Paul Rieckhoff

Paul (P.J.) Rieckhoff is an American writer, social entrepreneur, activist and veteran of the United States Army and the Iraq War. He is the president of Righteous Media Inc and the host of the Independent Americans podcast. Prior to that, he was the founder, CEO and executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA),[1] a non-partisan non-profit founded in 2004. He served as an Army first lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in Iraq from 2003 through 2004.[1] Rieckhoff was released from the Army National Guard in 2007. He is also the Karl Lowenstein Distinguished Visiting Lecturer in the Political Science Department at Amherst College, where he designed and taught a class on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, titled "Understanding 9/11".

Paul Rieckhoff
Nickname(s)P.J.
BornNew York, US
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1998–2007
RankFirst Lieutenant
Unit3rd Infantry Division
Battles/warsIraq War

Education

Rieckhoff attended James I. O'Neill High School in Highland Falls, New York, and graduated from Amherst College in 1998 with a BA in political science.[1] At Amherst, Rieckhoff was a varsity football and rugby player. He hosted a radio show on the college radio station WAMH-FM and was president of the student government.

Military service

Rieckhoff enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve on September 15, 1998, and completed Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort McClellan, Alabama.[2] He then served in the U.S. Army Reserve as a specialist with the 812th Military Police Company. While working on Wall Street in 1999, Rieckhoff transferred to the New York Army National Guard. He graduated from Officer Candidate School in June 2001 and was named a Distinguished Military Graduate. Rieckhoff selected infantry as his branch and joined A Company, 1-105th Infantry (Light).

Rieckhoff left Wall Street on September 7, 2001, with plans to travel and complete additional military schooling. On the morning of September 11, Rieckhoff was at his apartment in Manhattan when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. He participated in the rescue efforts at ground zero.[3]

In 2002, Rieckhoff volunteered for the invasion of Iraq. In January of that year, he was on a plane to join the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Rieckhoff was then assigned as a platoon leader in the 124th Infantry Regiment of the Florida Army National Guard. The unit was attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division and spent almost a year conducting combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq.

Rieckhoff was awarded a United States Army Commendation Medal for his service in Iraq.[4]

Political activism

In 2008, Rieckhoff and IAVA supported the passage of the "Post-9/11 (New) GI Bill". On February 7, 2007, he testified before the House Veterans Affairs Committee to advocate for passage of the bill.[5]

On February 13, 2014, IAVA led the creation, passage and signing into law of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for America's Veterans (SAV) Act. The law was named after Marine CPL Clay Hunt, a sniper, IAVA member and personal friend of Rieckhoff and other IAVA leaders. Rieckhoff participated in a signing ceremony at the White House.[6]

Positions and critics

On veterans issues

Rieckhoff has spoken in favor of veterans, including in conversation with former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.[7]

On the Iraq War

Rieckhoff's book Chasing Ghosts is a left-wing criticism of the Iraq War and President George Bush.[8]

On "Don't Ask Don't Tell"

He has been a vocal advocate for gay rights and the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell", as well as reform of the military's sexual assault policies.[9]

On the film The Hurt Locker

Although he has no experience with explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) or their operations, and very little experience with combat operations in general, Rieckhoff criticized the film The Hurt Locker (2008), posting a piece in Newsweek titled "Veterans: Why 'The Hurt Locker' Isn't Reality"[10] and appeared on PBS Newshour to state his position.[11]

On the film American Sniper

Rieckhoff was a strong supporter of the controversial film American Sniper (2014), writing a review for Variety stating "American Sniper is the single best work of film about the Iraq War ever made."[12]

In 2015, Rieckhoff appeared on Comedy Central's The Nightly Show to defend American Sniper as an effective public awareness tool for veterans causes.[13]

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

After returning home from Iraq in 2004, Rieckhoff founded Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), a "nonpartisan organization" which was dubbed "a veterans group with an uncharacteristic liberal bent and a business model that emphasizes online communities over traditional outreach" by The New York Times, for new veterans.[14] [15]

Public life

Rieckhoff has testified before Congress on issues facing the veterans community and writes regularly for national websites and publications. In August 2011, Rieckhoff and four other IAVA members appeared on the cover of Time magazine for a feature about Iraq and Afghanistan veterans being leaders of the "New Greatest Generation".[16]

He was profiled by The Hill in June 2014 in a piece titled "From the battles of Iraq to those of DC".[17]

Books

Rieckhoff wrote a book describing his experiences in Iraq and activism afterwards entitled Chasing Ghosts (2006).[1][18] In 2006, Rieckhoff spoke to NPR's Fresh Air about the book.[19]

Films

Rieckhoff has produced four documentary films (Warrior Champions, Reserved to Fight, Jerabek and When I Came Home) and acted in Green Zone starring Matt Damon.[20]

Awards, honors, and affiliations

Rieckhoff was inducted into the Global Ashoka Fellowship in 2010 as recognition of his innovation and entrepreneurship on behalf of new veterans.[21]

A member of the American think tank Council on Foreign Relations, Rieckhoff is an advocate for Iraqi and Afghan refugees and interpreters and an advisory board member of The List Project, "a non-profit operating in the U.S., founded with the belief that the United States Government has a clear and urgent moral obligation to resettle to safety Iraqis who are imperiled due to their affiliation with the United States of America."[22] He helped bring his former Iraqi translator Esam Pacha (who was targeted for assassination) to the US.[23]

Named #37 of GQ's "50 Most Powerful People in D.C." in 2009.[24]

In 2012, Rolling Stone named Rieckhoff to its list of "The Quiet Ones: 12 Leaders Who Get Things Done".[25]

In 2013, Rieckhoff was named to "The Verge 50" list of "people that changed our lives" alongside leaders like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Marissa Mayer.[26]

Rieckhoff was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Amherst College in 2013.[27]

In 2016, Rieckhoff was elected to the New York State Senate Veteran's Hall of Fame for distinguishing himself both in military and civilian life.[28]

References
  1. "Iava Staff & Board". Iava.org. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  2. "Paul Rieckhoff". Amazon. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  3. "Paul Rieckhoff". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  4. "Army Commendation Medal, Paul Rieckhoff". Thisainthell.us. January 28, 2004. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  5. "Paul Rieckhoff". house.gov. October 31, 2011. Archived from the original on January 12, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  6. "Tenacity wins veterans much-needed help for suicide prevention". msnbc.com. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  7. Jaffe, Greg (May 26, 2014). "In VA crisis, old general's deliberate style clashes with impatience of young veterans". The Washington Post.
  8. Massing, Michael (December 20, 2007). "Iraq: The Hidden Human Costs". The New York Review of Books.
  9. "Broken Senate Delays Military Sexual Assault Reform". Huffington Post. November 22, 2013.
  10. "Veterans: Why 'The Hurt Locker' Isn't Reality". newsweek.com. February 24, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  11. "Rieckhoff discusses The Hurt Locker". IraqNewsVids. March 4, 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21 – via YouTube.
  12. Rieckhoff, Paul (January 16, 2015). "A Veteran's View of 'American Sniper' (Guest Column)". Variety. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  13. "Panel - "American Sniper" Debate-The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore - Video Clip". Comedy Central. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  14. "About Us » Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans Of America". Iava.org. 15 October 2014. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  15. Leo, Shane. "IAVA attracts the spotlight – and detractors". Stripes.com. Stars and Strips. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  16. Klein, Joe (August 29, 2011). "The New Greatest Generation". TIME. Archived from the original on August 19, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  17. Wong, Kristina (June 17, 2014). "From the battles of Iraq to those of DC". thehill.com.
  18. Chasing Ghosts. NPR.org. 2006. ISBN 9780451218414. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  19. "Iraq Veteran Writes About 'A Soldier's Fight'". NPR.org. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  20. "Paul Rieckhoff". IMDb. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  21. "Ashoka Fellows - Paul Rieckhoff". Ashoka.org. 2010. Archived from the original on July 6, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  22. "The List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies". thelistproject.org. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  23. "Leaving Friends to Die: Abandoning Our Iraqi Interpreters". Huffington Post. October 3, 2007. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  24. Robert Draper; Sarah Goldstein; W.S. Hylton; Mark Kirby; Raha Naddaf; Tory Newmyer; Greg Veis (November 2009). "The 50 Most Powerful People in DC". Gq.com. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  25. "The Quiet Ones: 12 Leaders Who Get Things Done". rollingstone.com. 5 January 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  26. "Paul Rieckhoff - The Verge 50". theverge.com. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  27. "Paul Rieckhoff '98 - Amherst College". amherst.edu. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  28. "Squadron Nominates Paul Rieckhoff to 2016 Senate Veteran's Hall of Fame". 20 May 2016.

Press and published works
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