Can I tell you about my dad?

Today is Veterans Day, and if you'll give me a moment, I want to tell you about my dad.

I know that change is possible in just a generation, because that's the story of my dad, Roberto.

The story starts in 1950. He was five years old, growing up in Mexico, just west of the Rio Grande Valley, when his parents — my grandparents — immigrated to the United States.

They were farmworkers. Growing up, when he wasn't in school, he worked in the fields right alongside them, picking tomatoes and cotton.

A couple of years after high school, at the height of the Vietnam War, he walked down to the local recruiting office and signed up to join the US Marine Corps. Just like today, for a lot of black and brown kids without good options, joining the military was a way up.

When he was in training at Camp Pendleton, a Marine buddy invited him to a party off-base with some friends, where he met a cute young woman named Concha. According to the family stories, Roberto wasn't dressed very well — and Concha wanted nothing to do with him.

Before long, my dad shipped out to Vietnam. Despite Concha's initial disinterest, he wrote a letter to her and she wrote him back. He wrote another and she wrote him back. Again and again; so many letters. His service was tough. He saw combat and, well, he doesn't like to talk about it much. But he has admitted, "those letters kept me alive."

After two tours, he came home, found Concha and two months later, they were married. I was born the following year. In exchange for his service in the Marine Corps fighting for this country, my father became a US citizen. It was one of the proudest days of his life. My dad was fortunate to be able to turn the skills from his service into a good-paying union job that provided a middle-class upbringing for me and my sister.

So, on this Veterans Day, I'm thinking of my father, Roberto, and honoring the millions of men and women who served with him, and before him and after him. They deserve our deepest gratitude.

But gratitude alone doesn't pay the bills or heal old wounds. So, when I go to Congress, I'll also demand that our country honor its veterans by ensuring the best health care we can give them, including mental and behavioral health; better support in the transition to civilian employment; and a commitment to diplomacy and global engagement so that war is a last resort and limited in scope—not first and forever.

To our veterans, thank you.

Andrea