The presentations ranged from bland and un-engaging (Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard) to formulaic (Julián Castro) to impressive (South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg) to emotionally riveting (Sen. Kamala D. Harris).

Gabbard used her time to inveigh against forever wars, which she vowed to end. How to do that, other than through “diplomacy," she did not detail. She warned that President Trump was “lying” when he said he didn’t want war with Iran. She touted her National Guard experience, but unlike Buttigieg, did not speak of her service in ways with which the audience could identify. The National Guard was simply the setting for her to learn the horrors of war.

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Castro took a different approach, talking mostly about domestic policy and suggesting vets had the “same concerns” as other Americans, including child care, education and the minimum wage. The former Housing and Urban Development secretary did boast of his success in the Obama administration in reducing veterans’ homelessness, urge we invest in mental-health services and address veterans’ suicide rates, and talk about the need to keep rural hospitals open. He got a marginally better reception than Gabbard did, but it’s hard to see that he made much of a lasting impression. He seems to be checking boxes on the policy list, and it is not surprising he’s stuck in single digits in the polls.

Buttigieg took the gathering to another level, showing why he is such an interesting presidential candidate. He derided Trump’s physically hugging the flag, recalling that the flag on his uniform in combat wasn’t a Republican or a Democratic flag. He threw in enough references to military life and its aggravations, the equivalent of inside jokes, to draw in the audience. He stressed his national service plan, which could include a mental-health corps and a climate change corps. Aside from the good works, he reiterated the value in putting people of differing backgrounds together to accomplish good things — without going to war. He promised not to privatize the Department of Veterans Affairs but criticized the lack of outreach in getting vets into the system. When he remarked that it’s not a matter of putting out more brochures and websites, the audience members nodded knowingly. Veterans Affairs must “connect the dots” for vets and their spouses so they can get the help they need. He, too, vowed to end forever wars, argued that authorizations for use of force should all sunset after three years and blasted Trump for the latest scandal, allegedly re-routing an Air Force plane so crewmembers could stay at his Scottish resort. The crowd applauded enthusiastically at the end of his remarks.

The last candidate to speak was Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), who made good use of her position to take some extra time, rolling out her veterans plan released earlier in the day. The contents included solid, common-sense measures Democrats would like, among them more investment in mental health and greater help for families in reintegrating their service members back into civilian society. She touted her experience in California, where hundreds of thousands of military service members and Defense Department employees live, and her efforts dealing with homelessness.

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However, the most compelling moments came when she received a question from a woman whose brother suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and committed suicide. This is where Harris thrives, in empathetic listening and relating back to the questioner her understanding of their pain. It’s the first 24, 48, 72 hours after returning that make the difference, right? The person learned in the military that someone needs more help than he so he resists getting help, I know. The crowd nodded. We need to talk about PTSD, acknowledge it is a “thing,” so vets don’t feel isolated, right? The questioner was clearly overcome by the amount of time Harris spent talking to her. Once more, we saw that Harris’s best moments are often those in one-on-one conversations in which she can show what she knows, but more importantly, show how much she understands and empathizes with her fellow Americans.