Pete Hegseth

Pete Hegseth replaced Wade Zirkle as Executive Director of the pro-war in Iraq Vets for Freedom in May 2007 and became its full-time Executive Director on July 9, 2007. Hegseth is a Policy Specialist at the Center for the American University at the conservative Manhattan Institute think tank. Hegseth will pursue a Masters in Public Policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in fall 2008, deferred a year from his previously announced plan to begin in 2007.

Hegseth served "two overseas tours with the U.S. Army, serving as an infantry platoon leader in Iraq and Cuba. In between tours, Mr. Hegseth worked as an analyst" at Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc..

Hegseth was a Family Research Council Witherspoon Fellow at Princeton University.

On May 9, 2007, Hegseth, described as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. National Guard, appeared on Chris Matthews' MSNBC show Hardball as a spokesman for Republican Party front group Vets for Freedom. At the time, Hegseth's name did not appear on the VFF website.

Hegseth is an alumnus of Princeton University's James Madison Program.

False claims?
On August 17, 2007, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council wrote:


 * "Last year, Pete formed an organization called Vets for Freedom, whose growing influence is the feature of a lengthy article in today's Washington Times. Pete says he started the group because he felt the 'pro-mission vets' voice,' was not being heard in the debate."

In a July 17, 2007, article published by Military.com, Christian Lowe wrote that, in 2006, Pete Hegseth "was leading Soldiers in combat, tamping down the flames of the sectarian bloodletting that erupted after a massive explosion demolished the so-called 'Golden Mosque' on his home turf of Samarra, Iraq ... Despite the danger, he saw value in his mission of stabilizing Iraq and fighting terrorism. ... But his fight didn't stop upon his return to high-intensity civilian life in New York City - just the tools he'd use to wage it."


 * Note: "In between tours" to Iraq, Hegseth "worked as an analyst" at the "leading global investment banking, securities trading and brokerage firm" Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc..

Lowe then wrote:


 * "So Hegseth teamed with former Marine infantry leader Wade Zirkle and other Iraq and Afghanistan war vets to muster troops to their cause. They started Vets for Freedom in 2006 hoping to energize like-minded vets of recent combat deployments into a fifth column will help influence the war debate."

Although both accounts make a nice news story, story it may well be, since Hegseth's name was not associated with Vets for Freedom before May 9, 2007, when Hegseth, described as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. National Guard, appeared on Chris Matthews' MSNBC show Hardball as a VFF spokesman. At the time, Hegseth's name did not appear on the VFF website.

In a May 21, 2007, posting on Power Line Blog, Hegseth announced that he had became VFF's Executive Director, replacing VFF co-founder Wade Zirkle.

Additionally, in January 2006, when VFF was founded, Hegseth's name is not found among or associated with VFF's founding members. Nor is it found on any official VFF (or VFF-AF) documents, news releases, or appearances by VFF members prior to May 2007.

As of July 9, 2007, Hegseth was "working full-time" as VFF's executive director.

On abuse of detainees at Gitmo
"There is abuse at Gitmo, as our Witherspoon Fellowship Alumnus, 1/LT Pete Hegseth, has said: it's the detainees abusing their guards. They are the ones who throw bodily waste on the guards and hit their own Korans!"

Profiles
Hegseth grew up in Forest Lake, Minnesota, and graduated from high school there. "Hegseth attended Princeton University on an ROTC scholarship and graduated in 2003."

At Princeton, Hegseth was a Witherspoon Fellow, played guard on the Princeton Tigers men's college basketball team , and was Publisher Editor-in-Chief of the conservative The Princeton Tory

Military service
Hegseth served in Guantanamo Bay "on a security mission with his National Guard unit and, upon his return from Cuba, he volunteered to join the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division for their deployment to Iraq from 2005-2006. Serving as an infantry Platoon Leader and an assistant Civil-Military Operations officer in Baghdad as well as Samarra, Lt. Hegseth earned the Combat Infantryman's Badge and Bronze Star Medal for his time in Iraq."


 * Note: Civil Military Operations "includes missions such as providing humanitarian assistance to communities when needed, or conducting an economic assessment of a district [such as] in Baghdad."

On July 11, 2007, Hegseth, who was interviewed on Jim Vicevich's WTIC News/talk radio show in Connecticut "re: Keeping Soldiers Fighting in the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan", was described as a "First Lieutenant for the 1-69 Infantry (New York Army National Guard)."

Articles and news releases by Pete Hegseth

 * "Not your average publication," The Daily Princetonian, April 17, 2002.
 * "What Would Lincoln Do? Civil War Woes Emblematic Of Those Faced In Iraq," The Weekly Standard, June 26, 2007.
 * "More Troops, Please. 'Not losing' isn't the same as winning," WSJ OpinionJournal, October 3, 2006; Read into the record by Rep. John Shadegg, Iraq Debate: Floor Speech #3, February 14, 2007.
 * "The 'bare-minimum approach' to Iraq isn't working," Princeton Alumni Weekly, November 8, 2006.
 * "Reality Check for the Antiwar Crowd," Washington Post, June 25, 2007.
 * "President Bush & Vietnam," The Tank/National Review Online, August 23, 2007.
 * "Vets for Freedom: WEEK 9: Momentum Gathers for Sept. 17 & 18," Vets for Freedom (posted by Spree at Israelated Blog), September 4, 2007; posted on Family Security Matters website, September 6, 2007.
 * News release: "Vets for Freedom Launches Ads in Four States, Fights Back Against MoveOn.org," Vets for Freedom, August 8, 2007.
 * News release: "Vets for Freedom fights back against MoveOn.org," Vets for Freedom, August 11, 2007.
 * "MoveOn.org Calls Petraeus a Traitor. Do Democrats in Congress agree?" The Weekly Standard, September 9, 2007. re MoveOn.org
 * See Jeffrey Feldman, "How Right-Wing Lie About MoveOn Ad Became The Story," The Huffington Post, September 11, 2007.


 * "The Petraeus Report and 'Vets on the Hill'," Family Security Matters, September 15, 2007.
 * "This Week at War: Vindicating Generals, Ignoring Heroes," The Tank/National Review Online, October 15, 2007.
 * Op-Ed: "No 'Nightmare'. Why 'Surge' is Working," New York Post, October 23, 2007.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Operation Iraqi Freedom: Year Five

Undated

 * Contact: Pete Hegseth, VERITAS Fund, DonorsTrust.org.

2002

 * Caroline Bone '03, Letters to the Editor: "No 'gratuitous diversity' at this University," The Daily Princetonian, April 17, 2002.
 * Sallie Langston '03, "The worthy goal of diversity," The Daily Princetonian, April 17, 2002.
 * The Princeton Tory, May 2002.

2003

 * Ben Goldstein, "Men's Basketball Makes History With Its First Winless Ivy Season," Columbia Daily Spectator, March 10, 2003.
 * "Why We Care," Ivy League Sports, March 11, 2003. Scroll down to fourth paragraph on Hegseth.
 * Photo Album, "Congratulations Army Lieutenants of the Class of 2003," Princeton University, June 17, 2003.

2005

 * John Hinderaker, "Let's Hear From Someone Who's Served There," Power Line Blog, June 21, 2005.
 * John Hinderaker, "A Guantanamo Vet Speaks," Power Line Blog, June 22, 2005.
 * Katherine Kersten, "A Guardsman's view of Guantanamo," Star Tribune, June 27, 2005.
 * Joe Drennan, "1999 FLHS grad ships off to Iraq this week," Forest Lake Times, September 14, 2005.

2006

 * "A word from Lt. Hegseth, take 2," Power Line Blog, June 8, 2006.
 * Jonathan Zebrowski, "In their shared pain, some find a new sense of purpose. The military represented a higher calling for some, but for others, the cost of serving wasn't worth it," The Daily Princetonian, September 13, 2006.
 * "FRC To Host Lecture Featuring Iraq War Veteran," Family Research Council, November 8, 2006.
 * "Army Officer: Wounded Are Owed Prayers and Thanks This Veterans Day," Associated Press (KXMB.com), November 10, 2006. re Hegseth's FRC speech
 * "Young Evangelicals Urge Efforts to Stop Global Warming," Associated Press (KXMB.com), November 17, 2006.
 * John Shadegg, "We can run but we can't hide," ''Townhall.com, December 6, 2006.

2007

 * Robert Morrison, "Steps Toward Freedom. One of FRC's Own Witherspoon Alumni: In His Own Words From Iraq," Family Research Council, archived March 27, 2007.
 * Combat Infantry Bunny, "Pete Hegseth Blinked While Iraqi’s Died," The Daily Kos, July 10, 2007.
 * Katherine Kersten, "Minnesota warrior takes his fight from Iraq to Washington," Star Tribune, July 18, 2007.
 * Stephen Spruiell, "First Lt. Hegseth Takes the Hill Fighting for freedom — in Iraq, in Washington," National Review Online, July 18, 2007.
 * "Katie wants you to meet Peter," the cucking stool Blogspot, July 19, 2007.
 * mcjoan, "VoteVets Debate Petraeus Plan," The Daily Kos, July 25, 2007.
 * Mitch Dworkin, "DEBATE ON IRAQ: Jon Soltz of VoteVets.org vs. Pete Hegseth of Vets for Freedom," Securing America's Future/WesPAC, July 26, 2007. Scroll down through article for links to related articles and transcripts. See Hegseth and VoteVets.org on Chris Matthews' Hardball: Part 1 and Part 2.
 * Anne Flaherty, "In the Debate Over Iraq, It's Vet Vs Vet. Politically Savvy Combat Veterans Try to Sway Iraq Debate, Become Powerful PR Tools," Associated Press (ABC News), August 14, 2007.
 * Susan Duclos, "A veteran with a voice," Washington Times, August 16, 2007.
 * David Schraub, "Guantanamera!" The Debate Link Blogspot, August 17, 2007.
 * Deroy Murdock, "Surge helps U.S. win Iraq's hearts and minds," Scripps Howard News Service, September 6, 2007; "A Surge of Public Works. The president’s strategy bears much fruit," National Review Online, September 7, 2007.
 * B Merryfield, "Pete Hegseth - leader in the Right’s surge to 'victory'," The Daily Kos, September 7, 2007.
 * Jon Soltz, "On What the Troops Want," The Huffington Post, September 20, 2007.
 * B Merryfield, "Hegseth: loyal Bushie gets a 'flag grade' smack down," The Daily Kos, September 20, 2007.
 * "Limbaugh in Deep for 'Phony Soldiers' Remark," Christian Broadcasting Network, October 3, 2007.
 * "Robertson's CBN News lies for Limbaugh," Radamisto Blogspot, October 4, 2007. re Rush Limbaugh
 * dlawbailey, "Phonied-Up Republican Soldier - Yes, Phonied-Up," The Daily Kos, October 6, 2007.

Profiles

 * Sgt. Waine D. Haley, 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, "U.S. Army. 1st Lt. Peter Hegseth. New York Banker Helps Rebuild Iraq Infrastructure," DefendAmerica.mil, March 23, 2006.
 * Archived issues of the Princeton Tory.

Interviews

 * Hugh Hewitt, "Pete Hegseth," Radio Blogger/Townhall.com, July 16, 2007.
 * "Hardball: Rallying for Bush's Iraq War Plan," Hegseth and Ron Reagan on Hardball, July 17, 2007. (YouTube).
 * Hugh Hewitt, "Pete Hegseth, Jack Kelly," Radio Blogger/Townhall.com, July 31, 2007.
 * Jerry Newberry, "Pete Hegseth talks about Vets for Freedom," The National Defense/Townhall.com, August 10, 2007.