Richard, what are you hearing from veterans and active duty military about the Iran war? How are they feeling about this?

Well, you know, let me tell you something.

In the beginning, everybody was kind of a little pumped up.

I mean, we're talking about Fort Bragg here.

The brigade combat team got deployed.

I know a person in that unit that just had a brand new baby just a few months before they left.

And they deployed.

How much does that make a difference for your race that that spending has been pulled and also that Roy Cooper is so popular at the top of the ticket in the state?

So if elected, what is your plan to work on for the VA shortages?

Well, I think that we need to absolutely fund everything with the VA.

I don't want shortages with the Veterans Administration.

Now, I don't know what kind of power I'm going to have.

I don't know what kind of committees they're going to put me on.

But make no mistake about it, I'm always going to be a voice for veterans.

And I'm always going to fight for the best health care that we can possibly get.

And so the major rules for STAR Act is to try to eliminate that wounded warrior tax.

Okay.

So I was fortunate because a JROTC instructor doesn't get paid like teachers.

The way they work it is the school, actually, the Board of Education pays half of your salary.

And the United States military pays the other half to keep you where you were when you retired.

So I was getting paid like I was still a major on active duty.

And teachers aren't getting paid like that.

But I got to sit with teachers every day and listen to the horrible things that were being done to teachers and school service personnel.

And then after the election stop, a lot of people forget.

Can you please explain where you are and who you run against and why it matters, not just locally, but on a national level?

Okay, so my name is Major Retired Richard Ojeda.

I'm the Democratic nominee for Congress in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District.

And my opponent is the chair of the NRCC, the National Republican Campaign Committee.

His name is Richard Hudson.

And he is a person who literally has flown under the radar.

He doesn't show up.

What are you seeing that's changing people's minds and thoughts about this?

Any, any thoughts of what, as a congressman, you'd do?

Well, first and foremost, we have to get rid of this administration, and we, and, and, and in many cases, prosecution.

You know, we need to impeach people, and then we need to prosecute people.

Pete Hegseth for one.

We know over 200 people have lost their lives in the Caribbean, and we know without a shadow of a doubt that there have been, uh, uh, war crimes committed.

We know that.

He needs to be prosecuted for that.

Entertainment.

the military's been on the right side of history with this for quite a while.

I, I want to be on that panel, where I can look at some of these general officers and say, "Wh-why didn't you do anything? Why did you sit silent?" Because let me tell you something.

That's courage, and I expect our leaders to show courage.

But you're gonna sit quiet.

You're not gonna be a five-star general.

You're already a four-star general.

You're an admiral.

the military's been on the right side of history with this for quite a while

That's the Caribbean?

And then, then the moment, the moment that we went down there and snatched up, you know, the president of Venezuela, uh, now all of a sudden the drug boats coming to America are, are, are...

W- we don't hear about that anymore, you know? But before, before we went down there and did that to Venezuela, that was the topic of conversation.

You know, I'm gonna tell you this.

We bombed a school.

We bombed a school in Iran, and here's my thing.

The last thing that we need to do is, is do things that make us the bad guy, you know? Look, b- going after their ability to be able to, to get a nuclear weapon, that's justifiable.

Mm-hmm.

What was it that made you decide, sir, that now was the time for you to jump into the race and run for Congress in North Carolina? I'm thrilled you're doing this.

Well, let me tell you.

Uh, we moved back to North Carolina after living in West Virginia for about eight years and it's just like, "What's going on?" It's, it's the fact that, you know, I have a daughter that was born with hip impingement syndrome and scoliosis.

Her s- her spine is wrapped in a cage.

I mean, they've had to pull her sockets out of her hips and shave them down.

She lives in constant pain.

But if my daughter was to get pregnant, it would probably kill her and this administration would allow her to die and I cannot accept that.

(laughs)