On Armed Forces Day, May 17, 2025, The Combat Veterans for Congress PAC invites you to its 6th Gala Event, honoring Wounded Warriors, in the Pacific Ballroom at The Town and Country Resort at 500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, CA 92108.
WHAT: The Combat Veterans for Congress Gala Event honoring Wounded Warriors
This Armed Forces Day Gala Event will bring Military Veterans, Wounded Warriors,
Combat Veterans, and National Leaders together
WHERE: The Pacific Ballroom at The Town and Country Resort
DATE/TIME: May 17th, 2025 @ 4:30PM to 9:30 PM
ATTIRE: Semi Formal Attire suggested. (Suit & tie for men, Cocktail attire for women)
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
4:30 PM – Exclusive VIP Reception with nationally know/Patriotic guests; Music by “In Case Trio” (Photo Opportunities with Speakers)
6:00 PM – Invocation: Cdr (Sel) Mareque Ireland, USN, Chaplain, US Pacific Surface Fleet
National Anthem: Country Western Vocalist Jeff Senour
Elegant Dinner Served (3 main course selections)
6:30 PM – Address by Congressman Darrell Issa, Cpt-USA (EOD) (R-CA-48), Chairman House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
7:00 PM - Wounded Warriors introduced by Medal of Honor Recipient, Col Robert Modrzejewski, USMC (Ret) and Capt Frank Drdek, USN (Ret)
8:00 PM - Katie Zacharia, Esq., Senior Advisor for Special Envoy Ric Grenell’s Fix California
8:30 PM - Address by: Vice President Vance or Senior Government Official
9:30 PM – Congressman Barry M Goldwater, Jr., (Ret), Co-Founder Combat Veterans For Congress PAC, a Farewell to Chairman and Co-Founder
Combat Veterans For Congress PAC, Capt. Joseph R. John, USNA ’62, Passing the Torch to LTC William B. Conrad, USMA ’80 (Green Beret)
10:00 PM –Benediction, Meet & Greet Guests
We encourage interested individuals to respond promptly if you would like to receive an invitation to the Armed Forces Day Gala Event, please print out the attachment, and returning it together with requested information including E-mail address. Federation of Republican Women will receive discounted rate to attend for their Patriotic service.
(Please provide all contact info because if the Vice President is the Keynote Speaker, all attendees will have to be cleared by the Secret Service by inserting their contact information in the Secret Service Computer system.)
You May Want To Sponsor A WOUNDED WARRIOR To Attend The Dinner Event (Especially if you can not attend):
We encourage our interested fellow Americans to respond to this E-mail by printing and completing the attachment for the Gala Event, in order to make a donation, in any amount, to help us sponsor a Wounded Warrior and their spouse to attend the Dinner Event as your guest and mailing the completed attachment to the return address listed on the attachment. Your donation would help us cover the cost of dinners for as many Wounded Warriors and spouses as we can invite, and will also help us to cover their travel costs.
A donation by you to attend or to sponsor a Wounded Warrior to have dinner, which is made with a business check, made payable to the “Combat Veterans Training Group,” is a “tax deductible” donation for Federal Income Tax purposes (approved by our attorney). The Combat Veterans Training Group is one of our units; it is a 501 (c)(4), whose EIN# 273210078.
Opportunity to Sponsor The Armed Forces Day Gala Event
If you as an individual, or the principle of a business would like to be listed as a Sponsor of the Armed Forces Day Gala Event, please return the attachment with your payment to attend the VIP Reception, with a personal check as an individual or a business check to be a business sponsor. The check should be received by us by April 15, 2025, clearly listing either your name as a sponsor, or the name of your business as a business sponsor. The receipt of your donation by April 15, 2025, will provide us with enough time to include you or your business to be listed on a printed list of Sponsors to be displayed at the entrance to the Pacific Ballroom on the night of the Gala Event.
PASSING THE TORCH:
After 16 years, in a legacy of service as Chairman and Co-Founder of the Combat Veterans For Congress PAC, Capt Joseph R. John, US Naval Academy Class of 1962, USN (Ret), with 30 years of active and reserve service in the US Navy, will pass the torch in as Chairman to LTC William B. Conrad, US Military Academy Class of 1980, USA (Ret) (Green Beret) with 31 years of active and reserve service in the US Army. Capt John had multiple Combat and Counter-Terrorism tours include: The Six Day War in the Middle East, 3 tours in Vietnam, 5 tours in the Philippines, deployments with SEAL Team One in Africa & the Middle East, and in Operation Desert Storm with Special Operations Command Central. LTC Conrad had 3 Combat tours in Afghanistan.
LIST OF INVITED DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS:
The following speakers will address the attendees. Congressman Barry M. Goldwater, Jr., Co-Founder Combat Veterans For Congress PAC, Congressman Darrell Issa, Cpt-USA (EOD) (R-CA-48), Medal Of Honor recipient Col Robert Modrzejewski, USMC (Ret), Capt Frank Drdek, USN (Ret), Katie Zacharia, Esq, Fix California Senior Advisor, Master of Ceremonies LTC Dennis J. Gillem, USMA’64, USA (Ret), Frontline For Freedom National Radio Host, and Cdr Benjamin E Schroeder, USN, Chaplain US Pacific Fleet. The Vice President of the US or a Senior Trump Administration Official have been invited to speak.
HONORARY GALA EVENT HOSTS:
Atty Gen Edwin Meese, (Col, USAR/Ret)
TX Gov Rick Perry (USAF)
AK Governor Sarah Palin
Sen David McCormik (USMA ’87) (PhD) (R-PA)
Sen James Banks (Lt-USN) (R-IN)
Senator Tom Cotton (Cpt-USA)(R-AR)
MajGen James Livingston (USMC) (Medal Of Honor)
Col Robert Modrzejewski (USMC)(Medal Of Honor)
Col Jay Vargas (USMC) (Ret)(Medal Of Honor)
Lt Mike Thorton, (USN) (Ret) (SEAL) (Medal Of Honor)
Cong Barry Goldwater (R-AZ)
Cong Duncan L. Hunter (R-CA) (Vietnam Ranger)
Cong Rob Simmons (Col-USA/CIA)(R-CT)
Cong Scott Perry (R-PA) (BGen-ARNG)
Cong Mike Garcia (USNA ’98)(Lcdr-USN) (R-CA)
Cong Paul Broun (Cdr-USN)(MC)(R-GA)
Cong Kerry Bentivolio (SFC-ARNG)(R-MI)
Col John Fer (USAFA ’62)(USAF) (Ret)(POW)
Capt Mike McGrath (USNA ’62)(USN)(Ret)(POW)
Lt Col Orson Swindle(USMC)(Ret)(POW)
Cdr Paul Galanti (USNA ’62(USN)(Ret)(POW)
LTG Thomas McInerney (USMA ’59)(USAF)(Ret)
VADM Robert J. Spane (USNA’62)(USN)(Ret)
LTG Benjamin R Mixon (USA)(Ret)
VADM Harold M Koenig (USN)(Ret)(MC)
MajGen Paul Vallely (USMA ’61)(USA)(Ret)
RADM Thomas A Mercer (USNA’62)(USN)(Ret)
MAJGEN Joseph Arbuckle (USA)(Ret)
RADM George F Wagner (USNA’62)(USN)(Ret)
MajGen Peter Clegg (USA)(Ret)
RADM Edward McGinley, (USNA’61)(USN)(Ret)
MajGen Bert Mizusawa(USMA ’79) (USA)(Ret)
RADM James J, Carry (USN) (Ret)
MajGen Carroll D. Childers (USA)(Ret)(Ranger)
BGen Mike Neal (USMC) (Ret)
BGen Buzz Aldrin (Apollo XI Astronaut)(USMA’51) (USAF)(Ret)
US Bdr Pat Nat Depty Chief Ron Colburn (Ret) (USMC)
Sheriff Richard D, Stobbs (Ret) (Esq)(USA)
Coronado PD Police Chief Lou J Scanlon (Ret) (Cdr/USN)(Ret)
Toledo PD Police Chief Jack Smith (Ret)(CWO4/USMC)
Sal Russo (Chief Strategist/Tea Party Express)
Joseph J Frank (Past National Cmdre/American Legion)
Connie Stevens (Actor/Producer/Vocalist)
Pat Boone (Actor/Vocalist)
Terry Moore (Actress/Producer)
John Ratzenberger (Actor)
Kelly Carson (Actress)
Jack Scalia (Actor)
Ed Ames (Actor)
Eliya Baskin (Actor)
Tommy Cook (USMC)(Producer)
David Ayer (USN) (Writer/Producer/Director)
Christopher Crowe (Writer/Producer/Director)
PAST COMBAT VETERANS FOR CONGRESS EVENT SPEAKERS:
During the past 5 Combat Veterans For Congress Gala Events the following distinguished American Patriots made presentations: BGen Buzz Aldrin, USMA'51, USAF (Ret) PhD, (Apollo XI Astronaut; first moon walk), TX Gov Rick Perry, AK Gov Sarah Palin, US HUD Secretary Dr Ben Carson, Dinesh D’ Souza, Maricopa County Sheriff' Joe Arpaio, USA/MP (DEA), Cong Barry M, Goldwater Jr., Cong Duncan L. Hunter (Vietnam Ranger), Cong Steve Russell, LTC/USA (Ret) (Ranger) who captured Saddam Hussein in a spider hole in Iraq, Cong Ryan Zinke (SEAL), Cong Michael Grimm (FBI), Cong Kerry Bentivolio, Senior CIA Operations Officer Gary Berntsen, USAF (Ret), Capt Joseph R John, USNA’62, USN (Ret), Col Robert Modrzejewski, USMC (Medal Of Honor), Dodger Baseball Great Ron Fairly, Connie Stevens, Pat Boone, Chad Everett, Dick Van Patten, Norm Crosby, John Ratzenberger, Wink Martindale, Tony Lo Bianco, National Radio Talk Host Larry Elder, TV Network Anchor Rick Amato, US Federal Judge Joe Miller USMA’89, and John Phillip Souza IV.