libertas fall 2008, vol 29. no. 2

Fall 2008 — Special Military Issue Vol. 29 • No. 2

Inside: Newt Gingrich Reflects on Reagan Ranch Visit

October 20, 2008

Dear Colleagues,

You have heard that America will be the land of the free as long as we are the home of the brave.

America is blessed to have so many young men and women who are willing to defend our rights. I work with these outstanding young Americans every day.

Nevertheless, our freedoms are jeopardized by America’s elites who continue to turn their backs on those willing to serve. And “turning their backs” is a polite phrase to describe the reprehensible treatment our best young men and women receive from America’s top schools.

At our country’s most prestigious universities—including Yale, Harvard, Stanford, and Columbia—students who wish to serve in ROTC are still prohibited from meeting in their classrooms, earning equal academic credit, or even receiving proper public recognition for their service. These universities joined 18 other colleges in an unsuccessful legal bid to keep ROTC and military recruiters out of their schools and overturn the pro-service Solomon Amendment. These elite universities unleashed their legal departments and lobbying arms to fight ROTC all the way up to and through a unanimous Supreme Court decision that ruled against them.

It is urgent that our colleges and universities—and their accomplices in Republican and Democrat administrations alike—end their discriminatory practices towards those who want to protect America in a hostile world. We need to stand with, not against, those who would serve in our armed forces.

This is a fight Young America’s Foundation has engaged in throughout our 40-year history. We have seen legislation passed to support student rights—especially at the initiative of our director of military outreach, Flagg Youngblood, when he was a student at Yale University—but we have yet to see it implemented by a recalcitrant Bush administration. Helping these students must become a priority for the new president, secretary of defense, and a new Congress.

I urge you to demand our elected officials stand with those men and women who are willing to fight for our rights. Do not let these universities give you any more excuses as to why these ROTC students should be treated as second class citizens. They are among the noblest young Americans.

Sincerely,

Ron Robinson President

Ron RobinsonFoundation President

LibertasFall 2008

Special Military Issue

On The Cover: Members of the Texas A & M University – Galveston’s Color Guard take part in Young America’s Foundation’s 9/11: Never Forget Project and stand beside their display of 2,977 American flags representing those murdered on September 11, 2001.

Libertas, a publication of Young America’s Foundation, highlights the programs, events, students, staff, and supporters of the Foundation. You can contact Libertas and Young America’s Foundation by writing to: Young America’s Foundation, National Headquarters, 110 Elden Street, Herndon, Virginia 20170; calling 800-USA-1776; or visiting http://www.yaf.org.

Ron Robinson President of the BoardRonald Pearson Vice President of the BoardFrank Donatelli Secretary and Treasurer of the BoardT. Kenneth Cribb, Jr.Kate ObenshainThomas L. PhillipsPeter SchweizerJames B. TaylorKirby Wilbur

Frank Donatelli ChairmanJudge William Clark Co-ChairmanEdwin Meese Co-ChairmanGovernor George AllenRoyce BakerJohn BarlettaDr. Suzanne BeckerJefts G. BeedeLisa M. BuestrinRobert CumminsBecky Norton DunlopRobert Giuffra, Jr.Timothy S. GoegleinEric & Nicole HoplinMarty IrvingHarold KnapheideL.E. McClellandAl & Bette MooreGovernor Bill OwensDoug & Pat PerryThomas PhillipsDr. Robert RuheFred & Ruth SacherLee ShannonCraig ShirleyRussell SibertOwen & Bernadette Casey SmithDavid E. “Gene” Waddell

Thomas Phillips ChairmanAlex X. Mooney Executive DirectorPeter BarnesKellyanne ConwayDinesh D’SouzaTerry EastlandDavid GraceyLawrence KudlowRich LowryMatt RobinsonTom Winter

Publisher: Ron Robinson; Editor: Jessica Koebensky; Publication Design: Jonathan Briggs; Photographer (California): Jensen Sutta Photography; Photographer (Washington, D.C. area): Twin Lens Photo. This document and all herein contents, images, stories, graphics, and design, fall unto Copyright © 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Young America’s Foundation, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Any use of Libertas’ content without the written permission of Young America’s Foundation is prohibited.

Also in this Issue: • Coulter Draws Record Crowd at Reagan Ranch Center – page 4• Pawlenty and Pence Address Rawhide Circle Retreat – page 5 • Cruise the Caribbean with Ashcroft, Tancredo, Meese, Simpson, and Foundation Leaders – page 31 • Students Battle Campus Administrators to Host Chris Simcox and Star Parker – page 34

C O N T E N T S

Protecting Students’ Rights and ROTCThe Foundation continues its 40-year fight to protect students’ rights and strengthen our military.By Flagg Youngblood, Director of Military Outreach

Military: 101Does military history have a place in today’s college classrooms?By Jayne Miller, NJC Intern, American Veterans Center

Home of the BraveAn excerpt from Home of the Brave: Honoring the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror.By Wynton Hall and Caspar Weinberger

“An Obligation to Serve My Country”La Salle University graduate and Foundation alumnus Joe Gouryeb develops leadership skills through ROTC and campus activism. By Flagg Youngblood, Director of Military Outreach

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Teaching History, Inspiring the FutureHillsdale professor Dr. Burt Folsom ignites Foundation audiences for nearly three decades.By Nicole Hoplin, Director of Foundation Relations

Bachmann, Moore, Steele, and Others Reach H.S. StudentsAnnual program inspires speakers and students alike.By Kirby Wilbur, Foundation Director and Talk Radio Host

Fighting the War at HomeReagan Ranch High School Conference speaker offers insights about the battle within our borders.By Lt. Col. Robert “Buzz” Patterson, United States Air Force (Retired)

Visiting the President’s HomeNewt Gingrich shares his thoughts on his first trip to Rancho del Cielo.By Newt Gingrich, 58th Speaker of the U.S. House

An Interview with Author Wynton HallFoundation alumnus Wynton Hall offers insights about great conservative speeches, working with Caspar Weinberger, and more.By Jessica Koebensky, Editor

From Student Activist to YAF Vice PresidentKate Obenshain rejoins Foundation team.By Kimberly Martin Begg, Esq., Director of Planned Giving

A Center for the Conservative MovementReagan Ranch Center hosts conservative groups from around the world.By Andrew McIndoe, Sarah T. Hermann Intern Scholar

Patriotism and ServiceSupporter Betty Wolfe passes on her love of freedom to today’s youth.By Richard Kimble, Vice President

SPECIAL MILITARY SECTION

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Young America’s Foundation • Libertas4

Coulter Draws Record Audience at the Reagan Ranch Center; Pawlenty and Pence

Headline 2008 Rawhide Circle Retreat––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––———————————————–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––——

By Jessica Koebensky, Editor

I N B R I E F

Coulter Addresses Overflowing Reagan Ranch Roundtable Audience Best-selling author Ann Coulter addressed an overflowing audience at the sold-out May Reagan Ranch Roundtable Luncheon. In order to accommodate a greater audience, the Foundation opened the second floor gallery at

the Center, seating an additional 120 guests who watched Coulter’s speech via live video feed. In all, more than 270 students, supporters, and community members attended the speech emceed by San Diego talk radio host and long-time Foundation friend Mark Larson. Coulter’s witty speech lambasted the Left for its irrational policies and expectations and highlighted the problems facing the Conservative Movement and what we can do to overcome them. Guests enjoyed her candor and ideas and were eager to meet the author during the book signing following the lunch. Reagan Ranch Center Director Andrew Coffin then gave Coulter and two of her guests a tour of President Reagan’s beloved Rancho del Cielo. This was her first visit to the Reagan Ranch, and, despite some rain, she enjoyed the experience, validating her statement earlier that afternoon that “the Reagan Ranch is in very good hands.”

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Ed Meese Greets Foundation Friends and Supporters in NYC On May 6, more than 100 friends and supporters of the Foundation gathered at the New York City home of Robert and Joyce Giuffra. Mr. Giuffra, a member of the Reagan Ranch Board of Governors, welcomed all those in attendance and spoke of his days as a youth activist for Ronald Reagan. Attorney General Edwin Meese III headlined the event and addressed the importance of preserving the Reagan Ranch and what the Ranch meant to President Reagan. Foundation President Ron Robinson highlighted Young America’s Foundation’s programs. Many in attendance learned of the Foundation’s programs for the first time, and all received additional information about the Foundation and the Reagan Ranch. The Foundation team thanks Mr. & Mrs. Giuffra for opening their home for this special event.

Best-selling author Ann Coulter meets with local Santa Barbara students following her address to more than 270 Foundation friends, students, and supporters at the Reagan Ranch Center.

Ann Coulter visits Rancho del Cielo.

Robert and Joyce Giuffra, along with their daughters, Elizabeth and Caroline, host Ed Meese at their New York City home during a Foundation reception for local friends and supporters.

Young America’s Foundation • Libertas 5

I N B R I E F

Pawlenty, Pence, Allen, and Others Headline 2008 Rawhide Circle Retreat Young America’s Foundation’s 2008 Rawhide Circle Retreat drew more than 75 participants from across the country who gathered in Springfield, Illinois, for a weekend of fellowship with like-minded friends and to learn more about our 16th president’s life and the preservation of the Lincoln home. Speakers for the weekend included Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, Indiana Congressman Mike Pence, Attorney General Edwin Meese, Foundation President Ron Robinson, Clare Boothe Luce Policy

Institute President Michelle Easton, Reagan Ranch Presidential Scholar Governor George Allen, and Richard Norton Smith, historian and founding director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The Retreat also included tours of the Lincoln home and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, an opening reception at the Old State Capitol, a visit to the Illinois Governor’s Mansion, and optional tours of the Lincoln Tomb and Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices.

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Reagan Administration Officials Address Capitol Hill Interns On the four-year anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s passing, more than 180 students packed a room in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., to hear from those who knew and worked with the president. The hour-long session, organized with the help of Foundation Vice President Ron Pearson, featured Reagan administration official Mark Tapscott; Reagan’s assistant for public liaison, Rebecca Cox; Congressman John Shadegg; and moderator Frank Donatelli—also a Reagan administration official. The group shared what they thought America’s next president could learn from the “Great Communicator.” The panel agreed that the next president should let people control their own lives. Congressman Shadegg used health care as an example of government intervening where people should make their own decisions. Rebecca Cox spoke about Reagan’s belief that America can do great things. She noted Reagan’s confidence in the people; his ability to act on that belief not only improved America’s economic situation but also national morale. All panelists agreed that the future president should also have Ronald Reagan’s unflagging optimism.

Governor Tim Pawlenty headlines the 2008 Rawhide Circle closing dinner and meets with Foundation supporters and team members. (Pictured front row, left to right) Ken & Midge Dean, Governor Pawlenty, Eric Hoplin; (back row, left to right) Jessica Koebensky, Ed & Ursula Meese, Ben Golnick, and Nicole Hoplin.

Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana offers insights into the state of the Conservative Movement during a Rawhide Circle luncheon.

Congressman John Shadegg of Arizona shares his thoughts on what the next president could learn from Ronald Reagan.

Sarah T. Hermann Intern Scholars Abi Beardsley, Bobby Hamill, Nick Prelosky, and Sara Mikolajczak help organize the Capitol Hill program held on the four-year anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s passing.

Dr. Burt Folsom: Teaching History to the Next Generation of Leaders––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––——By Nicole Hoplin, Director of Foundation Relations

election results in the area. Nineteen households chose Goldwater as their preferred president, while only one chose Lyndon Johnson. That one turned out to be a University of Nebraska political science professor! Folsom believes the bias in academia, present then, has only gotten worse. Folsom graduated with a B.A. from Indiana University,

an M.A. from the University of Nebraska, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. In all those experiences, he only had two professors who were conservative. The lack of conservative professors remains even today and is why Folsom takes his lessons “on the road” to the Foundation’s conferences and seminars. In Folsom’s estimation, there’s not a single graduate-level institution that exists for conservatives. While colleges and universities may not share conservative ideas, conservatives do have good books to rely on for inspira-tion and knowledge. Folsom recommends young people who want to learn more about economics pick up a copy of Henry Hazlitt’s Economics in One Lesson. Thomas Sowell’s A Conflict of Visions effectively explains the roots of conservatism and lib-eralism going back to Adam Smith and Jean

B urt Folsom has taken time out of his summers since 1981 to share history lessons and often

a new point of view with America’s young leaders. His commitment to this endeavor makes him one of the most popular speakers ever at Young America’s Foundation’s summer conferences—consistently ranking in the top five each year. Burt Folsom grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, and he always enjoyed politics and history. By the age of ten, he could name all the presidents by memory. When Barry Goldwater came to Omaha, Nebraska, in 1964 for a campaign rally, the 16-year-old skipped class to be there. Folsom still recalls how upset the school officials became at his absence. In those days, one only missed school due to an illness. But it was during that event when Folsom first became a conservative. He later read and was inspired by Goldwater’s landmark credo, The Conscience of a Conservative. That same year, Folsom volunteered at the Goldwater headquarters in Lincoln. His task was to survey a neighborhood block to predict the

Dr. Burt Folsom addresses the 1981 National Conservative Student Conference.

F A C U L T Y P R O F I L E

Jacques Rousseau. In addition to the Bible for a lesson in Christianity, C.S. Lewis’s book, Mere Christianity, is an engaging must-read according to Folsom. As Hillsdale College’s Charles F. Kline Professor of History and Management, Folsom believes his mission is to share with young people that limited constitutional government works, a free society is a good society, and character counts. And that’s exactly what he’s done each year since 1981 at Young America’s Foundation’s National Conservative Student Conference and for the past 11 years at the Foundation’s National High School Leadership Conference. Folsom’s regular presence at these conferences and his popular speeches keep students wanting to learn more. He regularly addresses the topic of bias in textbooks and gives lessons on George Washington. Genevieve Nielsen, a high school student, wrote, “Dr. Burt Folsom’s speech about the bias in textbooks warned me that I cannot accept what I learn in my school textbooks as fact.


Young America’s Foundation publishes the first edition of Folsom’s book, The Myth of the Robber Barons, in 1987.

Now I will question information that my liberal teachers present as fact.” She is one of literally thousands of young people who have listened to and internalized Folsom’s teaching. He also talks about entrepreneurs—Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Mellon among others—who textbooks consistently report to have been corrupting influences on America. Textbooks teach students that the government, rather than entrepreneurs, can better stimulate an economythrough regulation, subsidies, and taxa-tion. Folsom not only teaches that the opposite is true, but he also uses illumi-nating examples from history to make his remarks defendable and lively. Folsom’s main point comes from a passage in his book, The Myth of the Robber Barons: A New Look at the Rise of Big Business in America: “If we seriously study entrepreneurs, the state, and the rise of big business in the United States we will have to sacrifice the textbook morality play of ‘greedy businessmen’ fleecing the public until at last they are stopped by the actions of the state. But in return, we will have a better understanding of the past and a sounder basis for building our future.” Students receive a free copy of his book which fully explains the truth

and the New Deal as well as the Great Society of the 1960s. Young America’s Foundation proudly acknowledges the stellar work and important ideas Burt Folsom has offered young people throughout the years. We are grateful for his endless commitment to transferring a true understanding of American history to young people. ———————————————Order your copy of Dr. Burt Folsom’s The Myth of the Robber Barons: A New Look at the Rise of Big Business in America by calling Young America’s Foundation at 800-USA-1776.

Dr. Burt Folsom discusses the important accomplishments of America’s early entrepreneurs with the young leaders attending the 2008 Reagan Ranch High School Conference in Santa Barbara, California.


about the so-called “robber barons.” Forrest McDonald, professor of history at the University of Alabama, said the book has “powerful relevance to current political discourse.” One may wonder why Folsom spends part of his summer break at the Foundation’s conferences and away from his wife, Anita, and son, Adam. Folsom says, “A teacher never knows where his ideas in his teaching end.” When students encounter the materials and ideas at the summer conferences, their lives are changed. They then have the potential to affect others with those ideas. Some may even go on to become the president of the United States or a religious or world leader. Folsom continues, “There are all sorts of tomorrow’s leaders who are in that conference room today.” Folsom’s next book, New Deal or Raw Deal, published by Simon & Schuster, will be on bookshelves in November 2008. In that book, Folsom takes on Franklin Roosevelt

Conference Director Roger Custer presents Dr. Folsom with an award in honor of his service as a faculty member at the Foundation’s Gratia Houghton Rinehart National High School Leadership Conference.

By Lt. Col. Robert “Buzz” Patterson, U.S. Air Force (Retired)

An overwhelming majority of Americans today assume the war with radical Islam results from the events of September 11, 2001, is

confined to battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, and will end with Al Qaeda’s extinction. That’s a tragically inaccurate view and one which our nation’s citizens continue to embrace at our peril. These were among the more critical points I addressed in my latest book War Crimes (Crown Forum, 2007) and in my talk at Young America’s Foundation’s 2008 Reagan Ranch High School Conference in Santa Barbara, California.

While our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines fight valiantly and heroically amidst dangerous and austere conditions in the Middle East, the larger battle is taking place below the radar screen here in the United States. Sadly, it’s combat fought in editorial board rooms, in coffee shops on college campuses, on the floor of the U.S. House and Senate, and at Hollywood awards galas. The more lethal enemy lies within our borders. It’s a Fifth Column comprised of public policy officials, mass media, Hollywood stars, college professors and administrators, and leftist non-governmental organizations running the gamut from MoveOn.org to Code Pink. Since the onset of military operations in Afghanistan, this leftist

alliance has sought to undermine America’s war effort and, more tragically, America’s fighting men and women at every turn. As Sergeant Eddie Jeffers, U.S. Army, explained before he sacrificed his life in Iraq for his country, “[E]very day, the enemy changes...only now, the enemy is becoming something new. The enemy is transitioning from the Muslim extremists to Americans. The enemy is becoming the very people whom we defend with our lives. And they do not realize it. But in denouncing our actions, denouncing our leaders, denouncing the war we live and fight, they are isolating the military from society...and they are becoming our enemy.” Sober and telling insight from one of America’s finest and one who

WAR CRIMES: Fighting the Battle Within Our Own Borders

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Reagan Ranch High School Conference — Speaker Perspective

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fought and died for his nation. My message to some of the finest high school students our nation has produced is simply this: we cannot win the ideological war against an enemy sworn to destroy our freedoms unless we win the war within our shores first. We face a battle with an ideology every bit as evil and insidious as those we faced last century in fascism, Nazism, and Communism. Then, we were able to muster the support of our military necessary to win. Today, I question whether we have that resolve. Unfortunately, if not, this global war will undoubtedly be handed over from my generation to those young men and women I addressed in Santa Barbara. That is the sad and tragic truth and one which we must address before it is too late.

About Lieutenant Colonel Robert “Buzz” Patterson Lieutenant Colonel Robert “Buzz” Patterson, United States Air Force (Retired), is the author of two New York Times best sellers, Dereliction of Duty: The Eyewitness Account of How Bill Clinton Compromised America’s National Security and Reckless Disregard: How Liberal Democrats Undercut Our Military, Endanger Our Soldiers, and Jeopardize Our Security, which was released in July 2004. His most recent book War Crimes: The Left’s Campaign to Destroy the Military and Lose the War on Terror was released by Crown Forum in July 2007. Patterson served 20 years on active duty in the military with distinction and saw tours of duty as an Air Force pilot during combat operations in Grenada, Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti, and Bosnia. From 1996 to 1998, Colonel Patterson was a military aide to President Bill Clinton. During that time he was responsible for the President’s Emergency Satchel, otherwise known as the “Nuclear Football,” the black bag with the nation’s nuclear capability that accompanies the president at all times.

WAR CRIMES: Fighting the Battle Within Our Own Borders

1) Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell addresses a banquet at the 2nd annual Reagan Ranch High School Conference.

2) Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson, author of Dereliction of Duty, signs copies of his most recent book for the young leaders.

3) A conference attendee visits Rancho del Cielo and gains a greater appreciation for President Reagan and his lasting ideals.

4) Seventy young leaders from 19 states enjoy a weekend of fun and learning at the Reagan Ranch Center.

5) Michael Reagan, talk radio host and President Reagan’s son, broadcasts his program live from the Reagan Ranch Center.

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Reagan Ranch High School Conference

In March 2008, 70 high school students from 19 states traveled to the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara, California, to hear from some of today’s leading conservative figures. President Reagan’s son and talk show host Michael Reagan set the tone for the weekend with a passionate speech about his father’s character. He also broadcast his radio show and appeared on CNN in front of a live audience of students and parents gathered in the David Louis Bartlett Visitors Center. Students also heard from President Reagan’s close friend and Secret Service agent John Barletta, talk radio hosts Roger Hedgecock and Gregg Jackson, Pacific Research Institute President Sally Pipes, Hillsdale professor Dr. Burt Folsom, Reagan advisor Peter Hannaford, WORLD magazine Features Editor Lynn Vincent, 9/11 World Trade Center survivor Earl Johnson, Foundation Vice President Patrick

Coyle, Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson, and former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell. A tour of Rancho del Cielo, President Reagan’s beloved ranch home, was a highlight for many. Attendees marveled at the dock he built, the fences he constructed, and the distinguished guests he hosted in such a rugged setting. The young leaders left the conference motivated and inspired to advance Reagan’s ideas at their high schools. Student Crystal Marshall from Redmond, Washington, notes, “I came away with a deeper knowledge of Ronald Reagan and how his personal convictions laid a moral foundation from which he drew strength to guide our country.” Young America’s Foundation thanks the Gaby Foundation for their generosity in sponsoring this program which introduced so many young leaders to the conservative values President Reagan cherished.

Reagan, Hedgecock, Patterson, and More Headline 2008 Reagan Ranch High School Conference

6) Reagan Ranch Director Andrew Coffin (left) meets with talk radio host Roger Hedgecock and his wife, Cindy, near the Center’s 2,000-pound section of the Berlin Wall. 7) Miranda Ko from Millbrae, California, enjoys the weekend-long program filled with insights from leading conservatives. 8) Foundation Vice President Pat Coyle (right) offers campus activism ideas to the high school students, including Will Simpson of Mountain View, Arkansas (left). 9) Conference attendees meet like-minded friends and are inspired during a visit to President Reagan’s beloved ranch. 10) Students Victoria Rao, Eric Hern, and Malia Amling utilize the conservative resources available in the Thomas and Randall Phillips Library at the Reagan Ranch Center.

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We all know about Barry Goldwater

and Ronald Reagan, but who

knows about Henry Regnery, Holmes

Tuttle, and Henry Salvatori?

Yet it was devoted conservatives like

Tuttle, Regnery, and dozens of others, who

paved the way for leaders like Goldwater

and Reagan by fi nancing and helping to

create a Conservative Movement of ideas

and people.

Funding Fathers is essential reading for

those who want to know the inside story

of the Conservative Movement and learn

about its largely unheralded heroes.

Meet the Unsung Heroes Behind the Conservative Movement

Available online, in bookstores everywhere, or at www.regnery.com.

Gratia Houghton Rinehart National High School Leadership Conference — Speaker Perspective


his year, as with the past 10 years, I attended Young America’s Foundation’s Gratia Houghton Rinehart National High School Leadership Conference as both a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors and as

a speaker. The summer program brings students from around the country together for four days in the nation’s capital to be introduced to conservative philosophy and learn activism ideas for their campuses and their communities. This conference has a profound impact on everyone involved. The students are attentive, ask great questions, interact with like-minded young people from around the country, and learn a great deal. You can see their eyes light up as they hear an idea for the first time or understand a speaker’s explanation about a free-market economic concept or historical event. At night, following earlier sessions with speakers and dinners with prominent guest speakers, the students gather for bull sessions where debate is encouraged, and they learn how to better communicate their ideas.

The group is a mix of public, private, and home school students. As many are in Washington, D.C., for the first time, the group spends the final evening of the conference visiting the monuments and memorials that dot the D.C. landscape. Again, the awe and wonder that is reflected in their faces is a delight to behold. This year, we had a number of students arrive a day early, and I took them on a tour of the Gettysburg battlefield, adding a new dimension to the conference. At this year’s program, the 11th high school conference, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann from Minnesota spoke during the first night’s banquet. Conservative luminaries including activist Bay Buchanan, Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute President Michelle Easton, Hillsdale College professor Dr. Burt Folsom, the Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Moore, YAF President Ron Robinson, author Chris Horner, Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele, Human Events editor Jed Babbin, and others spoke on the important issues facing America. Discussions were lively and spirited, and

BY KIRBY WILBUR , FOUNDATION DIREC TOR & TALK R ADIO HOST

(Left to right) Lizette Smith, Kaylyn Krzemien, Courtney Snell, Karen Benko, and Sara McCauley travel to D.C. to attend the 11th Gratia Houghton Rinehart National High School Leadership Conference.

Gratia Houghton Rinehart National High School Leadership Conference — Speaker Perspective


for high schools students, the questions were exceptional. Youth are changed at this conference, and this is what most inspires me. They become more informed, more understanding of America and conservatism, and ready to become more active. I am involved in YAF because I see the resources and hard work in action at these conferences and the impact it has on the young people attending, making them better Americans and more effective activists. We must train the next generation to eventually assume the responsibilities of leadership in the Conservative Movement, take the torch from those currently leading our cause, and keep what George Washington called the sacred fire of liberty burning bright into the future. Thanks to Young America’s Foundation’s supporters, team members, students, and speakers, it will.————————————————————————Kirby Wilbur is the host of the morning drive show on 570 KVI radio in Seattle where he is heard 5:00 to 9:00 a.m. every weekday.

BY KIRBY WILBUR , FOUNDATION DIREC TOR & TALK R ADIO HOST

(Top, left to right) Jed Babbin of Human Events discusses radical Islam and the threats facing our nation. Brendan Zehner of Glenside, Pennsylvania, partici-pates in one of the many Q&A sessions with the conference’s leading conservative speakers.

(Middle, left to right) The Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Moore shares insights about the importance of the free market. Talk radio host Kirby Wilbur encourages the more than 130 conference participants to promote their conservative ideas everyday.

(Below) The young leaders meet with ROTC recruiters and learn more about military service.


Gratia Houghton Rinehart National High School Leadership Conference — Student Perspective

Dear Young America’s Foundation Friends, Staff, and Supporters: I enjoyed your 2008 conference because it affirmed my belief in conservative ideals and inspired me to spread our message. Most enjoyable was the unique opportunity to spend a weekend with fellow conservatives my age. I reveled in the hours I could express my views without the threat of being ignored or shouted down by the mob. The speakers articulated conservative principles I believe but have rarely heard in school. Bay Buchanan’s speech, in particular, motivated me to stand up for conservative values. She encouraged passion and involvement for our cause and a deep love for our country. America needs more patriots to stand up and fight for conservative ideals with a strong voice and fiery conviction. Bay convincingly espoused effective ideas and methods I will use to combat the Left. I really enjoyed Chris Horner’s speech. He effectively delineated how out of touch the Left is on global warming issues. By careful examination of the scientific data and comparison to Al Gore’s pseudo-science, he pulverized the many myths that prop up the global warming scare. It was refreshing to hear it dismantled so scientifically and with much good humor. Steve Moore’s talk on economics and the Laffer curve illuminated the insanity of liberal thinking as well. He noted, “If you want to help poor people, give them jobs.” Liberals enact laws to punish employers, yet complain when there are job losses. Liberals either cannot or will not fathom that anti-employer laws are the problem. I believe Kirby Wilbur was instrumental to the success of our conference. In bull sessions and speeches, he calmly and clearly expressed strong conservative values as well as a compelling message on how to follow and promote these ideas in everyday life. He inspired the attendees through his constant interaction and open communication. I want to re-emphasize again how wonderful it was to be with like-minded people and to hear such motivating speakers. Knowing that so many people hold my ideals is invigorating and gives me confidence to pursue conservative causes. This conference was chicken noodle soup for my conservative soul. I urge all curious young conservatives to attend a YAF leadership conference as soon as possible.

Thanks YAF, Jack Apgar Woodberry Forest School (Virginia), ’09

(Above) Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele meets with student Jack Apgar of

Lexington, Virginia.

(Right) Townhall.com reporter Amanda Carpenter signs copies of her book and

shares her story of fighting the Left on campus.

(Left) Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota delivers a powerful speech on the importance of protecting freedom for future generations.

dhering to Ronald Reagan’s belief in “peace through strength,” Young America’s Foundation encourages young people across the

nation to volunteer for military service and to stand up for those who serve and those who would serve. The Foundation leads the Conservative Movement in our efforts to protect students’ ability to meet with military recruiters on campus and to participate in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). In the spirit of President Reagan’s farewell admonition that “freedom is special and rare…and needs protection,” Young America’s Foundation helps conservative student activists host speakers, organize rallies, and advocate for policies on campus that promote a strong and well-trained volunteer military, along with fighting for supportive legislation and oversight in Washington, D.C. The Foundation has been doing

so since 1969—thanks to the courage and vision of many young leaders and generous supporters. What follows is a

brief history of this important fight to protect students’ rights and strengthen our national defense for generations to come.

The Beginning Vanderbilt undergraduate Chuck Stowe stood up during the Vietnam War and spoke out when his alma mater’s trustees were debating ROTC’s presence on campus. He organized pro-military rallies, circulated

petitions, confronted the opposition, even publicly debated Al Gore Sr. on campus, and he did so while training to serve in the Navy through ROTC. Chuck’s work with his fellow students and Vanderbilt’s military veterans and alumni saved ROTC on campus. In the process, he founded a non-profit corporation on October 31, 1969, known initially as University Informational Services; the organization was renamed Young America’s Foundation on February 27, 1973.

Defending Liberty from Communism In the spring of 1975, Foundation President Ron Robinson brought together more than one thousand students and concerned citizens for an anti-communist, “peace through strength” rally in Washington, D.C. Robinson witnessed firsthand, just a few months before, the unyielding determination of the North Vietnamese to impose their inhumane ideology upon South Vietnam.


Charles R. B. “Chuck” Stowe, retired Navy Captain, founded Young America’s Foundation in 1969 as a student at Vanderbilt University where he stood up for students’ rights to participate in ROTC.

Gratia Houghton Rinehart National High School Leadership Conference — Student Perspective


In the late 1970s, military veterans including Dr. Alan Sabrosky and retired generals Daniel Graham and John Singlaub began speaking for Young America’s Foundation. As a former Marine and lecturer at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Sabrosky urged a stronger U.S. military preparedness at student conferences. Graham, a former Defense Intelligence Agency director and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) assistant director, called for improving U.S. strategic military posture on campus, while Singlaub unequivocally spoke out against Jimmy Carter’s proposed SALT-II treaty.

The Reagan Revolution To help students advance the principles of liberty on campus, Young America’s Foundation published two primers, U.S. Military Policy and

Pacifism: an Anti-Christian Philosophy, in 1982 and 1984. These research papers, in conjunction with campus lectures, aided young conservatives in combating a new generation of leftists seeking to ban military and CIA recruiters from campus. Just as Ronald Reagan succeeded in toppling both the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Empire, the Left erected additional barriers on campus to undercut the strong national defense the President built. Contending our military discriminated, leftists again attacked ROTC across the nation, aiming to prevent all young

Americans from voluntarily serving. Young America’s Foundation recognized the new threat and distributed They’re Going Straight Against ROTC, a pamphlet calling for a renewed defense for the champions of liberty.

The Persian Gulf War After Iraq invaded Kuwait and President George H. W. Bush ordered the U.S. military to respond, Washington & Lee undergraduate Marc Short and University of Virginia student Kate Obenshain (see profile on page 30) organized a “Support Our Troops” rally

in February 1991. Held at Washington & Lee, more than 1,700 students from throughout Virginia participated and called for victory against Saddam Hussein.

The ROTC Campus Access Act My own involvement with the Foundation started with a phone

call from Foundation Program Officer

(left) Early issues of The New Guard feature YAF’s work to defeat Communism and protect our military. (below) Dr. Alan Sabrosky speaks with young people attending the Foundation’s 1981 National Conservative Student Conference.

(right) Young America’s Foundation produces guides to advance freedom and protect our military.

Young America’s Foundation educates students to stand up for their right to participate in ROTC on campus.


Dan Flynn who heard that Yale required me and my peers to travel seventy miles to the University of Connecticut to participate in ROTC. Together, we urged Congress to cut off taxpayer funding to universities hostile to the armed forces. Congressman Richard Pombo of California sponsored “The ROTC Campus Access Act” in the summer of 1995, which passed overwhelmingly and mandated anti-military colleges could not receive Defense Department funds. President Clinton signed the law as part of the 1996 Defense Authorization Act. The following year, Gerald Solomon helped the Foundation further expand

the law, mandating the cessation of all Federal taxpayer funding from anti-military schools that bar military recruiters and ROTC participation by policy or practice. While the law was successfully amended, President Bill Clinton

and his Defense Department thwarted enforcement of the Pombo-Solomon Amendment until they left office.

After September 11 In late 2001, President George W. Bush’s administration called upon law students nationwide to serve as military Judge Advocates, angering the Left as military recruiters attempted to return to campuses they had not visited since Vietnam. Recognizing the Left’s reinvigorated anti-military sentiment, Young America’s Foundation sponsored a pro-military rally in late March 2003, at the beginning of the war in Iraq. More than 15,000 students and concerned citizens gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to voice their support for

the military

and a successful mission in Iraq. In response to threatened enforcement of the Pombo-Solomon Amendment—now commonly referred to only as the Solomon Amendment—a coalition of professors at elite law schools challenged the law’s constitutionality to keep military recruiters off campus in late 2003. The Third Federal Circuit Court agreed, calling the law unconstitutional in a 2-1 opinion in November 2004 and barring Solomon enforcement. Simultaneously at the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB), anti-military professors, themselves leftist student radicals during Vietnam, called for the expulsion of ROTC from campus. Emboldened by the Third Circuit’s Solomon decision, they harassed ROTC cadets and cadre until Young America’s Foundation intervened. Holding public meetings and bringing pro-military speakers to campus—including actor and author Ben Stein who addressed 600 students at UCSB—the Foundation helped the Santa Barbara students save ROTC.

Solomon As Constitutional — The Left Reacts In March 2006, the United States Supreme Court declared the Solomon Amendment constitutional with a unanimous 8-0 ruling. (Justice Samuel Alito had not been appointed to the

Libertas features the 1991 “Support our Troops” rally at Washington & Lee University.

Student Flagg Youngblood, now director of military outreach at Young America’s Foundation, meets with Representative

Richard Pombo after successful passage

of “The ROTC Campus Access Act” in 1995.

Young America’s Foundation brings more than 15,000 people together in support of our nation’s military during a rally on the National Mall in 2003.


court in time to hear the case argued.) Despite the historic victory, the Bush administration was not aggressively pursuing Solomon enforcement. Emboldened by the Defense Department’s hesitation, leftists at the University of California at Santa Cruz harassed military recruiters during two 2005 job fairs, forcing the recruiters to flee for their safety on both occasions. After attempts to resolve this problem with the Defense Department failed, the Foundation filed suit on behalf of the affected UC - Santa Cruz students in the fall of 2007, seeking to restore their rights by compelling the Bush administration to enforce the Solomon Amendment. The D.C. Federal Court did not dispute the students’ claims, yet it dismissed Young America’s Foundation’s suit in June 2008 because the Bush administration argued that enforcing the Solomon Amendment would not affect UC-Santa Cruz or the Left’s behavior towards campus military recruiters. The administration also persuaded the court that the Solomon Amendment was not a Congressional mandate but a discretionary tool for the Secretary of Defense to use when deemed appropriate. The Foundation is seeking to appeal on both accounts. Congress, excluding leaders Duncan Hunter and James Inhofe, has been hesitant to provide oversight for the mandate it created more than twelve years ago.

Looking Ahead Young America’s Foundation continues our fight to protect students’ rights to participate in ROTC and serve our country. We are honored to work with distinguished veterans of Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan who travel across the country as part of our lecture program (see page 19 for a list of current military speakers). The Foundation also invites military recruiters to attend our conferences and speak with our students.

Because of Young America’s Foundation, our nation has a federal law—the Solomon Amendment—prohibiting anti-military colleges from receiving taxpayer funding. The Foundation’s efforts for Solomon enforcement are ongoing, and we will continue to work with students nationwide, as we have done for 40 years, to promote a strong national defense and to protect students’ ability to meet with military recruiters and participate in ROTC on campus.

Young America’s Foundation hosts Army ROTC cadets from University of California at Santa Barbara at the Reagan Ranch after helping to save their program on campus in 2005.

(left) Anti-military radicals vandalize recruiting offices in the 1980s, and (above) their attacks continue in 2006 with the defacement of ROTC buildings at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.

Below is a partial list of Young America’s Foundation alumni who have served or are currently serving in our nation’s military. If you or someone you know should be included in this list, please contact us

at 800-USA-1776 or e-mail Flagg Youngblood at [email protected].


Todd AfsharJeremie ArthurJef BagleyJeff BaldovinJeffrey BartzBrandon BaumiaWebster BearyElizabeth BeiswengerBrian BenjersJoe BilesJames BretneyDelanie BrewerChristopher CaseNicholas CarowShauna ChristensenAndy ChungHayley CurryBrad DeFlumeriJohn DlugopolskyDymitri DutkaniczMatthew Ebbertt

Contact Pat Coyle at 800-USA-1776 for more information on hosting these and other Foundation speakers on your campus.

Lt. Col. Oliver North Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson Col. John Reitzel Lt. Col. Scott Rutter Cpt. Flagg Youngblood

Diego EcheverriChristopher EckersonMichael EdwardsWilliam ErlandsonHarold EustacheAndrew EverettMichael FarageGreg FergusonDan FlynnJacob GayAndrew GaydosAdam GilbertsonJoseph GouryebGregory GreenMark HardieKevin HarrisClayton HensonJoseph HerroKailei HigginsonBrock HillRachel Hoff

Daniel HorakStephan JerabekCara JonesSummer KamalMatthew KlintDavid KorkowskiJeremy LackeyLawrence LeeJosh LentzChristine LeonardJeffrey LittonAdam LowtherYinjie LuoNathan MachulaJonathan MattinglyDerek McAfeeKathleen McDonaldJoseph McDonaldJoanna McDowellDaniel MeehanJohn Meyer

Jeremy NavesRoss NolanBrett NunleyBrad O’BrienCrosby OlsenPeter OwenOlga PereiraDaniel PeschJohn PichardoTim RazaBrett ReichertColin RennickAdam RodriguezRicardo RuizMatt SanchezJonathan SawmillerJared SchlenkerGregory SchultzRandolph SheltonAndrew ShirleyWesley Smith

Skip SorensonZack SpilmanChristopher SterbenzBryan StewartCharles StoweDean SwaimJordan TabayoyanJim TaylorShannon TillmanBen TolleEsteban VickersEmma WahabDonovan WalkerAllyson WartickKurt WeberEric WebsterSL WhitesellFlagg Youngblood

The Reagan Ranch: Visiting History at a Personal LevelReagan Ranch: Visiting History at a Personal LevelBY NEWT GINGRICH, AUTHOR AND 58TH SPEAKER OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

C allista and I were fortunate to have the

chance to visit the Reagan Ranch recently while filming a documentary produced by Citizens United about President Reagan called Rendezvous with Destiny. It was an extraordinarily enlightening experience—after actually seeing the Ranch itself and listening to stories of “Ronnie and Nancy” at home, we came to truly appreciate the mutual love and respect that

bound them together so closely. Even after all the years I spent studying and working with President Reagan, I found myself learning entirely new things about his life. The Ranch was like a goldmine for an historian-citizen to explore, learn, and think. I was first struck by President Reagan during his days as a citizen-actor, and I remember how his first great speech, “A Time for Choosing,” was

a clarion call in 1964 to young conservatives. He encouraged an optimistic, principled, and bold vision of America’s future, and his first race for governor in 1966 was a brilliant success for modern conservatism, as Reagan’s positive message helped him beat a two-term incumbent governor in California. His debate with Senator Robert F. Kennedy on CBS in 1967 proved that he could defend America’s honor and

“The Ranch was like a

goldmine for an historian-

citizen to explore, learn,

and think.”

Speaker Newt Gingrich addresses a special gathering of Young America’s Foundation President’s Club supporters and local students at the Reagan Ranch Center.

President Reagan’s son and talk radio host, Michael Reagan, tours the Reagan Ranch Center with Callista and Newt Gingrich.


The Reagan Ranch: Visiting History at a Personal LevelReagan Ranch: Visiting History at a Personal LevelBY NEWT GINGRICH, AUTHOR AND 58TH SPEAKER OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

principles and decisively win against the rising star of the Kennedy family. RFK is even rumored to have commented after the debate, “Never put me on television with Reagan again; it is impossible to match him.” Over the next few decades, as a member of Congress, I had the chance to work with both candidate Reagan and President Reagan, but now that I was at his home, I suddenly began to reassess some

of my assumptions about the man and to deepen my understanding of his character. The Ranch is small and simple, with a level of intimacy and comfort that makes it a stark contrast to the White House. When walking around the living room, kitchen, family room, bedroom, etc, I knew that I was in a place where this very famous, busy couple retreated to simply be themselves.

Clearly, the Reagans were unique people—there is a pattern of western pic-tures, gear, and furnishings throughout the Ranch that testifies to Reagan’s bond with the American West and the traditions of the cowboy, the Native American, the working man, and the cav-alry. In fact, I learned that Reagan himself had served in the cavalry in the Army reserve and that his horse-manship owed a consider-able debt to the U.S. Army.

Reagan could have continued the movie star lifestyle, moving among the great, the rich, and the powerful. Instead, he chose a small ranch house—a home that many would call small, quaint, or humble. Callista and I highly recommend a visit to the Reagan Ranch. It will have a significant part in our film, Rendezvous with Destiny, and it will help anyone who visits better understand one of our greatest presidents.

Newt and Callista Gingrich stop near the entryway to the Reagan Ranch.

Talk radio host Mark Larson greets Speaker Gingrich prior to emceeing the breakfast in the David Louis Bartlett Visitors Center.

Speaker Gingrich visits Rancho del Cielo to tour the President’s home and film part of his forthcoming film, Rendezvous with Destiny.


eneral Richard Natonski. General James Mattis. David Bellavia. Bing West. They are Iraq war veterans, and I’m embarrassed to say before a few weeks ago, I would not have recognized their names.

Walking into my National Journalism Center internship with the American Veterans Center, one thing became very clear to me: my co-workers were incredibly well-versed in military know-how, and I, unfortunately, was not. There I was: the floundering intern desperately waiting to hear a recognizable name—Private Ryan, he was real, right? According to several journalists who have called out schools across the country for their diminishing military history departments, I was not alone in my lack of military competence. Although the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) has seemingly kept the study alive with a mandatory military history element, many are convinced it’s a dying breed in the classroom. “I don’t have statistics, I only have impressions, and my impression is that [military history programs] are shrinking radically,” Yale Professor Donald Kagan said. While Yale still has a military history chair, this position is no longer filled by an actual military historian. More and more professors are turning to other, more politically correct, lenses to examine war, forcing the focus to extinction.

According to John J. Miller’s 2006 National Review article “Sounding Taps,” of 153 colleges, only 65 percent had a faculty member with an interest in military history. U.S. News and World Report’s surveys indicate that only

around one dozen of these 153 schools have full-fledged military history programs. Professor Brian Linn of Texas A&M University credits this possible decline to a diminishing faculty. “I see [programs] shrinking in the top 50 schools,” he said. “There’s substantial interest in the classes being taught, but a big decline in the number of tenure-track faculty being hired to teach them.” In a world at war, others blame cultural stereotypes. “After Vietnam, it was ‘I ain’t gonna study war no more.’ There is this emotional predisposition [against military history],” Lt. Col. John F. Guilmartin, a professor at Ohio State University, said. “[People think] if you study war, you advocate it.” Dr. Colin Baxter, a member of the Society for Military History and now-professor, said he noticed this stereotype as well. “Just because we teach this doesn’t mean we like war.

We hate war,” he said. “In the back of our minds, I think we’d like to prevent war. It’s a popular misconception.” The decline in military history programs has been written about by journalists for the past decade. Some believe the programs are less visible due to media misconceptions. Professor Patrick Reagan of Tennessee Tech University

By Jayne Miller, National Journalism Center Intern, American Veterans Center

According to John J. Miller’s 2006 National

Review article “Sounding Taps,” of 153 colleges, only

65 percent had a faculty member with an interest in military history. U.S. News

and World Report’s surveys indicate that only around one dozen of these 153

schools have full-fledged military history programs.



is one of these people. “I do not buy that [the programs are dying] hook, line and sinker,” he said. “There’s a lot of people still teaching.” Army ROTC sponsored a three-month workshop, which Patrick Reagan attended, at the United States Military Academy at West Point after his first year at Tennessee Tech; he said it was one of the greatest experiences in his life. The workshop attendees included ROTC captains and civilians. Reagan said he continues to see benefits of this program on his own campus, and military history programs have increased in quality at larger schools including Princeton, Stanford, and Ohio State University. Reagan acknowledges that military historians may have a smaller core group than other historical focuses, but not studying war is not an option. “Historians study change over time. War is an essential human activity,” Reagan said. “We can’t afford the luxury of not studying it.”

National Journalism Center intern Jayne Miller spends her summer at the American Veterans Center. In addition to enhancing her journalism skills, Jayne’s work includes researching military history courses and programs currently offered in higher education.

Author Wynton Hall Inspired by ’95 Student Conference–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––——An Interview With Wynton Hall by Jessica Koebensky, Editor

remember Oliver North’s and journalistic icon Robert Novak’s speeches. After Bob Novak’s speech we shook hands, and I asked him a question about K Street lobbyists. “Walk with me,” he said. Before I knew it, we had ridden up the elevator

to his floor and finished our chat. When I got back in the elevator, I remember saying to myself, “Did you seriously just hang out with Bob Novak in an elevator?” Only YAF could make that happen!

Libertas: Early on in your college career and prior to, what did

you envision yourself doing 5-10 years down the road?———————————————Hall: I have always been interested in politics, even as a child. I was probably the only 10-year-old boy in America whose favorite channel was C-SPAN. I used to play a game where I would put C-SPAN coverage of House floor debates on in one room and then go in the room next to it. As representatives shuffled to and from the microphone, I would try to guess their name, party affiliation, and home state solely by the sound of their voice. What was really scary was that I got pretty good at it.

Libertas: In writing Home of the Brave and The Greatest Communicator, you worked with President Reagan’s close friends and advisors, Secretary of Defense Caspar

Libertas: What was your earliest involvement with Young America’s Foundation? ———————————————Hall: The Young America’s Founda-tion posters. Oh man did those make an impression on me! I’m serious. The full-length YAF poster of President Ronald Reagan hung inside my bedroom closet throughout most of my college career. I remember a buddy once said, “Most college guys have posters of swimsuit models in their room. You have a poster of President Reagan…”

Libertas: What do you remember most about the conference you attended? Which speakers were your favorite and why?———————————————Hall: I’ll never forget it. Attending my first Young America’s Foundation conference in Atlanta, Georgia, [in 1995] was one of the most encouraging moments of my college experience. I distinctly remember thinking, “Wait a minute. You mean I’m not the only kid with these beliefs and values? You mean there are other cool young people who embrace conservatism? Wow!” It invigorated me to take the fight back to my campus and to be bold in standing up for my beliefs. I credit Young America’s Foundation for igniting the spark that led to my conservative writing career.

That conference boasted numerous conservative luminaries. But I vividly

A L U M N I S P O T L I G H T

Wynton Hall

“I’ll never forget it. Attending my first Young America’s Foundation conference in Atlanta, Georgia, [in 1995] was one of the most encouraging moments of my college experience... I credit Young America’s Foundation for igniting the spark that led to my conservative writing career.”

grateful we learn new things. For Cap, honoring the 2.4 million men and women who serve in our armed forces was a way of teaching others about the privilege and duties that freedom requires. Cap and I finished Home of the Brave just weeks before he died. When we laid him to rest at Arlington, I’ll never forget looking down to the front of the sanctuary and seeing an infirmed, yet regal, Lady

Weinberger and Dr. Dick Wirthlin, respectively. What was the best advice you received from these key Reagan administration officials?———————————————Hall: We’re all a product of our mentors. I’ve been blessed to have had the privilege of working alongside and learning from two of President Reagan’s inner circle. What Cap [Weinberger] taught me is that gratitude is pedagogical. When we’re


Margaret Thatcher, one of Cap and President Reagan’s dearest friends. She had made the trip “across the pond” to honor her fellow Cold Warrior. And it reinforced what Cap taught me: “Never forget to be grateful for those who serve others.” The other thing Cap taught me was this: “History always vindicates those on the side of freedom.” President Reagan once said it best, “When Dick Wirthlin speaks, I listen!” So much of what I know about communication, mass persuasion, and presidential leadership is because of him. Dick is like a second father. One of the many great lessons Dick taught me can be summed up in six words: “Persuade through reason, motivate through emotion.” If you want to know the secret to Ronald Reagan’s rhetoric, write that phrase down and then re-read all the President’s speeches with that in mind.

Libertas: You have written two books that highlight the great speeches of the Conservative Movement. What do you think makes a speech truly great? What criteria did

are comfortable in their own skin, who know who they are, and who actually believe in what they are saying. In my books on conservative speeches, I wanted to tell the behind-the-scenes history of epic moments in conservative oratory. Reading the words isn’t enough; context is critical. I also wanted to include speeches that were lesser known yet critical to the overall trajectory of the American Conservative Movement’s ascendancy. Libertas: What one speech do you think has had the most impact

on the modern day Conservative Movement? ———————————————Hall: That’s tough. But for many reasons I’d have to say Ronald Reagan’s nationally televised October 27, 1964, speech, “A Time for Choosing.” That speech introduced Reagan to a national audience and made him the logical heir apparent of the conservative mantle and message.

you use when narrowing down your search for speeches?———————————————Hall: A great speech is the confluence of many forces. A great speech must exemplify what I like to call the three P’s: principled, passionate, and practiced. I’d also add a fourth P: it can’t be “plastic.” Ronald Reagan, Phyllis Schlafly, Barry Goldwater…these are speakers who

Wynton Hall works with Dr. Richard Wirthlin, Ronald Reagan’s close friend and advisor, to complete the book, The Greatest Communicator: What Ronald Reagan Taught Me about Politics, Leadership, and Life.

Fox News contributor Angela McGlowan and Steve Forbes meet with Wynton Hall during the launch party for Home of the Brave—a book co-authored by Hall and Caspar Weinberger.



What advice would you give to students to help them counter the liberal establishment at their schools?———————————————Hall: Don’t be afraid to stand up and speak out. Be bold. Challenge moral relativism and leftist claptrap

with informational ammunition. Read broadly and argue well. Conservative ideas resonate. So don’t be afraid to challenge the Left’s intellectual laziness. Embrace your values and be humble yet unapologetic in your defense

Libertas: Who do you think are some of the most effective communicators in our modern-day Conservative Movement? Who are the rising stars?———————————————Hall: That’s the most exciting part of the Conservative Movement: we have many rising stars. In fact, every time I speak at a Young America’s Foundation event, I’m reminded of conservatism’s bright future. In terms of individual leaders, I have my eyes firmly fixed on Congressman Mike Pence and Governor Bobby Jindal.

Libertas: What authors and books would you recommend today’s young conservatives read?——————————Hall: Young conservatives must devour the great books. That’s what conservatism is all about—conserving the wisdom of the past and using it to shape our future. Here are some “must-read” books: Marcus Tulius Cicero’s De Inventione, Myron Magnet’s The Dream and the Nightmare, Richard Weaver’s Ideas Have Consequences, Gertrude Himmelfarb’s One Nation, Two Cultures, and anything ever written by Thomas Sowell or William F. Buckley Jr.

Libertas: In the introduction to The Right Words, you highlight the Left’s control of today’s college campuses.

of that which you hold dear. Most importantly, work hard and be happy. Nothing upsets the Left more.

Libertas: You’ve addressed the Foundation’s conferences in the past. What do you enjoy most about

speaking to young people? —————————Hall: Nothing re-charges my optimism for conservatism’s future more than attending a Young America’s Foun-dation conference. The fellowship and time spent dining and visiting one-on-one with young conservatives with big brains is a rare treat for me. That and marveling at Ron Robinson’s undy-ing love and passion for helping young people live out their conserva-tive values. YAF is very special to me.

Libertas: Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? —————————Hall: I love what I do. The writing life is won-derful. In 10 years I hope to still be writing books and helping leaders craft messages that connect. There are so many amaz-ing stories that have yet to be told. I hope to play a small role in dusting off those gems of history and

holding them up to the literary light to dazzle readers. In 10 years I also fully expect to see our daughter attend her first YAF high school conference. That might be dangerous, though. After all, look what it did to my life!

A L U M N I S P O T L I G H T

Wynton Hall participates in the “Great Books” panel during the Foundation’s 2007 National Conservative Student Conference in Washington, D.C.

C-SPAN2’s “Book TV” features Hall’s discussion of his book, The Right Words.


Every morning, in cities all across the world, 2.4 million Americans wake up, put on a uniform, kiss their loved ones good-bye, and head out the door to defend freedom. In exchange, they ask for nothing: not wealth, not power, not celebrity. When the spotlight is on them, they fidget uncomfortably, as if somehow they have been given undue attention. “I’m no hero,” each will tell you. “I was just doing my job.” It’s not an act or false humility. They actually believe it. They are not like the rest of us. They are the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines of the United States military. They are the best among us. To them, protecting America is a privilege, an honor, a solemn duty that has been passed like a torch from their parents and grandparents and great grandparents before them. As First Sergeant Justin LeHew told us, “It’s all the crosses in Arlington Cemetery. It’s all those GIs who died over there with my dad on Omaha Beach. You want your generation to do America justice just like that one did.” And they are. We wrote Home of the Brave because we believe deeply that this generation has, in fact, done America justice by living up to the sterling service and sacrifice

of its predecessors. And that’s no small feat. Indeed, the lineage of military sacrifice is long and sacred: In World War I, 117,000 Americans were killed; in World War II, 405,000 died; in the Korean War, 36,500 American lives were taken; and in Vietnam, 58,000 patriots were killed. To the men and women waging the global war against terrorism, these giants upon whose shoulders they stand

are not merely statistics. They are beacons, figures whose gallantry illumines their way as they continue the centuries-old task of protecting freedom’s future. Perhaps because of the seriousness of their life’s calling, today’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are in touch with history in ways most civilians simply are not. Talk to them. Ask them about their military heritage. Then sit and listen as they recount the names and stories of the American heroes whose example propels them forward.

John Basilone, Daniel Daly, Eddie Rickenbacker, Carl Brashear, Edward “Butch” O’Hare, Richard I. Bong, Chester Nimitz, Thomas Kelley, Lewis “Chesty” Puller, Audie Murphy. Most young people today would be hard pressed to identify these individuals. But for those who serve, these ghosts of valor ignite something deep within them. They matter.

A S P E C I A L B O O K E X C E R P T F R O M

HOME OF THE BRAVE:HONORING THE UNSUNG

HEROES IN THE WAR ON TERROR———————————— By Wynton Hall and Caspar Weinberger ————————————

“Those who say we’re in a time when there are no heroes— they just don’t know where to look.”

— Ronald Reagan, 1981

We wrote Home of the Brave because we believe

deeply that this generation has, in fact, done America

justice by living up tothe sterling service and

sacrifice of its predecessors. And that’s no small feat.


And so do the myriad heroes in our midst. Tom Brokaw’s fabulous book, The Greatest Generation, gave the World War II generation its name. But the current generation of U.S. servicemen and servicewomen also is leaving its own distinct mark on the long history of American service. Unlike the soldiers of World War II, who were drafted, today’s military is made up of mothers, fathers, husbands, and wives who volunteered for service. In numbers greater than ever before, reservists also are in harm’s way, leaving their civilian jobs for the battlefield. And families are literally in the crossfire. During World War II, parents often were exempt from the draft. In today’s military, mothers and fathers in life-threatening situations are common. Critics, taking their cues from the media, once branded young Ameri-cans as overeducated, unmotivated slackers whose greatest day-to-day concern was the speed of their Inter-net connection. But those who know today’s service members best know that such characterizations describe them least. In the War on Terror, the “slackers” have more than held their own when compared with soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines of past eras. To most veterans, this comes as little surprise. But the mainstream media isn’t communicating that message often enough or even at all. For example, if you asked Americans to identify Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, or Michael Jackson, most could do so correctly. But what if, instead of these three celebrities, citizens were asked to identify Air Force Master Sergeant William “Calvin” Markham or Marine Sergeant Marco Martínez or even Medal of Honor recipient Army Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith? Would they be familiar with these individuals? Are you familiar with each of these individuals? Our guess is that you aren’t. After all, we weren’t.

That is, not until we began researching and interviewing several of the individuals whose stories we recount. Does this make us all ungrateful or unpatriotic because we are unfamiliar with the actions of these modern-day American heroes? Of course not. But it does mean that our nation has yet to hear the other side of the story—the side many in the media have refused to tell—about our nation’s brave young people fighting in the War on

Terror. It would, of course, be impossible to write about all of the extraordinary members of our armed forces. But the heroism and valor of the nineteen individuals we write about—some of the most highly decorated in the U.S. military—are emblematic of the spirit that pulses through all who have ever worn the uniform. Their jaw-dropping acts of bravery represent but a fraction of the heroic actions that have been performed in the War on Terror. And yet, sadly, most Americans have never even heard their names or those of whose lives they saved. Their reasons for joining the military are as diverse as the indi-viduals themselves. Some were born into families with long, distinguished histories of military service. Others, however, set a precedent by becom-ing the first in their family to en-

list. For some, the military represented an opportunity to get their lives back on track, to develop discipline, and to sharpen their focus. For others, enlisting in the military meant turning down lucrative career offers in other fields. But they do have one thing in common: a deep and abiding passion for America. The September 11 terrorist attacks galvanized their resolve to wage war against global terrorism. To be sure, the naysayers and cynics will label that gushing patriotism sentimental “jingoism.” But it’s not. Instead, it is the same faithful, steely spirit that rushes

Home of tHe BRave: HonoRing tHe UnsUng HeRoes in tHe WaR on teRRoR

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– By Wynton Hall and Caspar Weinberger –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Like the waves of Americans who came

before them, they are not embarrassed about their love for America nor do they hide it, and, as they

readily confess, they don’t relate well to those who

ever would. To them, America is worth dying for. And as their stories will reveal, instead of

slogans, they have offered service—gritty, dangerous,

tenacious service.


through American history and fuels freedom. Like the waves of Americans who came before them, they are not embarrassed about their love for America nor do they hide it, and, as they readily confess, they don’t relate well to those who ever would. To them, America is worth dying for. And as their stories will reveal, instead of slogans, they have offered service—gritty, dangerous, tenacious service. They took these actions with the full knowledge that what they did would bring neither fame nor fortune. But when you ask them, they will tell you that’s all right. “After all,” one hero told us, “that isn’t why I joined.” He joined for the same reason anyone joins: to be part of something bigger than himself. This book is also our way of piercing the wall of noise surrounding the War on Terror. Debate is healthy. Indeed, in a representative democracy, it is essential. But when critics begin turning their rhetorical guns on the men and women of our armed forces that’s when it is time to say “Enough!” The United States is at war, and

the enemy we face is as dangerous and determined as any in our nation’s history. Although they will never seek our praise or accolades, the 2.4 million members of our armed forces deserve our prayers, support, and gratitude. They’ve more than earned it. Finally, having the privilege to get to know many of the individuals whose stories we recount and to learn about their experiences has been one of the great honors of our careers. In sharing their stories, we hope that Americans will reaffirm their appreciation and commitment to the men and women who, like the generations of American warriors before them, stand ready to do violence on our behalf. America did not start this War on Terror, but we will win it. And when we do, we will have them—the best among us—to thank for it. Let us not wait until then to begin expressing our gratitude.

—————————————————————————— Source: Hall, Wynton and Caspar Weinberger. Home of the Brave: Honoring the Unsung Heroes in the War on Terror. New York: Forge, 2006.

Home of tHe BRave: HonoRing tHe UnsUng HeRoes in tHe WaR on teRRoR

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– By Wynton Hall and Caspar Weinberger –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

About Foundation Alumnus Wynton Hall––––––––––––––––———————————————————————————————–––––––––

WyntonHallisavisitingfellowattheHooverInstitutionatStanfordUniversityandalumnusofYoungAmerica’sFoundation’s1995Atlantaregionalstudentconference.HehasalsoaddressedtheFoundation’sNationalConservativeStudentConference. Labeleda“risingstar”inthefieldofpresidentialcommunication,hisworkhasbeenpublishedintheNew York Times, USA Today, Washington Times, International Herald Tribune, The Examiner, National Review Online, NewsMax, Human Events, Presidential Studies Quarterly,andelsewhere.HallisafrequentguestonThe O’Reilly Factor,The Michael Reagan Show,700 Club,andC-SPAN’sBook TV. Heistheauthororco-authoroffourbooks:The Right Words(2007); Landmark Speeches of the American Conservative Movement,co-editedwithFoundationDirectorPeterSchweizer(2007);Home of the Brave: Honoring the Unsung Heroes in the War on Terror,co-authoredwithSecretaryofDefenseCasparWeinberger(2006);andThe Greatest Communicator: What Ronald Reagan Taught Me about Politics, Leadership, and Life, co-authoredwithReaganadvisorDr.RichardWirthlin(2004). HallisarecipientoftheTexasA&MUniversityDistinguishedResearchAward.HealsoworkedintheFloridaSenateandtaughtgraduateandundergraduatecoursesinelections,speechwriting,communications,andpresidentialrhetoric.HereceivedhisM.A.fromTexasA&MUniversitywithanemphasisinrhetoricandpublicaffairsandaB.AinpoliticalsciencefromtheUniversityofFlorida.


Kate Obenshain: From Student Leader To YAF Vice PresidentWhy Investing In Young People Strengthens America’s Future Leadership –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––——By Kimberly Martin Begg, Esq., Director of Planned Giving

K ate Obenshain is tough, smart, and ready to tackle any challenge that comes her way—just ask

the liberals she faces off against on Fox News! Or the leftist students she rose above as a student leader at the University of Virginia. Or her four happy, energetic children. Kate recently rejoined Young America’s Foundation’s staff as vice president, 17 years after her first involvement in our programs as a top student activist at the University of Virginia. “We knew we wanted to do something to show our support for the military during the First Gulf War but had no idea where to begin,” remembers Kate. “So we contacted the Foundation which provided us with training, resources, media access, and speakers, including national war hero, Jeremiah Denton. It was incredible—hundreds of enthusiastic students showed up to wave American flags in support of our troops fighting overseas to protect us. We helped stop the national anti-war movement right in its tracks!” Kate leveraged her experience as a

young activist to reach thousands of students across the country. “When I graduated, I was passionate about helping conserva-tive students on campuses,” notes Kate. “I wanted to work with the Foundation to help students fight politi-cal correctness and the intolerance of the campus Left.” She joined the Foundation’s staff after graduation and established

what would become the largest conservative campus lecture program in the country. Kate asserts that the job was very achievable. “[Foundation President] Ron Robinson understood we were never going to reach huge campus audiences and compete with the Left’s virtual monopoly of lectures and thought unless we provided speakers who appeal to many students,” says Kate. “Our job was to offer the biggest names in the Conservative Movement—speakers capable of electrifying entire campuses and opening up the free exchange of ideas. At many schools, open expression had been shut down in the name of political correctness. Our speakers were so high profile that they could not be shut down without the

Left being exposed as intolerant, narrow minded, and scared.” Kate recruited William F. Buckley Jr., Jack Kemp, Ed Meese, Bob Novak, Fred Barnes, and other well-known, dynamic speakers as inaugural lecturers capable of drawing large crowds. She says getting these stars of the Conservative Movement to agree to speak on campuses was the easy part; getting the schools to agree to host them was much more challenging. “Then, as now, there was great resistance from campus administrators, professors, and leftist students even to allow these speakers on their campuses. It was my job to help students point out, publicly if necessary, their school’s hypocrisy in funding the Spike Lees and Hillary Clintons of the world, while denying the same opportunities to conservative speakers who were much in demand.” Kate has dedicated her career to advancing conservative ideas. Following her work with the Foundation, she served as Virginia Governor George Allen’s chief education and health policy advisor and as his chief of staff in the U.S. Senate. She also led the charge against tax increases and the expanding role of government as chairman of the Virginia GOP. Kate has spoken on college campuses for more than 15 years and provided much leadership as a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. “Reagan was right,” notes Kate, “when he said we have an obligation to pass on a genuine understanding of our freedoms if we expect our nation to remain free. The Foundation is reaching thousands of young people

with pro-freedom ideas. We’re building leaders and transforming high school and college campuses. As a freedom-loving American and mother of four, I want to be part of that. I can think of no better way to further my own principles, and those of my country, than by re-joining this incredible team.” Young America’s Foundation welcomes Kate Obenshain back to our national headquarters.

She’s an inspiration to our staff and the countless young people she has reached through her dedication to the Conservative Movement.

S T A F F P R O F I L E

As a student at the University of Virginia in 1991, now-Foundation Vice President Kate Obenshain organized a massive student-led rally in support of the troops during the first Gulf War.

Obenshain, a mother of four, has been inspiring young audiences for more than 15 years.

A mid-winter getaway aboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises with other Young America’s Foundation supporters and leaders is just what you need. You will enjoy a relaxing and warm reprieve with like-minded conservatives, and you’ll have an opportunity to share your pressing thoughts on the world today with individuals who have done so much to advance the Conservative Movement through their leadership and generosity. When you cruise with Young America’s Foundation, you have the opportunity to participate at your leisure in sessions with conservative leaders and authors, private cocktail receptions, dinners, and socializing.

The Seven Seas Navigator is destined for dis-tinction. Occupying the uppermost niche in cruising, 490 guests receive an unusual level of luxury and some of the highest space and

service ratios at sea. From the all-suite, all-oceanview accommodations (most with

private balconies) with their luxurious marble baths to the signature cuisine to the su-

perbly attentive staff, the Navigator has few equals. Rates for the cruise start at $4,281 per

person and include all gratuities, port fees, taxes, seminar sessions, receptions, and on-board meals

and select wines, spirits, and soft drinks.

Contact Nicole Hoplin, 651-334-1537 or [email protected], for more information

or visit www.yafcruise.org.

Alan K. Simpson Michelle EastonTom Tancredo Ron RobinsonJohn Ashcroft Ed Meese

L ocated in Santa Barbara, California, Young America’s Foundation’s Reagan Ranch Center is the premiere hub for conservative

organizations to gather on the West Coast for conferences, meetings, and special events. Since its opening in 2006, the Reagan Ranch Center has become a valuable resource for the Conservative Movement at-large. Working to advance conservative principles, the Foundation invites con-servative organizations from around the world to utilize the Center’s unique West Coast location and exceptional facilities. The Roy & Dorothy Billings Conservative Vision for America Suite, atop the Center’s fourth floor, is a popular place for organizations to hold board meetings. Young America’s Foundation has hosted board meetings for stalwart conservative organizations

such as the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute, Citizens United Foundation, the Phillips Foundation, Eagle Publishing, Bruce Eberle and Associates, and National Right to Work. The Reagan Ranch Center is truly a facility for the wider Conservative Movement. A trip to Rancho del Cielo is the highlight of most organizations’ use of the Center. Young America’s Foundation hosted Focus on the Family and the Jesse Helms Center at the Ranch. Staff and supporters of both organizations visited the Ranch and left with a greater understanding of President Reagan, the man. Touring the house, tack barn, secret service building, and the helipad ensure Reagan’s timeless principles are shared with all in attendance. In the past two years, the Reagan Ranch Center has also hosted many special events through partnerships with like-minded organizations.

Friends and alumni of President Ronald Reagan’s 1976 campaign were among the first groups visiting the newly renovated Center as they gathered for a reunion at the Reagan Ranch. Some of the original foot soldiers, captains, and generals from the early days of the Reagan Revolution traveled to the Center to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the historic ’76 campaign. Founded by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, the International Young Democrat Union (IYDU) seeks, according to Prime Minister Thatcher, “to re-preach, practice and learn anew the freedom that we have and that we wish to extend more widely to the whole world.” This group hosted its annual Freedom Forum gathering in Santa Barbara at the Reagan Ranch Center with more than 60 participants from 18 countries in attendance. The Honourable Company of

A Center for the Conservative Movement

National and International Groups Inspired at the Reagan Ranch CenterB y A n d r e w M c I n d o e , S a r a h T . H e r m a n n I n t e r n S c h o l a r

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Freedom Fighters, including Lt. Col. Oliver North, gathered in Santa Barbara to recognize the achievements and dedication to the cause of freedom of two respected veterans of the Reagan Revolution: Judge William Clark and William Casey. The Freedom Fighters is an organization devoted to the recognition of individuals and groups which, since 1945, have fought for freedom and participatory government and against fascism, communism, moral relativity, and terrorism in all their forms. No other location would be as fitting to celebrate this occasion than the Reagan Ranch Center. Alumni groups from Grove City College, Indiana Wesleyan University, and Eureka College (Reagan’s alma mater) enjoyed tours of Rancho del Cielo where they learned how Young America’s Foundation utilizes the Ranch to inspire and educate thousands of students each year. Open doors greeted the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute (CBLPI) and the Heritage Foundation when they used the Center. Holding its first annual Western Women’s Summit, CBLPI hosted 60 participants who were thrilled to hear from some of the Conservative Movement’s leading ladies. The Heritage Foundation used the Center to host more

than 50 supporters at a panel discussion on health care and a reception on the Mr. & Mrs. Alwal Anheuser Beims Moore Rooftop Terrace. At all Reagan Ranch Center events, attendees leave with a greater appreciation of President Reagan and the conservative principles for which he stood. Ocean vistas, top-notch facilities, and access to Rancho del Cielo make the Reagan Ranch Center the perfect destination for Conservative Movement

organizations and events, and Young America’s Foundation is honored to host so many wonderful groups at our “Schoolhouse for Reaganism.” For more information about hosting group events at the Reagan Ranch Center, please contact 888-USA-1776.————————————————Andrew McIndoe is a 2008 Sarah T. Hermann Intern Scholar at the Reagan Ranch Center and a junior at Grove City College in Pennsylvania.

Groups Utilizing the Center Since 2006

• June 9-10, 2006 Reagan ’76 Campaign Alumni Reunion• June 22-23, 2006 Clare Boothe Luce Board Meetings• July 18, 2006 Researching Issues and Taking Action • August 10, 2006 Citizens United Board Meeting• August 17-19, 2006 International Young Democrat Union Conference• September 22, 2006 Bruce Eberle Board Meeting• October 12-14, 2006 Phillips Foundation and Eagle Publishing Board Meetings • May 19, 2007 Indiana Wesleyan Alumni Event• July 6, 2007 Grove City College Alumni Event• July 17, 2007 Researching Issues and Taking Action• July 19-20, 2007 Ward Connerly Board Meeting• August 31- Sept 1, 2007 YR Alumni Event• September 6, 2007 Eureka College Events• September 14, 2007 Focus on the Family• September 19-21, 2007 Jesse Helms Center• September 22, 2007 Santa Barbara Tax Payers Association• October 5-6, 2007 National Right to Work• November 11, 2007 The Honourable Company of Freedom Fighters• March 14-15, 2008 Spirit of Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Development • April 25-26, 2008 Clare Boothe Luce Western Women’s Summit• June 5, 2008 Heritage Foundation: The Future of American Health Care• June 30 - July 1, 2008 Teen Pact Board Meeting• August 11-13, 2008 Young Briton’s Foundation

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7 1) Focus on the Family supporters and staff enjoy a day at Rancho del Cielo. 2) Dr. James Dobson and his wife, Shirley, sit near Lake Lucky at the Reagan Ranch. 3) Members of the International Young Democrat Union tour the Reagan Ranch Center and hear from leading conservatives. 4) (left to right) Former CIA operative Duane “Dewey” Clarridge, Patricia Clark Doerner, Lt. Col. Oliver North, Bernadette Casey Smith, and Nicaraguan Contra leader Adolfo Calero gather at the Reagan Ranch Center for The Honourable Company of Freedom Fighters’ program honoring Judge William Clark and Bill Casey. 5) Members of the Phillips Foundation and Eagle Publishing boards hold meetings in the Jefts Beede Conference Room at the Reagan Ranch Center. Pictured from left to right: Al Regnery, Joseph Cannon, Roger Michalski, Steve O’Connor, Jeff Carneal, Tom Phillips, Marji Ross, Pat Sajak, Thomas

Winter, and Stuart Richens. 6) Alumni from Ronald Reagan’s alma mater, Eureka College, spend a weekend at the Reagan Ranch Center and Rancho del Cielo. 7) Author Nonie Darwish addresses women gathered for the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute’s Western Women’s Summit.

Campus liberals are unaccustomed to hearing conservative ideas in their echo chambers, so it’s not uncommon for them to be infuriated at the notion of hearing alternative opinions. Take, for example, two separate incidents this past year—one at DePaul University in Illinois and the other at the University of St. Thomas (UST) in Minnesota.

Liberal administrators at St. Thomas—a Catholic university and the largest private college in Minnesota—initially rejected the appearance of prominent pro-life speaker Star Parker. Parker, the best-selling author of numerous books, was scheduled to speak on campus on April 21, 2008, about the devastating impact abortion has on minority communities—an appropriate topic for a Catholic institution. Unfortunately, UST Vice President of Student Affairs Jane Canney thought differently. She nixed the speech entirely, citing “concerns” that the lecture was underwritten by Young America’s Foundation. Katie Kieffer, a 2005 alumna of St. Thomas, a Foundation activist, and an organizer of the Star Parker lecture, confronted Canney on her refusal to allow Parker to speak on campus. Canney told Katie and her sister, Amie Kieffer, a senior at UST and editor of an independent conservative newspaper, the St. Thomas Standard, “As long as I am a vice president at St. Thomas, Young America’s Foundation will not be allowed on campus.” The co-sponsoring student groups hosting the event, Students for Human Life and the St. Thomas Standard, only needed a room and advertising space, as Young America’s Foundation and Conservative Student News Inc. were covering all other costs. Nonetheless, The Student Life Committee, on which Canney resides, denied the student groups a room on campus for Parker’s lecture. Canney’s hostility toward Young America’s Foundation originated when the Foundation sponsored Ann Coulter at St. Thomas three years ago—an event attracting more than 750 students. Canney claimed she felt “uncomfortable” and “disturbed” while listening to Coulter. None of Coulter’s supposed “offenses” were ever enumerated. Liberal speakers at St. Thomas receive full support from the school’s administration. Just this past year, Canney’s Student Life Committee approved the appearances of liberal commentator Al Franken and Debra Davis, a transgendered activist who believes that God is a black lesbian. Young America’s Foundation alerted the media to the intolerant behavior of UST’s administrators. The Washington Times, Power Line, Townhall.com, HotAir, CNS News, NewsMax, WorldNetDaily, and two Minneapolis Star Tribune columns by Katherine Kersten exposed the school’s bias and hypocrisy. An influx of negative responses forced the school

Campus Free Speech? For Liberals Only—————————————————————————————————————————————

By Jason Mattera, Spokesman

to reverse its decision and not only allow the event to proceed as scheduled but also pay for Star’s honorarium, travel, and accommodation costs. In the end, more than 300 enthusiastic students and community members heard Star’s powerful message. There were no disruptions during the program, and Star received a standing ovation from the crowd. At DePaul University, leftist administrators threatened to cancel a speech by Chris Simcox if the conservatives on campus did not pay $2,500 for 20 private security officers. Simcox, an advocate for protecting America’s borders from unlawful entry, presides over the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. Simcox did not ask for security and neither did the DePaul Conservative Alliance (DCA)—the student sponsors—nor Young America’s

Foundation—the national sponsors. But when school administrators got wind that illegal immigration advocates were planning to protest the lecture, DCA students were told that there needed to be a security presence, and that they had to pay for it. Student organizer Nicholas Hahn, a 2007 Foundation intern, noted that it was wrong to shake down his club for money when the majority of the protesters weren’t even students. “We shouldn’t be forced to subsidize a leftist demonstration,” said Hahn. “In fact, why [did] DePaul even allow non-students to protest a student-run function on a private campus? University officials can mandate all the security they want, but shouldn’t they pay for it? The school does have a $250 million endowment, after all.” Past liberal speakers at DePaul,

including Barack Obama, didn’t attract any vitriolic demonstrations by conservatives, and the campus Left wasn’t extorted for cash by DePaul’s administration. John Holden, a spokesman for DePaul, even admitted to the Chicago Sun-Times that he couldn’t think of a single instance where similar financial obligations were imposed on liberal student groups. In addition to the Sun-Times, Fox News and the Chicago Tribune highlighted the school’s attempt to prevent Simcox from speaking on campus. Nick and his club eventually paid the fee, and the event went on as scheduled. Holden’s admission that liberal groups have not been targeted at DePaul and Jane Canney’s attempt at St. Thomas to thwart Foundation speakers give us a glimpse of the Left’s antagonism toward ideas differing from its own. Rather than spawn debate and encourage robust dialogue among their students, campus liberals whip out weak excuses and barriers to limit and derail free speech. With your help, Young America’s Foundation will continue our fight to ensure your ideas and values have a place in higher education.

At DePaul University, leftist administrators threatened to cancel a speech by Chris Simcox if the conservatives on campus did not pay $2,500 for 20 private security officers.


1) DePaul University student activist and former Foundation intern Nick Hahn hosts Minuteman leader Chris Simcox on campus. 2) Protesters gather outside of the Simcox event in Illinois. 3) Chris Simcox addresses a packed house despite the campus Left’s attempt to block his speech. 4) Conservative student leaders meet Simcox following his speech. 5) DePaul University allows off-campus protesters to demonstrate outside of the lecture hall while requiring the DePaul Conservative Alliance to pay $2,500 for private security officers. 6) Star Parker, pro-life advocate and leading conservative author, is initially banned from speaking at the University of St. Thomas, a Catholic institution and the largest private college in Minnesota. 7) The St. Thomas paper, The Aquin, reports on the school’s retraction and subsequent reinstatement of Parker’s invitation to address the campus community.


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“I remember sitting in my high school U.S. history

class dumbfounded that my country was actually attacked,” recalls Joe Gouryeb of the events on September 11, 2001. “It was then I felt an obligation to serve my country.” Seven years later, Second Lieutenant Gouryeb is doing just that. Joe graduated from Philadelphia’s La Salle University in June 2008 with a B.S. in finance, a B.A in history, and a commission in the United States Army. In and out of the classroom, Joe developed and honed his leadership skills—making the Dean’s list several times as well as playing varsity soccer and participating in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) all four years. La Salle international relations professor Dr. Edward Turzanski introduced Joe to Young America’s Foundation during his junior year and encouraged him to attend the 29th annual National Conservative Student Conference. “I heard from some great leaders,” recalls Joe, “including retired Lt. Col. Scott Rutter. The experience helped me realize the value of learning as much as I can before deploying and for maintaining a healthy citizen-soldier balance.”

As a senior, Joe contacted La Salle’s student government association in order to organize the Foundation’s 9/11: Never Forget Project in 2007—placing 2,977 American flags on La Salle’s main quadrangle and holding a prayer service to commemorate those who lost their lives September 11, 2001.

Later in the fall, Joe attended the Foundation’s West Coast Leadership Conference. “I got to reunite with friends and visit President Reagan’s Rancho del Cielo,” recounts Joe. “To be able to walk around the ranch of a great American hero was a humbling experience!” Among the cadets in the greater Philadelphia area, ROTC selected Joe as the 2008 George C. Marshall Outstanding Cadet and named him a Distinguished Military Graduate. The honors place him among the top ten percent of cadets nationwide. “My accomplishments happened because I had a great support system,” says Joe, offering thanks to his family, La Salle, ROTC, and Young America’s Foundation. Upon completion of his work as an ROTC recruiting officer, Lieutenant Gouryeb will attend the Basic

Officer Leader Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He will then complete the Infantry Officer Leader Course and Ranger school at Fort Benning, Georgia, before arriving at his first permanent duty station—the 10th Mountain Division of Fort Drum, New York.

S T U D E N T P R O F I L E

Joe Gouryeb, currently a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, introduces himself to his peers while attending the 2007 National Conservative Student Conference.


Talk radio host G. Gordon Liddy meets with Gouryeb, then a senior at La Salle University, at the 29th annual National Conservative Student Conference.

“AN OBLIGATION TO SERVE MY COUNTRY”

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––———————————––––––––––––––——By Flagg Youngblood, Director of Military Outreach


S T U D E N T P R O F I L E

(above) Nearly 3,000 flags honor those murdered on 9/11 in this 2007 Never Forget memorial Gouryeb organized on his campus. (right) In June 2008, Joe Gouryeb receives a commission in the United States Army along with degrees in finance and history from La Salle University.

Joe Gouryeb (right) visits Arlington National Cemetery during the 2007 National Conservative Student Conference with his friends Jon Bell (left) and Alex Rodriguez (middle).

“My accomplishments happened because I had a great support system,” says Joe, offering his thanks to his family, La Salle, ROTC, and Young America’s Foundation.


Entrepreneur Betty Wolfe Passes Her Patriotism on to Young People–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––——By Richard Kimble, Vice President

Foundation supporter Betty Wolfe has led a successful and generous life—from her service in Japan

following World War II, to running and owning her own business, to supporting numerous conservative causes. Betty has been a loyal supporter of Young America’s Foundation since 1994, having contributed 162 separate donations since her first gift. In addition to her support of campus outreach, Betty sponsored the preservation of several acres of the Reagan Ranch and helped fund the Reagan Ranch Center. “It’s not about me, it’s about the future of our country,” Betty says of her support. Betty Wolfe is a humble and loyal friend to Young America’s Foundation, and although she seeks no personal recognition for her gifts, we are honored to share a few of her many accomplishments with you.

During World War II, Betty Wolfe got her start in the private sector when she worked for her brother-in-law as office manager of the Dallas-based Good Luck Oil Company which owned and operated a group of 20 service stations all in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On V-J Day, August 15, 1945, President Truman appointed General Douglas MacArthur as Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers to supervise the

occupation of Japan. Soon thereafter, 25-year-old Betty Wolfe was eager to serve her country and accepted a job through the U.S. civil service as a secretary in the general headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. She says Japan needed help getting back on its feet, so she went. Betty lived at a hotel right across the street from the Imperial Palace, just two blocks from General MacArthur’s headquarters. Her main duties included typing letters and documents for the signature of General Douglas MacArthur, a man for whom Betty had tremendous respect and admiration. “I became a devout hero-worshiper of General MacArthur, along with most of the Japanese people and GI’s.”

Betty loved her work at general headquarters, but after just eleven months, her service came to an abrupt end when she was diagnosed with rheumatic fever in September 1946 and had to be evacuated. While she was saddened to leave, she truly enjoyed her short stay in Tokyo. “It was a great experience. We women had never been treated better than we were by the Japanese.” After returning to Dallas, Texas, and recovering from her rheumatic fever, Betty took a job with the government at a VA hospital. “The worst decision I ever made. They hired ten to do the work of two; so over-staffed. It was the most unproductive time in my life.” Following a two-year stint with the Goodyear Tire Company, Betty followed her entrepreneurial spirit and purchased a motel in Sherman Oaks, California. She owned it for five years, selling it in 1960 for a “nice profit.” Betty later moved back to Dallas and purchased the Good Luck Drive-In in Fort Worth from her brother-in-law. She recalls her first day in the fast food business as a very memorable one indeed. “It was November 22, 1963, the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated!” By 1975, Betty had expanded to seven Good Luck Drive-In restaurants all in the Fort Worth area. She then sold them, one at a time, over the next five years. From 1980 until 2000, Betty ran a company that manufactured Teflon tubing. Today,

she’s involved part-time in the oil business. Betty has served her country well in the public and private sector, and Young America’s Foundation is honored to have partnered with her to reach today’s young people with her conservative values and

ideas. “What attracted me to Young America’s Foundation were the kids and your work to educate them with conservative ideas,” she notes. “You are doing great work, and I’m proud to be able to support the Reagan Ranch and your work on college campuses.”

Betty Wolfe has supported Young America’s Foundation since 1994. She is pictured here with her brother, Jim, and family friend, Jonalea Hileman, then a student at Texas Christian University.

S U P P O R T E R P R O F I L E

“It’s not about me, it’s about the future of our country.”

Reagan Ranch High School ConferenceMarch 26-28, 2009Reagan Ranch CenterSanta Barbara, California

Would you like to visit Ronald Reagan’s ranch and learn about the 20th century’s greatest president? Do you

find that you can’t effectively defend your beliefs in the classroom? Do you want to connect with a network of other active students from across the country?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, the Reagan Ranch High School Conference is for you! You will expand your knowledge of economics, American history, freedom, personal responsibility, and President Reagan’s lasting accomplishments through a series of lectures, discussions, and briefings.

You can have this priceless, historical experience for the low fee of $300, which includes tuition, materials, meals, and accommodations for Thursday and Friday nights.

To apply today, visit www.yaf.org or call Roger Custer at 800-USA-1776 for more information.*Limited space available. Students are responsible for travel expenses to and from Santa Barbara. Limited scholarships are available.

Reagan Ranch High School ConferenceMarch 26-28, 2009Reagan Ranch CenterSanta Barbara, California

R ock star and 2nd Amendment advocate Ted Nugent electrifies an audience of more than 2,000 students at a Foundation-sponsored lecture at Western Michigan University. Nugent concludes the program

with his performance of the “Star Spangled Banner.”

Vol. 29 • No. 2Fall 2008

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