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Paul Rieckhoff
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Paul Rieckhoff, 33, is the Executive Director and Founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). A non-partisan non-profit group with over 100,000 members around the world, IAVA was founded in 2004 and is America’s first and largest Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans organization. Rieckhoff was a First Lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in the Iraq war from 2003-2004. He is now a nationally recognized authority on the war in Iraq and issues affecting troops, military families and veterans.

Rieckhoff created IAVA in June 2004 along with a few dedicated Veterans, a handful of volunteers, and some serious credit-card debt. In just four years, the organization has attracted hundreds of thousands of Iraq War Veterans and grassroots supporters across America. Whether you are an Iraq/Afghanistan Veteran or not, you can become a part of the new Veterans movement here.

The rapidly-growing membership of Iraq and Afghanistan war Veterans began speaking out on the airwaves, in congress and in the newspapers. America quickly came to realize that Troops returning from the thick of battle possessed a uniquely informed and valuable perspective. By the beginning of 2005, appearances or statements by IAVA members had made well over 100 million media impressions worldwide. Today, IAVA continues to be a force in the media, in Washington DC--and in cities and towns across America. IAVA conducts a nationwide college tour, testifies at congressional hearings, crafts and supports critical legislation proposed by both republicans and democrats, and recently led the historic (and successful) fight for a new GI Bill.

After graduating from Amherst College in 1998 with a degree in Political Science, Rieckhoff coached high school football, worked on Wall Street, participated in the rescue efforts at Ground Zero on 9/11, and served as an infantry platoon leader in Iraq from 2003-2004. In the spring of 2004, Rieckhoff became one of the first Iraq veterans to publicly criticize the war, call for better care for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and demand accountability from elected officials.

Honored by Esquire magazine as one of “America’s Best and Brightest” in 2004, Rieckhoff has appeared on hundreds of radio and television programs. Recent appearances include: The Charlie Rose Show, 60 Minutes, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, This Week With George Stephanopoulos, Good Morning America, Anderson Cooper 360,
Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Hardball with Chris Mathews, The NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, ABC’s documentary “To Iraq and Back: Bob Woodruff Reports,” The CBS Evening News, Hannity and Colmes, BBC World, NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air, Real Time with Bill Maher, Tavis Smiley and The Colbert Report.

Rieckhoff has had opinion pieces printed by the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, Knight-Ridder and The New York Daily News, and is a regular blogger for The Huffington Post and Military.com. He has been featured in U.S. News and World Report, Newsweek, The New York Times, GIANT Magazine, Washington Post, L.A. Times, Army Times, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, The New York Post, Newsday and A.P. Rieckhoff is also the author of Chasing Ghosts, a critically acclaimed
account of his experiences in Iraq and activism on behalf of veterans, published by Penguin in May 2006.

Rieckhoff left his Wall Street job on September 7, 2001 with plans to travel and complete additional military schooling. Those plans changed dramatically on the morning of September 11. Rieckhoff was at
his apartment on 24th Street in Manhattan when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. He saw the smoke from his rooftop, and immediately joined scores of volunteers serving in the rescue effort at Ground Zero. His National Guard unit was formally activated for rescue and security operations that evening.

In February 2002, Rieckhoff began Infantry Officers Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. He graduated in June of 2002 and immediately volunteered for active duty and a place in the pending war in Iraq. In
January 2003, Rieckhoff was ordered to deploy to Iraq with the 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Stewart, Georgia and was assigned as a Platoon Leader for 3rd Platoon, B Company, 3/124th INF.

His platoon was attached to 1st Brigade, Third Infantry Division (3ID) and spent almost a year conducting combat operations in Iraq, centered in the dangerous Adamiyah section of Baghdad on the Eastern bank of
the Tigris River. Rieckhoff’s Platoon conducted hundreds of dismounted and mounted combat patrols, and his battalion was the first reserve component unit in the Army to be awarded the Combat Infantryman
Badge since the Korean War. All thirty-eight of the men in Rieckhoff's platoon returned home alive.

Released from active duty in 2004, Rieckhoff now serves as an infantry officer in the Individual Ready Reserves. A staunch political independent, he and IAVA are tied to no political party or candidate. Rieckhoff is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, serves on the Board of The List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies, the Board Advisers for The Military Channel, and is a lifetime member of the VFW. He is a graduate of Amherst College and lives in New York City's historic East Village.

For media and press inquiries, please contact (212) 982-9699 or media@IAVA.org.

More info at ChasingGhosts.com and myspace.com/paulrieckhoff

You can also find Paul on Facebook here.

Blog Entries by Paul Rieckhoff

If the Giants or Pats Get a Parade, Shouldn't Iraq Vets?

125 Comments | Posted February 2, 2012 | 2/2/12

The ticker-tape parade is a slice of Americana as old as the Statue of Liberty. It's an honor reserved for a select few (sort of), from astronauts returning from space to military heroes to beloved politicians like Teddy Roosevelt. It's also happened for baseball player Sammy Sosa, and even...

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It's Time for the President to Prove He's Brady or Eli for Vets

27 Comments | Posted January 24, 2012 | 1/24/12

If the NFC and AFC title games from this past weekend reminded us of anything, it's that America loves clutch performances. The first three quarters are great for backdrop, but it's performing when the pressure is at its highest that creates the best memories and the biggest stars. A quarterback...

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A Message to All Candidates: Our Troops Aren't Props

629 Comments | Posted January 10, 2012 | 1/10/12

Our troops are many things to many people. Heroes, parents, diplomats, victims, villains, victors. But as the GOP Primary races roll through New Hampshire this week, there is one thing that all of America must understand they're not: political props.

And that's not just my opinion, it's the law.

This is why...

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The Unsung Heroes of War -- Our Families

64 Comments | Posted December 8, 2011 | 12/8/11

"Service members enlist. Their families are drafted."

That familiar refrain has been uttered time and time again on American military bases across the globe during these wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There's a lot of truth found in it, and such a reality rarely ends when a service member returns...

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11/11/11 -- Not Just A Funky Date

Posted November 11, 2011 | 11/11/11

Stephen Colbert, Brian Williams, Norah Jones and... Aaron Mankin?

In a night full of stars, it was the humble kid from Arkansas who stole the show.

In 2005, Retired Marine Corporal Aaron Mankin was seriously wounded in Iraq when an IED destroyed his vehicle, fatally wounding six other Marines.

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As War in Iraq Ends, Suits and Jobs Are What We Need, Not Yellow Ribbons and Unemployment Checks

Posted October 21, 2011 | 10/21/11

Inspired by Tuesday's Huffington Post Game Changers Awards and the success stories of some of my fellow Game Changers, I woke up Wednesday eager for progress in the veterans' employment movement. For once, I didn't have to wait very long.

"We ask our men and women in...

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Hiring Vets: The Golden Gate to a New Era

Posted October 5, 2011 | 10/5/11

"If you can save a life in Afghanistan, you can save a life in an ambulance in Wyoming. If you can oversee millions of dollars of assets in Iraq, you can help a business balance its books here at home," President Obama said in August when announcing his veteran...

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Moving Forward

Posted September 11, 2011 | 9/11/11

I was at Ground Zero ten years ago and remember it well. Too well, really. I remember the blue sky. I remember a gigantic plane engine sitting calmly on a street corner like a piece of modern art. I remember the rubble. I remember the bucket brigades. I remember the...

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The Cover of TIME: The Face of the Next Greatest Generation

Posted August 18, 2011 | 8/18/11

Eight years ago, after the capture of Saddam Hussein in a spider hole, TIME Magazine named The American Soldier its “Person of the Year.” It was an iconic cover story that put a face on these wars and played a decisive role in getting Americans to separate personal politics from...

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POTUS Makes it Clear: Hiring Vets Is Good Business

Posted August 5, 2011 | 8/5/11

The mind-numbing debt ceiling debate dominated headlines for what seems like all summer. That changed a bit today, when President Obama announced his New Veterans’ Employment Initiative at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. This call to action couldn’t come at a more crucial time – according to

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VOW to Hire Our Heroes

Posted July 18, 2011 | 7/18/11

Lost in the headlines about the mind-numbing debt ceiling debate and Japan’s  Women’s World Cup victory, the unemployment rate for new veterans jumped to 13.3 percent in June, 4 percentage points higher than the national average. Last time we polled IAVA’s membership, they reported close to 20 percent...

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Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Take Their Fight to Capitol Hill

Posted March 31, 2011 | 3/31/11

This week, 30 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans took Capitol Hill by storm. Hailing from 14 different states, they brought diverse military, professional and personal experiences from the battlefield to Washington, D.C. And they made a huge impact.

Our teams (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo,...

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Lame Duck Turns Mighty for New Vets

Posted January 11, 2011 | 1/11/11

The Oregon Ducks came up short against Auburn this week, but December's lame duck delivered for vets. You may have missed it while buried in a blizzard or trapped in a holiday food coma, but Congress came through big-time for vets during the lame duck session.

...
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#SenateFail: How the Senate May Have Doomed DADT (and the Defense Bill Along With it)

Posted December 13, 2010 | 12/13/10

So how much does this Senate suck?

A lot.

This has definitely been a year of incredible frustration and stagnation in Washington. Without a doubt, it’s the worst I've seen it in my short time working as an advocate on Capitol Hill. But in the last week,...

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A Military Pay Freeze? Our Troops Shouldn't Pay the Price for the Recession

Posted December 7, 2010 | 12/7/10

After 10 years in Iraq and Afghanistan, our troops are coming home from war to a difficult economy, staggering foreclosure rates and high unemployment. Now, if Washington gets its way, they’ll also face their lowest pay raise in decades. Nice. So as investment bankers get hefty bonuses on Wall Street,...

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This Thanksgiving, Be Thankful for Real Heroes

Posted November 25, 2010 | 11/25/10

When you reach for that second helping of turkey or stuffing today, war probably won’t be the topic of conversation at your Thanksgiving dinner table. That is, unless you have a loved one in Iraq, Afghanistan or South Korea.

While Black Friday looms, the disconnect between our military and the...

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Veterans Day: Today, Let's Show Our Vets We've Got Their Backs

Posted November 11, 2010 | 11/11/10

For months, our country has been divided over "ObamaCare," Bush tax cuts and Wall Street bailouts. But with the election finally behind us, it's time for all Americans to come together and find some common ground. It won't be around immigration reform or deficit spending, but it can be around...

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From Combat to Capitol Hill: The New Vet 27

Posted November 2, 2010 | 11/2/10

Today's election marks the end of an epic, historic campaign season that included witches, a rally for sanity, the Tea Party and a journalist handcuffed by a campaign. From Whitman to Reid to Miller, candidates have spent more than ever, fought more than ever and given...

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Wake Up, America! War Off the Radar, Congress Fails

Posted October 20, 2010 | 10/20/10

After nearly a decade in Iraq and Afghanistan, over 2 million Americans have served, a trillion dollars have been spent and yet only 3 percent of Americans have war on their radar this election.

And where's Congress? Spinning on the campaign trail, scrambling for last-minute endorsements and as

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Calling All Mayors: Congress Failed, but You Can Lead on Innovations for New Veterans

Posted October 13, 2010 | 10/13/10

Lately, I’ve had a lot of conversations with elected officials urging them to put points on the board for new veterans and deliver real results to our community. I’ve heard a lot of talk, a lot of promises and a lot of “I support our troops and veterans.”  But...

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