Tom’s Story

My story begins in the farmland of western Minnesota, in and around the town of Morris. My parents were born, raised, and married there. In 1972, they left Morris to begin my dad’s service in the United States Navy at Naval Flight School in Pensacola, FL.

As my parents moved around the world to serve in the Navy they started their family, and eventually made their back home to Eden Prairie, Minnesota. They provided a wonderful childhood for my brothers, sister, and me -- an upbringing full of faith, hard work, service, and love. My memories are full of trips to my grandparents’ farm, visits to the family cabin, and plenty of basketball, baseball, and football with my Eden Prairie friends. My love of country and appreciation for our way of life, which was planted by my family, took hold of me as I grew up in Minnesota.

I graduated from Eden Prairie High School then attended the University of Notre Dame, participating in the Navy ROTC program. I graduated from Notre Dame with honors in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and was commissioned in the Navy in 2001.

Naval Service

I was stationed in Charleston, SC, at Navy Nuclear Power Training Command on 9/11. While studying, I heard one sailor say a small plane had hit the World Trade Center. As the son of a pilot, I immediately headed to the cafeteria to find a television. Moments later, I watched in stunned silence as the second plane hit. We instantly became a nation at war and I became a son worried about where my dad was flying that day. By the grace of God, my dad had been scheduled to fly out of Atlanta the morning of September 11, 2001, and his flight was cancelled. The tragedy of 9/11 solidified my commitment and motivation to serve and defend our nation.

National Security looks different through a periscope

During my Naval career, I deployed throughout the world and operated against, “in the immediate vicinity of”, or underneath military forces of our 4 most dangerous adversaries – Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran – providing me a unique understanding of National Security. I served in 13 different duty stations, visited over 35 countries, and conducted numerous missions vital to America’s national security. Whether it was operating a submarine in the South China Sea, deploying to Japan as part of Operation TOMODACHI following the Great Japanese Earthquake, or conducting operations onboard the USS EISENHOWER in the North Arabian Sea, I cherished the opportunity to wear our country’s uniform for the last 20 years and am proud of my service.

A Change in Course

The next step in my American Dream was to take command of a fast attack submarine. However, in the Summer of 2017, just before I was to begin my commanding officer training, I received a curveball: a diagnosis of Early Onset Parkinson’s Disease. Relying on my faith, family, friends, and outstanding medical care at Walter Reed, I coped with and grew to understand my diagnosis and the disease. During this time, I kept my military career charging forward, volunteering for a deployment to the Middle East onboard the aircraft carrier, USS EISENHOWER, completing a record breaking 206-day continuous deployment to the Middle East, and completing a tour as a Military Assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Unfortunately, two requests to be granted a medical waiver to return to service onboard a submarine were both denied. My dreams of commanding a submarine were over, but I knew I had more to give to this great nation.

Following my retirement after 20 years of service in the United States Navy, my love of family and home brought me back to Minnesota; and my love of country and desire to continue to serve led me to run to represent Minnesotans of the 3rd District. Although the run ended in defeat, my desire to serve and fix problems in our government, benefitting all Minnesotans, was galvanized during the campaign.

It is time to get to work once again to earn your vote to represent Minnesotans with leadership, character, and accountability in the United States Senate.

It’s time for the United States Senate to start fixing our government to better serve all Minnesotans.