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Reposted by Chris Purdy

Unite For Veterans Coalition @unite4vets.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

We salute these VA workers for honoring #AlexPretti. As they say, "We are healthcare workers for veterans. We know what heroes look like." youtube.com/shorts/bgCcE...

youtube.com

Honoring Alex Pretti

YouTube video by Unite 4 Veterans

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The Chamberlain Network @chamberlainvets.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Minnesotans know the difference between ICE and the National Guard. We proud of our @NationalGuardMn troops supporting their neighbors and protecting their rights as Americans. @governorwalz.mn.gov, thank you for making sure troops are doing right

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Minnesotans know the difference between ICE and the National Guard. We proud of our @nationalguardmn.bsky.social troops supporting their neighbors and protecting their rights as Americans. @governorwalz.mn.gov, thank you for making sure troops are doing right

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Reposted by Chris Purdy

Jeff Rueter @jeffrueter.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti. "Please get the truth out about our son."

Statement from Michael and Susan Pretti
Parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti

“We are heartbroken but also very angry.

Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact.

I do not throw around the ‘hero’ term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed.

Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

Reports of the Trump admin sending TWO BATTALIONS of infantry are a big 🚨🚨. The use of the Insurrection Act to give troops policing power after federal agents have instigated a chaotic situation is wrong. I'm proud of veterans from The Chamberlain Network who are standing up and speaking out

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The Chamberlain Network @chamberlainvets.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

The Justice Dept. targeting Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey for demanding transparency after Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent is unprecedented, and unAmerican. This sends a chilling message to any official who dares to speak up for their community. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

washingtonpost.com

Justice Dept. launches criminal investigation of Minnesota governor

The Justice Department has issued subpoenas for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as part of an investigation into impeding law enforcement.

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Reposted by Chris Purdy

The Chamberlain Network @chamberlainvets.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

Sen. Durbin quotes @itsapurdy.bsky.social "Tragedy should not be used to flatten complex realities, erase years of life saving work, or cast suspicion on an entire community that stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States in our longest war." www.chamberlainnetwork.us/the-report/t...

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Reposted by Chris Purdy

Unite For Veterans Coalition @unite4vets.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Veterans served shoulder-to-shoulder with Afghans who saved American lives. America promised to protect them. Our promise is a moral obligation, a national security imperative, & essential to the veterans who served with them. We must reaffirm our commitment to all who served.

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Reposted by Chris Purdy

America's Voice @americasvoice.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

They fought for our freedom, but now some of those same veterans are being torn from their families and deported. This is not how we honor their service. On #VeteransDay, we demand justice for our heroes. 🇺🇸

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Democrats need to come home with their shield or upon it

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Reposted by Chris Purdy

Unite For Veterans Coalition @unite4vets.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Americans know the National Guard. The National Guard are your neighbors. They are members of your community. When deployed, they are there to help the community, not harm them.

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Everytown for Gun Safety @everytown.org · 10/10/2025

VICTORY: Today, after tireless advocacy by @momsdemand.bsky.social and @studentsdemand.bsky.social volunteers and survivors, Governor Newsom signed first-in-the-nation legislation to stop the spread of DIY machine guns.

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

PSA: The National Guard is not ICE. They don't hide. They serve their communities. They have honor. #KnowTheDifference www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tjo_...

youtube.com

The National Guard and ICE: Know the Difference

YouTube video by Unite 4 Veterans

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Over the last 18 months, political violence has become a disturbing pattern: lawmakers murdered in their homes, arson at Gov. Shapiro’s house, two attempts on Trump’s life, and now Charlie Kirk’s assassination. We must all commit to ending political violence open.substack.com/pub/itsapurd...

open.substack.com

The Rising Pattern of Political Violence and the Cost to Our Democracy

Political violence knows no party, and it must end.

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

This misuse has been building for decades under leaders of both parties. But politicizing the National Guard in this way is uniquely dangerous: it erodes trust, weakens readiness, and pulls citizen-soldiers away from the real emergencies only they can handle.

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

Today, troops are being sent to Los Angeles for immigration enforcement and to Washington, D.C. for an imagined crime crisis, with other cities (Chicago?) likely to follow.

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

In 2006, my first Guard activation came after a snowstorm knocked out power to 300,000 homes in New York. We cleared streets so utilities could restore power. That’s what the National Guard is meant to do.

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

The National Guard was built for disasters and emergencies. Now it’s being turned into a domestic police force. I wrote about it in The Atlantic: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

theatlantic.com

What We Lose by Distorting the Mission of the National Guard

A compact that has defined the National Guard’s legitimacy for generations is being shattered.

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Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 22/08/2025

State and local leaders can stop President Trump’s militarized intimidation tactic from expanding into more communities — but they need to hear from you. Here are 5 ways to start. Read and share: www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/how-to-sto…

How to stop Trump’s National Guard weaponization
State and local leaders hold the keys

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Reposted by Chris Purdy

The Chamberlain Network @chamberlainvets.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Allies gauge U.S. reliability not only by capabilities, but by process integrity. If U.S. intelligence appears politicized, partners will hedge, withhold, or “second-source” U.S. assessments, complicating combined operations and sanctions regimes. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/22/u...

nytimes.com

Pentagon Fires the Defense Intelligence Agency Chief

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The Chamberlain Network @chamberlainvets.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

West Virginia’s National Guard has been ordered to police D.C.—pulling them away from their core mission of protecting our communities. From floods to winter storms, we count on our Guard on in a crisis. They should be home, ready to respond—not on a political policing mission

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The Chamberlain Network @chamberlainvets.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

The National Guard’s job is to protect and support our communities—fighting floods, battling wildfires, and helping neighbors after disasters. Sending Guard units to police D.C. takes them away from the work they’re trained for and the people who count on them #KeepTheGuardAtHome

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Reposted by Chris Purdy

Dropkick Murphys @dropkickmurphys.com · 15/08/2025

We Stand With The People Of Ukraine 🇺🇦 📹: @thekenharbaughshow.bsky.social

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

For years, groups like Evacuate Our Allies and AfghanEvac worked hard to get politicians to honor our promise to the Afghan people. Republicans and Democrats alike have failed in their own way. But using the same military bases from the evacuation to now remove migrants is a special kind of betryal.

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

After Kabul fell, @shawnjvandiver.bsky.social and I worked w/ U.S. military and civil society to evacuate thousands of Afghan allies. Today, that system is inverted, and bases have been turned into detention sites. This puts at risk the life-saving work civil society has done over the last 4 years.

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The Chamberlain Network @chamberlainvets.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

For the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, our CEO & Founder @itsapurdy.bsky.social shares the story of his first meeting with civil rights giant John Lewis. They talked about how the fight for freedom abroad connects to the fight for civil rights here at home, a fight that isn't over.

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Reposted by Chris Purdy

The Chamberlain Network @chamberlainvets.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

Elected officials across the country are facing a rising tide of threats and intimidation. These aren't just attacks on individuals—they're attacks on us. On our shared democracy. This from @theguardian.com lays out the danger: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

theguardian.com

US lawmakers balance security and openness as threats of political violence rise

Elected officials and law enforcement are starting to take threats more seriously in wake of political assassinations

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Reposted by Chris Purdy

The Chamberlain Network @chamberlainvets.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

Grateful to see half of the Guard coming home from Los Angeles. But troops don’t belong on American streets. We need all military forces out of our cities. Policing civilians is not the Guard’s mission. It’s a threat to our troops and our democracy. bit.ly/4nNP4EG

bit.ly

2,000 National Guardsmen being withdrawn from Los Angeles mission, Pentagon confirms

Nearly 4,700 National Guardsmen and active-duty Marines were deployed to L.A. with the mission to protect federal buildings following ICE protests.

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Troops are being used to police civilians. That’s a red line in any democracy. I joined other veterans this week to call out the use of Guard and Marines in LA. This isn’t national defense—it’s mission creep. And it puts our rights, our troops, and our democracy at risk. LA Times: lat.ms/3W8vbD0

latimes.com

'Making America militarized again': Use of military in U.S. erodes democracy, veteran advocates say

Advocates for families of active-duty troops, legal scholars and ex-military leaders critique the decision to deploy U.S. armed forces to Los Angeles.

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Thanks for anyone who stuck around over this 4 day journey. I’m especially grateful to my Other Half™️ who tolerated me stealing the tv for basically an entire week. Until next year!

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

The movie production itself, aside from the vomit inducing list cause bits, is still fantastic. To see that level of combat with no CGI and so well researched… is amazing

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Everything else is a set up for these two. Buford gives them a battle that puts them together on day 1. Lee acts as the orchestra director they both have to play to.

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

There are other figures that move the story along, sure. The Hancock/Armistead story line is tired. But really it’s these two figures who both are put in impossible positions in this battle and one comes out on top, while the other essentially loses the war.

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

And that’s the end of the movie Gettysburg. I think for the first time in watching this over the years I’ve realized that this is really a movie that centers on just two people: Chamberlain and Longstreet.

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

“General Lee… I have no division”

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

When Armistead dies in the arms of Tom Chamberlain he says that he is sorry. I wonder if he’s actually sorry for what he’s done or just sorry that he got shot.

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

The cannons here are part of Cushing Battery. Alonzo Cushing, their 22 year old commander, who died in the battle was from Fredonia NY where I went to college.

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

The Irish Brigade getting their revenge for Fredericksburg

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

The charge scene is about 20 minutes too long. Even in the theatrical version

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Armistead gives a speech to the audience about how American his brigade is. How people in his unit came from Americas founding fathers. Ok bro… so why did you all decide to tear it apart?

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

The cannonade is now forced to slow down because Colonel Alexander just learned a hard lesson on exterior and interior lines. That means that if you are spread out it’s more difficult to reinforce and resupply than if you’re packed in together

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

The barrage begins! This is actually a really good demonstration of a mass civil war cannonade. Filmmakers don’t do this anymore - it’s all CGI. The attack itself was actually so loud that it was heard 60 miles away in Harrisburg.

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

This scene is like the fourth time we see Hancock or Armistead talk about how sad they are to be fighting each other. But we do get a brief glimpse of Chamberlain talk about his time as a teacher. Chamberlain is what we today would call: kind of a nerd. His sole focus was learning and teaching

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Chris Purdy @itsapurdy.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Longstreet just can’t catch a break here. He’s this movie’s Cassandra. Here he has to tell Harrison, and the audience, that he knows everyone is going to die in the charge.

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