Vets For Freedom
Encyclopedia
Vets For Freedom is an American
political advocacy organization founded in 2006 by veterans of the Iraq and Afghan
wars. Its stated purpose is advocacy of victory in America's ongoing War on Terrorism
, and support of candidates with positions consistent with this goal. Vets For Freedom is a non-profit organization. Vets for Freedom PAC is an associated, but separate tax-exempt, nonpartisan political action committee
.
supportive of his reelection. Additionally, they financed an ad campaign in Georgia to support embattled Democratic Congressman Jim Marshall
in 2006. He won by the smallest margin of any Democratic congressman that year.
In March 2008 Vets for Freedom launched a nation-wide event called the "National Heroes Tour." The trip made national news when a scheduled event was canceled by Forest Lake High School in Minnesota. Many media outlets such as the Drudge Report picked up the story and the school was flooded by emails and phone calls of protest.
with President George W. Bush
, the First Lady, Vice President Dick Cheney
, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
. Following the program, over 250 members of the organization lobbied members of the U.S. House and Senate to "support Gen. Petraeus and the War in Iraq" and to ask them to denounce MoveOn.org's attack on "General Betray-us." A 3 p.m. rally near the Capitol that day featured speeches from Senators John McCain
, Joe Lieberman
, Lindsey Graham
, and John Cornyn
. Remarks were also made by Rep. Roy Blunt
.
One day later Senator Jim Webb
's amendment to reduce troop rotation levels failed by four votes. The amendments was called a "slow bleed amendment" by critics. Vets for Freedom was strongly opposed to the legislation and lobbied aggressively for its defeat.
Vets for Freedom held a second Vets on the Hill in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, April 8, 2008. Over 450 Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans attended the program and met with senators and representatives from every state. Vets for Freedom claimed it was the largest gathering on Capitol Hill of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. A rally was held at 8:30am edt that featured speeches from Sen. John McCain, Sen. Joe Lieberman, and Rep. Jim Marshall. 27 media outlets covered the event which was held the same day as Gen. Petraeus' testimony before the Senate. Earlier in the day at a breakfast program Vets for Freedom members heard motivational speeches from retired Gen. Richard Myers
, a former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and current Georgetown men's basketball coach John Thompson III
.
. The group accuses the Democratic presidential nominee of caring more about his campaign than about troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Previously, Vets for Freedom aired other advertisements criticizing Senator Obama's position on the Iraq War.
On October 10, 2008 Veterans for Freedom released a Senate Analysis scorecard. In the VFF scorecard, every single Democratic senator was given the lowest possible grade of F. Three Republican senators were graded F, and 38 Republican senators received the grade of A+. VFF gave Sen Obama the score of 0.5%, or second lowest, and gave his running mate Sen Joe Biden
the score of 0.0%, tying him for last place with Senator Ted Kennedy
of Massachusetts. John McCain
received a score of 93.5% and the grade of A-.
(OH-15), Jonathan Paton
(AZ-8), Ilario Pantano
(NC-7), Adam Kinzinger
(IL-11), Joe Heck
(NV-3), Chris Gibson (NY-20), Brian Rooney (MI-7), Kevin Calvey (OK-5), and Tim Griffin (AR-2).
of being a front group for Republican political activities and being directed by GOP managers.
In 2004, Bellavia was the subject of a Time Magazine cover story titled "Into the Hot Zone" which won a Pulitzer Prize. According to Publishers Weekly, Bellavia secured a book deal with Simon & Schuster. The book was titled House to House, and was published in September 2007.
Zirkle and cofounder David Bellavia, now a writer, returned to Iraq as civilian reporters in 2006 and embedded with the Iraqi Army in Ramadi. Their articles were published in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Weekly Standard.
Bellavia and Zirkle appear regularly on CNN
and Fox News Channel
as representatives of Vets for Freedom to offer commentary on the Global War on Terror.
Vets for Freedom states on their homepage "We depend on small donations from our thousands of supporters across America."
The National Journal
has reported that casino magnate Sheldon Adelson
, the third richest man in America, has made a significant donation to Vets For Freedom.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
political advocacy organization founded in 2006 by veterans of the Iraq and Afghan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
wars. Its stated purpose is advocacy of victory in America's ongoing War on Terrorism
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
, and support of candidates with positions consistent with this goal. Vets For Freedom is a non-profit organization. Vets for Freedom PAC is an associated, but separate tax-exempt, nonpartisan political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
.
Organizational work
Spokesmen for VFF appear on televised news shows and write op-ed pieces for newspapers. The organization has also issued a number of press releases. Vets for Freedom sponsored a full-page political ad in the Hartford Courant on August 14, 2006 endorsing Democratic US Senator Joe Lieberman and embarked on a television advertising campaign in ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
supportive of his reelection. Additionally, they financed an ad campaign in Georgia to support embattled Democratic Congressman Jim Marshall
Jim Marshall (U.S. politician)
James Creel "Jim" Marshall is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2003 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
in 2006. He won by the smallest margin of any Democratic congressman that year.
In March 2008 Vets for Freedom launched a nation-wide event called the "National Heroes Tour." The trip made national news when a scheduled event was canceled by Forest Lake High School in Minnesota. Many media outlets such as the Drudge Report picked up the story and the school was flooded by emails and phone calls of protest.
Vets on the Hill I and II
On Tuesday, September 18, 2007 Vets for Freedom took part in a breakfast on the south lawn of the White HouseWhite House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
with President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, the First Lady, Vice President Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
. Following the program, over 250 members of the organization lobbied members of the U.S. House and Senate to "support Gen. Petraeus and the War in Iraq" and to ask them to denounce MoveOn.org's attack on "General Betray-us." A 3 p.m. rally near the Capitol that day featured speeches from Senators John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, Joe Lieberman
Joe Lieberman
Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.Born in Stamford, Connecticut,...
, Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin Graham is the senior U.S. Senator from South Carolina and a member of the Republican Party. Previously he served as the U.S. Representative for .-Early life, education and career:...
, and John Cornyn
John Cornyn
John Cornyn, III is the junior United States Senator for Texas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 111th U.S. Congress....
. Remarks were also made by Rep. Roy Blunt
Roy Blunt
Roy D. Blunt is the junior United States Senator from Missouri. He is a member of the Republican Party. His Senate seat was previously held by Republican Kit Bond, until his retirement....
.
One day later Senator Jim Webb
Jim Webb
James Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
's amendment to reduce troop rotation levels failed by four votes. The amendments was called a "slow bleed amendment" by critics. Vets for Freedom was strongly opposed to the legislation and lobbied aggressively for its defeat.
Vets for Freedom held a second Vets on the Hill in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, April 8, 2008. Over 450 Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans attended the program and met with senators and representatives from every state. Vets for Freedom claimed it was the largest gathering on Capitol Hill of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. A rally was held at 8:30am edt that featured speeches from Sen. John McCain, Sen. Joe Lieberman, and Rep. Jim Marshall. 27 media outlets covered the event which was held the same day as Gen. Petraeus' testimony before the Senate. Earlier in the day at a breakfast program Vets for Freedom members heard motivational speeches from retired Gen. Richard Myers
Richard Myers
Richard Bowman Myers is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force and served as the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As Chairman, Myers was the United States military's highest ranking uniformed officer....
, a former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and current Georgetown men's basketball coach John Thompson III
John Thompson III
John Thompson III is the current head coach of the men's basketball team at Georgetown University. He grew up in Washington, D.C. and was named first team All-Metro by The Washington Post while playing for Gonzaga College High School in 1984. Thompson was hired on April 20, 2004 to replace Craig...
.
2008 presidential campaign
In October 2008, Veterans for Freedom paid for a multimillion-dollar ad campaign criticizing the presidential candidacy of Senator Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. The group accuses the Democratic presidential nominee of caring more about his campaign than about troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Previously, Vets for Freedom aired other advertisements criticizing Senator Obama's position on the Iraq War.
On October 10, 2008 Veterans for Freedom released a Senate Analysis scorecard. In the VFF scorecard, every single Democratic senator was given the lowest possible grade of F. Three Republican senators were graded F, and 38 Republican senators received the grade of A+. VFF gave Sen Obama the score of 0.5%, or second lowest, and gave his running mate Sen Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
the score of 0.0%, tying him for last place with Senator Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
of Massachusetts. John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
received a score of 93.5% and the grade of A-.
2010 congressional campaign
In a campaign called "Operation 10-in-10," Vets for Freedom backed 10 Republican congressional candidates in the 2010 congressional elections. The Iraq and Afghanistan veterans running for office included Allen West (FL-22), Steve StiversSteve Stivers
Steve Stivers is the U.S. Representative for He is a member of the Republican Party. Stivers previously served in the Ohio Senate, representing the 16th district...
(OH-15), Jonathan Paton
Jonathan Paton
Jonathan Paton is a former Arizona Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Arizona's 8th District and an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army Reserve who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Paton was first elected to southern Arizona's Legislative District 30 as a member of...
(AZ-8), Ilario Pantano
Ilario Pantano
Ilario G. Pantano is a former United States Marine Corps second lieutenant. He has also been an author, a television commentator, and served as a deputy sheriff in Wilmington, North Carolina...
(NC-7), Adam Kinzinger
Adam Kinzinger
Adam Daniel Kinzinger is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education and career:...
(IL-11), Joe Heck
Joe Heck
Joseph John “Joe” Heck is the U.S. Representative for Nevada’s 3rd congressional district and is a member of the Republican Party...
(NV-3), Chris Gibson (NY-20), Brian Rooney (MI-7), Kevin Calvey (OK-5), and Tim Griffin (AR-2).
Controversy
Vets for Freedom has been accused by the Center for Media and DemocracyCenter for Media and Democracy
The Center for Media and Democracy is a non-profit investigative reporting group. The CMD gives analysis and opinion on policies such as the economy, environment and national security...
of being a front group for Republican political activities and being directed by GOP managers.
Founders
- Wade ZirkleWade ZirkleWade Zirkle is a decorated American military veteran of the Iraq War. He is the founder and former executive director of the Vets For Freedom Action Fund, a political action committee whose stated mission is to "help candidates-mostly combat veterans-who believe in achieving success in Iraq,...
is a graduate of the University of South CarolinaUniversity of South CarolinaThe University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
and served two deployments to Iraq with Marine infantry units. He fought in the First Battle of Fallujah as a platoonPlatoonA platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
leader. Eight Marines under his command were killed in action. Zirkle was severely burned by a suicide car-bombSuicide attackA suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
in FallujahFallujahFallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
in 2004. - David BellaviaDavid BellaviaDavid Bellavia is an American Iraq War veteran who was awarded the Silver Star for his actions during the Second Battle of Fallujah. Bellavia has also received the Bronze Star, three Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals and the New York State Conspicuous Service Cross...
is a former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant who served in the 1st Infantry Division (Task Force 2-2). He was recommended for the Medal of Honor, nominated for the Distinguished Service Cross, and received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star (v), and the Conspicuous Service Cross. In 2006 he was invited to attend the President's State of the UnionState Of The Union"State Of The Union" is the debut single from British singer-songwriter David Ford. It had previously been featured as a demo on his official website, before appearing as a track on a CD entitled "Apology Demos EP," only on sale at live shows....
address as an honored guest. Bellavia has been the subject to some notoriety in the military for action he took on November 10, 2004, where he singlehandedly stormed a house full of insurgent fighters at night. He not only fought the attacking insurgents off, he managed to kill them all. Out of ammunition, Bellavia stabbed the last attacking insurgent to death with his pocketknife in hand to hand combatHand to hand combatHand-to-hand combat is a lethal or nonlethal physical confrontation between two or more persons at very short range that does not involve the use of firearms or other distance weapons...
.
In 2004, Bellavia was the subject of a Time Magazine cover story titled "Into the Hot Zone" which won a Pulitzer Prize. According to Publishers Weekly, Bellavia secured a book deal with Simon & Schuster. The book was titled House to House, and was published in September 2007.
Zirkle and cofounder David Bellavia, now a writer, returned to Iraq as civilian reporters in 2006 and embedded with the Iraqi Army in Ramadi. Their articles were published in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Weekly Standard.
Bellavia and Zirkle appear regularly on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
as representatives of Vets for Freedom to offer commentary on the Global War on Terror.
- Co-founder Owen West is a Marine reservist who served in Force Reconnaissance during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. West is a graduate of Harvard CollegeHarvard CollegeHarvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
and Stanford Business School. His first novel won the Boyd Literary Award for best military novel. He has written several articles on the military and outdoor adventures and recently won the 2005 Marine Corps Essay Contest. He lives in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with his family.
- Co-founder Joe Worley was badly injured in an ambush in Fallujah in 2004. He was struck by an IED and shot five times in a coordinated insurgent ambush. His left leg was blown off in the assault and he now uses a wheelchair because of a badly damaged right leg. He is the recipient of a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for Valor.
- Co-founder Mark Seavey spent one year as an infantry squad leader in Afghanistan and now works for a veterans organization in Washington. In 2006, he confronted Congressmen Moran and Murtha at a Townhall meeting. The exchange was recorded by C-SPANC-SPANC-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
. He later appeared on CNN Sunday Morning to give more details, and rebut accusations made against him by the antiwar community. Seavey is a graduate of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina.The Citadel (military college)The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, also known simply as The Citadel, is a state-supported, comprehensive college located in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. It is one of the six senior military colleges in the United States...
- Co-founder Knox Nunnally is a former Marine infantry officer who served three deployments to Iraq. He is a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient. Nunnally has been quoted in USA TodayUSA TodayUSA 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...
, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and has written a piece on his experiences in Iraq for Per Contra Magazine. Nunnally is a graduate of the United States Naval AcademyUnited States Naval AcademyThe United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
at Annapolis, MarylandAnnapolis, MarylandAnnapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
and is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
- Co-founder Chris Neizdiocha was a Marine Infantry Officer who was the recipient of a Silver StarSilver StarThe Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
for leading a counterattack that killed 23 Taliban fighters in 2004. He has written a tactical article for the Marine Corps GazetteMarine Corps GazetteMarine Corps Gazette is a professional journal for U.S. Marines founded in 1916 at Marine Corps Base Quantico for members of the United States Marine Corps. Begun by then Col John A. Lejeune as the vehicle to launch the Marine Corps Association , the journal is known as "The Professional Journal...
titled "CAAT and Mouse". A CAATCombined Anti-Armor TeamA Combined Anti-Armor Team is a concept of operations in the United States Marine Corps where a platoon in a weapons company is employed to combat armored vehicles with heavy machine guns and TOW missiles, in addition to providing security for convoys...
is a "Combined Anti-Armor Team." Neizdiocha is a graduate of Penn State.
Political connections
- In 2006 Vets for Freedom supported three candidates for office; Sen. Joe LiebermanJoe LiebermanJoseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.Born in Stamford, Connecticut,...
(I-CT), Rep. Jim MarshallJim Marshall (U.S. politician)James Creel "Jim" Marshall is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2003 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
(D-GA), and Sen. Jim TalentJim TalentJames Matthes "Jim" Talent is an American politician and former senator from Missouri. He is a Republican and resided in the St. Louis area while serving in elected office. He identifies with the conservative wing of the Republican party, being particularly outspoken on judicial appointments,...
(R-MO.)
- As of May 2008, Vets for Freedom was supporting five candidates for the House of Representatives, all of them Republicans who have served in the armed forces.
- Zirkle was a regional field director for Republican Jerry Kilgore's unsuccessful 2005 campaign for governor of Virginia.
- A "key Vets for Freedom adviser is Bill Andresen, a Democrat and former chief of staff to embattled Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut."
- Among the Vets for Freedom advisors are Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol and former Iraqi Coalition Provisional Spokesman Dan SenorDan SenorDaniel Samuel Senor, known as Dan Senor , is a founding partner of Rosemont Capital LLC, and Rosemont Solebury Capital Management. He is also a Fox News contributor and a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal among other publications...
.
Funding
VFF has applied for status as a tax-exempt nonprofit, but as of June 2006 the application was not approved. Zirkle said that "Initial funding came from family members and friends." It is now a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization.Vets for Freedom states on their homepage "We depend on small donations from our thousands of supporters across America."
The National Journal
National Journal
National Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
has reported that casino magnate Sheldon Adelson
Sheldon Adelson
Sheldon Gary Adelson is an American casino magnate. Adelson is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., the parent company of Venetian Macao Limited which operates The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and the Sands Expo and Convention Center...
, the third richest man in America, has made a significant donation to Vets For Freedom.
External links
- Vets For Freedom official website
- Vets For Freedom volunteer page
- Overview and spending at OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
- Vets For Freedom arrives on the scene Radio interview with Wade Zirkle, with audio and transcript.
- Mackubin Thomas Owens "Press-ing On Against The Military: Our Troops Deserve Better Than Vietnam-Era Journalism", National Review Online, July 5, 2006