[SkyPilot]

Peter Brian Hegseth (born June 6, 1980) is a former Executive Director of Vets For Freedom and a senior counterinsurgency instructor at the Counterinsurgency Training Center in Kabul with the Minnesota National Guard. Hegseth has made multiple appearances on national television as a military analyst and lost the Republican party endorsement for the United States Senate election in Minnesota, 2012 to Kurt Bills. He is currently the CEO of Concerned Veterans for America. Hegseth was commissioned as an infantry officer into the U.S. Army National Guard in 2003. In 2004, his unit was called to Guantanamo Bay where he served as an infantry platoon leader. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal. Shortly after returning from Cuba, Hegseth volunteered to serve in Baghdad and Samarra, where he held the position of Infantry Platoon Leader and, later in Samarra, of Civil-Military Operations Officer. During his time in Iraq, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device, Combat Infantryman Badge, and a second Army Commendation Medal.

Hegseth's civilian employment during his non-deployment National Guard service was with Bear Stearns.

Upon return from Iraq, Hegseth worked briefly at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. In 2007, he left the conservative think tank to take the helm of Vets For Freedom as executive director. At that time, the organization had no staff, limited membership and no budget. By 2008, after eighteen months of Hegseth's leadership, the group had grown to 95,000 members with a $9 million budget and a dozen staff members. While leading Vets For Freedom from 2007–2010, he was also a Fox News Channel military analyst and made multiple television appearances on the Fox News Channel, CNN and MSNBC. Hegseth is also a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a contributor to the National Review Online, as well as the author of many editorials in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, New York Post, and The Washington Times.

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[17th Miss Regt]

it achieves so little, while breaking faith with veterans and sending a discouraging message to rank-and-file members of the military.

No. It achieves its intent, which is breaking faith with veterans and sending a discouraging message to rank-and-file members of the military.

[blueunicorn6]

The “compromise” by Paul Ryan and Patty Murray had nothing to do with balancing the budget or reducing the deficit. Nobody’s taxes will go down because of it. Murray wanted some extra money for HEADSTART, and Ryan offered up the money from retired Veterans.

[Poundstone]

I dunno. Reagan appointee Larry Korb (former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower) presents a very compelling case in favor of this reduction in the increase of COLAs. Korb notes that when most vets joined, these lavish retirement packages were not in existence —they were only introduced later. So these packages weren’t part of most military members’ “contract” when they signed up. Plus, as SecDef Hagel and CJCS Dempsey have stressed, personnel costs are eating up half of DOD’s budget right now, and are going higher.

[Jet Jaguar]

Active Duty/Retiree ping.

[beelzepug]

6 billion dollars saved over ten years by gouging the service members and veterans Yet the U.S. sent $37,680,000,000 in foreign aid overseas in 2012 alone.

Detroit is going to get 108 million aid this year to try to get back on its feet. Egypt, however, will be getting 127 million in economic aid. I’m not saying I approve of giving all that dough to Detroit, but why Egypt?

$10.744 billion went to the top five countries on the list in 2012. Israel was #1. The next four are Muslim nations. Think about this as you write out your check to the IRS come April 15th.

[blueunicorn6]

Why....yes.....sitting in an air-conditioned government office drinking a latte and visiting about Oprah’s latest show while waiting for that 3pm quitting time is JUST like moving out under fire.