As I recovered at Walter Reed, I worried about the soldiers who pulled me out of my helicopter that Friday afternoon. Would they make it back okay? And what about all the other soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who were also putting their lives on the line every day?
Veterans are my life's work. From the day my buddies saved my life in Iraq, I've woken up every single day dedicated to taking care of veterans and doing my best for veterans.
Southeast Asia was home for much of my childhood, but I moved to Hawaii when I was in high school.
I spent a lot of time between bars like this.
My arm bones looked like chicken bones.
My experience in Iraq made me realize, and during the recovery, that I could have died. And I just had to do more with my life.
I absolutely welcome a full investigation into the for-profit schools because I think a majority of them are predatory.
Men view life to be as precious as women do, and to say that men have a more violent nature is insulting to men.
Running for Senate is a very involved process.
I feel like moderate Republicans, who would support sensible gun violence legislation, are pushed aside by those folks who are absolutely beholden to the NRA.
I do not have PTSD, but if I watch part of a movie like 'The Hurt Locker,' or when I spend time around Blackhawk helicopters, I will close my eyes that night and live an entire day in Iraq, flying my missions. I remember the smell and the feel and the heat and everything about it. Then I wake up in Illinois, and I'm exhausted.
I actually shoot. I enjoy target practice. I find it really zen. You focus on nothing but the target. You have to control your breathing. It's all part of my years in the military, where I was taught to become a marksman but also to respect my weapon.
The bottom line is, when you're in the Senate, you have more of a voice in the beginning than a new House member.
I don't ever want to be sad about my life.
I always wanted to be an ambassador.
If you come from a military culture, and you go into see the general or the commander, and he talks to you very calmly and says, 'I'm very disappointed in you,' that's devastating.
When you're a member of Congress, you can become an expert in a couple of subjects. For example, I've worked on federal procurement reform, the Armed Services Committee, manufacturing, and women's health care.
In the Senate, you can become one of the nation's leading voices on the issues.
How can you have an educated workforce, how do you equal the economic disparities in this country, if you can't make college more affordable for those who are struggling to make it?
When I first ran, being a woman in politics was seen as both a negative and also a positive. You could attract more women voters, but on the other hand, a lot of men wouldn't vote for you.
