podcast with Tulsi Gabbard will premier next week at thevetsproject.com/podcast and on every major platform.
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