To the Editor,

“He is the real deal.”

That is what a lifelong friend of mine said after meeting Rep. Larry Kissell.

I help lead a center that offers care for caregivers. Among our clients are Reserve and National Guard military chaplains. They are amazing, often pastors of local congregations, who are called up to care for our troops. They may be serving in North Carolina one day, the next, praying with wounded soldiers or consoling a family.

Larry Kissell heard of our work, and took several hours out of his schedule to meet with these chaplains and hear their story. There was nothing “in it” for him — no photo ops. It was not a campaign stop. The only time he checked his phone was when he dialed a staff member. I overheard him say, “I’m sitting in a meeting talking to military caregivers and it reminded me. There was a story on the news today about veterans who had to give up their service dogs for budget reasons. Let’s see what we can do to help them.”

We rarely get to meet our public servants in a place where we see their true humanity. After you do, you realize how contrived and phony the attack ads against them are. Larry Kissell is a rare treasure. I hope you have the chance to meet him.

Indeed, “he is real deal.” We are privileged to have such a genuine person serving the people of the 8th District.

George Jacobs

Concord