John,

Democrats - including my opponent - have told me I’m “white adjacent” and “extremist” because I don’t meet the narrative of an oppressed minority immigrant who craves unlimited handouts.

My family escaped communist Vietnam and came to America as legal refugees. My parents took every opportunity that was given to them to make a life for their family. My father even took a job that only allowed him to see us every six months.

It was hard, but my parents’ grit and determination inspired me to push myself to the limit and seek every opportunity this great country had for me. I attended the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the Navy as a Special Operations Officer.

My time in the Navy was incredible - but it was also challenging. I diffused bombs in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia. I dove into treacherous waters to salvage the remains of fallen soldiers.

But no matter where I went, I brought my most prized possession - my American flag - with me.

I looked to that flag for strength. It was a reminder of everything our great country had achieved, and everything we were going to in the future. But with Joe Biden abandoning our troops in Afghanistan and rolling out the red carpet for the Taliban, he put a stain on our flag that I could not take in vain.

Politics was never my dream or goal. Standing shoulder to shoulder with my brothers and sisters and arms and raising a family in the greatest nation on Earth was all I ever wanted. But just because I hung up my Naval uniform doesn’t mean I was done looking out for my fellow soldiers.

I knew that with the Commander in Chief abandoning them, I had to serve them in a new capacity: as a member of Congress.

Politics is a whole different beast. Instead of dismantling Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), I’m fighting off keyboard warriors who want to shame me for unapologetically loving our country.

But I have one request for my opponents who want to erase my heritage and divide our citizens by the color of their skin: instead of calling me “white adjacent” or “extremist” because I believe in the Constitution, all I ask is that you call me an American. Because I know I’ve earned it.

If you’re ready for a new generation of conservative leadership in Congress, I hope you’ll stand with me today and bring our country together under the greatest flag in the world.