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Candidate zeroes in on 3rd District
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Decorated combat veteran and 1997 World Sniper Champion, Col. Tom Brewer, has set his sights on a new target these days after retiring from the military life earlier this year. Brewer announced his candidacy in January for the western congressional district seat occupied by fellow Republican and U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith.
Brewer visited McCook Friday as part of his campaign tour of the state and he was quick to point out the differences between himself and the incumbent congressman.
"He [Adrian Smith] is a career politician. That is what he has done his whole life. I spent my life in uniform, in the military. We see the world differently," said Brewer, adding that Smith grew up in the city while he was raised on a Nebraska farm near Gordon.
Brewer criticized Representative Smith's recent participation in an extravagant fund-raising trip to Vail, Colorado, saying it was not the legality of the situation that bothered him, but rather the ethics.
"Hot tubbing with lobbyist in Colorado? Is that really what the people of Nebraska want to hear about their politicians?" asked Brewer, referencing a Jan. 19, 2014, New York Times article raising awareness about lobbyist-funded trips. The Times article prompted an editorial by the Lincoln Journal Star calling for reform and saying Rep. Smith was drawing the wrong kind of attention to Nebraska.
Brewer said his criticism of Rep. Smith went beyond fundraising tactics.
"He [Adrian Smith] voted against the select committee on Benghazi. We need some answers and an investigation being held up by Republicans is wrong. Why he wouldn't support that, I don't know," said Brewer.
Brewer said he was hopeful Rep. Smith would agree to a debate so that Nebraskans could better understand both candidates and be able to decide who the better representative for the third district would be.
Brewer credited his often-challenging military experience with providing him with the tools he believes will make him an effective congressman.
"If you deploy to enough places, and deal with enough disaster, your tool box is a whole lot fuller when it comes time to make those decisions and handle difficult situations," said Brewer.
Brewer may have downplayed the significance of his military experience during Friday's chat with the Gazette, brushing it off as little more than a learning experience, however a brief search reveals his years of decorated military service has been anything but average.
Brewer was a helicopter pilot in 1990 during Desert Storm but made headlines on the ground in 2003 when his convoy was ambushed near Kabul, Afghanistan. He was shot six times during the attack and later received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his actions. The incident was recounted in the 2009 book "The Bone Yard" by James F. Christ.
Despite the near-death experience Brewer volunteered to stay in Afghanistan and served with the combined Joint Special Operations Task Force. He bounced from one assignment to another in the years to come, ranging from commanding the first task force to arrive in New Orleans in response to Hurricane Katrina to serving as a military advisor to the Drug Enforcement Administration Foreign Advisory and Support Team in Afghanistan.
In December 2011, he was again wounded when his vehicle was attacked by a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan. The resulting medical complications forced Brewer's military retirement after 36 years of service.
Brewer says there is a lack of leadership in Washington D.C. and he intends to use the same focus that helped him survive on the battlefield to work toward common sense solutions "that are good for Nebraska, because they are good for America."
Brewer said he was concerned about an overreaching federal government that gets too much of our money and is irresponsible with the dollars it does get.
"When there are billions of dollars in wasteful spending, Congress should trim every program non-discriminately. Our nation cannot survive the irresponsibility of the Establishment driving our budget into the ground with the amount of debt we are forcing onto the backs of our children because they don't have the courage to do the hard things by cutting back major pieces of government," said Brewer.
Brewer's military background alone may be enough to make him a credible challenger to Rep. Adrian Smith in the coming election, at least in some voter's eyes, those from the third district that take an even closer look at him may find it easy to relate to him in other ways as well.
Brewer not only grew up on a farm near Gordon, but as a teen he lettered in football, basketball and track and worked a part-time job at the local coop. He served as local president and state officer for Future Farmers of America and later ran track and cross country at Doane College. Before graduating from Doane College in 1984 and beginning his military career, he helped start a Fellowship of Christian Athletes Huddle at the college.
Brewer has been married for 29 years to his wife, Kelli Brewer. The couple has one son and one daughter, who attend Doane College and Chadron State College respectively.