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(Tulsi Gabbard)
(Aloha)
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The reason why we greet
each other with Aloha
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is because of the real powerful 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,
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and with love, and recognition
that no matter where we come from
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or the colour of our skin or how we work,
if we worship, or how we were.
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All of these things it cuts right through
and recognises 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 of those
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who pay the price for war.
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 the right people
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with the right qualifications,
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 that hunger
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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
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to protect and to serve the needs
of our veterans.
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Those who go and are willing to sacrifice
all for our country.
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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,
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Korean War veterans,
those who've come before us,
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the services are still falling short.
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And the area of post-traumatic stress
is one of the main areas
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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.