Senator Steve Hobbs of the 44th Legislative District in Washington has served his country in one way or another for a quarter century.

At the age of 17, he entered the Army Reserves (with his parents' blessing) to help with college costs and then close to a decade later he switched to active duty. He was stationed across the globe, from Missouri to Germany, and he completed Officer Candidate School so that he could better provide for his family.

After multiple deployments to Kosevo and Iraq, Hobbs separated from the Army in 2005 and by 2006, he found himself ready to help the public in a different fashion - by serving as a state senator.

"There are not many veterans that are serving in the public," said Hobbs, who was re-elected for a second Senate term and has now set his sights on a 2012 bid in the 1st Congressional District. "Tradition is that the military keeps politics at arm's length...but I wanted to make a difference and I know I am not afraid to speak up about what I believe in."

He also knows that the military, the Army specifically, is a close-knit community.

"There are many individuals helping me campaign that I served with," he said. "These connections are still with me because I feel you never really leave the Army."

Though, to be fair, Hobbs didn't exactly leave as much as reduce his time spent in uniform. While deployed in Iraq, he ran into Soldiers from the Washington National Guard and was so impressed that he chose to join them. So now, in addition to his time down in Olympia, he routinely spends one weekend every month at Camp Murray, where he is known as Captain Hobbs, rather than Senator Hobbs. Furthermore, he has no plans to leave the Army National Guard anytime soon.

"I do miss the active duty side of it," said Hobbs, 42, who has three sons with wife, Pamela. "And to be honest, my military experience working on staff is helping me run a campaign and I still get that when I'm at Camp Murray. It teaches me humility. There is someone above me and someone below me and it reminds me I am part of a team, no matter which job I am doing."

While there are many issues concerning voters with regard to the upcoming election - unemployment, the economy, etc. - Hobbs still finds time to pursue issues that are close to his heart and reflect his military ties. He actively defends veteran benefits staying the same, he worked to create an inter-state compact helping military kids to retain school credits regardless of a PCS, and, he proudly recounts, one of the first bills he ever passed was intended to ensure that discrimination against a veteran count as a human rights violation.

"I like getting in there and being a voice and advocate for my brothers and sisters who are still serving," Hobbs concluded. "I want to continue doing that as long as I can."

For more on Hobbs' campaign, check out www.hobbsforcongress.com.