CPT Terry Hestilow; the Tea Party guy
A number of you have been sending me stuff about this thirty-year Captain Terry Hestilow who has been raging around the country about the Department of Homeland Security buying up enough rounds to shoot us each five or so times. Now, personally, I don’t believe that DHS is planning on shooting us all, who would pay taxes if that happened, but I do think that its some brain storm scheme to control guns. But Hestilow is of the opinion that they’re planning on killing us all. A number of you thought he was faking something, well, not as far as I can tell. Initially I checked to see if there was a record of him and there was, so I’ve been fending off your inquiries with that little bit of information. Well Mary got his records;
It looks like he was an MP in Vietnam and then reclassified to Infantry at Fort Polk about the same time I was going to AIT there. Then he got commissioned in 1981 but he didn’t go to Infantry Officer Basic Course until 1983 then he spent two years or so at Fort Carson and then went to the Reserves. Then it looks like he went to Afghanistan with a Reserve unit.
His 2-1 looks odd because I’ve never seen an officer’s 2-1 which had assignments in their cadet battalions, but there his are. That makes me think that he typed his own 2-1 for some reason. But it is what it is. This is for your own edification. He’s not a phony as near as I can tell, but he’s also not someone who I would listen to based on his military career. It’s glaringly unremarkable, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but that photo at the top of this post is used across the internet as some sort of mark of authority.
If you’re still wondering who he is, there’s an excellent interview at Politichicks.
Category: Who knows
Is that a clip-on tie or just a not knot?
He’s a Captain. Big Deal. You can do that in like 6 years.
That’s just a Lieutenant that’s has his turds polished.
Pretty much as good as a SSgt.
Put on a BIRD and I’m impressed. (But not always)
(E-8 2%er.)
what’s up with the miniature medals? I thought they were for mess dress only. He should have either ribbons or full size medals in that uniform.
I mean, CHRIST this guy is in for the better part of 36 years and ONLY is an O-3? (Yes I know he was prior enlisted but WTF?)
Regarding his assignments page, you wouldn’t typically see ROTC/Cadet entries if the person went high school->college->military but I’ve seen entries when the person was active then goes into the reserves while attending college. I’ve got a similar entry on mine because I left active duty to go into the reserves while in the NROTC program.
Chip, nobody said he was good at it…..
OK … he is nuts!
And if he keeps it up, the DOJ will tap his phones and read his emails, the IRS will audit his dumb ass, and the DOS will invite him on a friendly tour of the peace-loving and safe country of Libya.
This guy is a POW … he is a non-player loon!
I think the biggest issue here is him using the uniform (or a picture of himself in uniform) for political advocacy. To me that makes him no better than IVAW, VFP, etc.
This guy’s letter to Congress, and the interview, are certainly over the top, but nowhere did I see the words “Tea Party”, so why is he “The Tea Party guy” ?? If I was associated with the Tea Party, and I’m not, I’d be plenty pissed off about having this guy assigned to me.
This guy may loose his pension if he keeps up this blathering rant against the country who is providing the funds for his cushy retirement: Re: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and that agencies preparation for war against citizens of the United States of America by: Terry Michael Hestilow (Notes) on Saturday, March 23, 2013 at 10:10am Dear friends, the following is a copy of my correspondence with Senator Cornyn concerning the arming of the DHS for war against the citizens of our nation. You are each encouraged to copy and properly amend this letter to send to your own senators and members of the U.S. House. Further, I am somewhat overwhelmed at the response to my posts leading up to this letter on this issue. At this point almost 3,000 of you have shared my original post, I have 994 new friends requests, 61 messages, and 70 new comments to process. Please be patient with me and pray that this window of communication remains open to all of us as we respond to this threat against our Constitution and our people. I am awed by you, by your positive response, and your wonderful support. We each have a role to play in standing against this present tyranny. Part of that proper response is sending them a letter like this from YOU, and following it up to make sure it remains a “hot button” issue that must be resolved. God bless you as you honor your oaths and your obligations as citizens of this free nation. May we once again know honorable leadership and peace at home. With all sincerity and respect–Resolved, Captain Terry M. Hestilow, United States Army, Retired. The Honorable Senator John Cornyn, State of Texas United States Senate 517 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Re: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and that agencies preparation for war against citizens of the United States of America. Dear Senator Cornyn, It is with gravest concern that I write to you today concerning the recent appropriation of weapons by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that can only be… Read more »
Well, just because someone is a veteran, doesn’t mean they aren’t crazier than a shithouse rat. Hell, Markos Moulitsos (Daily Kos) served a term in the Army and of course Ron Paul is a retired (I think) AF officer.
So while it’s true that a lot of the fakers are also crazies, just because someone is NOT a faker doesn’t mean they’re NOT crazy.
Might have gotten promoted if he ever got out of the motorpool! Must be half a dozen Bn Maintenance assignments!
Someone tell Terry I am shipping him 3 large boxes of Renolds Wrap (commercial grade), pat him on the back, and tell him everything will be alright!
#9, OldSargeUSAR; In the interview, he was talking to a 9/12 group.
You guys are makin’ me feel bad about my career path. I’m just a lowly Major with 29 years in the bag and still going strong.
As for this guy, I would have preferred he use a picture of himself in civilian clothes instead of one in uniform. Go ahead and sign your letters with the CPT (ret) identifier but keep the Army out of it.
Lastly, I have to say besides his use of miniature medals, at least isn’t a candidate for the SV tournament.
If he’s against obama and is not advocating violence, I’m with him, bad tie knot and all.
The mini’s meds are bad enough, but what medal do we in the Army (or any other branch for that matter) wear on the right-side. If this guy is retired and wearing his uniform for political purposes, let’s complain to HQDA IG about the DODI violation and they will get his attention. And, speaking of the tie know, is that a silk tie? Reason I ask is I have a neat black silk tie I wanted to wear with my blues on Memorial Day. I checked the uniform reg on a hunch and sure enough, only fabric or woven black four in hand ties. About the only thing “four in hand” this guy every thought about was his.________. NOTE: I don’t want to go to secual harassment training again so you can fill in the blank.
@14 – Sorry, Jonn, never heard of a 9/12 anything… I’ll look ’em up.
@Trent: I feel your pain. After 24 years in a green suit, I only achieved Major. At least it kept me off of the streets and away from political rallies.
I guess he forgot what a proper signature block is supposed to look like.
@MAJMike: I was all ready to just be a PL until I got my twenty year letter (which was 2004). Then I got a company command and things just kind of took off from there. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to run my career the way I’ve wanted. Even if I am twice as old as most of the folks I work with.
Well, he doesn’t speak for me.
I’m quite capable of speaking for myself, thanks.
Let’s see, Kokesh wants to overthrow the government and this guy doesn’t like the government, either. I’m not exactly sure what his point is, other than he might be worried about losing his pension.
Well, gee, let’s put him and Kokesh together in a pile with a few other people and see if we can jumpstart a new universe or something.
If those are Crossed-Rifles, then where is the blue cord?
ChipNASA: he was commissioned in 1981 and discharged from the USAR as a CPT in 1993. That seems about right if he was either (a) 2x nonselected for MAJ or (b) was “show cause” separated because of something in his record at his first MAJ selection board. Looks like he re-enlisted a couple of months after being discharged and completed his career as an enlisted soldier. Since he “successfully held” the rank of CPT for the requisite amount of time (6 mo for O3, if I recall correctly), that’s his retired grade.
Mustang is correct about the Cadet time entries while also a member of a USAR or ARNG unit. That’s called the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP) and is generally for non-scholarship cadets. Since it’s a military assignment it should show up on an individual’s record of assignments.
Club Manager: the medal he’s wearing on his right (viewer’s left) side is a screw up on his part. His record indicates he has the RVN Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm. He’s wearing the RVNGC individual award medal (a relatively small number of soldiers were awarded the individual version for acts of valor in support of RVN forces) in the exact position where he should be wearing the framed unit citation ribbon with palm. I’m willing to give him a pass on that minor screw-up. The rest of his stuff seems to be OK – para 29-9 of AR 670-1 indicates that miniature medals are OK on the Army Blue Uniform, so presumably they’re authorized on the ASU as well.
However, IMO he’s still a freaking tool for using/allowing the use of photos of himself in uniform to further a political agenda.
@Green Thumb: I’m guessing that he didn’t bother to read AR670-1 about that because when he went through IOBC, it was thought the shoulder boards, braids at the wrist on the cover were the infantry identifiers.
I would not have been caught dead without my cord.
Holy shit, that is what it is all about.
What a turd.
@24.
When I was in college years back, we had a moron in the program who was a Reservist while a Cadet. Similar if not the same to SMP.
He would wear his uniform for political purposes because he was allowed. (Turd he was)
I think, and I might be wrong, that the rule against it is only for AD.
As I said, I might be wrong, but I know it was brought to the attention of the PMS (clown herself)and she said it was “good to go”.
@26, I agree 100%. Whenever I get my dress uniform ready the first thing I put on is my blue cord. Why is the sky blue?
@28.
Because God loves the Infantry.
Green Thumb: that would be a no – as the youngster in the USAR found out when he gave an on-camera interview in uniform at a Ron Paul campaign rally last year.
http://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=29335
Your PMS really was a clown if she allowed that crap as being “good to go”.
He’s been in the military for 30 years and his highest award is an ARCOM?
Wow. Highspeed.
It’s the 9/12 group founded by Glenn Beck and use MeetUp for their group gatherings, exchange of info, ect. As for this man, I have met and talked with him a few times way back when 9/12 & TEA Party groups were forming up. He seemed legit to me and definitely enjoyed yakking with a brother MP so…When ever we did meet, he wasn’t wearing a uniform or as Lilyea and others should know by now, I would have reminded him of AR670. Dunno, maybe he figures doing it now lends him greater “creds”. But, If I do run into him again, I will kindly point it out to him anyway.
Does anyone know whether this man ever appeared in uniform at a political rally? The photo is not sourced. And is this different from the scores of retired military on the payroll of MSNBC, FOX, and other TV outlets who advance a political argument that supports or contradicts an administration’s policy? Is the uniform really an issue when the former military officer is repeatedly called “General” or “Colonel”?
How the hell has this guy been in 3 wars and not received a single combat award?
Am I missing something here?
Disparaging his service when thjere is nothing but animus fueling it b/c of his odd theory is not my idea of decent treatment. Yeah, I’m starting to get pissed. Argue against his theory all you want but why attack HIM and his service?
@35 – I was thinking the same thing. How many times have there been comments here regarding posers who have legitimate service but fluff it up with stuff they didn’t earn? The comments always say that any service is honorable service, even if you can’t be a superhero.
So why trash this guy who seems to have legitimate service just because he doesn’t have any hero awards and you don’t like what he has to say?
A bit hypocritical, don’t you think?
@33 – I looked through his Facebook photos and there are only a few with him in uniform, none of him at any kind of political rally. The photo above looks like it was taken at his home and as far as I know, there’s nothing wrong with that. Looks like he’s following the rules.
A lot of decent people are concerned with the recent massive acquisition of ammo by the feds. There are a few theories of why, but none of them seem very good. And each of them is unacceptable to someone.
Meanwhile, just because this individual (who no one has yet shown has done anything substantive which broke a law or violated a rule) has as much right as any of us here to express his opinions. In case any of you has forgotten, we served to preserve that right for both those with whom we happen to agree AND those with whom we disagree.
@22 – Bad idea putting Kokesh and the likes of this guy together in the same room.
The universe may implode with the combination of bad-assery, and we just can’t have that.
First there is the Kaiser, he is highest of all.
Then there is the Kaiser’s horse.
Then there is dirt.
Then comes the Infantry
Don’t get me started on the Air Cav “Buck Owens”
#33, it matters if the person doing the talking is either a) on active duty, or b) in uniform. If you’re on active duty and out of uniform, you can participate in most political things as long as you’re not bringing your service into it or saying/doing anything that goes against good order and discipline. If you’re retired you can say and do pretty much whatever you want. There’s no reason why a retired service member should be making political statements in uniform anyways. The uniform is authorized for retired service members only at military-related events. From AR 670-1: 30–1. Occasions of ceremony a. As used in this regulation, the phrase “occasions of ceremony” means occasions essentially of a military character, at which the uniform is more appropriate than civilian clothing. These functions include, but are not limited to: military balls, military parades, weddings, and military funerals; memorial services, meetings and conferences; or functions of associations formed for military purposes, of which the membership is composed largely or entirely of current or honorably discharged veterans of the Armed Forces or reserve components. Authority to wear the uniform includes wear while traveling to and from the ceremony or function, provided the travel in uniform can be completed on the day of the ceremony or function. b. All persons wearing the Army uniform will wear awards, decorations, and insignia in the same manner as prescribed in this regulation for active duty soldiers. For civilian attire, individuals may wear only those awards, decorations, or insignia authorized by this regulation for wear on civilian clothing, in the same manner and approximate location as the equivalent military uniform. In addition to the occasions for wear listed above, retired personnel are authorized to wear the uniform only on the following occasions. Uniforms for these occasions are restricted to service and dress uniforms; the BDU and physical fitness uniforms will not be worn. (1) While attending military funerals, memorial services, weddings, inaugurals, and other occasions of ceremony. (2) Attending parades on national or state holidays, or other patriotic parades or ceremonies in which any active or reserve… Read more »
I initially had suspicions, then looked him up in AKO. He’s there.
@24 Hondo, now you have me curious about my own 2-1. I had no idea SMP assignments were listed. Is it your assignment in the cadet bn that is listed, or your position as a cadet in the NG unit that is listed?
@ #41: You seem to have missed what I took as AC’s point here. No one has even suggested that he has ever appeared anywhere in uniform since retiring. This pic is in front of a building which displays a flag but looks decidedly residential. We really have no idea, do we?
So, until someone offers something which indicates that he has actually done something wrong, this piling on seems at least misdirected. My opinion would be that he is not the problem – all he has done is use hyperbole to direct attention toward something which is a real problem, or at least a symptom of a real problem. Not the method some here would have used? Well, OK, but what is the point of shooting the messenger?
Planet Ord: not sure of the mechanics of listing that on a 2-1 or ORB. I’d guess – and this is only a guess – that the unit of assignment should be the one listed, with an annotation that the assignment is due to SMP.
This guy’s assignment of 80 12 17 shows assignment to a USAR unit in OK; shows dual ranks (Cadet/E-5) and has the duty assignment Training Officer (Cadet-SMP). I’d guess that’s correct – for that time frame, anyway. Not sure about today.
OWB: if he’s using (or allowing the use of that photo) in conjunction with political activity, that’s absolutely wrong. If others are using the photo and he’s made a reasonable effort to stop others from doing that but has been unable to make them stop, I’ll give him a pass. If that’s not the case, he bears at least partial responsibility. And if he’s given permission or is doing it himself, he’s IMO fully culpable.
Retirees retain their title after retirement. However, you only have the right to wear your uniform in specified circumstances after retirement. It’s still a military uniform; Uncle Sam still sets the rules (by Federal law, no less) regarding its wear.
Political activity ain’t one of those specified circumstances.
Hondo:
Thanks for the clarification.
(She was a clown).
Terrible Officer. However there was a silver lining: I learned what not to do.
Green Thumb: a wise man once told me that no one, no matter how bad, is completely useless. No matter how bad they are, if nothing else they can serve as a counterexample.
Sorry to hear you had to endure one of those counterexamples “up close and personal” – so to speak.
That this guy didn’t get a MSM upon retirement speaks volumes…especially as one of the very, very few Vietnam vets left in the Army at the time he retired.
One of my Master Sergeants retired a few years back (2005-ish) and was the last Vietnam Vet left in the division. The made a HUGE deal out of it and the CG presented his LOM.
@49, I was thinking the same thing. I remember E-2s getting arcoms for soldier of the quarter. Nothing against Hestilow, but my first thought was this guy’s career was nearly more mediocre than mine.