During the three-week, 15-state National Heroes Tour, Vets for Freedom periodically published an electronic newsletter about the tour’s progress.
With articles by the heroes, coverage of events, and behind-the-scenes footage of the bus tour, this newsletter will provide a firsthand look at the tour to honor the courage, conviction and commitment of the men and women working to complete the mission in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The last newsletter is below, with links to the archives underneath.
Vets for Freedom's National Heroes Tour Finishes Strong
Tuesday, April 18th, more than 400 US veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan gathered despite rain and cold on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. They gathered for one purpose; to show members of Congress and the American people that they have the resolve to win the war and provide our troops with the support and tools they need.
Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Congressmen Jim Marshall (D-GA), and Sam Johnson (R-TX) and several additional Senators and Congressmen were present for the rally and received an enthusiastic response.
Frontline Focus
McCain: Never surrender
By Amie Parnes
April 08, 2008
 John McCain, (R-Ariz.) the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, did not disappoint. At a pit stop at the Vets for Freedom rally outside the Capitol before appearing on the Senate Armed Services Committee, McCain, called Army Gen. David Petraeus "one of [America's] greatest generals."
He also thanked the veterans.
“I just wanna say what you know so well,” McCain said. “No one detests war more than a veteran. But the veteran also knows the consequences of defeat means greater sacrifice and greater numbers who are wounded and killed. You know better than any the consequences of defeat.”
“My friends, we will never surrender to the extremists,” McCain added.
“HOOAH!” dozens of vets yelled in response. |
To read more, visit the Politico Website.
Vets for Freedom In the News
Op-ed by Vets for Freedom Executive Director Pete Hegseth
Vets Sharing 'ground truth'
By Pete Hegseth
April 09, 2008
TODAY, New York City will host a handful of America's 21st century patriots - bona fide combat heroes of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They'll be visiting TV and talk-radio outlets and a Bronx school - to share the facts about what they've seen.
These men and women reject the title "hero" - but in a country that fawns over Hollywood "baby bumps" and Madison Avenue models, they're the true heroes.
Over the last three weeks, the National Heroes Tour, sponsored by Vets for Freedom, has crisscrossed the country - letting highly decorated veterans tell firsthand stories to audiences large and small. They've reached more than 20 million Americans in their local TV and radio markets.
With only 3 percent of national media coverage focused on Iraq today, we flanked into regional markets and found a public hungry for "ground truth" - the facts from men and women who've seen the reality for themselves.
On the bus at various times were the commander of the battalion responsible for the hunt and capture of Saddam Hussein; a Navy SEAL, the sole survivor of the deadliest mission for Navy special operations since World War II; a soldier nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor for acts of sheer courage in the battle of Fallujah - and a Marine sergeant who repeatedly rushed a building to save his guys, despite being severely wounded himself.
These heroes are ambassadors of the new greatest generation of warriors. And all understand two critically important facts: The radical Islamic enemy we face in Iraq and Afghanistan must be defeated - and the counter-insurgency strategy we are employing in Iraq today has turned the tide of the war.
Their "talking points" are not political or hypothetical, but experiential...
To read the rest of the article, visit the NY Post website.
