Interview with Tulsi Gabbard

(Tulsi Gabbard)
(Aloha)

The reason why we greet
each other with Aloha

is because of the real powerful meaning
of this word, that really expresses,

I come to you with respect

and with an open heart,

and with love, and recognition
that no matter where we come from

or the colour of our skin or how we work,
if we worship, or how we were.

All of these things it cuts right through
and recognises that we are all connected.

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

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

us to take action.

To take action to care for one another.

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

I started to go grey
during my first deployment,

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

because of the reminder
that it brings to me of those

who pay the price for war.
The cost of war; I will never forget.

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

with the right qualifications,
motivated purely by that love, and care,

and compassion for others
in positions of power.

Because ultimately when
it comes down to it,

whether you have men or women in positions

of great power or influence,
if they are driven by that hunger

for power and desire to hold onto it,

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

The VA is an organization that has a mission

to protect and to serve the needs
of our veterans.

Those who go and are willing to sacrifice
all for our country.

And unfortunately what we are seeing
is that even after all of these years,

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

Korean War veterans,
those who've come before us,

the services are still falling short.

And the area of post-traumatic stress
is one of the main areas

where that is true.

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

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

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

who have come home really struggling,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We are still working on putting together kind of on paper

in each of these areas what my vision for

the kinds of changes that we need to see

as a presidential platform.

These are issues that I have been closely involved with

and working on with legislation in Congress, both,

cosponsoring bills, like the AIM HIGH Act and others,

and bringing voice to those who are my constituents

and others in the country, who are still

not being represented at the table,

where a lot of these decisions are being made.