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Bolduc: Character, courage, country

What makes Don Bolduc the best choice as our candidate for US Senate? If you are as old as I am, I’m sure you remember the Army slogan, “Be all you can be.” This is a slogan that characterizes Don Bolduc’s entire life.

At 5′ 7” and not weighing near as much as his counterparts in high school, he was told “You can’t play football.” Yet he became a starter for the Laconia High School Football team. At 18 years old they said Don was too young to be a police officer, yet there he was, the youngest officer in the ranks of the Laconia Police Force.

When he was told by his parents and family members that it was time to serve in the military because it’s the family tradition, he went to enlist in the Army. Bolduc enlisted in the Army as a private and decided he wanted more. He embraced the slogan, “Be all you can be” and became The Soldier of the Year and was recognized as such by Colin Powell. He then decided that being Soldier of the Year was not all he could be, so between 10 deployments to Afghanistan, he graduated from the Army War College.

Very few, if any, soldiers returned to Afghanistan 10 times especially after receiving 2 purple hearts for battlefield injuries, once when he was critically injured when a bomb was dropped in close proximity to his personal location and later when he was shot down in a helicopter. Through the years, he was promoted through the ranks from Private to Brigadier General. The fact that this does not happen very often in the Army did not stop Don Bolduc. Don went on to command twice in Africa as a General leading the fight against terrorist cells there along with other ongoing missions.

Recognizing the effect that combat was having on those in his command as well as himself, he used his rank of General to help those suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTS) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Don stepped forward and announced that he too was suffering from PTS and advised those in his command to come forward with no repercussions even though it hurt his chances for his next promotion. Since then, Don and his service dog Victor have traveled the country being tireless advocates for those suffering with PTS and TBI.

Most recently at 59 years old, he felt he had more to give to New Hampshire and the people he admires, so he entered the NH Police Academy and graduated near the top of his class with some candidates being less than one third his age.

So, what makes Don Bolduc the best choice for candidate for the US Senate? History! History of, “Be all you can be” and consistently doing the absolute best in whatever endeavor he choose to do. Soldiers in his command called him “Everyone’s General,” a role model all can embrace.

That is what will make Don Bolduc the best choice for New Hampshire’s US Senate seat. “Character, Courage, Country.”

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