Candidate, United States House of Representatives, Maryland, District 5, 2016

No caucus information on file.

Owner/Senior Producer, Easy Day Media Group, 2014-present

Author/Human Rights Activist, 2011-present

Author/Human Rights Activist, 2011-present

Staff, Science and Technology Special Projects, Office of the Secretary of Defense, 2012-2014

Consultant, Department of Defense, 2011-2013

Senior Consultant, LMI, 2011-2013

SEAL Team Operator, Senior Chief Petty Officer, United States Navy, 1991-2011

Senior Chief, United States Navy Sea, Land, and Air Teams, 1990-2011

Human Rights Activist, Military Freedom Coalition, 2011-2015

Awards:

Bronze Star with V, Purple Heart, Defense Meritorious Service Award, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corp Achievement Ribbon, Army Achievement Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon, Navy and Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Commendation, Navy Good Conduct Medal (with four service stars), National Defense Service Medal (with one service star), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (with two service stars), Southwest Asia Service Medal (with one service star), Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal,Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (with 12 service stars), NATO Medal Yugoslavia, Navy Rifle Marksmanship Medal (with expert device), Navy Pistol Marksmanship Medal (with expert device), Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge, Unites States Special Operations Command Insignia

2010 Special Operations Award, National Defense Industrial Association
2015 Honors, American Military Partner Association
2015 Stonewall Trailblazer Award
2015 National Women's Political Caucus Women of Courage Award

Favorite President and Why:

Abraham Lincoln. He was a visionary. He saw things that were wrong and he changed them.

Person Most Want to Meet (Dead or Alive):

Abraham Lincoln

Personal Hero and Why:

Barbara Jordan, Congresswoman from Texas

Priority Issues:

I have over 70 priority issues. We must start with:
Balancing the Federal Budget
Paying off the Debt
Creating Jobs and Opportunities for everyone
Reducing income inequality
Improving the standard of living
Improving the opportunities for our children
Protecting our rights to include Speech, Religion and Privacy
Getting Big Government out of the lives of everyday people
Providing a better education for our children including vocational education
Ending homelessness
Ending hunger
Providing adequate funding for Social Security and Medicare
Rebuilding our infrastructure
Rebuilding our military
Reducing crime and recidivism

Reason for Seeking Public Office:

I cannot begin to describe to you the sadness I feel when I look back on the 20 years I spent protecting soldiers and civilians in one war torn part of the globe after another. All the while our politicians were self-promoting or working with pundits and political hacks to progress their personal agendas or looking for ways to increase their power or posture for positions. To think that the sacrifices seen in Arlington Cemetery and countless home town graveyards and mass graves in third world regions are so easily dismissed so that someone here in Washington can move up the political ladder or promote their career is heartbreaking to me. I won't lump my representative with that crowd, even if he is one of the most powerful men in Washington. But he has failed to change the culture. He can't change the culture and that is exactly what I will do. You can see what I have already done by my work in human rights for the last four years. I can and will change the culture in Washington and that is just one of the reasons I feel compelled to run for Congress.

I'm running because more members of Congress need to be focused on the average American. We have 20M unemployed and underemployed Americans in the US, probably more and the numbers are growing. I look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers and they are appalling. There are over 250,000 unemployed Vets, 50,000 homeless Vets and 22 Vets are committing suicide every day. Vets are a reflection of America so we have a lot of people who are hurting and you don?t hear the big guns in Congress with ?Sharp Elbows and Big Egos? talking about how to solve their problems. If a bank was in trouble the House and Senate Leadership would be on CSPAN talking their heads off about how we have to save the financial system. We have to get enough people in Congress to change this situation so that the average American can just get a little relief. Average, law abiding citizens are not looking for a handout, but they don?t want to be ?shut out? either. Ask youself this simple question. Will my current Congressman fight for me? Really, is he interested in the life I am stuck in? Who can fight for me? Who will actually fight for me?" If you don't think your Congressman is really worried about your life or if you don't think your Congressman will stand up and actually fight for you, then it's time to vote for someone like me. I will fight for you. I have spent over 20 years fighting for you already; on the battlefields of the Middle East as a Navy SEAL and on the Streets of America as a Human Rights Activist.

There is extreme polarization in Congress. There are too few Representatives who will actually try to reach across the aisle to compromize and negotiate. I will be one of those who will; like the Blue Dogs. ?Now, more than ever, the American people are tired of the gridlock in Washington that has been created by the extremes of the right and left,? said Congressman John Barrow. ?The Blue Dogs have always represented the commonsense middle, and we will continue to be a bridge between the two parties in an otherwise dysfunctional Congress.? I am a Blue Dog.

I will start out with legislation to implement Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Balance the Budget, Pay off the Debt and reduce CO2 output by 10%. All four of these have been too hot to handle or impossible for Congress to address for a number of years. There is no reason for this. There is no cost to implement all four and the benefits are huge. We can do this and I will be the leader with a plan. I believe that many members of Congress will join me. But it starts with you. If you want any four of these issues put to bed, then please find a way to help my campaign.