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Ret. Lt. Colonel Steve Brozak's Speech before the Democratic National Convention

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

    BOSTON, July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a transcript of a speech
 by Ret. Lt. Colonel Steve Brozak, before the Democratic National Convention on
 Wednesday, July 28, 2004:
 
     Good evening. My name is Steve Brozak. I am a husband and father of two
 young daughters. My wife and I are the children of immigrant parents. I am a
 businessperson who co-founded a small investment-banking firm. And I am also
 proud to say I am a United States Marine. I rose to the rank of Lieutenant
 Colonel -- and after the attacks of September 11th, I volunteered to go back
 on active duty.
     And today, I am running to represent my home state of New Jersey in the
 United States Congress. If you told me 18 months ago that I would end up
 addressing the Democratic convention, I would have said that you were crazy.
 You see, up until then, I was a Republican. But not anymore.
     On my last tour of duty, my job was to help reservists who came home from
 Iraq, Afghanistan, and places all over the world ... to help them get back on
 their feet ... to help them with their jobs and their families. I saw their
 struggle and the hardships they bore. I saw how their families coped with
 deployments that kept being extended, and children who were growing up without
 their moms and dads.
     When I was deployed to the Middle East, I saw what our troops are facing
 there. How our military is so overextended that tours of duty last far longer
 than soldiers had originally signed up for. How hard it is for our soldiers to
 complete their mission without the proper equipment to keep them safe. I saw
 how hard it is for them to shoulder this burden alone without our allies. And
 I saw how hard it is for our soldiers to know that while they wear their
 uniforms with pride, the world looks at America with suspicion.
     So a year and a half ago while back home, I went to my local town hall and
 I switched parties. I became a Democrat.
     You see, I didn't change. My belief in what makes a patriot never changed.
 My belief in a national security policy that makes us truly safer didn't
 change. And my belief that you only send Americans into a war with honest
 purpose and plans for peace didn't change. What changed was the direction of
 the Republican Party -- so I did the honorable thing. I changed parties and I
 became a Democrat.
     I have never considered myself to be a very partisan person. But the
 Republican Party left me behind. And so I had no choice but to leave the
 Republican Party behind. But I am far from alone...And I will be in the
 majority come November 2nd.
     It's not just Democrats; it's Republicans and Independents. It's Americans
 from all walks of life who believe that to keep America safe, to defeat
 al-Qaeda, we need both smart bombs and wise policy. That America must be
 strong at home, strong abroad, and respected in the world.
     John Kerry understands this. He learned that lesson the hard way, as a
 Lieutenant commanding a swift boat in the deltas of Vietnam. As President,
 John Kerry will honor the service and the sacrifice of our men and women in
 uniform, by keeping our military strong and ready to respond to any threats we
 may face.
     John Kerry will be a Commander-in-Chief who will not hesitate for one
 moment to use the military might of the United States to destroy the
 terrorists who threaten our way of life. John Kerry is a leader. And this
 Marine will proudly follow John Kerry into battle.
     John Kerry has a plan to win this war on terror. John Kerry will
 strengthen our alliances and restore America's special place in the world as a
 nation to be admired rather than questioned. John Kerry will give our men and
 women who serve in uniform solid support instead of hollow rhetoric. John
 Kerry is someone who means what he says. And John Kerry will make sure that
 our veterans are shown the full gratitude and appreciation of our nation.
     My friends, Iraq is filled with professional soldiers, patriotic
 reservists and guard members, who long for a mission that is planned and
 purposeful ... and are long past ready to be reunited with their families. One
 of these men is a friend of mine from New Jersey who looked after my family
 while I was on active duty last year. This man, a veteran in his mid-forties,
 is now being sent straight to the battle zone in Iraq with no promise of
 returning home to his family before 2006.
     As my friend is put into harm's way, I will repay my debt to him and look
 after his family. But I will do something else: I will fight alongside John
 Kerry to create a better, stronger America -- united at home and respected in
 the world. If you want to support our troops, if you want to help their
 families, if you want to build a nation that is the envy and not the enemy of
 the world, I ask you to join us in this fight.
     Help make John Kerry President of the United States.
     My fellow Americans, this election is not about party labels or partisan
 bickering. This election is about creating the America that we learned about
 in school, the America that brought my immigrant parents to these shores, the
 America that I fought to defend.
     An America where freedom is cherished; An America where individuals are
 respected; An America where anything is possible because each of us has the
 right to go as far as our minds can imagine and our hearts can dream.
     Let's build that America: a safer, stronger, more respected America. Let's
 make John Kerry the next President of the United States. Thank you and good
 night.
 
 

SOURCE  Democratic National Convention Committee