Also see Will Grigg at:    http://freedominourtime.blogspot.com/2007/07/briefly-considered-weimar-moment.html      Vet Group Plans Pro-War  BlitzMilitary.com   By Christian Lowe   July 17,  2007A year ago, 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. It was tough duty, with firefights and IEDs a  near daily  occurrence. 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."For me, it's an extension of duty," the Army  Reserve officer who  served with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq said.  "I call it 'our exposed  domestic flank.' That's where the enemy knows we're  weak."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.Too much of the  coverage of the war - and the debate about it - comes  from people without  firsthand knowledge, Hegseth believes. So now he wants  those who dodged bullets  and roadside bombs to speak out."The veterans' voice  needs to be a part  of this debate and it hasn't been" Hegseth said. "I  think they can articulate  why we can't give up pretty well."As casualties mount  in Iraq, anti-war  veterans groups such as Veterans for Peace and Iraqi  Veterans Against the War  are gaining clout among lawmakers and presidential  candidates opposed to the  surge. Another recently-established anti-war veterans'  political action  committee, VoteVets.org, is credited with the victory  of several Democratic war  vet candidates in November."Veterans know more about  this war than  anyone else in America," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive  director of Iraq and  Afghanistan Veterans of America, a non-political  advocacy group. "For the first  three years of this war, the conversation has been  dominated by the policy  wonks, talk show hosts, and politicians. It's about  time we got into the next  level and had a real debate about the war from the  people who've been  there."Recognizing that the political momentum toward  withdrawal is  gaining strength, Vets for Freedom has organized a  surge of its own, launching  the "10 Weeks to Testimony" campaign aimed at  bolstering its ranks, contacting  lawmakers, and reaching out to local groups. These  efforts are designed to synch  up with the upcoming testimony by overall Iraq  commander, Gen. David Petraeus,  who will deliver a progress report to Congress in  September.Hegseth is  quick to point out his organization is non-political  and not affiliated with any  political party, but he recognizes the battle to keep  the current strategy in  Iraq on track takes place in a political arena."Vets  for Freedom  launched our '10 Weeks to Testimony' campaign and  committed to leading the  charge to support General Petraeus and stop anti-war  radicals and politicians on  Capitol Hill from undermining the mission in Iraq,"  according to a Vets for  Freedom release. "Unfortunately, despite thousands of  phone calls to Capitol  Hill this week, even more Republican senators have  bowed to political pressure  and declared defeat."Hegseth hopes Vets for Freedom can  help hold back  the anti-war wave. His group is bolstering its "10  Weeks to Testimony" campaign  July 17 with a day-long visit to Capitol Hill where  volunteers intend to speak  with lawmakers in hopes of bolstering support for the  current Iraq strategy. The  visits were moved up several months because Vets for  Freedom organizers  recognized their position was losing ground as  Republican war backers inched  further away from support in July."We were really  gearing up towards  September and hadn't anticipated Republicans' bailing  so quickly," Hegseth  said.So far about 30 veterans have signed up for  Tuesday's event, a  small fraction of the 5,000 members Vets for Freedom  claims on its rolls. But  that hasn't taken organizers' eyes off the  target.Hegseth opines, "We  want to be the Soldiers' voice for victory - the  Soldier's voice that says 'the  politicians in Washington are bailing on a war that we  are seeing progress  on.'"http://www.soapchat.net/showthread.php?t=159415http://www.military.com/NewsContent...html?ESRC=eb.nl