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

I'm not a political pundit, and I don't follow these things probably as closely as others, but there are polls that have shown that Senator Bernie Sanders can beat Donald Trump and, I believe, some of the other Republican candidates as well.

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.

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

Through my time in the military and my deployments, I have recognized the importance of having a Commander in Chief who will not only go after those who threaten the safety and security of the American people, but who will also exercise good judgment and foresight in stopping these failed interventionist wars of regime change that have cost our country so much in human lives, untold suffering, and trillions of dollars.

Hawaii is a special place because we have a very diverse population there, who are very respectful and tolerant of those who have differing opinions and different views.

It makes no sense for us to consider going back there and getting involved in what truly is a religious civil war. What real difference would it make on the ground? And secondly, is it in the best interests of the United States to do that? I would say that those questions are not being answered in a compelling way that would cause me to support that.