Tom Cotton Recalls 9/11 Inspiration

Fourth District Congressional candidate, Tom Cotton (R-Dardanelle), says the events of 9/11 reshaped his career path and public service direction.

Appearing on this week’s Talk Business, Cotton discussed how as a law school student at Harvard, the events of Sept. 11, 2001 convinced him to join the U.S. Army to fight terrorism.

"First, there was shock that war had come to our shores and the grief at all the deaths we saw," Cotton said about the day of the attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. "And then there was a degree of rage, like when your family is attacked and you want to fight back. That’s what I wanted to do for America is fight back."

Altering his plans to pursue a career in law or law enforcement, Cotton signed up for military service. "I wanted to dedicate my life in service of the country and defending our freedoms," he said.

Cotton served in Iraq and Afghanistan during the last decade before returning to Arkansas to run for Congress in 2012. You can watch his full interview from the show below.

There are several announced candidates for the Fourth District Congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Mike Ross (D-Prescott). GOP candidates include Beth Anne Rankin of Magnolia and Marcus Richmond of Scott County, and Democratic candidates include State Sen. Gene Jeffress (D-Louann) and Elvis D. Presley of Star City.