Jon Powers

Jonathan Powers, commonly called Jon Powers is an Iraq War veteran and the Working Families Party candidate for Congress in New York's 26th congressional district. Powers also ran in the Democratic primary for Congress, losing to Alice Kryzan on September 9, 2008.

Military career and background

Powers was born and raised in the Buffalo suburb of Clarence, New York. He received a Bachelor's degree in Education from John Carroll University.

Powers served as an artillery platoon leader in the 1st Armored Division, and later as the Battalion Commander's Adjutant in Baghdad and Najaf. Captain Powers commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel William Rabena, described Powers as “one of the most talented officers I have known in twenty-two years of service in the Army.” Rabena went on to say that Powers possesses “extraordinary management skills, leadership, and unmatched talent to accomplish the most difficult tasks with minimal guidance.”

Powers returned from Iraq with the intention of becoming a social studies teacher in Clarence public schools. Because of his experience in Iraq, however, he returned to Baghdad and founded the non-profit organization War Kids Relief.

In 2007, Powers decided to run for Congress in New York's 26th congressional district.

War Kids Relief

When Powers served in Iraq, he witnessed first hand the need for programs that provide educational, job training, and employment opportunities for Iraqi youth. After he finished his military service, he returned to Baghdad and founded [http://www.warkidsrelief.org War Kids Relief] . War Kids Relief's stated mission is to care for the children of war-torn nations, combating recruitment by terrorists and extremist groups through education, training, employment and other programs.

War Kids Relief programs include developing a Youth Center Work/Study Program that takes advantage of existing infrastructure and serves Iraqi youth between the ages of 16 and 25. War Kids Relief works with Iraqi stakeholders such as the Ministry of Youth and Sport, the Ministry of Education, local civic leaders, religious organizations, and the police to develop programs built on indigenous experience and expertise.

War Kids Relief has been featured in a number of national news stories, including [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10070054/ NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams series, "Making a Difference"] , and [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16610767/site/newsweek/ the Newsweek for the cover story, "The Next Jihadists: Iraq's Lost Children"] .

Gunner Palace

Powers was in command of the unit that was featured in the documentary Gunner Palace. He participated in a six-week publicity tour promoting the film.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.powersforcongress.com/ Powers for Congress Campaign Web site]
* [http://www.childrenscultureconnection.com/warkidsrelief.html War Kids Relief]
* [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-powers Jon Powers on Huffington Post]
* [http://www.veteransforamerica.org/about/staff-bios/jonathan-powers.html Veterans for America biography]
* [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10070054/ Jon Powers appearance on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams "Making a Difference" series]
* [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16610767/site/newsweek/ Jon Powers interviewed by Newsweek for the cover story, "The Next Jihadists: Iraq's Lost Children"]
* [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/10/acd.02.html Transcript of Jon Powers appearance Anderson Cooper 360^o, January 10, 2007]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424129/ IMDB page for the documentary film Gunner Palace]
* [http://26thdistrict.com/2008-election/jon-powers/ Jon Powers Profile on 26thdistrict]