Written by Ed Gallrein, candidate for U.S. House District 4
There are moments in life when you are called to serve.
For me, that call began on a Kentucky family farm, where I learned that
hard work is not something you talk about. It is something you do.
You get up before the sun. You take on the task in front of you and finish
it. You take care of your family and your neighbors. And when things get
tough, you don’t walk away – you finish the job.
Those lessons took me from the fields of Kentucky to a career spanning
three-decade as a Navy SEAL Officer, where I had the privilege of serving
alongside some of the finest men and women this Nation has ever
produced.
The missions changed.
The principles never did: Duty. Honor. Courage. Commitment.
Prepare for the mission. Take care of your Team. Accept responsibility. Get
the job done. Complete the Mission.
But I never expected my next mission would be running for Congress.
I have always believed that service is more than a responsibility. It is an
obligation. And as I traveled across Kentucky’s Fourth Congressional
District—listening to business owners, farmers, Veterans, community
leaders, parents and working families — I became convinced that our
Nation faces challenges we cannot afford to ignore – because we have
great opportunity to seize on the hope we have for the next generation.
At their core, those challenges come down to two fundamental priorities:
Security at Home. Security Abroad.
Security at home means securing our border, supporting law enforcement
and keeping dangerous drugs out of our communities. It means making
our neighborhoods safer and giving families confidence in the future.
But security begins at the kitchen table, too.
Economic security is National Security.
Families cannot feel secure when groceries, energy, housing and health
care consume more of every paycheck. Young families cannot feel secure
when homeownership keeps moving further out of reach. Businesses
cannot feel secure when rising costs, unnecessary regulations and
unchecked federal spending make it harder to invest, hire and grow.
Government does not create prosperity. The American people do.
Including our manufacturers, our businesses, our farmers, our
entrepreneurs and our working families.
Washington’s responsibility is to create an environment where they can
succeed.
That means keeping taxes low, cutting unnecessary regulations, unleashing
American energy, strengthening manufacturing and agriculture, expanding
opportunity for small businesses, addressing housing costs and demanding
fiscal discipline from a federal government that has spent far beyond its
means.
We should build things in America again.
We should grow things in America again.
We should produce our own energy again.
And we should make sure that someone willing to work hard, take a risk
and build something has a fair shot at succeeding and is rewarded for it.
That is economic security.
That is the American Dream.
Security abroad requires the same clarity of purpose.
I understand what we ask of the men and women we send into harm’s
way. I want America to have the strongest military on Earth—not because
we seek war, but because strength can deter it: Peace through strength
has long been a time proven stratgey.
Our adversaries should never question our capabilities or our resolve. Our
allies should know America keeps its word. And whenever we consider
putting American lives at risk, we should begin with a fundamental
question: Does this advance the security and interests of the United
States?
Throughout this campaign, I have talked about something more personal:
Service above self.
That principle was taught to me on a farm long before I wore a uniform. It
guided me through three decades of military service. And it is why I am
asking for the opportunity to serve you in Congress.
Public office should never be about the person holding it. It should be
about the people who sent that person there.
I have had enough titles in my life. I am not running for Congress because
I need another one.
I am running because I believe our Nation—and the people of Kentucky’s
Fourth District—are worth serving.
Soon, this campaign will end. The signs will come down. The commercials
will stop.
But the mission will remain.
If given the privilege of representing you, I will approach that responsibility
as I have every mission throughout my life:
Know the objective. Take care of the team. Accept responsibility.
Accomplish the mission.
I have spent the majority of my life serving this Nation.
I am asking for the opportunity to serve it once again.
Security at Home. Security Abroad. Service Above Self.
That’s the mission.
Ed Gallrein
