Ben Loyola For Congress

One of the candidates for the Republican nomination for congress in the 2nd district is Ben Loyola. While he does not yet have a website, he has a facebook group which lays out his personal stiry and why he is running. While I am not making an endorsement in this race yet, I think Ben Loyola's story as a man who escaped Communist Cuba and started a prosperous company is quite an inspiring story. We need to find more conservatives with these kind of personal stories to run for public office.

“Not too long ago, two friends of mine were talking to a Cuban refugee, a businessman who had escaped from Castro, and in the midst of his story one of my friends turned to the other and said, ‘How lucky you are? I had someplace to escape to.’ And in that sentence he told us the entire story. If we lose freedom here, there's no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.” –President Ronald Reagan A 25-year resident of Virginia Beach, Navy veteran, successful businessman, Conservative Republican, and Patriot, Ben Loyola is a living reminder of the American Dream. --Humble Beginnings-- An officer in the Cuban navy before Fidel Castro seized power, Ben’s father, Ben Loyola Sr., saw the Communist takeover’s true intentions and mutinied against it. For his efforts, he was sentenced to death but managed to escape to that “shining city on a hill”, the United States of America. Soon after, two-year old Ben Loyola Jr. and his mother fled the Communist dictatorship and joined his father in the United States; bringing with them nothing but a single piece of luggage and the hope that America would lead to a better life. Ben’s humble beginnings provided him with the drive and work ethic needed to become the self-made man he is today. --Military Service-- Ben’s parents instilled within him an intense love of country. Always grateful for the opportunities America had afforded him, Ben decided to serve his country in the Navy, attending the Naval Academy and eventually achieving the rank of Captain. --Entrepreneur-- In 1991, Ben founded Loyola Enterprises, an engineering service contracting firm, starting operations out of a spare room in his house. Today, Loyola Enterprises has 50 employees working in offices in Virginia Beach, Hampton, and Richmond. --Community Involvement-- Ben is very active in the local community, having volunteered for the Special Olympics Committee, tutoring students for the Virginia Beach Public Schools in math and science, as well as volunteering and financially supporting the following organizations: the Plaza Volunteer Rescue Squad, Boy Scouts of America, Make A Wish Foundation, the Virginia Symphony, Virginia Ballet, and the Fraternal Order of Police. --A True Conservative, Grassroots Republican-- Placing the original intent of the Constitution in highest regard, Ben is a Pro-Life, Pro-Family, Pro-2nd Amendment, Fiscal Conservative. He’s a member of the Republican Professionals Network of Hampton Roads and is a life member of the National Rifle Association. He serves as a Vice-Chair of the Republican Party of Virginia Beach and has worked the polls for various Republican candidates over the years. --Faith and Family-- Ben is married to Gretchen Loyola. Gretchen is an accomplished musician who played violin in the Virginia Symphony and is currently a Physician’s Assistant with Cardiovascular Specialists at Maryview Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. For Ben and Gretchen, Saturday nights are “God and Country” nights. They attend service at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Virginia Beach and afterward go shooting at the local gun range.