The information that we have and realize theres some truth behind it. Walk us through your routine. Oklahoma is not the easiest place to get to from washington d. C. How much are you in washington . Whats your daily routine here in d. C. . When you go back to the district. Well, Oklahoma City, it is, you know in the middle of the country, and it does take time to get here. I will be here not every weekend do i go home. Some weekends theres just things to do. If theres a particular large build in mark up and committee 600, 700 pages long that takes time to read, so i try to do the diligence, what i was elected to do. Other times you know, i was a National Speaker for eight years with premier Speakers Bureau traveling all over the country, and i still do some of that, but the rules have changed on what that is but i still get around. I was in missouri this past weekend speaking. So i wont get home every weekend, but i try to get home about two weekends a month and then ill be here, the remind every of the time or in and out of here. Lets talk about you. Why did you decide to run for congress and when did you think of Public Office . Politics has been a surprising path. I retired from the United StatesArmy 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 was she was a senior in high school, so i wanted to settle all of our kids, the last chance that we had and so i took it. I did a lot of veterans advocacy work, traveled around the country, trying to take my personal story to convince people to back the troops while they fought rather than bicker about it and let them get it done. In the course of that, that gathered the attention of politicos and others, and i was approached to run for state senate in oklahoma and ran in 2008. I did a term there left in 2012 under my own mind and i have a rifle business that i wanted to pursue, in my book and in my speaking. Coming to congress, really, was not on the horizon. It was a result of when senator dr. Tom coburn retired early, James Langford ran for his seat vacateing oklahomas fifth district. I looked at it. I saw a path to get there. I thought i dont want to look back on my life thinking that maybe i could have helped my country. And didnt try. I thought, win or lose, ill try. People in oklahoma sent me here. Its been a real honor. You come from a long military tradition. The army in particular. Talk about that and also why you decided to begin your career in the military. Well my ancestors go back all the way to the revolution serving in uniform by sixth and seventh grandfathers were captured by the british imprisoned in detroit until the treaty of paris, and they you know, were eventually released and then all of 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 serve. My brother served eight years in the navy. My dad served in 53 and it was just something that in our family it was always an interest. It was always a topic of discussion with relatives and so anyone that knew me as a child would not be surprised that i became a soldier. Where did you grow up . How many in your family . Where did you go to college . I grew up in dill city oklahoma, as far as we can ascertain, im the only federally elected congressman ever to come from there. Its a small suburb of Oklahoma City and i have an older sister and then an older brother. Hes in the middle of the three of us. And i had a four year army scholarship. Rotc scholarship. Got some good marks in high school allowing me to be able to afford to go to college. I went to university and got a degree in public speaking, and debate and never thinks i would ever use it for a living, i just thought if theyll give you a degree for talking, sign me up. I was trying to get a commission in the United States army, and that was something i enjoyed. It was a good decision. I met my wife there, married 30 years this year, and embarked on a military career. Whats the key to being a successful public speaker . Whats your approach . I think a lot of times the most effective speakers are those that can relay with stories. We see that, you know, through so many examples. Christ, sermon on the mount or in parables he told story and would connect to people. You see many many history the great orators they dont do it on the fly. Abraham lincoln getprepared remarks, winston churchill, looked like it was not but he had prepared remarks. Martin luther king you know prepared remarks. Often times if you go to the podium meandering, it comes across as well, meandering and so i think that diligence behind it the study, and then to make it appear natural and connect with stories so people can relate to that. How influential were your parents in your life growing up, and as you pursued your career . Very influential. I nearly died several times from birth. I almost died at that time. I had the opposite blood type of my mother and the factor was different, and she had had a couple miscarriages prior to me and i nearly died at birth, so shes always told me that i was her little fighter and, you know, that does something to a child that, you know, youre not going to quit. Youre going to persevere and stay with something until you get it done, and then survived a bout of appendicitis. My appendix ruptured, and it was six or seven hours before i had medical attention to deal with that. I did not know what it was. Felt better after it ruptured, and then infection set in, intensive care for weeks two major surgeries, and my folks at that time, they thought they were going to lose me. You didnt know it ruptured . No, i didnt. I had a stomach ache, it hurt, and then it felt better, pressure was relieved and i went outside and played. It was on a saturday. And then by that night i was doubled over blinded by pain. I remember asking my mother during that time i asked am i going to die . She was honest with me. She says we dont know. She said, but were praying, and we believe youre going to make it, and i appreciated that. And so it made me want to fight that much harder, and on the heels of that prior to that, oklahoma, no stranger to tornados, i was in a devastating tornado at my grandparents, and it killed a neighborhood girl next door to them, and it just levelled the entire area. We crawled out from under ma tresses and a small tin building, and because the alternative was to be in trailers, not a good idea so ive i have always felt that you know, we are pretty much immortal until gods done with us, and then at that point its time, and so im not really given it a lot of thought. I approached it that way in combat. I think those childhood experiences conveyed that if there is some plan that im meant to fulfill and im diligent and then perhaps it can be done. If not you know then all of my efforts are not going to matter, and i certainly had that kind of faith when i was in combat. So youre not afraid of death . No. Im really not. The act of it does not sound thrilling, but as far as what happens afterwards im not. I know christ as my lord and savior, and i take that faith very seriously as most of our framers and founders of the great country have, and it should be no surprise, you know, to millions of americans who hold similar faith, and i great comfort in that, that were something to happen i believe that ill be eternally secure because he promised that if i would believe in him, that i would have eternal life. With any experiences in your life, has your faith been tested . It absolutely has. In battle i think your faith plays a tremendous role. I had to do some terrible things. You know processing that has been a long journey. Youre not dealing with some electronics or a computer or working on a machine. Youre on the front lines carrying a rifle bayonet grenades, and water. Basic implements. With those organizations, they are the ones who are designed to go find the enemy, not just react to the enemy but to go find them. In my excursions we certainly found a lot of different enemies, and ive had to watch friends, you know get hit, and ive lost soldiers. Its very very tough to deal with. I had to take human life and fight my way out of ambushes, and those experiences are they stay with you your entire life. They are not insurmountable. I try to relay to people that if you were in a horrible car wreck or in a devastating storm or you were in something traumatic, it immakt impacts your life and largely shapes it. It does not mean you dont function, but you take the experiences and they shape you for the future. Thats the way my faith helped me to process my battle experiences. One of the enemies, hussein, the book behind you now in paperback, we got him. What happened . I had the opportunity to test a soldier task force. We were there in 2003 to 2004. We got involved largely due to geography. It was not something that we thought specifically wed find s saddam. We were a task force in his hometown, and it became readily apparent very quickly that daum was probably being harbored there. We get incredible information and intelligence, and we began to work that. We worked that with a number of other teams, two special Operations Forces teams over a six month period. We worked very, very close with them and developed from the ground up a lot of our own intelligence. My commander, who works on the senate staff now, he was a marvelous warrior the chief of staff in the United States army he was our commander in the fourth infantry division. Those were my two mood commanders who gave me great latitude, and im very grateful for not only their bravery, but also their trust, and we worked together as a team. My unit was not the only one involved, but it was one of about a half dozen and it was very humbling to participate in that time to lead the raids. We nearly captured saddam in the summer of 2003. Didnt get him, but we got personal effects and papers 10 million in cash and 2 million in jewelry, and turns out he was captured six months after the raid across the river. You could see the two places from one another and his home where i had soldiers using it as an outpost from all three mutually see one another. It was really interesting, and i i counted a great privilege to have participated in that, and i give great credit to all units involved. You know, my book, it has been noted for its vivid detail and a lot of the experiences we went through which was important to me coming home, was to tell our portion of it. It was not to make sure that it didnt get told but not erased from history. Three adopted children from hungary, how did that come about . Well we had two children at the time and we wanted more she was concern about flairups of childhood arthritis and more pregnancy, there was a chance it could recur, so we began to look at adoption. We were stationed in europe at the time, and i went to a mens conference in germany and there was an army dock there who adopted two boys from hungary and worked in an orphanage that. One thing led to another explored how he did the process, and then we used a facileitatefacilitator, a marvellous lady, and she and her husband with their two very, very small children the oldest was 18 months and hungary revolt of 56 they fled and made it over the mountains to austria austria. Nixon picked five families to be instant u. S. Citizen, and they were one of five. A miracle story. When she retired, she worked to place orphan children in hungary with soldiers because she had such love for the military having worked around it, and one thing led to another, and we adopted a set of orphan siblings. They were 5, 6, and 8, and that was in the year 2000. And where are they all now . They are owl in the Oklahoma City metro area. My oldest daughter, shes graduated from college, and runs a business, and my oldest son, he works, and they are all doing pretty good, you know, trying to find their way, and i got them all to 18 without incident or crime, so, you know im thankful for that, and now its on them to make a good life of their own. Im very proud of them. What about your life here in washington as a member of congress . What do you want to achieve . Whats your objective . I think the main thing is we need to get back to basics of life liberty and property. The government has a federal role. Abraham lincoln put it well when he said those things that we can do ourselves the government ought not to interfere but those things electively that we cannot accomplish, the government may have a role, and i think that we ought to keep it in that perspective. Its tempting for the government to want to take over every aspect of our lives but thats not something we need to do. The American People are resilient. They largely want to be left alone. They want to have fruit of their labor, they are willing to pay some taxes for roads, schools, things we all collectively need Law Enforcement, but they do not want a government that tells them what to eat, what to drink how to be clothed, you know how much they can do this that or the other. The american innovative spirit defied that and it still does today, and i hope to bring that reminder as we go back and look at the framing documents right here in the town, magnificent to see them, they remind us that we can pursue that happiness, that we have life liberty and property. And the government has to protect those things and also promote good policy to protect those things. Not take away and encroach upon them. Can you carry on with those principles and yet also compromise with democrats . Sure. I think the framing of the constitution was a huge compromise. You had states that wanted autonomy autonomy. You had a need for road, communication, and Defense System that they could not really provide, and so they were willing to ditch the articles of confederation for the constitution, and they labored over it. John jay and james madison, Alexander Hamilton many other, they debated, studied, looked at past democracies and wondered why they failed and determined we needed a representative republic with checks and balances so one side could not usurp the other and divide it further among the branchs and so when we hear complaints we cant get anything done in washington, it was designed that way. It was literally designed so that there would be competing interests, and i think when you come to overlapping circles of need, thats where you can find the compromise. Thats where you can find the things that most americans can get behind and you can do. Already seeing it, already beginning to do some of it, my dad was a democrat. My mom, a republican. I grew up in a house divided. I think its important to listen to both sides. No person is the font of all knowledge. I learned something from everybody i talked to and i think its important that we keep that perspective. At a minimum well be more so lid fied eddwsh solidified in believing they were correct, but we may be persuaded to another view but you cant do that if you dont hold relationships, reach across and talk to one another. That is a problem. We have to work on that more. How cool do you intend to serve . I have not thought about that. I find it amazing im here, and im very humbled and honored, and i think as long as im here i wouldnt say i like the work, thats a strong word, but enjoying it, i do enjoy the work. Im equipped for it with my Life Experiences as a businessman soldier, author, speaker, i worked with teems my entire life, building them, leading them, solving tremendous problems, and so i feel equipped to be here and i hope to be useful to the country for as long as is practical. Which is the final question, not on the policy side but on the the personal side. Whats the biggest challenge of being a member of congress . Your time is completely consumed by handlers and others and i think having time for my faith and for my family. Im fortunate that with our kids grown, we travel back and forth together. Now, the government does not pay for us to keep an apartment here or her travel to come up. Theres a cost associatesed with this, but theres a cost if you dont, and were still rather fond of each other after all these years, so we have determined that we want to do that, and shes been a great support to me, and i think that building those types of margins in your life so that you can take a step back with the fresh look, and then as a warrior, i tried to keep fit my whole life to have a clear head and good energy, and so trying to find the time for that has been a challenge, but challenge, doable. Congressman Steve Russell of oklahoma, thank you for your time. Thank you. Our conversations with new members of Congress Continues with republican will hurd of texas. Hes the first africanamerican republican to represent texas since reconstruction. He served abroad for a number of years in the cia. He talks about his family background, education, and views on national security. This is 30 minutes. Congressman will hurd from the 23rd Congressional District of texas. A district that includes what, approximately 5,000 square miles, 8 00 miles of border along texas and mexico . How do you manage that . I put a lot of miles on the car. Its a big district. 29 counties, two time zones, as you said, 800 miles to the border and its a huge space but thats one of the reasons why i love this district. We have some beautiful parts of the state, and this is why, you know, pretty much a noname new fresh face was able to win this district was because the amount of time we spent criss crossing it, and not afraid to burn up miles on the car and chew leather. Thats what makes this exciting. Give us a sense of the demographics in the district, the cities or towns, and what struck you the most as you traveled in your campaign . Right. San antonio is the most popular city in the district a fourth of san antonio. Thats where i was born and raised. My parents still live in the house i was born into. Thats on the eastern end of the district. On the western end is el paso a large city also covered by two members of congress. In between, you have towns like castroville and hondo, and alpine, Big Ben National Park and its about a 67 hispanic district, and so you know, you have such a rural part and urban areas of san antonio, and el paso. The thing that struck me the most when i was criss crossing the 29 counties is that people care about national security. Theyre worried about their future, and they are worried about the safety of their children and their family. That was great because of my background. You know, i spen