A ceremony was held on April 1, 2007 to commission Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo into the Hawaii Army National Guard, and pin her with her new rank of Second Lieutenant.

Tulsi was elected to the Hawaii State House of Representatives in 2002, at 21 years old, becoming the youngest legislator ever elected in Hawaii. She enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard in 2003, and shipped off to boot camp shortly after the legislative session was complete. As she campaigned for re-election in 2004, the 29th Brigade Combat Team was activated for a combat tour in Iraq. Even though not personally called up for duty, Tulsi knew that she could not stay behind. She volunteered to deploy with the 29th BCT and withdrew from her re-election campaign.

More recently, she completed 60 days of rigorous training at the Alabama Military Academy's Officer Candidate School. The training was physically and mentally tough, with virtually no contact with the outside world. Out of 155 graduates from 42 states, Tulsi received awards as the Distinguished Honor Graduate, due to her being at the overall top of her class in leadership evaluations, academics, physical fitness, and peer evaluations. Tulsi also made history by becoming the first female Distinguished Honor Graduate in the Alabama Military Academy's 50 year history.

Tulsi felt very proud and yet humbled by the experience, and by the show of support for her commissioning. She said, "I learned so much from being trained by the best the Army has, and look forward to what lies ahead as a leader in the Hawaii Army National Guard." She continued, "Being a leader of soldiers carries a great amount of responsibility. You are responsible for soldiers' lives. This is a responsibility that I take very seriously."

Senator Daniel K. Akaka and his wife, Millie, were present to assist Mike and Carol Gabbard with the pinning of the Second Lieutenant rank.

State Adjutant General Robert Lee swore Tulsi in, reciting the Oath of Office, and spoke to the audience about the modern mission of the Hawaii Army National Guard, and what it means to serve as a young leader in today's Army.

The end of January 2006 brought Tulsi and all our brave Hawaii soldiers back home to us. Her homecoming brought to close a long year of mixed emotions in our family. Every day we thought about Tulsi, what she was doing, where she was, how many mortars came into the camp that day, etc. Every time she told us she was flying to Baghdad on a Blackhawk, our hearts froze until we knew she had completed her mission and was back at her camp. We did our best to hide our worries from Tulsi, to ensure that her head was clear and so she wouldn't worry about us too much.

Seeing Tulsi and the 250+ other soldiers standing tall in the hangar at Kalaeloa Air Field, their eyes wandering through the crowd looking for their respective families, the sun gently rising in the background, and the National Anthem playing, I was so proud to be the father of a brave American soldier.

It was a long year for us, but we are so proud of Tulsi and our other soldiers for what they accomplished in the Middle East. They played a part in making history in Iraq . They represented our state very well. They completed the mission, and came home. Our deepest condolences go out to the families of the 29th BCT soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and freedom, and in our hearts, we share their pain.