Tulsi Gabbard is the only combat veteran running for president of the United States.

And at Wednesday night’s debate, she made that clear from the get-go. Her entire opening statement focused on one theme: patriotism. And rest assured, even if you completely disagree with her politics, Gabbard is a patriot for sure.

In her opening statement on the debate stage, Gabbard emphasized her career as a combat medic and long history of public service. She spoke about how she wants to bring those values of public service to the White House.

“Donald Trump is not behaving like a patriot,” she said. Gabbard promised that “As president, [she] will bring the spirit of real patriotism to the White House.”

And, no matter what you think of everything else Gabbard would bring to the presidency, there’s no doubt patriotism would be a part of the package.

After all, Gabbard enlisted right after 9/11, something no one else on tonight’s debate stage could say. She served two combat tours in Iraq , and continues to serve in the Army National Guard today. Gabbard even received the Meritorious Service Medal for her service.

But critics frequently paint Gabbard as a Russian stooge or somehow more loyal to dictators than the United States. It’s an outrageous insult, even if she’s made mistakes.

Yes, she met with Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, and that was the wrong thing to do. But based on her record in totality, it’s clear that this was done with good intentions, likely in a misguided effort to avoid drawing the U.S. into yet another costly regime change war in the Middle East.

You can criticize Gabbard’s policies and political beliefs — I sure do, she endorsed Bernie Sanders in 2016 and supports socialized healthcare. But don’t for a second suggest, no matter how misguided you may think she is, that Tulsi Gabbard does not love America.