Paul Rieckhoff is the Executive Director and Founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Paul served as a First Lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in the Iraq war from 2003-2004. He is also the author of the critically-acclaimed Chasing Ghosts, and a nationally recognized authority on the war in Iraq and issues affecting troops, military families and veterans. Prior to going to Iraq, Paul worked as a high school football coach and an Investment Banking Analyst on Wall Street. He received a BA in Political Science from Amherst College in 1998 and lives in New York City.
Reynaldo Leal deployed twice to Iraq with 3rd Battalion 5th Marines out of Camp Pendleton, California. During his first tour, Reynaldo was stationed in Fallujah where he took part in some of the heaviest fighting during Operation Phantom Fury. He is currently living in Edinburg, Texas, and attending South Texas College, pursuing a degree in Geology. He is also a published photographer.
Wes Moore is an investment banker with Deutsche Bank’s Global Markets Division in New York and London. Wes, a paratrooper and Captain in the United States Army Reserves, recently returned from a combat tour of duty in Afghanistan where he served as the Director of Information Operations with the 1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division. A former White House fellow, Wes currently serves on IAVA’s Board of Directors and is working on a book about African-American involvement in international affairs.
Sara Skinner served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, and deployed to Iraq twice as a Military Police platoon leader between March 2003 and April 2005. A 2002 graduate of West Point, she currently works at a data management firm, and is planning to attend law school in the future. Skinner is married to a fellow Iraq veteran, and resides outside of Atlanta, Georgia.
Patrick Campbell serves as a congressional liaison for IAVA, working to advance the IAVA Legislative Agenda among members of Congress and Veterans Service Organizations. After returning from Iraq in October 2005 after one year of service, he was awarded the Combat Medical Badge and the Meritorious Service Medal. Patrick recently graduated Law School from the Catholic University of America, and is a combat medic with the Washington, D.C. National Guard.
Cara Hammer served in Tikrit, Iraq, from February 2004 to February 2005 with the Division Support Command for the 1st Infantry Division. She is currently a full-time student studying Family and Human Development at Arizona State University, and looking forward to working with military members and their families after graduation.
Brian LaGuardia, a Staff Sergeant in the Army, was called up from the IRR in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in late 2005. He deployed with a unit out of North Carolina to run Combat Logistics Patrols along the main supply routes in Iraq. Laguardia currently lives in Inwood, NY, and is enrolled at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs, working towards earning his Masters degree.
Todd Bowers is IAVA's Director of Government Affairs and he works with the Chief Legislative Counsel as IAVA’s liaison to members of Congress, to Veterans Service Organizations, and to other government agencies. Todd served two tours in Iraq as a Civil Affairs Team Sergeant with the United States Marine Corps, and was awarded the Purple Heart and Navy Commendation medal with “V” device for Valor. He studied Middle Eastern Affairs and Arabic at George Washington University in Washington, D.C, and continues to serve his country as a Staff Sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserves.
Genevieve Chase served in Bagram and Lashkargah, Afghanistan from February 2006 to December 2006 with the Army's 10th Mountain Division. She is currently waiting to attend Warrant Officer Candidate School, is pursuing a Bachelors Degree in Intelligence and Terrorism Studies, and works as a defense contractor. She is also the author of a popular military blog.
Bryan Adams served a year-long deployment with the Army in Tikrit, from February 2004 to February 2005. In October 2004, he was shot in the left leg and left hand during an ambush and was awarded a Purple Heart. He can be seen in IAVA’s new public service announcement, “Alone.” Adams is currently a sophomore at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Don Gomez is a former Sergeant in the U.S. Army, serving from 2001 to 2006. He deployed to Iraq twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 82nd Airborne Division. Gomez is currently attending college at the City College of New York (CUNY), where he is studying International Studies with a concentration in Middle Eastern Studies.
Perry Jefferies served as a First Sergeant with the Army’s 4th Infantry Division in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom from April-October 2003. Jefferies retired in 2004 after 22 years of service, and currently lives in Copperas Cove, Texas where he works with the Armed Services Blood Program at Fort Hood and rides motorcycles in his spare time. He also serves on IAVA’s Board of Directors.
Steve Taylor, a graduate of the US Naval Academy and Georgetown University, flew 18 combat missions over Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Taylor has also served as a Watch Officer at the President’s Emergency Operations Center, and as a Training and Evaluation Officer at the White House Military Office. He currently lives in Washington, DC.
Tash Shaheen served in Afghanistan as a combat medic with the 53rd and 41st Infantry Brigades from July 2005 to August 2006. Now living in Sarasota, Florida, Tash has worked training peacekeepers for the State Department’s African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance Program.
Tom Tarantino is a former Army Captain who left service in 2007 after 10 years. He returned from Iraq in 2006 after one year of deployment with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. Tom served in combat as both a cavalry and mortar platoon leader, and was awarded the Combat Action Badge and Bronze Star. Tom graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2002 with a degree in Global Studies and International Relations. As Policy Associate, Tom assists with IAVA’s research and policy through coordination with Congress, Veterans Service Organizations and governmental organizations.
John Moses served multiple tours in the Middle East as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. After an assignment as a division officer on the USS Pearl Harbor, he deployed to Iraq’s Khor Al-Amaya Oil Terminal as the Officer-in-Charge from October 2005 to April 2006. He is currently completing his MBA at Harvard University.
Carolyn Schapper served as a member of a Military Intelligence unit in Iraq from October 2005 to September 2006 with the Georgia National Guard. While deployed, Schapper participated in approximately200 combat patrols. She is currently living in Washington, DC.
Joe Nyzio served in Iraq from January 2004 until June 2004 with the New Jersey Army National Guard. Injured in a firefight in Sadr City, Joe spent many months recuperating at Walter Reed before becoming a Transition Assistance Advisor for his fellow veterans in New Jersey.
If you are a member of the press and would like to arrange an interview with one of our "Storm the Hill" veterans, please contact Michael Houston at michael[at]iava.org or 917-697-6406.