(CNN) -- Tuesday's election marks the end of an epic, historic campaign season that included witches, rallies for sanity, the Tea Party and a journalist handcuffed by a campaign. From Meg Whitman to Harry Reid to Joe Miller, candidates have spent more than ever, fought more than ever, and given us an election cycle of firsts. But there is another first no one is really talking about: the surge of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans running this year. On Tuesday, 27 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan will seek national office. This is nearly four times the number of veterans of those wars currently serving in Congress. Twenty-five are campaigning for House seats and two are running for the Senate. Eighteen are running as Republicans, nine as Democrats. They are as ideologically diverse as the electorate they hope to represent and share only one agenda item: their desire to continue their service.
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Paul Rieckhoff: On Tuesday 27 vets of Iraq and Afghanistan will seek seats in Congress
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"New Vet 27" are inspiring; recent vets are often portrayed as villains or victims, he says
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Rieckhoff says they know personally the cost of foreign policy choices
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In 1969, vets held 75 percent of seats in Congress; soon it may be less than a fifth, he writes
But @placeholder hoping to take the oath of office comes at a critical juncture for our country.