HARNETT COUNTY, N.C. – If the walls in his home don't tip you off, Ron Rabin has plenty of stories to tell.

His 24 years in the U.S. Army included two stints in Vietnam as an intelligence officer. Mementoes from that time include a battalion flag and a picture of him briefing Gen. William C. Westmoreland, who commanded all U.S. forces in Vietnam between 1964 and 1968. Decades later, Rabin was elected to the North Carolina Senate, serving three terms from 2013 to 2019. He still has his chair from the Senate chamber.

Rabin was one of the first North Carolina lawmakers to endorse then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016. He served as a Trump delegate at that year's convention in Cleveland. This year, he will cast a convention ballot for Trump again, albeit not in Charlotte as he had hoped.

“I think that this is just a denial of the rights of the people that I represent as a delegate to have their voice heard open and honest, in front of everybody,” he said. “We're not going to be able to do that simply because everybody has been scared sick.”

Although he is no longer in public office, Rabin said it's still important to him to remain politically active. He got into politics late in life after being recruited to run for the state Senate. In addition to his convention duties this year, he is active with Dan Forest's gubernatorial campaign. Rabin said it beats yelling at the TV.

Rabin said he is deeply disturbed by recent events in the United States, ranging from civil unrest to how history is taught and understood in schools. He said the current internal security situation reminds him of the situation in South Vietnam when he was there. 

“Anybody who has experienced anything like I have overseas in defense of their nation will understand a heck of a lot better that saying 'America First' is not a damn crime, okay?” he said. “It's an absolute statement of what should happen for every President of the United States.”

Although the business portion of the Republican National Convention concluded early Monday afternoon, speeches continue through Thursday night.