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 David
Bellavia
Vets for Freedom National Hero
Author of the much acclaimed war memoir House to House: An Epic
Memoir of War, about door-to-door close combat in Iraq, Bellavia is
a former army staff sergeant who served in the First Infantry
Division (Task Force 2-2) for six years.
He is the recipient of the both Silver and Bronze Stars for valor,
and the Conspicuous Service Cross, New York State's highest award
for combat valor. He has also been nominated for both the
Distinguished Service Cross and the Medal of Honor for his actions
in a fierce urban hand-to-hand fight in the battle of Fallujah, in
November 2004.
As a result of their involvement in this operation, Bellavia and
members of his unit became the subjects of the Time magazine cover
story, "Into the Hot Zone," and were awarded the prestigious
Presidential Unit Citation.
Bellavia returned to Iraq in June 2006 as an embedded reporter
with the Iraqi Army. His reports appeared in The Weekly
Standard.
A frequent military analyst on both the FOX News and CNN networks,
Bellavia was invited to attend the President's State of the Union
address as an honored guest in 2006. He also has been inducted into
the New York Veterans Hall of Fame.
Originally from Buffalo, NY, Bellavia currently resides in western
New York with his wife and two sons. There he has founded a local
Veteran's Coordination Center that focuses on the early treatment
of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and other veteran's-related
issues and outreach programs. Bellavia is also a co-founder of the
non-partisan, non-profit Vets for Freedom organization.
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