My life before Congress was still dedicated to public service, but it looked far different. For 23 years, I wasn’t in a suit and tie — I was targeting cells in Asia, war criminals in Bosnia, and radical terrorist groups in the Middle East as a commander with SEAL Team Six. On Sept. 11, 2001, I was leading Navy SEAL/BUDS training, selecting and perfecting the warriors who would go on to fight in the Global War on Terrorism and root out terrorists from the darkest corners of the globe. I then went on to serve as the deputy and acting commander of Joint Special Forces in Iraq. Long story short, if there’s one thing that fighting on the front lines of freedom has taught me, it’s how terrorists operate.
Lesson one: Terrorists take advantage of chaos.
