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Welcome to VFF-PAC's main effort for 2010--'Operation 10-in-10'.
We've done our research. Made the phone calls. Collected the
questionnaires. Checked the polls...and ignored some of them. The
result is this list, which represents the 10 Congressional
races in America where we believe electing an Iraq
and/or Afghanistan veteran will have the largest impact on
strengthening U.S. national security policy.
All 10 are Iraq and/or Afghanistan veterans. All 10 have proven
to be strong, viable candidates. All 10 are challengers in
competitive House races. And, most importantly, all 10 believe in
victory on the battlefield. Now, our job is to make sure
that all 10 of win in November!
Join us in supporting VFF-PAC's Top 10 Candidates in
2010.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE and support VFF-PAC's
effort to transform Congress by sending warriors to
Washington.
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Army Lieutenant Colonel Allen West
(Florida-22)
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Gulf War? Check. Iraq War?
Check. Afghan War? Check. You name it, Lieutenant
Colonel West has the t-shirt...and the awards to prove it.
Lieutenant Colonel West was decorated for valor on the battlefield
as a Captain during Desert Storm, he led a battalion (that's about
600 Soldiers) in combat in Iraq, and then trained Afghan Army
officers in Afghanistan. In all places, Lieutenant Colonel West
always put his men first, and was willing to make the
tough calls.
Don't we need more Congressmen who can make tough calls in
Washington? Damn right we do, and Lieutenant Colonel West is the
man for the job. VFF-PAC will stand with him,
shoulder-to-shoulder, and make sure we discharge another DC
politician.
Visit Lieutenant Colonel West's site HERE.
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Army Lieutenant Colonel Steve Stivers
(Ohio-15)
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This Army veteran of 25 years was a Battalion
Commander who led over 400 soldiers in a combat zone. That should
make shepherding the 435 sheep...um, we mean House members...a
simple task. (For the record, the House is comprised of 80%
non-veterans).
Lieutenant Colonel Stivers came thi....s close to winning this
Congressional seat in 2008, losing in a recount. VFF-PAC
supported him then, and will aggressively do so again. He's already
won his primary, and is drawing up battle plans for November.
Visit Lieutenant Colonel Stivers' site HERE.
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Marine Captain Brian Rooney (Michigan-7)
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Captain Rooney, pictured left, is wearing a suit
for a reason. He's a Marine lawyer. And a damn good one. So good
that he was chosen to defend the highest-ranking officer (pictured
right) indicted in the so-called "Haditha massacre." Captain Rooney
won in the courtroom (despite Congressman Murtha's best efforts).
Captian Rooney also helped us win in Iraq, serving on the
front-lines, including the fiercest combat of the second Battle of
Fallujah. Unfortunately, Brian lost his Republican primary on
August 3rd, after a valiant fight.
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Army Captain Jonathan Paton
(Arizona-8)
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In 2005, Captain Paton was serving in the Arizona
State Legislature. In 2006, he was in Iraq. Rather than watch from
afar, he volunteered to do a tour in Iraq during the
darkest days of the war. Most politicians only see Iraq on
heavily-guarded "fact-finding" missions, Captain Paton saw it in
uniform on the frontlines. He also happens to be an Army
intelligence officer, which means he understands the enemies we
face on the battlefield, and what it takes to defeat them.
Jonathan waged a spirited campaign, though victory eluded him in
the August 24th Republican primary.
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Marine Lieutenant Ilario Pantano (North
Carolina-7)
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No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy. These
words define the warfighter, Ilario Pantano. After 9/11, Lieutenant
Pantano left a cushy job on Wall Street to lead a platoon of
infantry Marines in combat, which brought him to Fallujah during
some of the fiercest fighting of the war. Lieutenant Pantano led
his men with courage and decisiveness, exactly the qualities needed
on the battlefield.
Lieutenant Pantano will bring those same qualities to
Washington, leading the fight for our warfighters. He's smart,
articulate, and tenacious. This Republican has an excellent chance
in November, and VFF-PAC plans to be a steadfast friend,
taking on his enemies one-by-one.
Visit Lieutenant Pantano's site HERE.
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Air Force Captain Adam Kinzinger
(Illinois-11)
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The other nine members of VFF-PAC's
Operation 10-in-10 saw the war(s) from the ground; Captain
Kinzinger saw them from the sky--sending valuable intelligence to
ground troops in Iraq (2 tours) and flying air medical evacuations
in Afghanistan, a job that requires skill...and balls of steel.
Captain Kinzinger may look like Tom Cruise, but he's actually
earned the wings.
Captain Kinzinger calls Iraq and Afghanistan veterans "America's
warrior class," and he's right. He will be a stalwart for his
fellow veterans, not just when they come home--but also while their
on the battlefield. So it's on to the general election for this
Maverick, and we plan to be his Goose.
Visit Captain Kinzinger's site HERE.
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Army Colonel Joe Heck (Nevada-3)
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Colonel Heck is the man you never wanted to see in
Iraq, but when you did, he was a warfighter's best friend. This is
because Colonel Heck ran the emergncy and air-medical evacuation
division for the combat support hospital in Al Asad, Iraq. Al Asad
is the second largest base in Iraq, and recieved wounded Soldiers
and Marines from multiple hot spots on a daily basis. Think M-A-S-H
on steroids.
Colonel Heck now commands a U.S. Army Hospital state-side, and
is seeking to take command of the people's seat in Nevada-3 as a
Republican. VFF-PAC will fight with everything we have for
Colonel Heck, knowing that he'll send a medevac blackhawk our way
if things get scrappy.
Visit Colonel Heck's site HERE.
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Army Major Tim Griffin (Arkansas-2)
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Major Griffin--a Screamin' Eagle no less!--has served our
country in uniform for 13 years, one of which was spent in Iraq on
a Bridage Operational Law Team. He earned the Combat Action
Badge--which means this Army lawyer met the enemy in battle, not
just in the courtroom. He remains in the Army Reserves to this day.
Major Griffin already won his Republican primary, and is well
positioned to win in November. VFF-PAC will send
artillery, mortars, direct fire, and maybe even some Marine
infantrymen (the literate ones) down range on his behalf.
Visit Major Griffin's website HERE.
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Army Colonel Chris Gibson (New
York-20)
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7 tours, including 4 Iraq combat tours. 4 Bronze
Stars. 2 CIBs. 1 Purple Heart. Any way you stack it up, this
infantry Brigade Commander is a modern day GI Joe. Colonel Gibson's
battalion earned a Unit Valor Award in Iraq, during some of the
fiercest fighting of the war. And, oh by the way, Colonel Gibson is
a graduate of Cornell and Stanford, and taugh at West Point. So
he's smarter than you...and us.
Colonel Gibson, who is the consensus Republican candidate, faces
an uphill battle in November. Nothing he hasn't seen before!
VFF-PAC will "follow him" as he charges up the hill in New
York, seeking to bring leadership, integrity, and some good ol'
fashion wup-ass to Capitol Hill.
Visit Colonel Gibson's site HERE.
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Army Captain Kevin Calvey (Oklahoma-5)
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Captain Calvey served during the Iraq Surge in
2007, where his mission was to prosecute al Qaeda leaders and
insurgents in Iraqi courts. He joined the Army after the
war in Iraq started, because that's just the kind of guy he is.
Because neither of the top two Republican primary candidates
received a majority of votes, this Bronze Star recipient had to
stop and reload. Kevin unflinchingly fought on through their
August 24th runoff, but was defeated.
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CLICK HERE TO DONATE and support these
warriors.
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