4-Term Congresswoman and 2020 presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard is a veteran with three deployments to war zones in the Middle East and Africa. She has served in uniform more than 21 years, is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve commanding the 440th Civil Affairs Battalion, and leads her non-profit organization “We Must Protect.” Tulsi first served in elected office in the Hawaii State House of Representatives when she was 21 years old. Due to the attacks on 9/11, she enlisted in the Army National Guard. In 2004, she gave up an easy re-election campaign and volunteered to deploy to Iraq with the 29th Brigade Combat Team where she served in a medical unit. After returning home in 2006, Tulsi worked in the U.S. Senate as a legislative aide to the late Senator Danny Akaka, who was Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. She then volunteered for a second Middle East deployment as a Platoon Leader. Having experienced firsthand the true cost of war, Tulsi ran for United States Congress at age 31, vowing to honor the lives and sacrifice of her brothers and sisters in uniform. She prevailed in a difficult election and went on to serve in Congress for eight years as a member of the Armed Services, Homeland Security, and Foreign Affairs Committees. Foregoing a run for reelection to Congress in 2020, she ran for president in the Democratic Party. In October 2022, Tulsi announced she was leaving the Democrat Party. She puts country before party and approaches every issue, domestic and foreign, based on ensuring the safety, security, and freedom of the American people. Tulsi Gabbard’s first book, For Love of Country: Leave the Democrat Party Behind, will be released in April 2024.