That call. Very strange. I was not in the political system. I did not grow up dreaming of being a congressman. But i did find that i really missed public service. I honestly did not expect that. When i went into the marines i thought i would do my four years and check that box. It wasnt a question of whether i would serve my country for the rest of my life as i can say i served in the marines are in but i found that i missed it. This is the First Time Since leaving the marine corps that i have felt a sense of purpose. Every single day we can help other people and that is incredibly rewarding. You said you were working for a highspeed rail company at that time. What interested you about that job . I think the transportation is the foundation of economic development. The kind of Transportation Systems that we have influenced the kind of development that we have in this country and be kind of communities that result from that. We have voluntarily behind the rest of the world in investing in transportation. Not only did we not maintain the existing roads and bridges that we had, most countries are far ahead of us in nextgeneration transportation like highspeed rail. I have to fly home to boston at the end of every week. It is a 3. 5 hour trip doortodoor. Only about 30 minutes what i am actually allowed to use my laptop. In any other country in the world i would be able to walk drive five minutes union station, get on a highspeed train, and be in boston and get time. That entire morocco is using highspeed rail but we dont have it here in america. It is not because it is just good for the environment or it is just faster nicer convenience. It is because fundamentally it is a better invest of our transportation dollars. That is what you see highspeed rail across the globe. It is an example of not only do we need to invest more in transportation that we have got to be smarter. How are you trying to advocate as a congressman . I would like to be on the train region and in am not there now but i am involved in conversations as much as i can be. I try to be a thoughtful person on a thoughtful repetitive on these issues. I am working on the transportation issues back home. At the end of the day i am not just an advocate for rail. Im an advocate for investing our dollars intelligently and making Business Decisions about how we spend our taxpayer dollars. There is no one in the united here isho really says, a dollar to spend a transportation problem. That figure out how to invest this. We have a highway policy. We have an airway policy. We just invested in subsidies for the airlines. We dont have a real policy at all. We ought to look at transportation policies, like for example, the boston new york corridor, and say, how can we best invest in this problem . All the studies show the answer is highspeed rail, but because of the momentum, the inertia, and all the lobbyists behind investing in our airways and our highways, we are not putting much money at the height derail. Did the project in texas ever get built . It is not built yet but it is moving forward. You dont see much private Sector Investment in a highway system, despite all of the federal subsidies. And yet most railways in america are run by the private sector, which points to the innate efficiencies of rail. But in the case of highspeed rail in texas, is a privately backed project. Actually a railway in japan is investing it in it. I think it is sad we have to have the japanese invested in it but of course it is not a bad thing that gets built. It takes five or six hours to drive between dallas and houston. Hree hours doortodoor to fly youll be all go downtown to downtown in 90 minutes. If we do next generation highspeed rail it will be 60 minutes. It has been a year or so since her election in november 2014. What is different about washington than you expected . One of the things that has surprised me is the degree to which the partisanship here is felt. There is not as much animosity between members or among members as i perhaps it acted. But a lot of folks just dont even know people on the other side of the aisle. That is why i really made an effort to just get to know my republican colleagues. To get the know them on a personal level so hopefully we can find ways to cooperate professionally. With our veterans or other connections, i like to take republicans on runs. I have been going out to lunch, going out to dinner, just going over to have a quick bite. I think that establishing those personal relationships is the Real Foundation that you need to be a little Work Together professionally. I8 either side is not going to compromise on our basic intervals, but there are lots of places where we can find common ground. What are a couple of things that the folks in your district are most concerned about . Economic development is number one. That means Different Things for different cities and towns. In the west we have an awful lot of thriving tech businesses but there are real problems with with access, especially for millennials who dont want to have a car. I dont even have a car down here in bc. On the coast there are different issues. There is a city that is a 15 minute train ride from downtown boston. If you towns north it is all about fishing. , newtle bit farther shreveport is very much about the revitalization of downtown. There is really a unique character to each city and town, but economic involvement. Getting good jobs, that is my number one priority. As you wrap up your first year, what are your huge or aspirations on capitol hill and beyond . I guess every politician answers this question by saying [nont know where their audio] i am going next the senate has 20 veterans could be republicans, including one female senator. And we move now to a live picture from the world war ii memorial, one of a number of locations visitors are coming to to celebrate this veterans day holiday. Johnny isakson tweeted out today god bless. And nancy pelosi released the statement this morning that says, in part, on veterans day we salute the sacrifice and dedication to freedom. On this holiday and everyday, we honor the patriots at home and abroad. My hope is that the women of the future will feel truly free to follow whatever path takes them. I think i thought the white and what so glamorous you did was so glamorous, your life was so glamorous. Partiesi saw were the and meeting people, you know. And i have to cut you, i have never worked harder in my life. Announcer nancy reagan served as longtime political partner, and ultimately as caretaker for president ronald reagan. She was active with key staff decisions, policymaking, and campaigning. She made drug use her signature initiative. Nancy reagan, the sunday night at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspans original series, first ladies, examining the public and private lives of the women who filled the position of first lady and their influence on the presidency. Sunday at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on American History tv on cspan3. Two things are very different today. First of all, we have a justice system. These trials were not held to what we would consider modern law. Hearsay is perfectly acceptable. Innocent until Proven Guilty was not yet in place. There were no lawyers, by the way, at the time. The courtroom is an extremely unruly place. So that is one piece of it. Also, we dont believe in witchcraft today. Announcer author stacy schiff talks about her book, the witches. The interesting part about the accusations, especially given the way we think of salem, is that wealthy merchants were accused. Homeless fiveyearold girls were accused to be witches. This is not a victim where all the victims are female. And we didnt burn the witches, we hang them. There was so much encrusted in myth and so much misunderstanding here that i felt it was important to dispel. Announcer sunday night at 8 00 eastern and pacific on cspans q a. Live inr coming up just under half an hour from Arlington National cemetery, we will bring you from the tomb we will bring you the ceremony of the tomb of the unknown soldier. That will be live at about 11 00 eastern here on cspan. Army veteran Steve Russell was elected to oklahomas Fifth District in 2014. He discusses his experiences, including the role his unit played in the capture of saddam hussein. Host congressman Steve Russell from oklahomas fifth Congressional District is a freshman representative. Is it what you expected . Mr. Russell i think the legislative pieces are. I served a term in the state senate in oklahoma, so i kind of got to see how the sausage is made. And whether you are changing playing Junior Varsity or prose, the rules are about the same. , iterms of the dynamics think the surprising thing has been a lot of the division and gridlock that we often get accused of it surprising that it is not silly for mentored by us. It is outside groups that seek to profit from that division and dust it up to raise money. Host how do you fix it . Mr. Russell i think you fix it by the american public, they have such a low opinion of congress, and yet most people like their particular congressman or congresswoman. I think trusting us a little bit. The things that we are trying to communicate back, if they are in contradiction to the i love america or i hate america packed, whichever it might pact, whichever it might be, maybe take the information we have and realize that there is some truth behind it. Host walk us through your routine. Oklahoma is not the easiest place to get to from washington dc. What is your daily routine here in d. C. And then when you go back to your district . Mr. Russell oklahoma city, it is, you know, in the middle of the country. It does take time to get here. Notll typically be here i go home, some weekends there are things to do. If there is a particular large bill that is going to be in markup and committee, it might be 600 or 700 pages long, that takes time to read. So i try to do the diligence. Other times, you know, i was a National Speaker for eight years and traveled all over the country. I still do some of that, wheels have changed and what that is, but i still get around. I was in missouri this past weekend speaking. And so i wont get home every weekend, but i try to get home about two weekends a month. And then i will be here the remainder of the time. Host lets talk about you. Why did you decide to run for congress to Echo Congress . Mr. Russell politics has been a surprising path. I retired from United States army and the infantry in 2006. I had been deployed three out of five years, so it was pretty hard on my family. My oldest daughter at the time, she was a senior in high school. So i wanted to settle all of our kids, the last chance that we had. So i took it. Did a lot of veterans advocacy work, traveled around the country trying to take my personal story to convince people to back our troops rather than bickering about it. Thatn the course of that, garnered the attention of politicals and other party officials. And before new it before i knew it, i was approached to run for state senate in oklahoma. I did a term there. Own in 2012 under my militia and did my business. I have a rifle manufacturing business, and i wanted to pursue that. And in my book and my speaking. So coming to congress was really not even on the horizon. It was a result of when senator dr. Tom coburn decided to retire early. Rans lankford successfully for his seat, but doing so vacated oklahomas Fifth District. I thought, i dont want to look back on my life thinking that maybe i couldve helped my country and didnt try. So i thought, when or lose, im going to try win or lose, im going to try. Host you come from a long military tradition. Talk a little bit about that and also why you decided to begin your career in the military. Mr. Russell my ancestors go back all the way to the revolution serving in uniform. My six and seventh greatgrandfathers were captured in 1780 by the british and were imprisoned in detroit until the treaty of paris. And today, you know, were eventually released. And nearly every major war since that time on one side of the family or the other. I always wanted to be a soldier. Most of my family were not career soldiers, but they did sir. My brother served eight years in the navy. My dad served. It was just something that in our family it was always an interest, it was always a topic of discussion. So anyone that knew me as a child would not be surprised that i became a soldier. Host where did you grow up . How many in your family . And where did you go to college . Mr. Russell i grew up in oklahoma. As far as we can ascertain, i am the only federally elected congressman to come from bell city. It is a small suburb of oklahoma city. And i have an older sister and an older brother. He is in the middle of the three of us. And i had a fouryear army scholarship, rotc scholarship. Got some good marks in high school and allowed that allowed me to go to college. I got a degree in public speaking and debate. Never thinking i would ever use it for a living. I just thought if they will give you a degree for talking, sign me up. I was trying to get a commission in the United States army and it was something i enjoyed. It turned out to be a good decision on many levels. I met my wife there. It will be 30 years this year. Embarked on a military career. Host what is the key to being a successful public speaker checker and what speaker and what is your approach . Mr. Russell i think a lot of times, the most effective speakers are those that can relay stories. We see that through so many examples. Stories, andtell it would connect to people. You would also see many in history, the great orators, they dont do it on the fly. Abraham lincoln, gettysburg address. Prepared remarks. Winston churchill, mightve looked like it wasnt, but he had prepared remarks. Martin luther king, prepared remarks. Oftentimes, if you go to the meandering, and comes across as, well, meandering. And so i think the diligence behind it, the study, and then to make it appear natural and connect with stories that people can relate to that. Host how influential were your parents and your life growing up and as you pursue your career . Mr. Russell very influential. I nearly died several times from birth. I almost died at that time. I had the opposite blood type as my mother and the rh factor was different. So shey died at birth, has always told me that i was her little fighter. And that does something to a child. You are not going to quit, you are going to persevere and you are going to stay with something until you get it done. And then survived a bout of appendicitis. My appendix ruptured, and it was about six or seven hours before i had any medical attention to deal with that. Didnt know what it was. Felt better after it ruptured. Then. Tonight is set in. Then peritonitis set in. Host so you didnt know it had ruptured . Mr. Russell no. I had a stomach ache, things hurt, and suddenly it felt better. The pressure was relieved. And i went outside and played on a saturday. By that night, i was doubled over in pain. I remember asking my mother during that time, i asked her, mi going to die. And she was honest with me. And she says, we dont know. But we are praying. And we believe that you are going to make it. And i appreciated that. It may me want to fight that much harder. Dadon the heels of her right prior to that, oklahoma22 tornadoes, there was a oklahoma no stranger to tornadoes, there was a tornado and it leveled everything. The alternative was to be [indiscernible] not a good idea. Felt that weways are pretty much a mortal until god is done with us. And then at that point, it is time. So i have not really given it a whole lot of bug. I have approached it that way in combat. I think those childhood experiences conveyed that if there is some plan that i am meant to for fill and i intelligent, then perhaps it can be done. Then all of my efforts are not going to matter. And i certainly have had that kind of faith when i was in combat. Host so you are not afraid of death. Mr. Russell no, i am really not. To activate is not too thrilling, but as far as what would happen afterwards, i am really not. I know christ is my lord and savior, and i take that faith they seriously, as most of our founders of this great country have. It should be no surprise to mailings of americans who hold similar faith. And i take great comfort in that. Or something to happen, i believe that i will be eternally secure because he promised it that if i believed in him, then i would have eternal life. Host with any experiences in your life, has your faith and tested . Mr. Russell it absolutely has. In battle, i think your faith plays a tremendous role. I have had to do some terrible things. Been a longt has journey. As an infantry man, you are not dealing with electronics are on a computer or working with some machine, you are on the frontlines. You are carrying a rifle, handgun and, ammunition, water , ammunition, and water. Find the enemy, not just react, but go find them. In my excursions, we certainly found a lot of different enemies. I have had to watch friends get hit. I have lost soldiers. Very, very tough deal with. I have had to fight my way out of ambushes. Those experiences are they stay with you your entire life. But they are not insurmountable. And i try to relate to people that if you are in a horrible car wreck or if youre in some devastating storm or you are in something traumatic, it would impact your life and largely shape it, but it doesnt mean that you dont function. It just means that you take those experiences and a shape you for your future experiences. And that is the way my faith has helped me. Host one of those enemies, saddam hussein. The book behind you, we got him. What