by Ann Marie Kennon • photos courtesy Rep. Terry Wilson
COVER FEATURE
Soldier, Statesman, Servant
A Candid Q&A with Texas Representative Terry Wilson GTV: Please tell our readers a bit about your background, and what inspired you to get involved in politics. As a young man of 15 or 16, I was aimless and didn’t see any real path for myself until a vocational teacher at my school saw some promise in me. I learned electrical and plumbing skills during the day, but operating heavy equipment in the west Texas oilfield, especially the bulldozer, was my favorite. Building those dirt formations and working with dynamite nitrate — blowing the side off a hill — was when I realized I wanted to join the armed services. It was vocational education that kept me in school, gave me a pathway, and planted the seeds of service that eventually pulled me into politics. Joining the U.S. Army gave a sense of belonging and value, and stoked my desire to protect and defend my nation. It also allowed me to attend Texas A&M University and even obtain my master’s degree from the Air War College. In my 32 years, I was given many opportunities to defend our nation. I was deployed many times, from the Horn of Africa to South America, and spent half my career fighting or preparing to fight the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. When I came home from serving overseas, I was asked to make great sacrifices for my country and spend a little time in Washington, DC and many places across the United States as a Research and Development executive for the Department of the Army. Whether it was enhancing
lines of communication, refining our weapons systems, bolstering our defenses, or resolving complex command and control issues, my goal was to ensure our service members had optimal support to fulfill their mission. Fortunately, my education and on-the-ground experience left me well equipped to understand where our nation might be vulnerable in the future, then guide development of the tools necessary in defense of her. When I retired and came home, I was asked by leadership at my sons' ISD to assist on the administration selection committee and was later asked to run for office. Service, both in the military and now as a representative, allowed me to see who I really am, and have become, at my core. I am not so much a colonel or representative as I am Scoutmaster, American soldier, and servant. I love my family and my country and work as hard as I can every day to be obedient to my Lord and Savior.
GTV: How do you see your role as a Texas Representative? The oath of office says it perfectly, “to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.” A constitution sets up a government, and if that government does not protect our rights, build solid infrastructure, and provide for the common defense, the people may scrap it and start over. As a State Representative, I listen to the people of House District 20, assess potential solutions under the F E B R UA R Y 2 0 2 4
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