Military Pathways: Military Police Officer
Military Pathway
Tulasi Tamayo: Military Police Officer
By Mike Yoshiura
While most 21-year-olds are wrapping up their college years or just breaking into newfound careers, Tulasi Gabbard Tamayo was campaigning for office.
When it was time to consider her career goals, Tulasi says that she thought to herself, I can sit in a [political science] class and hear about it, or I can go out and do it.
In 2002, Tulasi was elected to the Hawai‘i State House of Representatives, making her the youngest female representative in our nation’s history. She was selected to represent District 44, which includes her hometown of ‘Ewa Beach, and parts of Waipahu. Tulasi’s dad, Mike Gabbard, is the local representative for District 19.
A native of American Samoa, her family moved to Hawai‘i in 1983. Her parents, who instilled an altruistic view on life, home schooled Tulasi.
“My parents taught me that life is greater than you are. There’s always going to be a greater purpose or a bigger picture,” Tulasi says. “When I was a kid, my family regularly participated in community service projects. As I got older, I thought about what I could do for my community. For me, giving back came in the form of politics.” It was those same principles that later sparked her interest in the National Guard’s work, which often includes helping communities deal with natural disasters, civil unrest and potentially fighting wars.
In April 2003, Tulasi joined the Hawai‘i Army National Guard. Today, she’s classified as a military police platoon leader in the 29th Brigade Special Troops Battalion. About three months after she enlisted, Tulasi decided to give back to her country—yet again. In the midst of campaigning for re-election, she voluntarily activated herself for an 18-month deployment to Iraq, joining 2,000 other Hawai‘i Army National Guard soldiers.
“I was one of the handful of people not on the list. In my heart, I knew I couldn’t let my fellow soldiers deploy without me,” the 27-year-old says. “I’ve never regretted my decision.”
Even though she’s currently in Missouri training for her second deployment to the Middle East, Tulasi continues to pursue school and politics. Academically, she’s taking advantage of distance learning and will receive a degree in international business this fall from Hawai‘i Pacific University. Politically, she’s working as a legislative assistant for the Washington, D.C. office of Sen. Daniel Akaka.
Although the National Guard has put her political career on hold, she would like to retest the political waters when she returns to Hawai‘i next fall. Her advice to Hawai‘i’s young adults: “Don’t ever underestimate your abilities. Anything is possible,” she says. “You just have to take advantage of the opportunities that come your way. You only regret the things you don’t do.”
“Do what you love. That way the reward is much more than a paycheck or pension.”