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LEWISBURG, Pa. – Colonel John Reitzell, a veteran of several
dozen counter-terrorism operations, will speak at Bucknell University on Wednesday,
November 15. His speech, entitled “The Long War: America and the War on Terror,” will begin at 7:00 p.m. in Bucknell Hall. The event is free and open to the
public.
After serving as the operations officer of the US’s DMZ Brigade, Reitzell began a classified
assignment in the Joint Special Operations Command. While in JSOC he was
deployed in over 35 counter-terror operations. His exploits in one of these
operations was chronicled in Tom Clancy’s book Shadow Warriors.
Reitzell also served as the Reagan Administration’s Department of
Defense lead for its classified response team, and later served as Chief of
Current Operations for US Special Operations Command.
In 1995, Reitzell retired as an Army Ranger, Master Parachutist with
over 500 jumps, a
Combat Infantryman’s Badge, two Legions of Merit, four Bronze stars with
a “V” for Valor, the Purple Heart, four Air Medals, and numerous
other commendations from multiple services and countries.
His speech is sponsored by the Bucknell University Conservatives Club,
Young America’s Foundation, and the Bucknell Student Government.
“As the War on Terror comes under increasing
scrutiny, it is vitally important for students to understand the true nature of
the battle in which we are engaged. I am thrilled that an American hero and expert
on counter-terrorism operations like Colonel Reitzell has agreed to come to
share his insights on how America can win this war.”
The Bucknell University Conservatives Club was founded in September
2001 to promote conservative, libertarian, and classical liberal ideas at
Bucknell University. It publishes a well-known magazine, The Counterweight, and has hosted many
speakers, including Walter Williams, John Stossel, and Ben Stein. One of the
most successful student political organizations in the country, it was featured
on the cover of the May 25, 2003 New York
Times Magazine and has also received coverage from other broadcast
and print media including MTV, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, the Washington Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and NPR.
Dominic Rupprecht is the president of the Bucknell University Conservatives Club.
