Arizona Representative Ruben Gallego will have as guests at Thursday's State of the Union Address two brothers from the Navajo Nation with whom he served in the Marine Corps in Iraq.
Gallego says he’s long been impressed by what he calls John and Cheston Bailon’s warrior spirit and has come to know their family and Indigenous heritage well.
The brothers and Gallego served in the Lima Company during combat deployment in 2005.
Gallego says his experiences with the Bailons motivate the work he does in Congress including veteran’s health care issues and legislation under consideration in the U.S. Senate to bolster programs to investigate and prevent child abuse on tribal lands.
Gallego, a Democrat, is running for Arizona's now-open U.S. Senate seat. Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced she would not seek a second term this week.