ENDORSEMENT OF THE 19th COMBAT VETERAN FOR CONGRESS TO RUN FOR CONGRESS IN 2020   

  Combat Veterans For Congress---Embedded Integrity

The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is endorsing Lcdr Michael J. Garcia, USNA ’98, USN of Santa Clarita, California to run for Congress in the 25th Congressional District of California in 2020.  Lcdr Garcia is a fiscally conservative candidate who believes in a smaller, leaner federal government, lower taxes, a strong national defense, and he will work to rein in the out of control spending by reckless members of Congress.  Lcdr Garcia is an independent thinking Republican, who will champion Veterans' rights.  

Lcdr Garcia will work with President Trump to secure the southern border and provide Customs and Border Patrol Agents the needed resources they have been asking for to prevent 100,000 Illegal Aliens, from 60 countries, from entering the United States each month.  Lcdr Garcia is running for the seat in the 25th Congressional District of California that is held by first term Congresswoman Katie Hill (D-CA-25), who has stated that “Pelosi is a huge role model for me” and “is the most successful woman, like, ever.”  Pelosi and Hill said Illegal Aliens should be given the right to vote and free medical care, while forty thousand of Veterans sleeping on the streets receive no free medical care.  

Hill is on the far-left fringe of American politics, and is completely out-of-step with Antelope Valley, Simi Valley, and Santa Clarita values; she joined the far left Progressive/Socialist Caucus in the House of Representatives with Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rep Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Rep Ayanna Pressley (D-MA).  They all support the sweeping “New Green Deal”, which is the Socialist program proposed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at a cost of $93 trillion, or approximately $600,000.00 per household, according to a study co-authored by the former director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.   

Hill and the 4 above listed Congresswomen are also proposing the elimination of all private and business health insurance, to be replaced by a government controlled Universal Health Care program, and according to the nonpartisan Mercatus Center at George Washington University, at a cost of $36 trillion, or approximately $232,258 .00 per household.  Hill voted against cutting any taxes, against closing the wide open southern border, voted to restrict gun rights granted by the 2nd Amendment, and voted to give 1.2 million Illegal Aliens amnesty, regardless of their criminal records.  Hill also voted for HR 5, the Equality Act, that eliminates civil right protections for women, eliminates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Michael Garcia was born on April 24, 1976 in Granada Hills, CA.  He is a first generation American whose father legally immigrated to the US in 1959.  Mike was raised in a family that exemplifies service to country.  Mike’s step-father served in the Vietnam conflict, and is a LAPD Police Officer.  Mike’s uncle served honorably for 20 years in the US Air Force.  Mike was raised in Mission Hills, CA until age 7, and moved to Saugus in 1983 where he and his two brothers, Gus and Justin were raised.  Mike played little league baseball; he also pitched, played short stop, and 2nd base.  He graduated at the top of his high school class in June 1994.   

Mike received a principle appointment to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD from Congressman Buck McKeon.  He was sworn into the US Navy as a Midshipman on July 1, 1994.  In May 22, 1998, Mike graduated in the top 3% of his class from the US Naval Academy, was commissioned as an Ensign in the US Navy, received a Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in Political Science and a minor in Spanish, and 60% of his curriculum consisted of engineering courses.  Ensign Garcia received a Master of Arts Degree in National Security Studies from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, in Washington DC on December of 1998.  

Prior to graduation from the US Naval Academy, Midshipman Garcia was medically qualified for flight training.  In January 1999, following graduation from Georgetown University, Ensign Garcia reported for primary flight training in T-34Cs, at the US Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL.  In November 1999, Ens Garcia reported to Naval Air Station, Meridian, Mississippi for advance jet aircraft training.  He was promoted to Lieutenant (junior grade) in May 2000 and received his Wings of Gold in February of 2001. Because of his excellent performance in flight school, Lt (jg) Garcia was assigned to train in the advanced F/A-18E Super Hornet Strike Fighter.  In March 2001, he reported to VFA-122, CA to continue training in the advanced F/A-18E Super Hornet Strike Fighters, and qualified in December 2001 as one of the first Super Hornet Strike Fighter Pilots in the US Navy, and received orders to report to VFA-14, the Tophatters Squadron.   

On May 1, 2002, Lt (jg) Garcia was promoted to Lieutenant.  In early 2003, Lt Garcia deployed with VFA-14, aboard USS Nimitz (CVN-68); Lt Garcia was assigned as the Squadron Avionics and Armament Division Officer and Legal Officer during the deployment.  In April 2003, the USS Nimitz arrived in the Persian Gulf and reported in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  While aboard USS Nimitz, from April 2003 to October 2003, VFA-14 flew air support missions in the Iraq theater of operations.   Lt Garcia served as both a section lead and combat wingman strike fighter pilot in the F/A-18E.  

Lt Garcia flew 30 combat missions over Baghdad, Tikrit and Fallujah, Iraq with sortie durations ranging from 4 hours to 8.5 hours, in direct support of US combat ground operations.  He participated in pre-planned strikes, close air support, and suppression missions throughout the six months he flew in theatre.  Despite flying over threat areas at all altitudes during combat ground operations, there was no evidence of direct fire to Lt Garcia’s aircraft.  In November 2003, the USS Nimitz with VFA-14 Squadron returned CONUS, based out of NAS Lemoore.  Lt Garcia was awarded the Navy Strike Air Medal for Combat Sorties over Iraq and various Campaign medals, and was assigned as Assistant Operations Officer.

Lt Garcia made several other deployments aboard USS Nimitz, and in January 2005, he was transferred to VFA-122, the Fleet Replacement Squadron for Instructor’s Duty at Naval Air Station Lemoore, CA.   In January 2007, Lcdr Garcia was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 11, which was embarked in the USS Nimitz, as the Airwing Strike Ops Officer.  In April 2008, Lt Garcia was promoted to Lieutenant Commander.  On June 15, 2009, Lcdr Garcia received an Honorable Discharge, from the US Navy and accepted an appointment as a Lcdr in the USNaval Reserve.  He is the recipient of the Strike Air Medal, the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and numerous Service and Campaign Medals. 

Lcdr Garcia moved back into the 25th Congressional District and in 2009, he accepted a management position with the Raytheon Company.  He continued as a Naval Reserve Officer and was assigned as an Instructor Pilot with VF-122, the Fleet Replacement Squadron at NAS Lemoore.  He resigned his Naval Reserve commission in April 2012.

For 10 years, Mike Garcia was a Senior Director and Vice President Business Development for Space and Airborne Systems at Raytheon.  He has been responsible for generating billions of dollars of revenue and for helping create hundreds of jobs for his company in the 25th Congressional District.  Mike Garcia stated, “The aerospace industry in the 25th Congressional District of California should be supported by the district’s local leadership.  This industry has brought high-end technology to the warfighter, and high paying jobs to our community.  Mike is currently the Senior Director for F-15 Radar Programs, but is currently transitioning out of that position to focus on campaigning full time. 

Besides his service in the US Navy and his employment in senior management with a large aerospace firm, Mike Garcia has been pursuing his passion for real estate since 2002 as an investor, and in 2004, he first began acquiring, and refurbishing real estate, to provide quality rental properties for lower income families.  In 2017, Mike formed Rhino Estates, LLC, to acquire depressed real estate for rehabilitation and has been successful in refurbishing and flipping single family units and small apartment complexes for families who can’t afford home ownership on their own.

Mike Garcia has been endorsed by Former Congressman and House Armed Services Chairman Buck McKeon, Former Congressman Elton Gallegly, Simi Valley Mayor Keith Mashburn, former Santa Clarita Mayor & current Santa Clarita Councilman Bob Kellar, National Radio-Talk Show Host & Author Larry Elder, Esq., Simi Valley Councilman Mike Judge, Simi Valley Councilwoman Elaine Litster, the Combat Veterans For Congress PAC, former President of Ventura County Board of Education Yvonne Farris, Santa Clarita Board of Education Trustee William S. Hart, Santa Clarita Board  of Education Member Linda Storli, Former Santa Clarita Councilman Dennis Koontz, Santa Clarita School District Board Member Joe Messina, Palmdale School District Board Member and Retired Superintendent Nancy Smith, Santa Clarita Valley Water Board President Bill Cooper, Santa Clarita Valley Water Board Vice President Gary Martin, and Santa Clarita Valley Water Board Director B. J. Atkins.

Mike is a member of the NRA, the VFW, the American Legion, US Naval Academy Alumni Association, a Committee Member of Angel's Force USA, and Santa Clarita's Sheriff's Foundation.  Mike has been married for 6 years to his wife Rebecca, the owner of the Rebecca Rollins Interiors of Santa Clarita.  They are proud parents of two children, Preston age 12 (from Mike’s first marriage), and Jet age 2.  The Garcias are active members of the Real Life Church in Valencia, CA. 

The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is pleased to endorse Lcdr Michael J. Garcia, USNA ’98, USN  who will bring to Congress private sector skills and wisdom to better solve problems in government and represent the 25thCongressional District of California and the Republic.  If you review Lcdr Garcia’s positions on his website, you would be pleased with his stands as they agree with the Combat Veterans For Congress Mission Statement.  

We look forward to working with Lcdr Garcia, and are pleased that a Combat Veteran of his caliber is running for Congress.  If you have friends, associates, or relatives who know voters in the 25th Congressional District of California, kindly pass this E-mail on to them, and ask them to support Lcdr Garcia by working in his campaign, providing financial support for his campaign in any amount, and/or by networking with others who would be willing to support his campaign.  

The military is one of the few remaining institutions producing the caliber of men and women needed to restore this nation to the greatness our Founding Fathers envisioned.  We have endorsed another Combat Veteran For Congress that General George Washington would have approved of.  He is a Veteran who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America” for an amount “up to and including his life.”