On Independence Day, we remember and celebrate the courage of our Founding Fathers, who risked life and treasure to establish a free nation. And we honor the soldiers who’ve sacrificed to keep our nation free ever since.

For me, our nation’s 248th birthday is a reminder that my own story is not possible in any
other country in the world.

My father was a tobacco and corn farmer from Nashville, Georgia. He served his country as a Merchant Marine in World War II and into the 1960s. After retiring, he moved to Mexico, worked on a cattle farm, and started a family.

I was born and raised in Mexico, and lived there until I came to America at 17. After graduating high school in Albany, Georgia, I set out on a journey that changed the course of my life.

I joined the Army National Guard, enlisting as a private. Last year, I retired as a Major General.

During my four decades of service, I deployed to Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and even to our southern border during the early days of the Trump administration. I served with, and commanded, some of the best soldiers America has to offer.

I also started a career in law enforcement, graduating from the Atlanta Police Academy in 1985. During my time with the Atlanta PD, my focus was cracking down on gangs. I was shot in the line of duty by a drug dealer, selected to join the Red Dog Squad, and spent three years working the toughest street assignments in the city.

My law enforcement career started as a beat cop, but eventually I became Chief of Police in Doraville, a city just northeast of Atlanta. I served as a law enforcement officer for 30 years. Our community was diverse, and we worked to build bridges and keep at-risk youth out of trouble.

In 2019, Gov. Brian Kemp called me. He said the Department of Insurance was a mess — the current Insurance Commissioner was on the way to jail — and the entire insurance industry in Georgia needed to be cleaned up.

Politics was never my calling card, but I took the job. We immediately got to work cleaning up Georgia’s insurance industry — we’ve leveled the largest fine against a big insurance company in state history, arrested hundreds of fraudsters, and recovered more than $50 million for taxpayers.

The voters liked our results. In 2022, they elected me to a full term in office, making me the first Hispanic elected statewide in Georgia history.

I say all of that to say this: My story is only possible here. Only in America could a kid born and raised in Mexico come here the right way, and go on to become a Major General in our Army and a Police Chief, and statewide elected official.

Independence Day, however, is also a reminder that the American Dream is at risk for future generations. I mentioned that I deployed to our southern border in the early days of the Trump administration. I served by coordinating the Department of Defense’s efforts and supporting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security across the entire U.S. Mexico Border, and we made real progress working with the Mexican military towards securing both sides of the border.

I was back at the Border Patrol Ajo Station in Arizona in March. The situation has deteriorated there, and across our southern border, under the Biden administration. His border policies are a threat to every American, which we’ve seen play out with tragic
consequences in Georgia and other states.

President Joe Biden and his team aren’t protecting our nation — and they’re leaving soldiers and border patrol agents in peril. It’s not only happening at our border. It’s happening around the world.

We all remember the disgraceful Afghanistan withdrawal, which got 13 American service members killed. President Biden refused to acknowledge them, and other soldiers lost on his watch, during the debate last week. That’s a stain on our nation’s honor. Obvious weakness invites more aggression. Case in point: Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine came only months later. It wouldn’t have happened without the Afghanistan debacle. Following the October 7 attacks on Israel, Biden had the chance to break the cycle, stand with one of our closest allies, and rescue American hostages held by Hamas.

Instead, he’s let a bunch of fanatics in his own party set the terms of our foreign policy. Americans are still being held hostage, and the Biden Administration’s weakness has invited even more aggression from Iran — the world’s largest state sponsor of terror. A weak America puts the American Dream — the one our Founders and millions since have sacrificed for, and that I’ve been blessed to live — at risk.

Independence Day is a celebration of the American spirit, and the American Dream. To ensure that the American Dream is alive and well for future generations, we must secure our border and enforce our laws. We must stand with our allies as they fight evil. We must send a clear message to our enemies that aggression will not be ignored. And above all else, we must elect a new president in November.

Gen. John King (Ret.) served in the U.S. Army and National Guard for four decades and served as police chief of Doraville for 17 years. Today, he is Georgia’s Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, and is the first Hispanic elected to statewide office in Georgia history.