As a race-car driver and a veteran of the Iraq War, it may seem like we do not have a lot in common... but we have found a mission that we need to work together on. Each day we are disturbed to watch as more than $1 billion is sent...

I founded War Kids Relief after returning from serving in the Army in Iraq to keep youth from being recruited by extremist groups. Now they are doing this critical work in Afghanistan, and I wanted to invite you to give us a helping hand. Thanks to the contribution of a...

As the fallout over health reform continues to capture national attention, President Obama stepped onto the international stage today to sign a major nuclear weapons treaty with Russia. Although the Cold War is over and far from our minds, its nuclear weapons remain. The treaty, dubbed "New START,"...

Sandra Bullock is not the only person in the midst of an ugly break-up these days. For decades, conservatives have prided themselves for their devotion to the armed services. Yet, in recent months, the right has gotten mean in its attacks on our military leadership and is even exploiting our...

Seven years ago I was one of the anxious Americans standing by a television set watching the first few hours of the War in Iraq unfold. Unlike many of my friends at home, I was surrounded by soldiers; we were watching while we prepared to deploy to this same war....

In Iraq and Afghanistan today, our military is facing down bullets and improvised explosive devices that are being paid for right here at home!

The U.S sends approximately one billion dollars a day overseas to import oil. While this figure is staggering by itself, the dangerous implications of our...

Tuesday morning, I was joined by 10 veterans of Operation Free as we headed out in the freezing cold to get an early 5 AM start to ensure our place at the Copenhagen Bella Center. Delegations from all over the world joined us in line and were anxious...

Next week we will board a flight with a group of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to fly to Copenhagen and wage a battle that will help address a threat to our national security. Our plan of action does not involve the Danish military, but instead involves the negotiators who are...

I served for 15 months in Iraq as a Captain in the Army's 1st Armored Division, and like so many of my fellow Iraq and Afghanistan veterans I returned on a new mission. This mission was, and continues to be, to help raise awareness and educate the American people not...

Months ago, when veterans got into the fight over Clean Energy, we did so because of the firm link between Middle East oil profits and terrorism. Late last month Richard Holbrooke even stated that the Taliban is being funded by Persian Oil. In short, we're unintentionally funding both sides...

I testified to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works with retired Senator John Warner and retired Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn on the national security implications of climate change.

We were well received by many on the committee who believe that we must address the growing threat...

This morning on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Apollo 12's Astronaut Alan Bean, the fourth man to ever walk on the moon, discussed his experience and what it was like to look back at Earth in a way that only three humans had done before. Bean talked about landing on...

In late August 2003, the threads of hope that held together the War in Iraq were beginning to shred on a daily basis. The relationship my soldiers and I shared with the Iraqi civilians began to crumble and it was only a few short months before one of our close...

Around this date six years ago I was packing up my apartment in Giessen, Germany as my unit, the 1st Armored Division, "Old Ironsides", prepared for our deployment to Iraq. My fellow lieutenants and I watched with great anxiety as our comrades in the 3rd Infantry Division and others were...

Originally posted at The Moderate Voice

When President Obama announced his decision to send 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan, he did so with an interesting caveat. He explicitly stated that we cannot solve the problems of Afghanistan by military means alone. He's right, and he deserves credit...

In January of 2007, I stood up with many of my fellow Iraq veterans and Votevets.org to call on Bush to "Stop the Escalation." Many of us felt that the Bush administration lacked an overall strategy to provide the necessary tools needed to bring the fragile stability...

In today's Politico, two retired military leaders make a tremendous argument for real investment in programs of positive youth development. Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army General Hugh Shelton, and former Secretary of the Navy John Dalton, should be applauded for drawing attention to the growing...

Baghdad, Iraq.
June, 2003

Lt. Eddie Quan and I worked our way through a crowd of thousands of local Iraqi citizens who had shown up to vote in the first real election this town had seen in decades. Eddie and I pushed our chain of command to allow...

Since the early days of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, soldiers have been returning home and finding themselves engaged in politics for the first time in their lives. Many of us have taken the lead of those who have come before, from Gulf War I, Vietnam, or Korea. As...

For more than a year, I have had the opportunity to meet thousands of Western New Yorkers who represent the best of our community as I have campaigned for the 26th Congressional district. This campaign has been invigorating, encouraging, at times ugly, but always worthwhile. It has always been a...