Vets For Freedom

Graphic by Doc


Dear Vets for Freedom Members,

Tonight I will be appearing on The O’Reilly Factor during the 8:00pm EST hour on the Fox News Channel. As you may be aware, Brian De Palma’s new film, Redacted, is now playing in selected movie theatres across the country. Funded primarily by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, this film takes an unfortunate, yet isolated, event and tries to paint all American service members as criminals.

The event on which the film is loosely based (actions taken by 5 soldiers in Mahmudiyah on March 12, 2006) are inexcusable and the perpetrators have been subjugated to swift punishment under American and Military law. But as we all know, their actions are far from the norm. The brave men and women who proudly wear our nation’s uniform are among the brightest, most-disciplined individuals this country has to offer and follow a strict moral code of conduct. As Bill O’Reilly has rightly stated, this film serves no other purpose but to demean American soldiers who are risking their lives to protect our freedoms.

I look forward to appearing on The O’Reilly Factor this evening to join with veteran organizations from around the country in confronting those who demean the very troops who provide the umbrella of freedom that Mr. De Palma and Mr. Cuban use to produce this false propaganda. But I cannot go about this alone. As proud Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, we have a responsibility to stand up to films such as Redacted, and educate all Americans about the honor, pride and dignity that comes with wearing the uniform. Therefore, I ask all American patriots to join Vets for Freedom, along with other veterans organizations, in boycotting this senseless film. Please visit our site, in addition to boycottredacted.com and gatheringofeagles.org for more information on what you can do.

Please visit our site to see the print advertisement that Vets for Freedom ran in Friday’s Variety newspaper. Variety is Hollywood’s daily publication, and we wanted to make sure Hollywood knew how we felt about this film.

With a unified voice, we can send a clear message to Mr. De Palma and Mr. Cuban, letting them know that most Americans know the truth about the United States Armed Forces and don’t appreciate their anti-war agenda.

Move Out and Draw Fire!

Pete Hegseth
Iraq War Veteran
Executive Director, Vets for Freedom