""I had to watch it twice," Mendoza told The Advocate. "It just brought back so many memories for me. It really did capture how it is to make a Marine.""
""He sees all of my drill instructor stuff, and I was like, 'That really happened!'" she said. "It's about time to tell these stories of service members who served during 'don't ask, don't tell.'""
""To be a leader means to do what's right, even when people say it's wrong, and in the face of adversity," she said. "When you're out there, you're not asking people what their political party is or what their orientation is. What you're saying is, are you competent, can you accomplish the mission, and will you have my back?""
""You give so much of yourself for your country," she said. "When you serve, it's not about partisanship-it's about living up to our oath to the Constitution and to one another.""
JoAnna Mendoza watched the Netflix military drama Boots twice because its boot camp portrayal evoked strong memories from more than two decades in the U.S. Marine Corps. As a former gunnery sergeant and drill instructor, Mendoza experienced both laughter and tears while watching with her nine-year-old son who recognized her drill instructor moments. Mendoza is an out LGBTQ+ candidate running for Congress in Arizona's 6th District with endorsement from the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund. Military leadership lessons from service shaped Mendoza's public service philosophy: leadership requires doing what is right amid adversity and prioritizing mission, competence, and mutual commitment over partisanship.
Read at Advocate.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]