Membership in the Advisory Board, of Veterans in Defense of Liberty, is determined through a review of the candidate’s history of accomplishments and the candidate’s understanding of, and commitment to, the Constitution of the United States and its central role in defining the character of our country.
The candidate should be someone whose core beliefs would be generally recognized as “Patriotic” and who will be able to positively contribute to the achievement of the objectives of VIDOL.
Veteran members of the Advisory Board are expected to maintain membership in the organization as a whole. Non-Veterans may serve as Advisory Board members though not necessarily eligible for membership in the organization as a whole, there effort and contribution to defense of Liberty is deeply appreciated by the entire membership.
James Livingston Major General USMC (ret)
James Livingston was born on January 12, 1940 in Towns, Georgia. He graduated from Lumber City High School in 1957. He entered North Georgia College and State University (The Military College of Georgia) in 1957 and was a member of the schools nationally recognized Corps of Cadets until he transferred to pursue a major that the school did not offer. In 1962, Livingston earned a B.S degree in civil engineering from Auburn University. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in June 1962.
Colonel Don (Doc) Ballard
Ballard was born in Kansas City, Missouri and it was there that he enlisted in the United States Navy. Sent to Vietnam, Ballard served as a corpsman in the Quang Tri province with Company M, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines (Mike 3/4) of the 3rd Marine Division. On May 16, 1968, Ballard treated two Marines suffering from heat exhaustion, and when returning to his unit from the casualty evacuation helicopter pad he and his company were attacked by the North Vietnamese Army. While under fire, Ballard directed aid to other wounded U.S. Marines and when a grenade landed nearby, Ballard fearlessly threw himself upon the lethal explosive device to protect his comrades from the deadly blast. Grabbing the grenade and rolling upon one of his wounded comrades to protect him he threw the devise seconds before it harmlessly exploded. He calmly arose from his dangerous position and resolutely continued his determined efforts in treating his Marines. For his actions, he received the United States of America's highest award, the Medal of Honor. In 1970, Ballard received the Navy Medal of Honor from President Richard M. Nixon and General Westmoreland . He then left the United States Navy and enlisted in Army officer candidate school. Westmoreland offered Ballard a direct commission; however Ballard turned it down for personal reasons. Ballard later joined the Kansas National Guard, and served as an ambulance platoon leader, company commander, and was tasked with creating the new 'Medical Detachment 5', a unit which performs medicals on Guard members in order to save the cost of contracting outside medical help, and of which he was the first member and commander.
Major Rick Spooner USMC (ret)
Richard Spooner was living in Northern California when World War II broke out; he subsequently enlisted in the Marines at age 17 as a rifleman. Major Spooner participated in several operations during the war, including the Battle of Saipan, where he was briefly taken prisoner by the Imperial Japanese Army. He also fought in the Battle of Okinawa. After the war, he was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant and eventually commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. During the Korean War, Spooner served in with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and also taught infantry tactics at Camp Pendleton. During his subsequent career, he commanded five companies and the Marine detachment aboard a heavy cruiser. By the time the Vietnam War broke out, Richard Spooner had achieved the rank of Major. During the war, he served in the Provost Marshal Division and as an adviser to the South Vietnamese police. Spooner retired from the Marine Corps in 1972.
Gary Meredith
For over 35 years, Gary has produced marketing, fundraising and educational programs for the nation’s leading conservative, patriotic, humanitarian and Christian champions. He is proficient in nearly all media and their multi-channel integration, as well as PR and market research. His passion is developing “Big Idea” campaigns that set the terms of the national debate for America’s greatest causes.
Kris W. Kobach
Daniel L. Brenner/UMKC Scholar and Professor of Law; A.B. (Harvard University); Ph.D., M.Phil. (Oxford University); J.D. (Yale School of Law)
Colin Hanna
Colin Hanna is a former Chester County, Philadelphia, commissioner and founder of Let Freedom Ring. Let Freedom Ring was formed to counter the attacks of anti-conservative groups on patriotic candidates as well as attacks on the important issues of our day – those that affect the core of our society: the family, marriage, the economy, energy, abortion, health care and foreign policy, to name just a few. We also work to keep our constituents and the media informed about what our founding fathers’ intentions were and how history shapes laws and our culture today. Through seminars, workshops, ad campaigns, leadership and grassroots training and educational materials, Let Freedom Ring strives to motivate, activate and educate those who are interested in keeping America the great nation it has always been.
Larry Gatlin
"Larry Wayne Gatlin is an American country music singer/songwriter. He is perhaps best known for teaming up with his brothers Steve and Rudy in the late 1970s, becoming one of country music's most successful acts of the 1970s and 1980s. Gatlin has had a total of 33 Top 40 singles (combining his solo recordings and those with his brothers). As their fame grew, the band became known as Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers.
William (Bill) J. Federer
WILLIAM J. FEDERER is a nationally known speaker, best-selling author, and president of Amerisearch, Inc., a publishing company dedicated to researching America's noble heritage. TELEVISION: A former U.S. Congressional Candidate, Bill has appeared on: CSPAN, FOX, Hannity & Colmes, O'Reilly Factor, NPR, MSNBC, ABC-Time Warner Affiliates, CBN, TBN, INSP, TCT, FamilyNet, FamilyLand TV, Coral Ridge Hour, 700 Club, AT&T Cable, Charter Cable, Danny Fontana Show, iLife TV, FOX Strategy Room with Brian Kilmeade, hosted CSPAN's George Washington Book Festival-February 26, 2000, CTN with Herman & Sharron Bailey, Grizzly Adams Television Production documentaries, and numerous local programs
Sharron Angle
Sharron Angle was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Her father worked in the family business, a potato farm, until he enlisted in the Navy and fought in WWII and the Korea conflict. While a senior at University of Nevada Reno, Sharron married Ted Angle. Sharron and Ted have two children and ten grandchildren. Sharron worked as a substitute teacher in public schools; taught art courses at Western Nevada Community College (now Great Basin Community College) in Winnemucca for five years; and co-founded, administrated, and taught grades K-12 in a one-room Christian school of 24 students for two years. While in Tonopah, Sharron also tutored at Nye County Juvenile Justice for six years and operated the Tonopah Life Center
