Zach McIlwain | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | Zachary Paul McIlwain June 6, 1986 Muncie, Indiana |
Political party | Republican |
Alma mater | Ball State University |
Awards | Army Commendation Medal (V-Device & 3 Oak Leaf Clusters) Army Achievement Medal (3 Oak Leaf Clusters) Army Good Conduct Medal (2) Iraq Campaign Medal (4 Campaign Stars) National Defense Service Medal Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Army Overseas Service Ribbon (4) Combat Infantryman Badge |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 2005–2013 |
Rank | Staff Sergeant |
Unit | 2-1 Infantry 172nd SBCT / 1-24 Infantry 1-25 SBCT "Deuce Four" |
Zachary Paul McIlwain (born June 6, 1986) is a National Veteran Advocate, Congressional Advisor, and veteran of the United States Army and the Iraq War. McIlwain has made multiple appearances on national television and other national media sources as an advocate trying to raise awareness on the issues currently facing veterans. He currently works with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Members of Congress, and other Veteran and Military Service Organizations focused on military and veteran affairs. [1]
McIlwain attended Delta High School in Muncie, Indiana. Following graduation in 2004, McIlwain attended Ball State University before enlisting in the United States Army in 2005.
As an Infantryman, McIlwain was deployed to Iraq with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) in 2005-2006. McIlwain was awarded the Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device as well as the Combat Infantry Badge. McIlwain's unit's focus during that deployment was "quelling Sectarian violence in Baghdad through diplomacy, direct action, and target acquisition missions." McIlwain was deployed again to Iraq with Deuce Four in 2008-2009. McIlwain left Active Duty to pursue his education, and finished his service in 2013 as an Infantry Platoon Sergeant holding the rank of Staff Sergeant.
According to McIlwain, when he left the military, he nearly became a "casualty of the war on veteran suicide." [2] He credits his wife, Kristin, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America with his life-changing transformation. Upon seeking and receiving help, he went on to become a strong advocate for veterans in the national arena. He also completed his Bachelor of Science in Economics at Ball State University with Cum Laude Honors. McIlwain continues to utilize his own stories and struggles as a way to reach and touch the lives of veterans.
Through his work with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, he has been featured on national television, news media, and news print focused on bringing awareness to issues currently facing veterans. McIlwain has been featured on CNN, Military Times, Comedy Central, and MSNBC. [3] McIlwain is currently a Leadership Fellow and Spokesperson for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a Sitting Member of the Indiana Military Coalition, a Congressional Advisor on military and veteran affairs, a Financial Institution Specialist for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and sits on various Nonprofit Boards to include an animal rescue partnered with Pets for Patriots. [4]
McIlwain was born in Muncie, Indiana and raised in Albany, Indiana. He married his wife, Kristin, in the fall of 2012. [5] He currently has no children.
Muncie is an incorporated city and the seat of Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the legendary Delaware Chief. It is located in East Central Indiana, about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Indianapolis. The United States Census for 2020 reported the city's population was 65,194. It is the principal city of the Muncie metropolitan statistical area, which has a population of 117,671.
Fort McCoy is a United States Army installation on 60,000 acres (24,000 ha) between Sparta and Tomah, Wisconsin, in Monroe County. In 1909, there were two separate camps named Camp Emory Upton and Camp Robinson; in 1926, these camps were joined together to form Camp McCoy. Since its creation in 1909, the post has been used primarily as a military training center. A part of Fort McCoy is also used by the Wisconsin State Patrol as a training facility.
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), 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. 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.
Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) is an advocacy group of formerly active-duty United States military personnel, Iraq War veterans, Afghanistan War veterans, and other veterans who have served since the September 11, 2001 attacks; who were opposed to the U.S. military invasion and occupation in Iraq from 2003 to 2011. The organization advocated the immediate withdrawal of all coalition forces in Iraq, and reparations paid to the Iraqi people. It also provides support services for returning veterans to include health care and mental health.
The Ground Truth is a 2006 documentary film about veterans of the Iraq War. It was directed and produced by Patricia Foulkrod.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) veterans organization founded by Paul Rieckhoff, an American writer, social entrepreneur, advocate, activist and veteran of the United States Army and the Iraq War. He served as an Army First Lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in Iraq from 2003 through 2004. Rieckhoff was released from the Army National Guard in 2007.
Jon Soltz served as a United States Army officer in the Iraq War and is chairman and co-founder of the 700,000 member VoteVets.org. In 2011, he took a one-year leave of absence from VoteVets, while deployed as part of Operation New Dawn in Iraq. Also, as a member of the U.S. Army, he served in both the Kosovo campaign in 2000 and later in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Soltz was an outspoken critic of Operation Iraqi Freedom and its execution.
Russell Lee Klika is a newspaper and U.S. military combat photographer, photojournalist and trainer who grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, 100 miles north of Milwaukee.
Jose Rene Martinez is an American actor, motivational speaker, and former U.S. Army soldier. Starting in 2008, he played the role of Brot Monroe on the ABC daytime drama All My Children. He is the winner of Season 13 of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Martinez served as the Grand Marshal of the 2012 Rose Parade. He is currently costarring on the syndicated action series SAF3.
Pat Proctor is a Kansas State Representative, representing the 41st House District. He was first elected in November 2020.
Benjamin Randaulph "Randy" Mixon is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Army who last served as commanding general of United States Army Pacific. Prior to that, Mixon served as the commander of the Multi-National Division North in Iraq.
A burn pit is an area of a United States military base in which waste is disposed of by burning.
Simon Mailloux is a serving officer in the Canadian Forces. He was severely injured on 16 November 2007 in an IED incident in Afghanistan. As a result, his left leg was amputated.
James Patrick Hunter, of South Amherst, Ohio, was an Army journalist stationed in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Hunter was the first Army journalist to die in combat since the beginning of the War in Afghanistan.
Michael D. Prysner is an American political activist. He is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq as a Specialist. According to Prysner, his duties in Iraq included ground surveillance, home raids and the interrogation of prisoners, and these experiences led him to take an anti-war stance.
Tom Young is an American novelist. He is known primarily as the author of the military thrillers The Mullah's Storm, Silent Enemy, The Renegades, The Warriors, and Sand and Fire. Young served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars with the West Virginia Air National Guard. Young's military experience inspired his debut novel, The Mullah's Storm, which garnered positive reviews. The Mullah's Storm, Silent Enemy, and The Renegades received Gold Medal awards from the Military Writers Society of America. Silent Enemy, The Renegades, and The Warriors received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly.
Matt Gallagher is an American author, former U.S. Army captain and veteran of the Iraq War. Gallagher has written on a variety of subjects, mainly contemporary war fiction and non-fiction. He first became known for his war memoir Kaboom (2010), which tells of his and his scout platoon's experiences during the Iraq War. He works as a writing instructor at Words After War, a literary nonprofit devoted to bringing veterans and civilians together to study conflict literature.
Cale Conley is an American professional stock car racing driver.
Shane Ortega is a retired Army Staff Sergeant and Marine Corps veteran. Ortega was stationed at Wheeler Airfield in Oahu, Hawaii in the 3-25th Combat Aviation Division of the Army's 25th Infantry Division. He was a member of the Gay Men's Chorus of Honolulu and competed at the professional level of bodybuilding, placing fourth in fall 2015.
Benjamin Griffin is a British peace activist, and former British Army infantry soldier.