Republican Slate of Candidate
John Jun
Office: State Representative District 115
Candidacy Status: Candidate
Phone: 469-235-0041
E-Mail:
Website: https://www.johnjunfortexas.com/
Candidate Statement:
Biography:
I was born in South Korea and immigrated to Guam, USA at the age of 10. I graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Guam when I was 16 and soon joined the U.S. Navy after turning 17 in 1986.
I went to San Diego for bootcamp, left to Memphis for A-school training, and then was stationed in Virginia Beach, VA with VA-75 squadron. I was deployed to the Mediterranean on the carrier U.S.S. John F. Kennedy and did two tours in 1986-87 and 1988-89. I was part of the nuclear weapons loading/unloading team, and I worked on the flight deck as an aviation machinist and part of the flight preparation crew.
In 1988-89, we were in conflict with Libya because jets from our carrier shot down two Libyan jets, and we stayed an extra month because Muammar Gaddafi vowed to sink our carrier, which of course didn?t happen
After four years, I left the Navy with an honorable discharge in 1990 and met my wife. We dated for five years and got married in 1995.
From 1995-2009, I worked odd jobs during the week and sold items at the Traders Village flea market on the weekends with my wife and our four kids. We were barely making ends meet, but we leaned on each other for support and grew close through these experiences.
Starting in 2000, I got involved with volunteering for various organizations. In 2004, I co-founded a nonprofit, nonpartisan community advocacy organization called Korean American Coalition DFW Chapter (KAC-DFW), where I got to provide free citizenship application assistance. The following year, not only did several seniors and applicants call to let me know that they had received their citizenship, but I also got to see them vote for the first time.
These senior citizens came out of the voting booth elated, saying that they never thought they would have been able to vote in their lifetime due to the language barrier and complicated process. Since then, they have become active voters in their communities and even encouraged their friends and families to also exercise their right to vote.
This experience had a profound impact on me and holds a special place in my heart because I was able to help people even though I didn't have a career, degree, or money to give. And it was through this that I realized I wanted to spend my life making meaningful differences to the community.
My first step was to go back to school. I prayed many times along the journey and asked God to guide me through the difficulties, especially having been out of school for 20 years and struggling financially with four little kids.
But I also made a promise to Him: that as He carried me through these hurdles, I would not forget my reason and purpose ? to become a better servant. Needless to say, my prayers were answered, and I have been so blessed to be able to pursue my passion of serving the community and making a difference, however big or small.
This experience had a profound impact on me and holds a special place in my heart because I was able to help people even though I didn't have a career, degree, or money to give. And it was through this that I realized I wanted to spend my life making meaningful differences to the community.
My first step was to go back to school. I prayed many times along the journey and asked God to guide me through the difficulties, especially having been out of school for 20 years and struggling financially with four little kids.
But I also made a promise to Him: that as He carried me through these hurdles, I would not forget my reason and purpose ? to become a better servant. Needless to say, my prayers were answered, and I have been so blessed to be able to pursue my passion of serving the community and making a difference, however big or small.
When I ran for City Council, I said that I would make it a priority to be fiscally responsible and personally meet with citizens, listen to their thoughts, and learn about their concerns in order to best advocate for them. This was important to me because I wanted to make sure that every citizen felt like their voice was heard. Looking back, I can confidently say that I have kept my promise and served in the best interest of the community.
And this is the same mentality and approach that I will uphold, if given the opportunity to serve as the District 115 representative.
As I begin this journey, I humbly ask for your support, encouragement, advice, friendship, contribution, and most importantly, your prayers. While I am just an average individual with many of my own personal shortcomings, I am eager to learn and grow as I lean into my passion and commit to listening to and serving each one of you.
This is my story, and I look forward to one day hearing yours.
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