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Meet some of the most active of the thousands of IAVA member veterans, who are representing IAVA online, in the media, and at local events nationwide.
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Todd B. Bowers has served two voluntary tours in Iraq as a Civil Affairs Team Sergeant. During both tours it was Sergeant Bowers’s primary mission to reduce civilian interference with military operations and assist the Iraqi people with rebuilding their country. Bowers is currently a student at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. studying Middle Eastern Affairs and Arabic. |
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Sgt. Patrick Campbell is a combat medic serving with the Washington, D.C. National Guard. He returned from Iraq in October 2005 after one year of service in Baghdad with the 256 Infantry Brigade, based out of Louisiana. He was assigned to regularly patrol the western region of Baghdad. He was awarded the Combat Medical Badge and the Meritorious Service Medal. While overseas he was labeled as a prominent blogger by MSNBC. Patrick is currently a full time law student at the Catholic University of America, and also staffing the Washington, DC office of IAVA. He has worked for four different United States Senators, the former Vice President of the United States and various local and federal campaigns. He received his undergraduate degree in Political Science at UC Berkeley where he served as the Student Body President. |
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Ben Flanders, of Concord, NH, served as a Sergeant (NH National Guard) in Operation Iraqi Freedom. |
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Sean Huze, of Los Angeles,CA, served in Iraq with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion of the Marine Corps. He is the playwright and director of The Sand Storm.
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Perry Jefferies, from Waco, TX, served as a First Sergeant in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He now lives in Copperas Cove, TX, with his wife and four children.
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Ray Kimball, from Reading, PA, is an Army Major who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. During combat operations in Iraq, his troop supported 870 flight hours over a period of twenty-one days while moving 700 kilometers through enemy territory without the loss of a single soldier. He is married and has one son.
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Keith Kluwe, from Ormond Beach, FL, has served with the Marine Corps and the Army Reserves. Keith, a Florida National Guardsman, volunteered to go to Afghanistan with the Pennsylvania National Guard. Keith received his degree in Psychology from the Universtiy of Central Florida, and has now returned to Iraq, working at the US Embassy.
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Mike Krause, 24, is from Clarksville, TN. Three months after his return from his first tour in Iraq, Mike was Stop-Lossed and returned to Iraq for a second year. He returned home in October 2005, and completed his military service in November.
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Christopher McGurk, from Newburgh, NY, served two year long tours with 1/87 Infantry, first in Afghanistan and then in Iraq. Christopher is currently stationed at Ft. Drum in New York. He is divorced and has a five-year-old son named Connor.
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Maj. David McGurk is an Aviation Officer in the US Army. He spent May 05-Jun 06 in Iraq embedded as a Senior Advisor to the 4th Motorized Transportation Regiment of the 4th Division of the Iraqi Army. David is currently attending the Command and General Staff College, and will return to an operational unit following graduation. He is married with five children. |
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Abbie Pickett, of Darlington, WI, is a student at MATC. A member of the Army National Guard, Abbie served with the 229th Combat Support Equipment Company. She now lives in Madison, WI.
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Paul Rieckhoff, from New York, NY, is the Founder and Executive Director of IAVA. He spent one year as a First Lieutenant and Infantry Platoon Leader in Iraq, and continues to serve in the New York Army National Guard. Rieckhoff graduated from Amherst College in 1998, the same year he enlisted in the National Guard. Before going to Iraq, Rieckhoff worked on Wall Street.
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Zachary Scott-Singley was a Sergeant in the 3rd Infantry Division, serving
two tours in Iraq as an Arabic translator. He is married with two children.
You can read more from him at http://misoldierthoughts.blogspot.com. |
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Craig Smith, 23, from Pembroke, NY, served as a Specialist in Operation Iraqi Freedom from April to November 2003. His unit drove fuel trucks, facing IEDs, small arms fire, and rocket-propelled grenades until he was medevaced after a serious Humvee accident.
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During her year in Iraq, Marissa Sousa served as a Staff Sergeant, performing raids and patrols with 1-8 CAV, a tank unit. She served in the Army for seven years, and is now pursuing a degree in TV and Radio production.
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Rob Timmins, of Staten Island, NY, served as an Army Infantryman in Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he served in Najaf, and then Mosul. Rob escorted fuel convoys, went on patrol, and raided buildings for weapons caches, but also provided security for UN officials and helped Civil Affairs with reconstruction projects. He recently re-enlisted in the Army Reserves.
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Bobby Yen, of Atherton, CA, served in Iraq as a Broadcast Journalist. The son of Taiwanese immigrants, Bobby went to UCLA for a degree in computer science and engineering. He joined the Army Reserves at 19 in order to serve his country and live out his life long dream of being a soldier.
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Mike Zacchea was the senior battalion advisor for the 5th Battalion, 3rd Brigade of the Iraqi 5th Division. He was stationed at al-Taji Military Complex, defending the base perimeter and conducting offensive operations against the insurgents operating in/around al-Taji.
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