The 47th endorsed Combat Veterans For Congress who ran for the Congress in the 3rd Congressional District in New York in 2012 has announced his intention to run again in 2014 to represent the 3rd Congressional District of New York in the US House of Representatives.  The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is endorsing a 23 year US Army Reserve veteran, Lieutenant Colonel Stephen A. Labate, USAR from Deer Park, New York to run for the seat of seven-term incumbent Congressman Steve Israel (D-NY-3), who has voted 100% in lock step with Nancy Pelosi against the interests of his constituents, for Pelosi’s out of control spending in Congress for 14 years, he voted to cut the retirement benefits of veterans, voted to increase the national debt consistently for 14 years, voted to pass the flawed Obamacare Law and said “If you like your doctor you can keep him,” “If you like your insurance policy you can keep it.”  Israel is currently head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and recently labeled all Republicans as racists.  A patriot, not a politician, LTC Labate  is a fiscally conservative candidate who will work to rein in the out of control spending by irresponsible members of Congress and the Obama administration.  He will work to reduce the national debt, and will work toward reinvigorate the US economy, unleash the private sector to grow once again, create jobs, and stimulate private sector business investment.   

Stephen Labate was born in Brooklyn in 1968 and grew up in Ozone Park, New York.  In 1986 he graduated from John Adams High School in Queens, New York.  Steve went on to matriculate at St John’s University in Queens where he was enrolled in the Reserve Officer Training Course, and received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science in 1990.  On April 23, 1987, Stephan A. Labate joined the Army Reserve and began basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey on May 19, 1987; he completed basic training on July 24, 1987.  Stephan enrolled in the Reserve Officer Training Course at St John’s University in Queens and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army Reserve in June 1990.  Following his commissioning as a Second Lieutenant,  2nd LT Labate received orders to report to the 423rd Military Police Company in Uniondale, New York as a platoon leader.  He received order to report for airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia on June 15th 1988  and completed airborne training and was awarded his Parachute Badge on August 19,1988.   In June 1990, 2nd Lt Labate completed Basic Military Police Training at Fort McClellan, Alabama.  On May 13 , 1992, 2nd LT Labate was promoted to First Lieutenant, and was reassigned as Executive Officer of the 423rd Military Police Company.  In June 1994, 1st Lt Labate completed advanced  Military Police Training at Fort McClellan, Alabama.   In December 1998, 1stLT Labate was promoted to Captain and was reassigned as the Adjutant (S1) of the 10th Battalion, 98th Training Division in Lodi, New Jersey.  In September 2002, CPT Labate was given command of the 306th Military Police Battalion (Detachment 5) in Uniondale, New York, and on October 1, 2002, following 9/11, his command was mobilized on active duty in support of Operation Noble Eagle II along with thousands of Army Reservists and National Guardsmen on security missions to protect US military and government installations in the greater Washington, DC area from the possibility of attacks.  

While deployed on active duty, Captain Labate was promoted to Major on October 4, 2002; in June 2003 Major Labate graduated from the Combined Arms Service School at the US Naval Base in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.   His unit was released from active duty on September 17, 2003.  Upon return from active duty, Maj Labate was re-assigned to the 301st Area Support Group in Fort Totten, New York as a Rear Battle Group Officer; he deployed on active duty to Tokyo, Japan for three weeks in February 2004. In September 2004 Maj Labate was recalled to active duty, and deployed to Kuwait City, Kuwait as part of the 301st Area Support Group advance party.  In October 2004 Maj Labate deployed with the 301STas the Force Protection Officer to Ballad, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III.  He was assigned to the most heavily attacked installation in Northern Iraq, Logistic Support Area Anaconda; in that capacity Maj Labate initiated counter measures to protect 23,000 Soldiers and airmen of the in Logistic Support Area Anaconda from a myriad of threats and attacks including indirect fire attacks and suicide bombers.  The 301st was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation for Combat Operations.  Major Labate returned to CONUS in August 2005, and was demobilized in October 2005 and given command of the 455th Military Police Detachment in Uniondale, New York.  In May 2007,  Maj Labate was recalled to active duty and was assigned to Headquarters, Department of the Army in the Pentagon, his duties included assisting senior civilian appointees military officers in all aspects hurricane preparedness, and in the review of contingency planning in support of Homeland Security.   

In June 2007, Maj Labate graduated from the last phase of training at the Command and Staff College at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.  He completed active duty in June 2008, and reassigned to his command, the 455th Military Police Detachment.  In February 2009, Major Labate was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel at a Pentagon ceremony, hosted by the Provost General of the Army.  In December 2010, LTC Labate was assigned as the Deputy Director in the Army’s Civil Military Preparedness Office (AGCMEP) at the Pentagon and in that current Army Reserve position he works with international partners to address their risk management and national disaster planning.  LTC Labate’s awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (a Gold Star for a second award),  the Army Commendation Medal (a Gold Star for a second award), the Army Achievement Medal (two Gold Stars for a third award), a Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Headquarters Department of the Army Staff Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and various Service and Campaign Medals.   Steve holds a Certified Retirement Counselor designation from the International Foundation for Retirement Counselor and is currently a Retirement Counselor with E-Trade securities.  He is a member of the American Legion the VFW, the Reserve Officers Association, the Military Officers Association, the NRA, and is an Associate Member of the Vietnam Veterans of America. Steve has been endorsed by Congressman Robert Turner (Ret) and the Combat Veterans For Congress PAC.  He and his family are members of Saints Cyril Church & Methodist Church in deer Park, New York.  Steve has been married to Leticia for 13 years, they have 7 year old twins, Michael & Maria; Leticia is a graduate of Seton Hall Law School, but has given up her law career, to be a dedicated mother to their twins. The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is pleased to endorse Lieutenant Colonel Stephen A. Labate, USAR who will bring to Congress his private sector skills and wisdom to better solve problems in government and represent the 3rd Congressional District of New York and the Republic. 

If you review LTC Labate’s positions on his Web site, you would be pleased with his stances, as they agree with the Combat Veterans For Congress Mission Statement.  We look forward to working with LTC Labate, 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 3rd Congressional District of New York, kindly pass this E-mail on to them, and ask them to support LTC Labate by working on 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.”