U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard says her 16 years of service in the military has shaped her life and political philosophy, and now, she says, it lies at the foundation of her run for president.The 38-year-old Democrat spoke openly about how her service has driven her commitment to halt “endless war” and find common ground with political opponents and has reshaped her views on LGBTQ Americans during the latest installment of WMUR’s “Conversation with the Candidate” series.She also defended her commitment to follow a “no first use” policy on nuclear arms if she is elected president.Hosted by WMUR political director Adam Sexton, the program airs Thursday from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with an additional online-only 30-minute segment available on WMUR.com and our free moble app.A four-term congresswoman, Gabbard is vying to become the youngest U.S. president ever. During the program, she was asked by Benjamin Pelletier of Nashua to disclose a particular experience of her military service that deeply affected her personally and shaped her as a politician.She responded by talking about her deployment to Iraq as a specialist in a Hawaii Army National Guard medical unit.“Every single day, I was confronted with the very high human cost of war,” Gabbard said. “The very first task that I had every morning was to go through a list, name by name, of every American casualty and injury that had occurred in the previous 24 hours.“And it was heart-wrenching -- every single day, name by name, those who had paid the price for war. And knowing that behind every one of those names are loved ones, parents, children, husbands, wives, family members and friends worried sick at home.”She recalled that she and the others in her unit lined up and saluted the empty boots and dog tags of the first casualty in their unit.“Going through these experiences changed everything for me in my life,” Gabbard said. “I was not the same person when I came home from that war as I was when I left, and it’s why I am so deeply committed to doing everything I possibly can to making sure that not a single one of our men and women in uniform, not another service member, has their life sacrificed in the pursuit of wars that have nothing to do with keeping the American people safe.”Gabbard was elected to the Hawaii State Legislature in 2002 at the age of 21, the youngest person ever elected in the state. A year later, she joined the Hawaii Army National Guard and in 2004, she volunteered to deploy to the Middle East. In 2008 and 2009, she was deployed to Kuwait, where she served as a primary trainer for the Kuwait National Guard.Her service continues as she campaigns for president. Gabbard announced this week that on Monday, she will leave the campaign trail for two weeks to travel with the Army National Guard to Indonesia for a training exercise.Gabbard was elected to the Honolulu City Council in 2010 and two years later she was elected to the U.S. House. She serves on the House Armed Services and Financial Services committees.Gabbard said her understanding of the consequences of war “and who pays the price give me that background and, frankly, that conviction necessary to walk into the Oval Office on day one prepared to fulfill that responsibility of commander-in-chief.”She said her wartime experience drives her willingness to meet with dictators and enemies of the United States, including her controversial 2017 meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, whom she later refused to label as a war criminal but has since called a “brutal dictator.”She said she is not concerned about the political consequences of her willingness to meet with adversaries.“If it means meeting with a dictator or 100 dictators in order to prevent unnecessary loss of life, I’ll do what is necessary,” Gabbard said. “I know the reality,” she said. “The only alternative to diplomacy is war, and for too long we’ve had leaders who have lacked the courage to meet with those people, whether they be adversaries or dictators, in the interest of our national security, in the interest of peace and keeping our people safe.”Gabbard called for an end to being “the world’s police,” an end to “these regime-change wars” and for “de-escalating these tensions so that we can work towards a future that is peaceful and prosperous.”“The objective of diplomacy is to meet with those leaders who you disagree with,” Gabbard said.Gabbard said her work with Republicans in Congress would continue as president and “was instilled in me from my service as a soldier.”In the military, she said, “We have people from all across the country, all different political ideologies -- race, religion, ethnicity, orientation. But as we stood together both here at home and deployed to the Middle East, we stood as one, we spoke as one and we worked as one because we understood our mission was to serve our country, to serve the people. “That value of service above self is what is most important. That’s the kind of leadership that that I would bring.”Vietnam veteran Rich Bruno asked Gabbard to explain her position on committing the U.S. military to “hot spots,” such as Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan and Iran.She said she wants to bring about a “sea change in our foreign policy that will end these wasteful wars, bring our troops home” and free up “trillions of dollars” to be spent on domestic priorities, such as teacher pay, health care and opioid treatment programs.Elizabeth Radecic of Hooksett asked Gabbard about her opposition to marriage equality in the late 1990s and early 2000s.Gabbard’s father was a leading opponent of gay marriage as leader of the Alliance for Traditional Marriage, a political action committee in Hawaii.The group also promoted conversion therapy, a long-discredited practice of trying to change an individual’s sexual orientation through psychological or spiritual means.Gabbard again referred to her military service.“I never supported conversion therapy,” she said. “For most of my life growing up, I never heard of it. I didn’t know what it was until later on in life.“But you’re right. I was raised in a very socially conservative household and I grew up with views when I was very young that I no longer hold today."“Serving in the military opened my eyes, and I grew in so many different ways,” Gabbard said. “I served with LGBTQ service members both here at home and while deployed. I know that they would give their life for me, and I would give my life for them.“When we talk about fighting for all Americans, when I talk about fighting for the freedom and justice for all Americans, we are talking about all Americans, including our LGBT brothers and sisters who still face discrimination today.”She pointed out that she has received a 100 percent rating from the pro-equality Human Rights Campaign and said she has supported the Equality Act, repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and other related bills.Gabbard also said she is committed to providing “whatever resources are necessary” to expand and strengthen services for veterans who have emotional and mental health issues and are contemplating suicide.She said psychological services must be “available at that moment when our veterans ask for help. They can’t run through bureaucracies. They can’t get a voicemail on the phone telling them to call back the next day because the next day may be too late.”Gabbard said she is also committed to a “no first use” policy on nuclear weapons, citing a false alert of a nuclear attack that caused panic in her home state in early 2018.“My focus on this issue, and I’ve been very concerned about it because of the existential threat that we face, is making sure that we all realize it doesn’t have to be this way,” Gabbard said.The constant threat of nuclear war “is not a status quo that we have to accept,” she said, promising that within her first week as president, she would seek a nuclear arms summit with Russian and Chinese leaders, “recognizing that there’s no winning a nuclear war.”“This is the main catalyst for my deciding to run for president – going through what we went through last year and recognizing that we need strong leadership that will walk us away from the brink of nuclear disaster,” Gabbard said.
MANCHESTER, N.H. —
U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard says her 16 years of service in the military has shaped her life and political philosophy, and now, she says, it lies at the foundation of her run for president.
The 38-year-old Democrat spoke openly about how her service has driven her commitment to halt “endless war” and find common ground with political opponents and has reshaped her views on LGBTQ Americans during the latest installment of WMUR’s “Conversation with the Candidate” series.
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She also defended her commitment to follow a “no first use” policy on nuclear arms if she is elected president.
Hosted by WMUR political director Adam Sexton, the program airs Thursday from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with an additional online-only 30-minute segment available on WMUR.com and our free moble app.
A four-term congresswoman, Gabbard is vying to become the youngest U.S. president ever.
During the program, she was asked by Benjamin Pelletier of Nashua to disclose a particular experience of her military service that deeply affected her personally and shaped her as a politician.
She responded by talking about her deployment to Iraq as a specialist in a Hawaii Army National Guard medical unit.
“Every single day, I was confronted with the very high human cost of war,” Gabbard said. “The very first task that I had every morning was to go through a list, name by name, of every American casualty and injury that had occurred in the previous 24 hours.
“And it was heart-wrenching -- every single day, name by name, those who had paid the price for war. And knowing that behind every one of those names are loved ones, parents, children, husbands, wives, family members and friends worried sick at home.”
She recalled that she and the others in her unit lined up and saluted the empty boots and dog tags of the first casualty in their unit.
“Going through these experiences changed everything for me in my life,” Gabbard said. “I was not the same person when I came home from that war as I was when I left, and it’s why I am so deeply committed to doing everything I possibly can to making sure that not a single one of our men and women in uniform, not another service member, has their life sacrificed in the pursuit of wars that have nothing to do with keeping the American people safe.”
Gabbard was elected to the Hawaii State Legislature in 2002 at the age of 21, the youngest person ever elected in the state. A year later, she joined the Hawaii Army National Guard and in 2004, she volunteered to deploy to the Middle East.
In 2008 and 2009, she was deployed to Kuwait, where she served as a primary trainer for the Kuwait National Guard.
Her service continues as she campaigns for president. Gabbard announced this week that on Monday, she will leave the campaign trail for two weeks to travel with the Army National Guard to Indonesia for a training exercise.
Gabbard was elected to the Honolulu City Council in 2010 and two years later she was elected to the U.S. House. She serves on the House Armed Services and Financial Services committees.
Gabbard said her understanding of the consequences of war “and who pays the price give me that background and, frankly, that conviction necessary to walk into the Oval Office on day one prepared to fulfill that responsibility of commander-in-chief.”
She said her wartime experience drives her willingness to meet with dictators and enemies of the United States, including her controversial 2017 meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, whom she later refused to label as a war criminal but has since called a “brutal dictator.”
She said she is not concerned about the political consequences of her willingness to meet with adversaries.
“If it means meeting with a dictator or 100 dictators in order to prevent unnecessary loss of life, I’ll do what is necessary,” Gabbard said.
“I know the reality,” she said. “The only alternative to diplomacy is war, and for too long we’ve had leaders who have lacked the courage to meet with those people, whether they be adversaries or dictators, in the interest of our national security, in the interest of peace and keeping our people safe.”
Gabbard called for an end to being “the world’s police,” an end to “these regime-change wars” and for “de-escalating these tensions so that we can work towards a future that is peaceful and prosperous.”
WMUR
“The objective of diplomacy is to meet with those leaders who you disagree with,” Gabbard said.
Gabbard said her work with Republicans in Congress would continue as president and “was instilled in me from my service as a soldier.”
In the military, she said, “We have people from all across the country, all different political ideologies -- race, religion, ethnicity, orientation. But as we stood together both here at home and deployed to the Middle East, we stood as one, we spoke as one and we worked as one because we understood our mission was to serve our country, to serve the people.
“That value of service above self is what is most important. That’s the kind of leadership that that I would bring.”
Vietnam veteran Rich Bruno asked Gabbard to explain her position on committing the U.S. military to “hot spots,” such as Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan and Iran.
She said she wants to bring about a “sea change in our foreign policy that will end these wasteful wars, bring our troops home” and free up “trillions of dollars” to be spent on domestic priorities, such as teacher pay, health care and opioid treatment programs.
Elizabeth Radecic of Hooksett asked Gabbard about her opposition to marriage equality in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Gabbard’s father was a leading opponent of gay marriage as leader of the Alliance for Traditional Marriage, a political action committee in Hawaii.
The group also promoted conversion therapy, a long-discredited practice of trying to change an individual’s sexual orientation through psychological or spiritual means.
Gabbard again referred to her military service.
“I never supported conversion therapy,” she said. “For most of my life growing up, I never heard of it. I didn’t know what it was until later on in life.
“But you’re right. I was raised in a very socially conservative household and I grew up with views when I was very young that I no longer hold today."
“Serving in the military opened my eyes, and I grew in so many different ways,” Gabbard said. “I served with LGBTQ service members both here at home and while deployed. I know that they would give their life for me, and I would give my life for them.
“When we talk about fighting for all Americans, when I talk about fighting for the freedom and justice for all Americans, we are talking about all Americans, including our LGBT brothers and sisters who still face discrimination today.”
She pointed out that she has received a 100 percent rating from the pro-equality Human Rights Campaign and said she has supported the Equality Act, repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and other related bills.
Gabbard also said she is committed to providing “whatever resources are necessary” to expand and strengthen services for veterans who have emotional and mental health issues and are contemplating suicide.
She said psychological services must be “available at that moment when our veterans ask for help. They can’t run through bureaucracies. They can’t get a voicemail on the phone telling them to call back the next day because the next day may be too late.”
Gabbard said she is also committed to a “no first use” policy on nuclear weapons, citing a false alert of a nuclear attack that caused panic in her home state in early 2018.
“My focus on this issue, and I’ve been very concerned about it because of the existential threat that we face, is making sure that we all realize it doesn’t have to be this way,” Gabbard said.
The constant threat of nuclear war “is not a status quo that we have to accept,” she said, promising that within her first week as president, she would seek a nuclear arms summit with Russian and Chinese leaders, “recognizing that there’s no winning a nuclear war.”
“This is the main catalyst for my deciding to run for president – going through what we went through last year and recognizing that we need strong leadership that will walk us away from the brink of nuclear disaster,” Gabbard said.
