ENDORSEMENT OF THE 27th  COMBAT VETERAN FOR CONGRESS TO RUN IN OREGON 4th CONG DISTRICT IN 2022

 Combat Veterans For Congress-----Embedded Integrity 

The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is endorsing the 127th of 142 endorsed Combat Veteran For Congress in 12 years; SPC Aleksander Skarlatos, USANG from Roseburg, Oregon is a fiscally candidate.  He is running in the 4th Congressional District of Oregon, for the seat of 18 term radical liberal Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR-4), who announced he will not seek reelection.  A full length feature film was produced by Clint Eastwood about the heroic action SPC Skarlatos took on a train to Paris entitled, “The 15:17 to Paris”.  SPC Skarlatoswill work to rein in the out of control spending by irresponsible members of Congress, work toward reducing the national debt, support strengthening the US military, will support the Freedom of Speech, and Religion, protect and support the 2nd Amendment’s Right to Bear Arms, support closing the southern border, and support the Free Enterprise System to stimulate private sector business development.  SPC Skarlatos served his country proudly in the US Army National Guard for 5 years. 

DeFazio has voted along Democratic Party lines with Pelosi 98% of the time and has contributed to the irresponsible out of control spending by the Democrat controlled Congress.  He supports elimination of all private and business health insurance, to be replaced by government controlled Universal Health Care, at a cost of $36 trillion, or $232,258 per household.  DeFazio repeatedly opposed construction of a Border Wall to keep the massive flood of drugs, Illegal Aliens, and Radical Islamic Terrorists from entering the US.  He voted against cutting taxes, voted to restrict gun rights granted by the 2nd Amendment, and voted to give 1.2 Illegal Aliens amnesty even if they were convicted felons.  

DeFazio voted to support HR 5, the Equality Act, which eliminates civil rights protections for women and eliminates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.  DeFazio co-sponsored the “Green New Deal” with Socialist Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, at a cost of $93 Trillion, or approximately $600,000 per household, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.  DeFazio has overseen the destruction of Oregon’s timber industry working with radical environmentalists who eliminated jobs in the 4th Congressional District of Oregon.  He voted for the dangerous Iranian Nuclear Weapons Agreement, that gave Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism, $150 billion in cash to fund its worldwide terrorist activities, and funded the development of Nuclear Weapons, and intercontinental ballistic missiles that can strike the US. 

Aleksander comes from a family with a long history of serving their country.  Alek’s Grandfather, Socrates Skarlatos, fought for the Greek Resistance in World War II in the Thrace Region of Greece.  After being captured by the Nazis, he managed to escape into Turkey before being recaptured.  When he returned to Greece, he was sent to Eastern Germany to work in a boot factory.  His other Grandfather, Staff Sargent Nick Neuburger, served in the United States Air Force from 1950-1954 and was stationed in Germany during the Korean War.  He was an aircraft mechanic in the Special Air Squadron that took care of General Eisenhower’s plane.  Alek’s older Brother, Peter Skarlatos, served in the United States Navy from 2009-2015 attaining the rank of Petty Officer Second Class.

Aleksander Skarlatos was born on October 10, 1992 in Castro Valley, CA, and was raised in Sacramento.  Alek moved to Roseburg, Oregon with his father in 2009, and attended Roseburg High School.  He played football in his sophomore year of high school, lacrosse in his junior and senior years, graduating in June 2011.  Alek attended Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon for two years from 2012 to 2014.  He  received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Fisher College Boston May of 2016.

On November 7, 2012, Aleksander Skarlatos was sworn into the Army National Guard at the Military Entrance Processing Station in Portland, Oregon.  In March 2013, Alek began Basic Training at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, and completed Basic Training in July 2013 as a Private.  He reported to Charlie Company 1/186 in the 41st Infantry Division, Oregon National Guard.  In April 2014, E-2 Skarlatos was promoted to Private First Class.  In July 2014, PFC Skarlatos was mobilized to report to Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas to prepare for deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and he deployed with Charlie Company to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan in September of 2014, the unit was assigned to Force Protection.  PFC Skarlatos was assigned to provide security in the Bagram area, for his assigned camp, that included tower guard, base guard, and internal security where the unit experienced over 100 rocket attacks.  In October 2014, PFC Skarlatos was promoted to E-4 Specialist.  In April 2015, SPC Skarlatos was assigned to Camp Scorpion outside of Kabul in a training mission for sniper training.  In July 2015, SPC Skarlatos was transferred back to Continental United States to Fort Hood, Texas.  For combat duty in Afghanistan, SPC Skarlatos was awarded the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, the NATO Medal, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Combat Patch, and various Service and Campaign Medals.   

While on block leave after returning from Afghanistan, SPC Alek Skarlatos went to Europe with two childhood friends, SSgt Spencer Stone, USAF,  and Anthony Sadler.  On August 21, 2015, while on the way to Paris from Amsterdam on Thalys train 9364 (The 15:17 to Paris), Alek heard what sounded like a gunshot from behind him.  After seeing a train employee run away from the noise, Alek turned around to see Ayoub El-Khazzani exit the bathroom in train car No. 12; he was  armed with an AK-47 and had 270 rounds of ammunition.  Alek tapped Spencer on the shoulder and said, “let’s go”.  SPC Skarlatos and SSgt Spencer charged the terrorist to try to subdue him and put him in a chokehold.

They struggled with the terrorist; Alek took control of the assailant’s AK-47, and then Alek saw the terrorist brandish a handgun.  Alek dropped the assault rifle and pried the handgun from the terrorist‘s grip and hit him with it a few times.  Alek heard Spencer yell that the terrorist also had a knife.  Spencer received several deep lacerations to the back of his neck and to his thumb.  Spencer and Alek pinned the terrorist’s head against a table.  Though badly cut, Spencer placed the terrorist in another chokehold and Alek picked up the assault rifle, and beat the terrorist with the muzzle, Spencer’s choke hold rendered the terrorist unconscious.  The Terrorist was tied-up to immobilize and restrain him.

Alek noticed a passenger bleeding from the neck and told Spencer.  Spencer delivered lifesaving assistance to this passenger while Alek left the tied-up terrorist with a British passenger and took the AK-47 to check the rest of the train for other possible terrorists.  It was then that Alek realized that the round in the chamber had misfired, saving the lives of Alek and his two friends.  In about 25  minutes, the train arrived at the train station in Arras, France where they were greeted by first responders. 

The incident on the train received worldwide coverage.  SPC Skarlatos received four awards for Valor, he was awarded The Legion of Honour from French President Francois Hollande, The Soldier’s Medal from President Barrack Obama, the Oregon Distinguished Service Award from Oregon Governor Kate Brown, and the Belgium Civic Service Medal.  

In December 2015, SPC Skarlatos was transferred from Charlie Company 1/186 in the 41st Infantry Division, Oregon Army National Guard to Headquarters and Headquarters Company as a Sniper.  In April 2016, PFC Skarlatos attended Air Assault School at Camp Rilea in Warrenton, OR.  In May 2016, SPC Skarlatos went thru Basic Leadership Course at Camp Williams in Bluffdale, Utah.  In July 2016, SPC Skarlatos went thru Army Sniper School at Camp Robinson in Hill Township, Arkansas and Fort Chaffee near the city of Fort Smith, Arkansas.  In February 2017, SPC Skarlatos was transferred from Headquarters and Headquarters Company back to Charlie Company 1/186.

SPC Aleksander Skarlatos, USANG was Honorably Discharged as an E4 Specialist on November 7, 2017 after serving 5 years in the US Army National Guard.  His awards include, The Soldier’s Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, The French Legion of Honour, the Belgium Civic Service Medal, the NATO Medal, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Combat Patch, the Oregon Distinguished Service Award, and various Service and Campaign Medals. 

Following his Honorable Discharge SPC Aleksander Skarlatos co-authored, along with SSgt Spencer Stone, USAF, Anthony Sadler, and Jeffery Stern “The 15:17 to Paris”: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train, and Three American Heroes which was released on August 23, 2016.  In 2015 Alek appeared on Season 21 of “Dancing with the Stars” (September to November) and Who Wants to be a Millionaire.  Alek began a public speaking tour in 2016 and has had the opportunity to address many groups, companies, and colleges across America such as Fisher College in Boston 2016, the King County Republicans in WA in 2018, Virginia Tech, and the City of Wiesbaden, Germany at the Ludwig Von Beck Award Ceremony in 2019.

In 2017 Clint Eastwood reached out to Alek and his two friends to produce a full-length feature film entitled “The 15:17 to Paris” about their involvement in ending the 2015 Thalys train terrorist attack on the train to Paris.  Clint Eastwood employed his Production Company, Malpaso, at Warner Brothers Film Studios to develop the screenplay, and produce the film.   Later in 2017, Clint Eastwood asked the three participants who suppressed the terrorist on the train, to play themselves in the film, which they did, “The 15:17 to Paris” premiered on February 9, 2018. 

Aleksander Skarlatos is a member of the VFW, American Legion, NRA, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and the Lutheran Church of Roseburg, OR.   Aleksander has been endorsed by Congressman Robert “Rob” Simmons, Col-USA/CIA (Ret) (R-CONN); Congressman Kerry Bentivolio, SFC/MI-ANG (Ret) (R-MI); Congressman Paul Collins Broun (Cdr-USNR)(MC)(Ret) (R-GA); Oregon State Senator Dallas Heard; Oregon State Senator Tim Knopp; Former Texas State Representative, 2nd Amendment Advocate, and Luby’s shooting survivor Suzanna Hupp; Capt Greg Woolridge, USN (Ret) three-time Blue Angels Commander; MSgt Kevin Holland, USA (Ret)(Delta Force) former SEAL; Andrew Pollock, School Safety Advocate and father of Parkland shooting victim; Hunter Pollock and Jared Taylor, co-founders of Black Rifle Coffee Company; the Combat Veterans For Congress PAC, and the American Liberty Fund.

The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is pleased to endorse SPC Aleksander Skarlatos, USANG who will bring to Congress private sector skills and wisdom to better solve problems in government and represent the 4th Congressional District of Oregon and the Republic.  If you review SPC Skarlatos’ positions on his Web site, you would be pleased with his stands; they agree with the Combat Veterans For Congress Mission Statement.  We look forward to working with SPC Skarlatos, and are pleased that a Combat Veteran of his caliber is running for Congress.  

If you have friends, associates, or relatives who know voters in the 4th Congressional District of Oregon, kindly pass this E-mail on to them, and ask them to support SPC Aleksander Skarlatos by working in his campaign, providing financial support for his campaign in any amount, and/or by networking with others who would be willing to support his campaign.  The military is one of the few remaining institutions producing the caliber of men and women needed to restore this nation to the greatness our Founding Fathers envisioned.  We have endorsed another Combat Veteran For Congress that General George Washington would have approved of.  He is a Veteran who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America” for an amount “up to and including his life.”