Winston Churchill said, “Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have.” That statement comes with a real challenge – much of which is taken up by political leaders. It takes a special kind of courage to be a politician.
Congressman Charles Djou represented Hawai’i’s First Congressional District from 2010 to 2011. The First Congressional District comprises the urban core of Honolulu from the eastern shores of Oahu to the western areas of Ewa and Kapolei, and includes Mililani, Waikiki and Downtown. He was a member of the House Budget Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. Before entering the U.S. House, Congressman Djou served on the Honolulu City Council and in the Hawaii State House of Representatives, where he was Minority Floor Leader. Congressman Djou is a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve. He is a combat veteran who serve with the U.S. Army in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan during the “surge” of coalition forces in 2011-2012. He deployed with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Infantry Division at Forward Operating Base Pasab in Kandahar Province. Congressman Djou’s military decorations include the Combat Action Badge and the Army Commendation Medal.
His parents emigrated from China and Thailand. The former congressman grew up in Hawai’i and graduated from Punahou School in Honolulu. He attended the University of Pennsylvania earning degrees in Political Science and Economics from the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce and received his juris doctor from the University of Southern California Law School.
He is married to Stacey. They have three children.