Paul Rieckhoff
Encyclopedia
Paul Rieckhoff is a veteran
of the United States Army
and the Iraq War. He is the Executive Director and Founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
(IAVA). He served as an Army First Lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in Iraq from 2003 through 2004. Rieckhoff was released from active duty in March 2004 and the National Guard in 2007. He serves on the New York State Council on Returning Veterans and their Families. Rieckhoff also sits on the Veterans Advisory Board of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs.
in 1998 with a BA in Political Science. Following his service as an Army specialist
, he graduated from Officer Candidate School
in 2001 and was commissioned as an officer. In February 2002, Rieckhoff began the Infantry Officers Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia and graduated in June 2002.
. He graduated from Officer Candidate School in June 2001 and was named a Distinguished Military Graduate. Rieckhoff selected infantry as his branch and joined A Company, 1/105th INF (Light).
Rieckhoff left Wall Street on September 7, 2001 with plans to travel and complete additional military schooling. On the morning of September 11, Rieckhoff was at his apartment on 24th Street in Manhattan
when the first plane hit the World Trade Center
. He participated in the rescue efforts at ground zero. His unit was formally activated for rescue and security operations later that evening.
In January 2003, Rieckhoff was called to deploy to Iraq. Two days later, he was on a plane to join the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart
, Georgia
. Rieckhoff was then assigned as a Platoon Leader for 3rd Platoon, B Company, 3/124th INF (Air Assault) FLNG. The unit was attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division and spent almost a year conducting combat operations in Baghdad
, Iraq. Third Platoon conducted over 1,000 dismounted and mounted combat patrols. All thirty-eight of the men in Rieckhoff's platoon returned home alive.
Rieckhoff wrote a book describing his experiences in Iraq and activism afterwards entitled Chasing Ghosts (2006).
in 2004 and has appeared on many television and radio programs including NBC Nightly News
, World News With Charles Gibson
, The Early Show
, Tavis Smiley
, The Charlie Rose Show, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Anderson Cooper 360°
, The Rachel Maddow Show
, Real Time with Bill Maher
, and The Henry Rollins Show
.
He has written articles and opinion columns for The New York Times
, Associated Press
, Wall Street Journal, USA Today
, Los Angeles Times
, Washington Post, Newsweek
, The Huffington Post
, and Military.com
.
Rieckhoff was inducted into the Global Ashoka Fellowship in 2010 as recognition of his innovation and entrepreneurship on behalf of new veterans.
Named #37 of GQ’s "50 Most Powerful People in D.C.]" in 2009, Rieckhoff has been honored with the Common Ground
“Celebrating Home Award” and the Generation Engage “Lewis Cullman Civic Engagement Award” for his leadership in the service community. In 2004, he was also honored by Esquire
magazine as one of “America’s Best and Brightest.” Rieckhoff is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
.
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and the Iraq War. He is the Executive Director and Founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America , is an advocacy group dedicated to United States veterans of the War in Iraq and War in Afghanistan. The group claims to be the nation's first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars and has more than 200,000 Member Veterans...
(IAVA). He served as an Army First Lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in Iraq from 2003 through 2004. Rieckhoff was released from active duty in March 2004 and the National Guard in 2007. He serves on the New York State Council on Returning Veterans and their Families. Rieckhoff also sits on the Veterans Advisory Board of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs.
Education
Rieckhoff graduated from Amherst CollegeAmherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
in 1998 with a BA in Political Science. Following his service as an Army specialist
Specialist (rank)
Specialist is one of the four junior enlisted ranks in the U.S. Army, just above Private First Class and equivalent in pay grade to Corporal. Unlike Corporals, Specialists are not considered junior non-commissioned officers...
, he graduated from Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School or Officer Cadet School are institutions which train civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country....
in 2001 and was commissioned as an officer. In February 2002, Rieckhoff began the Infantry Officers Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia and graduated in June 2002.
Military service
Rieckhoff enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves on September 15, 1998 and completed Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort McClellan, Alabama. He then served in the U.S. Army Reserves, as a Specialist with the 812th Military Police Company. While working on Wall Street at J.P. Morgan in 1999, Rieckhoff transferred to the New York Army National GuardNew York Army National Guard
The New York Army National Guard is a component of the New York National Guard and the Army National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
. He graduated from Officer Candidate School in June 2001 and was named a Distinguished Military Graduate. Rieckhoff selected infantry as his branch and joined A Company, 1/105th INF (Light).
Rieckhoff left Wall Street on September 7, 2001 with plans to travel and complete additional military schooling. On the morning of September 11, Rieckhoff was at his apartment on 24th Street in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
when the first plane hit the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
. He participated in the rescue efforts at ground zero. His unit was formally activated for rescue and security operations later that evening.
In January 2003, Rieckhoff was called to deploy to Iraq. Two days later, he was on a plane to join the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart
Fort Stewart
Fort Stewart is a census-designated place and U.S. Army post primarily in Liberty County and Bryan County, but also extending into smaller portions of Evans, Long, and Tattnall Counties in Georgia, USA. The population was 11,205 at the 2000 census...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Rieckhoff was then assigned as a Platoon Leader for 3rd Platoon, B Company, 3/124th INF (Air Assault) FLNG. The unit was attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division and spent almost a year conducting combat operations in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Iraq. Third Platoon conducted over 1,000 dismounted and mounted combat patrols. All thirty-eight of the men in Rieckhoff's platoon returned home alive.
Rieckhoff wrote a book describing his experiences in Iraq and activism afterwards entitled Chasing Ghosts (2006).
Public life
Paul Rieckhoff founded IAVAIraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America , is an advocacy group dedicated to United States veterans of the War in Iraq and War in Afghanistan. The group claims to be the nation's first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars and has more than 200,000 Member Veterans...
in 2004 and has appeared on many television and radio programs including NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
, World News With Charles Gibson
World News with Charles Gibson
ABC World News is the flagship daily evening program of ABC News, the news division of the American Broadcasting Company television network in the United States. Currently, the weekday editions are anchored by Diane Sawyer and the weekend editions are anchored by David Muir. The program has been...
, The Early Show
The Early Show
The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...
, Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley is a talk show host, author, liberal political commentator, entrepreneur, advocate and philanthropist. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi and grew up in Kokomo, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to Tom Bradley, the mayor of...
, The Charlie Rose Show, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Anderson Cooper 360°
Anderson Cooper 360°
Anderson Cooper 360° is a one-hour television news show on CNN, hosted by the American journalist Anderson Cooper. It is also broadcast around the world on CNN International....
, The Rachel Maddow Show
The Rachel Maddow Show (TV series)
The Rachel Maddow Show is a news and opinion television program that airs weeknights on MSNBC at 9:00 p.m. ET. It is hosted by Rachel Maddow, who gained popularity with her frequent appearances as a liberal pundit on various MSNBC programs. It is based on her former radio show of the same name...
, Real Time with Bill Maher
Real Time with Bill Maher
Real Time with Bill Maher is a talk show that airs weekly on HBO, hosted by comedian and political satirist Bill Maher. Much like his previous show, Politically Incorrect on ABC , Real Time features a panel of guests that discuss current events in politics and the media...
, and The Henry Rollins Show
The Henry Rollins Show
The Henry Rollins Show was a weekly talk show hosted by Henry Rollins on the Independent Film Channel . The show featured Rollins' monologues, interviews with celebrities and uncensored musical performances. The show was canceled after the wrap of its second season.-Sections:Each episode features...
.
He has written articles and opinion columns for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, Wall Street Journal, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Washington Post, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
, and Military.com
Military.com
Military.com is the website created by Military Advantage to be a portal for U.S. military members. In early 2004, Military Advantage was purchased by Monster Worldwide. The company's main revenue streams are advertising, military-themed products and lead generation for military recruiters...
.
Rieckhoff was inducted into the Global Ashoka Fellowship in 2010 as recognition of his innovation and entrepreneurship on behalf of new veterans.
Named #37 of GQ’s "50 Most Powerful People in D.C.]" in 2009, Rieckhoff has been honored with the Common Ground
Common Ground (NYC)
Common Ground is a nonprofit social services organization with the goal of creating high-quality permanent and transitional housing for the homeless...
“Celebrating Home Award” and the Generation Engage “Lewis Cullman Civic Engagement Award” for his leadership in the service community. In 2004, he was also honored by Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
magazine as one of “America’s Best and Brightest.” Rieckhoff is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
.
Press & Published Works
- Chasing Ghosts: Failures and Facades in Iraq: A Soldier's Perspective (NAL Caliber, 2007)
- "Celebrate Independence By Helping Our Veterans" in The Weekly Standard, 4 July 2011.
- "Paul Rieckhoff and Nick Colgin on vet unemployment" on CNN, 5 August 2011.
- "Cost of Treating Veterans Will Rise Long Past Wars" in The New York Times, 27 July 2011.
- "Who Are You Calling Rambo?" in Newsweek, 12 June 2009.
- "Do Unto Your Enemy..." in The New York Times, 25 September 2006.
- "Paul Rieckhoff on SupportOurTroops.org" on The Colbert Report, 5 May 2009.
- "When Cinéma Vérité Isn’t" in Newsweek, 23 February 2010.