Combat Veterans For Congress-----Embedded Integrity

The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is endorsing the 109th Combat Veteran For Congress in 8 years; he is a fiscally conservative candidate who will work to rein in the out of control spending by irresponsible members of Congress, reduce taxes, reduce the national debt, rebuild the strength of the US military, support the freedom & independence of the individual, protect & support the 2nd Amendment, secure the borders, reform the VA, defeat ISIS & Al Q’ieda, repeal & replace Obama Care, and will work toward unleashing the private sector to create jobs, and stimulate private sector business investment once again.  SSgt Brian J. Mast, USA (Ret) (Ranger) (EOD) of Fort Pierce, Florida who served in the US Army for 12 years, until he was medically retired as Wounded Warrior double amputee, is running in the 18th Congressional District of Florida, for Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-FL-18) seat.  Cong Murphy has chosen not to seek re-election, but instead is seeking election to the US Senate from Florida.  

Brian Mast was born on July 10, 1980 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Brian’s father served in the US Army during the Korean War in a Nike Missile Battalion in Illinois, and Brian followed in his father’s footsteps, who set an example for him to love and respect his country and motivated him to “Never Give Up.”  Brian was raised in Grand Rapids and graduated from South Christian High School, in the suburbs of Grand Rapids in June 1999. In May 2016, Brian graduated from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Arts Degree concentrated in Economics with minors in Government and Environmental Studies.   

On May 23, 2000, Brian Mast was sworn into the US Army at the US Army Induction Center in Lansing, Michigan.  Recruit Brian Mast immediately reported for basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.  Following boot camp, PVT Mast reported to the 841st Combat Engineering Battalion at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was mobilized as part of the Global War on Terror 2003.     

In January 2007, Specialist Mast went through Infantry and Airborne Training at Fort Benning, GA and was promoted to Sergeant, and continued on to Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Training at Elgin Air Force Base where he was awarded the EOD Badge.  Sergeant Mast then reported to a newly created Special Operations EOD Company, under the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) at Fort Bragg, NC.  In March 2009, Sgt Mast was promoted to Staff Sergeant. 

In July 2010 SSgt Mast deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and reported to JSOC in the 75th Ranger Regiment.  The unit worked only under cover of darkness, going after specific Taliban targets with the mission of eliminating or capturing a specific high priority target.  Working under JSOC meant fighting at the tip of the spear in the ongoing war against Radical Islamic terrorism. As a bomb technician, in this high level of special operations came with a great deal of responsibility. SSgt Mast’s task was to protect his fellow soldiers from the war’s most deadly weapon, the Improvised Explosive Device (IED). This meant placing himself directly in the line of fire on each and every mission.  In the course or those combat missions, SSgt Mast was able to detect and destroy many IEDs.

On September 19, 2010, SSgt Mast uncovered an IED, while in the process of disarming it, the IED detonated resulting in sustained catastrophic injuries, including the loss of both of SSgt Mast’s legs.  After sustaining such severe injuries in the detonation of that IED, SSgt Mast was transferred to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC and was specifically assigned to JSOC until his Medical Retirement from the US Army on June 19, 2012.

For service in the US Army including service in combat, SSgt Mast was awarded medals for valor and merit including the Bronze Star Medal (with the “V” device for Valor), the Purple Heart Medal, the Defense Meritorious Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal  (with the “V” device for Valor), the Army Achievement Medal (an Oak Leaf for a second award)  the Presidential Unit Citation, the Combat Action Badge, the Senior EOD Badge, the Basic EOD Badge, the Parachute Badge, the Ranger Scroll, various Service and Campaign Medals.

While still in the US Army and convalescing from his injuries, SSgt Mast volunteered his time as an instructor of Homemade Explosives with the ATF.   He also volunteered his technical expertise for the National Nuclear Safety Administration from July 2011 to February 2012.  Following retirement from the Army on June 19, 2012, SSgt Mast continued working in counter terrorism as an Explosive Specialist under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  SSgt Mast also carried forward in life the standard that whatever cause he believes in, he will not just support it in word, but will support it in deed.  For that reason, in January 2015, SSgt Mast volunteered to serve alongside the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to demonstrate his support for Israel’s freedom and their fight against Radical Islamic Terrorism.

On June 8, 2015 two days before SSgt Mast declared his candidacy to run for Congress, he resigned his position from DHS; he has been campaign for election ever since.  SSgt Mast is a member of the American Legion,  the VFW, the NRA, and the Council of Foreign Relations.   SSgt Mast has been endorsed by Senator Joni Ernst (R-IW), Cong Ryan Zinke (SEAL) (R-MT), Cong Steve Russell (Ranger) (R-OK), Cong Pete Sessions (R-TX), Citizens United PAC, and the Combat Veterans For Congress PAC.  Brian and his wife Brianna of 10 years are members of the Christ Fellowship Church of Stuart, and are proud parents of son Magnum age 6, son Maverick age 4, and daughter Madelyn age 1.

The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is pleased to endorse SSgt Brian J. Mast, USA (Ret) (Ranger) (EOD) who will bring to Congress private sector skills and wisdom to better solve problems in government and represent the 18th Congressional District of Florida and the Republic. If you review SSgt Mast’s 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 SSgt Mast, 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 18th Congressional District of Florida, kindly pass this E-mail on to them, and ask them to support SSgt Brian J Mast 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.”