About Thomas A. Speciale II

Who and why?

I swore an oath to defend all Americans all the way back in 1987. This is the fight we are in. I’m not just fighting for the Republicans or the Conservatives. I’m fighting for all Virginians. Indeed I am fighting for all Americans. The Constitution doesn’t make a distinction – liberal, conservative, Democrat or Republican, black or white or brown, gay or straight, rich or poor. Neither do I. I’m fighting to get back our American dream, a dream the Democrats have worked to destroy for the last 50 years.

I would much rather be spending my time with my family or with my Cub Scouts than doing all this grassroots political stuff. I do not want to have to be involved in politics, but I can no longer sit on the sidelines while the Democrats work to destroy who we are and erase everything we have achieved.

I’m getting into the fight because I am sick and tired of the country club political elites who have spent their entire adult lives working to dismantle the American Dream. I am fighting to restore our liberty and give the government back to the people.

Since 1987, I have served on Active Duty or in the Army Reserves at tactical, operational, and strategic levels and continue to serve today in the Army Reserves as a Chief Warrant Officer (CW3). I served in Afghanistan alongside U.S. Special Forces and am well-known as a bulldog when it comes to training and taking care of my Soldiers. 

Since 2005, I have served in the military or the intelligence community as a subject matter expert on terrorism and Middle Eastern conflict issues. I am intimately familiar with the mosaic of threats we face across the Middle East and beyond. I will do everything possible to protect our country from all enemies foreign and domestic. 

I will fight against the Socialist agenda to take away our rights to protect ourselves and protect our children.

Biography

I was born to Marcia and Tom Speciale in Peoria, Illinois in March of 1969. We were poor but working class. My parents always worked. Neither graduated from college or ever had a “career” per say. They raised me to, as my dad would say, “Work one square foot at a time.” My mom inspired me to get an education and my grandmother and my dad inspired me to never ever quit. I wasn’t raised to see obstacles. I was raised to see opportunities.

I was married from 1991 to 2005 and I have two wonderful children from that marriage, Thomas (age 21) and Sophia (age 18). Tommy currently serves in the U.S. Navy. I am now remarried since 2011 to my wife Amy and have an amazing step-son, Evan (age 18), and a son, Nicholas (age 8). Evan is currently serving in the U.S. Army.

I attended Illinois State University where I earned my Bachelors of Science Degree in Political Science with a focus on Middle Eastern Studies and Conflict Resolution. In 2014, I earned my Masters in International Relations and Conflict Resolution with a Concentration in International and Transnational Security Issues from American Military University.

I have worked as a security guard, as a convenience store clerk, delivered pizzas, bought and resold government surplus, operated rental properties, worked in my father’s restaurants, and had many other jobs as well. I worked for the VA as a vocational rehabilitation assistant, at IBM as a site operations manager and as a Blimpie sandwich shop regional manager. In January 2001, I moved to the DC area where I worked as a international media relations manager for a small non-for-profit. I was at a meeting only a few blocks away from the Pentagon when the 9/11 attacks occurred.

On September 12th, 2001, I drove to New York City. The images are forever burned into my memory of the ash covered glass cases in abandoned jewelry stores and plates of food in restaurants and the desolate ash and dust covered streets of New York City. I will never forget.

Military Service

I joined the Army Reserves in 1987 and have served everyday since then, except a few years while in college, either in the Reserves or on Active Duty. I come from a military family – my grandparents served in World War II and the Korean War, my father served stateside during Vietnam, my fathers-in-law all served in Vietnam. My brother served in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. And now my children serve. 

In the Army Reserves I have served as an Military Policeman (1987-1991) and Psychological Operations Specialist (1999-2001). On Active Duty I have served as a Field Artillery Forward Observer (1991-1994), an Infantrymen (2002-2005) and a Human Intelligence Collection Specialist/Interrogator (2005-2009). I became a Warrant Officer and Human Intelligence Collection Technician in 2009. I currently serve in the Army Reserves as a Chief Warrant Officer (Promotable)/CW3. I have served across the United States and around the world in Korea, California, Alaska, North Carolina, Afghanistan, Reston, VA and Washington, DC. I have received numerous awards over the years and am a member of the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club.

In 2009, after returning from Afghanistan, I returned to Washington and worked as a reservist on orders or as a civilian contractor at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Counterterrorism Center, the Defense Combating Terrorism Center or at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Currently, I support our Special Operations and Intelligence Community as a civilian contractor and support AFRICOM in my reservist capacity.

Founder and Chairman, Chasing Freedom – Virginia

After the 2020 Virginia Senate primary, I began working to unite grassroots conservative organizations into a single organization now called Chasing Freedom – Virginia where I serve as the Chairman. Chasing Freedom – Virginia is a non-partisan, conservative, grassroots coalition of individual Virginians and like-minded groups devoted to preserving and promoting our individual rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as envisioned by our Nation’s Founders in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. 

 Chasing Freedom – Virginia has four goals.

1)  Serve as a unified voice in Virginia for grassroots activists and organizations
2)  Mobilize “The People” of Virginia in the defense of conservative values
3)  Be a trusted source of information on civics and Virginia politics
4)  Vet, approve, endorse and support conservative candidates across Virginia

You can learn more about Chasing Freedom – Virginia on the website ChasingFreedomVirginia.com. 

The primary role of Chasing Freedom – Virginia is to provide voters with information about all the candidates during the Primary process. CFV vets and ultimately endorses candidates pre-primary and provides all of our information on Democrat, Republican and Indepentant candidates so Virginian voters can make to most informed decision possible. 

Finally, I own a very small (very small) firearm safety training company, Responsible Firearm Owners of America, where I promote responsible firearm ownership. You can learn more on my company website rfoamerica.com. 

I smoke cigars, drink beer, drive a Jeep, ride a Harley, shoot guns, train Soldiers and Cub Scouts and am unafraid of speaking truth to power especially when it comes to protecting our country.