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More on Murtha's Opponent, Colonel William T. Russell
Is it a coincidence that Colonel William Trower "Bill" Russell, congressional candidate, worked for newly appointed Brigadier General Peter Chiarelli in 2001? General Chiarelli was the Coalition Commander in Iraq who ordered the Haditha investigation. The Haditha case caused a lot of trouble for Chiarelli..
Russell, of course, is running against Jack Murtha in PA's 12 C.D. As TPM readers know, BMW Direct is raising hundreds of thousands of dollars money for Russell's campaign but keeps at least 95% of all contributions in fees.
Russell has been declared a war hero by his supporters but few details about his service and background have been publicly disclosed. Although Russell said he retired from the military late last year, Veterans For Bill Russell reported that he is has been on active duty from 4/28/08 to 7/26/08.
In a Tribute To Flight 93, no longer on his website, Russell described his experience on 9/11:
"I was in the Pentagon when Flight 77 impacted the building. I was attending a meeting in office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense located on the 2nd floor of the B Ring, between the 4th and 5th Corridors. I was there as a staff officer to attend an emergency meeting to discuss military support to the civil authorities of New York City following the impacts of the two airplanes into the World Trade Center Towers. Although Flight 77 impacted the E ring between the 4th and 5th corridors, and the cockpit ended up 50 meters out and one floor down from the office I was in, I believed it had impacted on the far side of the building where my wife Kasia, who was pregnant with our son Stasiu at the time, was working in the CVS Pharmacy. I remember my boss, COL Joe Robinson, handing me a note to carry to then BG, Chiarelli and I handed it back to him and told him that I was going to CVS..."
At the time, General Chiarelli was Director of Military Support.
Russell, of course, is running against Jack Murtha in PA's 12 C.D. As TPM readers know, BMW Direct is raising hundreds of thousands of dollars money for Russell's campaign but keeps at least 95% of all contributions in fees.
Russell has been declared a war hero by his supporters but few details about his service and background have been publicly disclosed. Although Russell said he retired from the military late last year, Veterans For Bill Russell reported that he is has been on active duty from 4/28/08 to 7/26/08.
In a Tribute To Flight 93, no longer on his website, Russell described his experience on 9/11:
"I was in the Pentagon when Flight 77 impacted the building. I was attending a meeting in office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense located on the 2nd floor of the B Ring, between the 4th and 5th Corridors. I was there as a staff officer to attend an emergency meeting to discuss military support to the civil authorities of New York City following the impacts of the two airplanes into the World Trade Center Towers. Although Flight 77 impacted the E ring between the 4th and 5th corridors, and the cockpit ended up 50 meters out and one floor down from the office I was in, I believed it had impacted on the far side of the building where my wife Kasia, who was pregnant with our son Stasiu at the time, was working in the CVS Pharmacy. I remember my boss, COL Joe Robinson, handing me a note to carry to then BG, Chiarelli and I handed it back to him and told him that I was going to CVS..."
At the time, General Chiarelli was Director of Military Support.
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William T. Russell's original website, williamrussellforcongress.com, has been scrubbed and now directs visitors to the Russell Brigade site.
The site offers a bit more info about Russell who apparently is a lieutenant colonel, not a colonel:
"...The son of a career military officer, Bill Russell’s “home” addresses spanned some eleven states and seven countries, before settling his own family in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. A third generation soldier, he began his military career at West Point, and earned his undergraduate degree and officer commission at Louisiana State University.
Lieutenant Colonel Russell served in the U.S. Army for 28 years of Active and Reserve service, including six tours in hostile fire zones. His deployments include Operation Desert Storm, Kosovo and most recently Operation Iraqi Freedom."
Some info on Russell's current status:
...Although Bill’s commitment as an officer in the Army Reserve prohibits campaign activities while on active duty, the grassroots “Russell Brigade” has rallied to the cause..."
I don't know how reserve status works. Russell said that he left the Army two years before his full active federal service retirement. If he is a reservist, does he get retirement credit when he is on to active duty?
More from Russell himself:
"...In my military career, I have served six tours in hostile fire zones including Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the Balkans. These tours include almost three years in the Middle East (Iraq and Saudi Arabia) and a year and a half in the Balkans (Hungary, Bosnia, Kosovo, Croatia). My wife, Kasia, who was pregnant with our son at the time, and I were also in the Pentagon on 9/11. This experience greatly invigorated my continued military service.
I grew up an Air Force brat and lived in Taiwan while my father flew combat missions in and out of Vietnam. I was 10 years old when our next door neighbor, Captain Mareil Mason was shot down and killed. I spent my pre-teen and teenage years fully aware of the effects of the US defeat in Vietnam on the Vietnamese and Cambodian peoples..."
I found an 4/04 reference to "Major" William Russell and his family being stationed with the 279th Base Support Battalion in Bamberg Germany.
August 1, 2008 7:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
DC insider, Citizen 92's comment in a TPM MR post about BMW Direct:
The ktenterprisesllc.com website was recently taken down.
The telephone number, 703-463-4636, connects to a voice message from Russell saying that he is either away from his desk or in a meeting.
The US Army Reserve apparently has offices in Crystal City in Arlington.
While it is probably a coincidence, 703-463-4635 connects to a voice message telling the caller that he has reached Hermes(?)Contracting and to please leave a message.
I couldn't find a corporate reg for "K & T Enterprises LLC" but I don't have L-N access.
I read that Russell is in the ATM business but I don't know what that means.
August 3, 2008 9:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes Major Russel must win.Murtha must be defeated. No one in his sound mind would stay in Washington this long. But, Murtha has been. His motive is to serve himself.Not the country. He has proved this. His relative is a government contractor and Murtha is heavily involved in these huge contracts.Why is he not being investigated? Anyone with a letter "D" after the name is fully protected. William Jefferson hid $100,000 in his freezer.He is a free man. Whereas the senator from Alaska carries the letter"R" after his name. So, he is indicted. There must be an investigation on Murtha's role in the Haditha case. Ifg found guilty, Murtha must be punished to the fullest extent.
August 1, 2008 5:03 PM | Reply | Permalink