Sowers stops in Kennett

Tommy Sowers, right, stops at Kennett on Friday, Jan. 29, as part of his "Boots on the Ground" tour. Also pictured is Sowers' campaign manager Matt Hendren, driver side of truck, and dog Chuck, center.

Staff photo by Joshua Payne

During his "Boots on the Ground" deployment, Tommy Sowers, candidate for Missouri's 8th Congressional District, recently made several stops in the Bootheel, visiting cities like Kennett, Braggadocio and Holcomb.

According to Sowers, the goal for putting "Boots on the Ground" is to not simply visit each county but to "highlight both the challenges the district faces, and listen to ideas from people across its 28 counties."

"In the military I learned firsthand that nothing replaces the boots on the ground experience. This isn't a tour - tours are for tourists and typical politicians who merely want to come in, take a few pictures, then leave," Sowers explained.

"Boots on the Ground is about working, living and listening to hardworking people in each and every county. It will give me the chance to do what most of us hope other politicians would--close their mouths, and open their ears and eyes."

Traveling in a bright green truck, with his Rhodesian Ridgeback, "Chuck," at his side, in each county, Sowers is learning more about local industry and the diversity of businesses.

" From wineries to heirloom seeds, from row crops to livestock, we have one of the most diverse agricultural districts in the nation," Sowers said. have world class universities and innovative businesses. We also have extreme poverty in some places and examples that show how areas like Missouri's 8th have been left behind.

"Boots on the Ground will help show a broad audience both the incredible opportunity and the incredible need of Southern Missouri."

Sowers said Dunklin County and the Bootheel has been labeled from time to time as "the forgotten territory," but that he plans to change that, adding that people making up the population of this region and their ideas and concerns for Southeast Missouri are equally important and need to be heard.

Sowers is currently on day 14 of a 28-day cycle, in what his Boots on the Ground project refers to as "28 counties, 28 days."

On his Web site, www.sowersforcongress.com, a section is devoted to Boots on the Ground where the politician hosts live twitter blogs and updates, a virtual map showing where his travels have taken him and where he is currently. The site also shows how many miles Sowers has traveled and has a multitude of photos, videos and other multimedia tools used to share the information he has received from each region within the 8th district that he has visited.

Born and raised in Rolla, Mo., where his granddad began the local newspaper in 1942, he was educated in the public school district there and attended Duke University on an ROTC scholarship. Following four years as a combat engineer, Sowers was chosen for a prestigious award that offered him an opportunity to study at the London School of Economics. There he earned a Masters of Science in Public Policy with the mark of "Distinction", awarded to the top three graduates. Tommy is currently completing his Ph.D. in Government at the London School of Economics.

Sowers later spent 11 years active duty and obtained the grade of Major as a soldier. During the Balkan war, he deployed to Kosovo to lead a platoon of Combat Engineers in multinational operations. He attended the Special Forces Qualification Course, graduating 1st in his class. At 10th Special Forces Group, he led an Operational Detachment-Alpha (A-Team) of 12 Green Berets. In two deployments to Iraq in 2004-2006, he conducted a wide range of counterinsurgency operations and was awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge and two Bronze Stars. He is Ranger, HALO and Jumpmaster qualified.

In addition to his military background, Sowers has served as an Assistant Professor at West Point's Department of Social Sciences. There he taught students American Politics, and Mass Media and Politics. Sowers was nominated for the APGAR Award for Excellence in Teaching and has also taught Introduction to American Government at the Missouri University of Science & Technology center in Rolla.

He currently resides in Rolla, living just two doors down from his parents. The Sowers family has lived in Missouri for four generations.

In terms of how he plans to address the issues Missourians are concerned most about, Sowers said, " I believe that leadership starts with the willingness to listen, it's a lesson that was proven to me time and again during my time in the Army. People are our greatest asset -- but we must be willing to listen as we make decisions about the way forward. The basic guiding principles of duty, accountability, and responsibility will inform each decision and stance I make."

Responsibility and accountability are words quite frequently used by the politician who notes on his Web site that " Members of the U.S. Congress have a sacred and primary responsibility to our Constitution, and to serve the people who send them to Washington DC. Fundamental to our Constitution is the idea that each one of us has an equal voice in Congress. I believe that too many in Washington have forgotten for whom they work."

"I will hold myself accountable to the people I serve in the district," he adds.

Sowers is the democratic challenger, running against U.S. Representative incumbent JoAnn Emerson.

For more information on candidate Tommy Sowers, log on to his Web site at www.sowersforcongress.com, or visit www.dddnews.com.