| Joe Repya |
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 Army Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Joe Repya was born in 1946 in Gary, Indiana, the oldest son of a disabled combat wounded veteran of the European Campaign of World War II. He served 30 years in the US Army (12 years Active and 18 years in the National Guard & Reserves): as a Combat Infantry Rifle Platoon Leader in Viet Nam in 1970-71 with the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment (Band of Brothers "Currahees"), and an Aero Rifle Platoon Leader with A Troop, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment. In Desert Storm 1990-91, he served as a Combat Helicopter Pilot and Staff Officer with the 4th Brigade (Aviation), 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One). After the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, he was one of 12,000 US Army retirees who volunteered for Retiree Recall to Active US Army duty for Operation Iraqi Freedom. LTC Repya was selected as one of only 350 retirees who were returned to active duty, when he served as branch and liaison officers for the 101st Airborne Division. LTC Repya has been awarded 23 US Army and Foreign military awards and decorations, including: the Army's Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal with V devise for Valor (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Air Medal (with Numeral 2). LTC Repya is an active member of numerous veterans' organizations, including: the Minnesota Chapter of Veterans for Freedom, the American Legion, the VFW, the DAV and the Minnesota Military Appreciation Fund. He and his wife Debra founded the Minnesota Support Our Troop Coalition in early 2003 and distributed 30,000 "Support Our Troops" lawn signs. In September 2003, LTC Repya traveled to Iraq as a freelance journalist and fed 360 T–bone steaks to members of the 101st Airborne Division near Mosul, Iraq. LTC Repya has been a military analyst for the FOX News Network in New York, FOX 9 KMSP-TV Minneapolis, and KSTP (ABC) Talk Radio, Saint Paul, Minnesota. |
