Gabbard, Tulsi, 1981-

Tulsi Gabbard (born April 12, 1981) is an American politician and United States Army Reserve officer. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the U.S. Representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021. Gabbard was the first Hindu member of Congress and also the first Samoan-American voting member of Congress.

Born in Leloaloa, American Samoa, her family moved to Hawaii when she was two years old. In 2002, while working as a self-employed martial arts instructor, Gabbard was the youngest legislator ever elected to represent the 42nd House district of the Hawaii House of Representatives. In April 2003, while serving in the Hawaii State Legislature, Gabbard enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard; she was deployed for a 12-month tour in Iraq in July 2004. In March 2007, she graduated from the Accelerated Officer Candidate School at the Alabama Military Academy. She was commissioned as a second lieutenant, and assigned to the 29th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Hawaii Army National Guard, this time to serve as an Army Military Police officer. She was stationed in Kuwait from 2008 to 2009. Having dropped out of Leeward Community College in 2002 to run for the state legislature, Gabbard earned a B.S.B.A. from Hawaii Pacific University in 2009.

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