As I promised, I saved this clip for last. David Bellavia is best known for his book House to House, which is his personal account of the war in Anbar. I could not include Pete Hegseth’s introduction of Bellavia, but the Bellavia contributed much, much more than just a memoir to the war effort. The Army awarded him the Bronze Star and Silver Star, and Hegseth warned us that these were just temporary; he’s under consideration for the Medal of Honor for his bravery, which would make him the first living MoH recipient from this war. He went into a house alone where at least six insurgents had his unit pinned down, and the only one to come out alive was Bellavia.

Bellavia continues his efforts to defeat the enemy in Iraq with a stirring presentation, one that at turns was funny, heartwrenching, inspirational, and defiant:

Bellavia provided the fireworks for the Vets for Freedom event last night at the Fort Snelling Officers Club, and it’s a moment that attendees will not soon forget. I wanted to chat with Bellavia afterwards, as I had interviewed him at CPAC last month, but unfortunately (for me) Bellavia got surrounded by a large crowd of well-wishers immediately afterwards. My regret is that they will end their tour in two weeks and we won’t get another opportunity to have the VFF visit Minnesota. If they’re passing through your neighborhood in the next two weeks — check the website for their itinerary — you cannot miss it.