A first-generation American citizen, Congressman Mike Garcia was a highly decorated United States Naval Officer and businessman before serving in the United States House of Representatives. His superb flying performance earned him the honor of becoming one of the first F/A-18 Super Hornet strike fighter pilots in the Navy. While on active duty, Congressman Garcia flew over 30 combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom in the skies above Baghdad, Fallujah, and Tikrit.
Garcia knows firsthand the important role that the United States plays around the world as a force for good, but that the first priority must always be national security and protecting the homeland, to include securing and better surveillance of our borders. Mike Garcia will make it a priority to ensure our men and women in uniform have the funding and tools necessary to keep America safe, and only send them into battle when it is absolutely necessary.