Rep. Ted Lieu, a Democrat who represents the 33rd Congressional District in California, was promoted to colonel in the U.S. Air Force at a ceremony on June 15.
A decorated veteran, Lieu joins less than four thousand others out of the 660,000 men and women in the Air Force and the reserves in attaining this rank.
During his 20 years of service, including four on active duty beginning in 1995, Lieu served in both Operation Desert Strike and Operation Pacific Haven as a military prosecutor and commander adviser in the JAG Corps. He is the recipient of the Air Force Humanitarian Service Medal and a handful of Meritorious Service Medals, according to his office.
Born in Taiwan, Lieu came to America with his family when he was 3 years old. Prior to becoming a congressman, Lieu won elections for the Torrance City Council and both the California state Assembly and Senate.
“As the son of immigrant parents who were able to achieve the American dream, I joined the Air Force on active duty and decided to continue to serve in the Reserves to give back to America — an exceptional country of boundless opportunity that has given so much to my family,” Lieu said. “I look forward to continuing to serve our nation as an officer and as a member of the House of Representatives. In both these solemn duties, I pledge to always honor the Air Force’s core values: integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do.”
