In the military, I learned that 'leadership' means raising your hand and volunteering for the tough, important assignments.

The cost of war impacts all of us - both in the human cost and the cost that's being felt frankly in places like Flint, Michigan, where families and children are devastated and destroyed by completely failed infrastructure because of lack of investment.

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

I've seen firsthand the high human cost of war.

When I started my campaign for Congress, I was one who people said, 'Tulsi, you have a bright future, but there's no way you can win.

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.

As a soldier, I've served with the most brave people in an institution that's built on integrity, honor, and duty.