- Sen. Ted Cruz
«
Press Release from Cruz for President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Rick
Tyler |
News Release | Catherine
Frazier |
February 16, 2016 |
Cruz Expands Veteran Coalition Leadership
HOUSTON, Texas
– Today, Presidential candidate Ted Cruz announced the expansion
of
both the Cruz for President national and South Carolina veterans
coalitions at the “Vets for Ted” rally in Columbia, South
Carolina. Vets for Ted
currently has an astounding 23,471 coalition members nationwide. Former
Governor Rick Perry, National Co-Chair Senator Bob Smith, Medal of
Honor recipient Dakota Meyer, and National Co-Chair Sgt. Tim Lee will
all be attending the rally today.
New National Co-Chairs include Lt. General William Boykin, Brigadier
General Blaine Holt, Yinon Weiss and, Sgt. Tim Lee. They join National
Co-Chairs Senator Bob Smith, Congressman Jim Bridenstine, and Texas
Senator Brian Birdwell while Bill Connor serves as the National
Director.
“It is truly humbling to see so many heroes who have fought honorably
and bravely for this nation, rally together behind our campaign,” Cruz
said. “The corruption we are seeing within the Federal Government and
its treatment of our veterans is wrong. I am proud to stand with the
courageous men and women who have sought to defend the freedoms and
liberties we hold dear, and am thankful for their support in this
election.”
Lt. Gen. (Ret.) William G. "Jerry" Boykin was one of the elite warriors
chosen in 1978 to make up the first unit in America’s ultra-secretive
Delta Force. He was privileged to ultimately command these elite
warriors in combat operations and eventually commanded all of the
Army's Green Berets as well as the Special Warfare Center and School.
His 36 years in the military included a tour at the Central
Intelligence Agency and participation in clandestine missions around
the world. Jerry retired in 2007, serving his last four years as
the
Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. He is an
ordained
minister with a passion for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ and
encouraging Christians to become warriors in God's Kingdom. He
currently serves as Family Research Council's Executive Vice President.
He and his wife Ashley enjoy spending time with their five
children
and growing number of grandchildren.
"After a long military career, including serving as Deputy
Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence in the Bush White House, I
know how to recognize the necessary traits of a skilled leader, such as
courage, intelligence, a steady hand and resolve in the face of any
enemy,” Boykin said. “Ted Cruz, more than any other candidate, has
those traits - and more. He will do what is necessary to see that
our
country is kept safe, our military is unmatched in its strength and our
veterans are appreciated and well cared for in every way. Ted
Cruz is
a principled leader whom our service men and women will respect and our
veterans will appreciate. I am very proud to serve as National
Co-Chair for Vets for Ted."
Brigadier General Blaine Holt is a command pilot with more than 3,900
flying hours. The General's command experience includes the 376th Air
Expeditionary Wing, Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyz Republic and the
16th Airlift and 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadrons. General Holt’s
combat leadership in Kyrgyzstan during multiple crises was deemed
“essential” by the Commander, U.S. Central Command. Key
assignments
include a previous posting as the Director of Logistics, United States
European Command; a Military Fellowship at the Council on Foreign
Relations, New York City, New York; and Director of the Air Force
Secretary and Chief of Staff's Executive Action Group. He also
served
as the Deputy United States Military Representative to the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) supporting the Military
Representative and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in
executing the U.S. political-military mission at the North Atlantic
Council. He has published a variety of papers across a range of
national security issues and is a life member of the Wings Club and the
Council on Foreign Relations. He is currently the President of
Million
Air Inc., an aerospace company based in Houston, Texas.
Yinon Weiss is CEO of RallyPoint, the nation’s largest networking
platform for military personnel and veterans. RallyPoint has the
backing of two of the recent Joint Chiefs of Staff and nearly a million
members. Prior to founding RallyPoint, Yinon served 10 years on active
duty where he began his career in the Marine Corps as a Scout/Sniper
Platoon Commander and later served in the Army Special Forces as a
commander of Green Berets. Yinon has multiple overseas deployments,
where he has been awarded a Bronze Star Medal, Combat Action Ribbon,
the Combat Infantryman Badge, and currently serves as a Major in the
National Guard where he recently commanded a Special Forces
Company.Yinon received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and a
B.S. in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley. He was also named a
2015
Presidential Leadership Scholar.
Sgt. Tim Lee is the son of a Baptist minister from McLeansboro,
Illinois. Tim joined the Marine Corps in 1969. In March of 1971,
he
lost both of his legs in a deadly land mine explosion in Quang Nam
Province, Vietnam. After returning home, Mr. Lee made the critical
decision in the midst of turmoil to to use his platform to speak out
about his faith in God. He served as a pastor for five years in
southern Illinois before surrendering in 1979 to full-time ministry of
evangelism. Today, Lee speaks in all kinds of venues from patriotic
rallies to radio and television. Lee also serves on the board of
directors of Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville FL and has been on
the Board of Trustees of Liberty University since 1991. Tim Lee is the
President of Tim Lee Ministries based out of Garland, TX.
In addition, we are announcing the following South Carolina state
leadership team for the Vets for Ted coalition:
Col. John Nelson, SC
Col. Frank Hall, SC
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Ret. Vic Dabney, SC
Chaplain Robert Vallier, SC
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