Massachusetts state Representative John Velis will leave for military duty in Afghanistan next month. The Westfield Democrat is a lawyer, and a captain in the Army Reserves.
"Right now I'm a little bit in the dark," he said. "But, either way, listen -- I'm in, I serve and when you get tapped and when you get orders and you're in the Army, you go. No ifs, ands or buts."
While Velis is gone, his office will remain open and staffed. He won't be able to cast votes, but he said other western Massachusetts lawmakers have promised to look out for Westfield.
"So I'm making sure prior to my departure that Westfield is going to be more than adequately taken care of -- through the budget process, as well as votes coming up," he said.
Asked for comment, House Speaker Bob DeLeo, also a Democrat, thanked Velis for his service.
"It is a privilege to work alongside Representative Velis, a gentleman who embodies American values and patriotism," DeLeo said in a statement. "While he is deployed, my office and House leadership will be in contact with Representative Velis’s office to ensure the priorities of the Fourth Hampden District are adequately represented.”
Velis may be in Afghanistan through the November election, but he wasn't going to need to campaign much anyway. He's running unopposed.
