WEBVTT

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The reason why we greet each other with
"Aloha" is because of the real powerful

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meaning of this word that really 
expresses:

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"I come to you with respect

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and with an open heart and with love."
And the recognition that no matter where

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we come from or the color of our skin
or how we work or if we worship

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or how we wor..

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All of these things...

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It cuts right through and recognizes that
we are all connected.

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We are all brothers and sisters, all 
children of God, and therefore are

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inspired to treat each other with that
most deep respect and care that inspires

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us to take action.

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To take action to care for one another.

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I get asked about the grey that I have in my hair here

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I started to go grey during my first deployment,

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and just over the years, I have decided to keep that

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because of the reminder that it brings to me

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of those who pay the price for war.

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The cost of war; I will never forget.

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I think that it is most important to make sure that we have

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the right people with the right qualifications,

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motivated purely by that love, and care,

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and compassion for others in positions of power.

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Because ultimately when it comes down to it,

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whether you have men or women in positions

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of great power or influence, if they are driven by

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that hunger for power and desire to hold onto it,

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that's where we end up in a very bad place.

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The VA is an organization that has a mission
to protect and to serve the needs

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of our veterans. 
Those who go and are willing to sacrifice

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all for our country. And unfortunately what we are
seeing is that even after all of these years,

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both, in the post-9/11 era of veterans but also
Vietnam veterans, Korean War veterans,

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those who've come before us,
the services are still falling short

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And the area of post-traumatic stress is one of
the main areas where that is true.

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There continues to be a stigma around it -
whether people are willing to admit it or not -

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both, within the military and also as people
have transitioned back to their civilian lives.

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I have experienced it through some of
my friends, who I have served with,

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who have come home really struggling,

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and having a hard time finding the best place 
that can help them.

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This is one of the drivers behind the
continued rate of veteran suicide

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that we are seeing in our country, and shows
that we have to take a more holistic approach.

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And this is what I would lead as a president, 
where as a veteran, I understand in a deeply

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personal way, who pays the price for war, 
and how heavy that price is.

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And I will ensure that our VA leaves no 
veteran behind.

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And that every single veteran gets the
care that they need.

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And as we look at post-traumatic stress, 
there are many different levels of

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how it impacts people on a whole spectrum:
some very extreme situations, some less extreme.

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But every person heals and finds 
their therapy and their path forward

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in a different way.
And as a VA, as a government, and as a

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society, we need to be able to help 
support that.

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We are still working on putting together kind of on paper

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in each of these areas what my vision for

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the kinds of changes that we need to see

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as a presidential platform.

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These are issues that I have been closely involved with

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and working on with legislation in Congress, both,

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cosponsoring bills, like the AIM HIGH Act and others,

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and bringing voice to those who are my constituents

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and others in the country, who are still

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not being represented at the table,

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where a lot of these decisions are being made.