Douglas V. Mastriano

Douglas Vincent Mastriano, Ph.D. (born January 2, 1964), is an American military historian and politician. He is a retired Colonel of the United States Army and is the state senator for Pennsylvania's 33rd District. A Republican, he previously ran as a candidate for U.S. Representative in Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district before winning a special election in 2019 to replace the retiring Rich Alloway. He has written two books, one of which is a biography of the highly decorated World War I soldier Sergeant Alvin York. He has also led the development of research reports and strategy recommendations for the U.S. Army War College.

Douglas V. Mastriano
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate
from the 33rd district
Assumed office
June 10, 2019
Preceded byRichard Alloway
Personal details
Born (1964-01-02) January 2, 1964
Political partyRepublican
Children1 son, Josiah[1][2][3]
ResidenceGreene Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Alma materEastern University
University of New Brunswick (Ph.D.)
OccupationPolitician, Writer, Historian, Ret. Col.
Websitewww.fight4pa.com
www.sgtyorkdiscovery.com
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1986–2017
Rank Colonel

Military career

Mastriano was commissioned in the United States Army in 1986. He started his military career in Nuremberg, Germany, with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in the area of the West German borders with East Germany and Czechoslovakia.[1] Mastriano also served four years at the NATO Land Headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany.[4] While serving along the East German and Czechoslovakian borders, in 1991 he witnessed the dissolution of the Soviet Union and deployed to Iraq for Operation Desert Storm to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait. His regiment led the attack against Saddam's elite Republican Guard forces. Mastriano then served in Washington, DC, the 3rd Infantry Division and US Army Europe. Mastriano was the lead planner for a planned invasion of Iraq via Turkey that was blocked by Turkey's refusal to use its territory for that purpose, causing the 2003 invasion of Iraq to be carried out by a different approach. He served four years with NATO and deployed three times to Afghanistan. Mastriano was the director of NATO's Joint Intelligence Center in Afghanistan, leading 80 people from 18 nations. Mastriano led seven relief operations to help Afghan orphans. He completed his career as a Professor of the U.S. Army War College (PAWC), Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and taught Strategic Studies at the Master Degree level to the next generation of senior leaders. He retired in 2017 at the rank of Colonel.[2][3]

Political career

On February 13, 2018, at the Otterbein Church in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, Mastriano announced his candidacy for U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district, a seat being vacated by the retiring congressman Bill Shuster.[2][3] Less than a week after his announcement, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania redrew the congressional district map of Pennsylvania after ruling the previous map unconstitutional (due to gerrymandering by the majority Republican Party), and the area previously covered by the 9th district corresponds most closely to the new 13th district, so Mastriano became a candidate for Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district.[5] Mastriano ultimately finished fourth of the eight candidates in the primary election, receiving a total of 10,509 votes.[6]

On January 22, 2019, Mastriano announced that he intended to run for the State Senate seat being vacated by Rich Alloway in the 33rd District, saying he "can't, in good conscience, stand aside", wanting to "serve his country in a new way".[7] Mastriano overwhelmingly won the Republican nomination for the May 21 election at a party conference held in Gettysburg on March 30, 2019.

On Mastriano's campaign page, he states that "marriage is between a man and woman -- and that no amount of disinformation or political correctness will change these facts" [8] Mastriano has also been reluctant to call Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachael Levine by her preferred pronoun, "she", and refuses to acknowledge his political opinion on transgender individuals.

Val DiGiorgio, the chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, said "Doug Mastriano is the kind of conservative candidate that reflects the values of Southcentral Pennsylvania and will be a key asset in helping advance the Republican agenda in Harrisburg."[9]

On May 21, 2019, Mastriano defeated Democrat Sarah Hammond to win the special election in the 33rd District.[10] Mastriano was sworn into the Pennsylvania Senate on June 10.[11]

Covid-19 Policies

On March 17, 2020, Mastriano called for suspension of the HIPAA law to allow the Department of Health share more Covid-19 data, including publishing the names and addresses of those infected with the virus.[12]

On March 28, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mastriano proposed legislation that would allow Pennsylvania businesses to reopen if they followed CDC mitigation guidelines, subject to health department and law enforcement inspections.[13][14]

Mastriano spoke during an anti-lockdown protest held on April 20, 2020, in support of reopening Pennsylvania during the state's ongoing pandemic.[15]

On May 11, 2020 Mastriano called for the resignation of Secretary of Health Rachel Levine stating that he believed she failed to adequately protect nursing home residents.[16]

In May of 2020 Mastriano wrote a letter signed by other Republican state legislators and a county commissioner calling for his home county of Franklin County to move out of the "red" phase of Governor Tom Wolf's reopening plan. At the time Franklin County's seat Chambersburg had one of the highest average daily growth rates of COVID-19 cases in the country. Mastriano's initiative was opposed by the mayor of Chambersburg and two county commissioners.[17]

In response to a Pennsylvania mask-wearing order, Mastriano called for a mask-burning party at a July 2020 rally in Gettysburg.[18] At a July, 22, 2020 rally, Mastriano urged people to reject store employees telling them to wear a mask and "tell them to mind your own business and say you're exempt."[19]

Campaign Facebook Page

Mastriano had been criticized for posts on his campaign's Facebook page, "Doug Mastriano Fighting for Freedom", which draws heavily from right-wing social media and web publications.

In May of 2019, during his campaign for state senate, Mastriano was accused of spreading Islamophobia after sharing several posts on his campaign Facebook page targeting Muslims. "Islam wants to kill gay rights, Judaism, Christianity and pacifism" read one of the posts, which critiqued the common "Coexist" bumper stickers.[20] After the Notre Dame fire Mastriano had shared an image that was circulated in the wake of the fire suggesting that it had been an act by Muslim terrorists.[21] In April 2018, his campaign Facebook page shared an article headlined, “A Dangerous Trend: Muslims running for office.”[22]

While various Democratic critics condemned his Facebook posts, neither Mastriano, the county, nor the state Republican party responded publicly about the issue.[23]

After Mastriano's election to state senate, the auditor of Reading Township, located Adams County in Mastriano's district, wrote a letter in The Gettysburg Times in which he criticized Mastriano with claims such as "Doug's page is active at seemingly every hour of the day", and "Whether it is Doug himself or a staffer running the page, does the Mastriano team not have anything better to do? Why is a full-time elected official spending so much of their time on social media interacting with people they don't represent?". Mastriano did not respond to the auditor's criticism.[24][25]

Published works as author

Mastriano's first book, Alvin York: A New Biography of the Hero of the Argonne (ISBN 978-0813145198), was published by the University Press of Kentucky in 2014.[26] He conducted twelve years of research for the book.[27] In all, Mastriano reportedly spent 2,000 hours doing research on Sergeant Alvin York, including 1,000 hours studying archives in the United States and various parts of Germany including Stuttgart, Freiburg, Potsdam, Rottweil, and Ulm,[28] and another 1,000 hours of field research in the Argonne Forest of France to locate where York fought during the Meuse–Argonne offensive of World War I. Using terrain analysis, geo-spatial data, and field archaeology, his research team uncovered thousands of artifacts related to York's battle of October 8, 1918. He said that his interest in York began during his childhood when he saw the Academy Award-winning 1941 film about York starring Gary Cooper. After Mastriano joined the Army, his interest in York deepened.[4] Along with research, the book incorporates forensic study and military terrain analysis.[26]

Mastriano's book on York received the 2015 William E. Colby Award of the William E. Colby Military Writers' Symposium at Norwich University (an award for a first published work of a military topic author),[1] the Army Historical Foundation Award, the US Army War College Madigan Award and the 2015 Crader Family Book Prize in American Values.[29][30]

Mastriano's second book, Thunder in the Argonne: A New History of America's Greatest Battle (ISBN 978-0813175553), was published by the University Press of Kentucky in 2018.

Mastriano's other published works include:[31]

  • Project 1704: U.S. Army War College Analysis of Russian Strategy in Eastern Europe, Appropriate U.S. Response, and Implications for U.S. Landpower – Putin's Rise to Power, Military, Ukraine Crisis, as project leader for a U.S. Army War College project, 2017[32]
  • Project 1721: A U.S. Army War College Assessment on Russian Strategy in Eastern Europe and Recommendations on How to Leverage Landpower to Maintain the Peace, as project leader for a U.S. Army War College project, 2017[33]
  • Project 1704: A U.S. Army War College Analysis of Russian Strategy in Eastern Europe, an Appropriate U.S. Response, and the Implications for U.S. Landpower, as project leader for a U.S. Army War College project, 2015[34]
  • Nebuchadnezzar's Sphinx: What Have We Learned from Baghdad's Plan to Take Kuwait?, a thesis for the School of Advanced Air Power Studies, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama, June 2002[35]
  • The Civilian Putsch of 2018: Debunking The Myth of a Civil-Military Leadership Rift, a research report for the School of Advanced Air Power Studies, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama, April 2001[36]

References
  1. "Col Douglas V. Mastriano, PhD". William E. Colby Military Writers' Symposium, Norwich University. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  2. Hardy, Shawn (February 9, 2018). "Mastriano to Run for Congress". The Record Herald. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  3. Hardy, Shawn (February 13, 2018). "Franklin County man running for Shuster's seat". The Echo-Pilot. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  4. Montgomery, Nancy (September 26, 2008). "Officer says he's pinpointed York's stand". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  5. Cohn, Nate; Bloch, Matthew; Quealy, Kevin (February 19, 2018). "The New Pennsylvania Congressional Map, District by District". The New York Times. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  6. "Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District election, 2018". Ballotpedia.
  7. "Doug Mastriano announces bid for state Senate". The Record Herald. January 22, 2019.
  8. "https://fight4pa.com/". Retrieved 2020-07-29. External link in |title= (help)
  9. Rose, Andrea (April 1, 2019). "Doug Mastriano named Republican nominee for the 33rd Senatorial District to replace retired Sen. Rich Alloway". The Record Herald. Waynesboro, PA.
  10. "Republican candidate Doug Mastriano wins 33rd District State Senate seat". WPMT FOX43. 2019-05-22. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  11. pcloonan@indianagazette.net, PATRICK CLOONAN. "Pittman takes seat in Harrisburg". The Indiana Gazette Online. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  12. "Midstate lawmaker urging suspension of HIPAA protections among COVID19 outbreak". ABC 27. March 18, 2020.
  13. Leigh, Harri. "Proposed legislation would allow all businesses in PA to reopen". Fox 43. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  14. https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2019&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=1103
  15. Norristown. "Watch Live: PA Protest Against Coronavirus Shutdowns". Patch. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  16. "Pennsylvania state senator calls for resignation of Secretary of Health". WHYY. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  17. Benshoff, Laura. "Clash over reopening economy simmers below the surface in rural Pa. COVID hotspot". WHYY. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  18. Sholtis, Brett. "Chambersburg postal workers refuse to wear masks, and the state can't do anything about it". WITF. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  19. Marroni, Steve. "Rally held at Capitol to protest mask mandates, Gov. Wolf's coronavirus restrictions". Pennlive. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  20. https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/news/politics/2019/05/07/gop-candidate-alloways-state-senate-seat-accused-spreading-islamophobia/3661917002/
  21. https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/conspiratorial-anti-muslim-memes-populate-facebook-page-of-state-senate-candidate/
  22. https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/conspiratorial-anti-muslim-memes-populate-facebook-page-of-state-senate-candidate/
  23. Hullinger, Logan. "GOP candidate for Alloway's state Senate seat accused of spreading Islamophobia". York Dispatch. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  24. "Mastriano should leave Facebook". The Gettysburg Times. August 20, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  25. https://www.facebook.com/pg/SenatorDougMastriano/videos/?ref=page_internal
  26. "Biographer of WWI hero Sergeant York named Winner of 2015 Colby Award". The Northfield News. February 5, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  27. Smith, Craig S. (October 26, 2006). "Proof offered of Sgt. York's war exploits". The New York Times. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  28. "Army Officer: Sgt. York battle site located". CBN News. March 25, 2007. Archived from the original on 2015-03-11. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  29. "Author Douglas V. Mastriano Wins Crader Book Prize". Broadway Books. May 24, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  30. "AUSA Book Wins Four Awards". Association of the United States Army. May 19, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  31. "Douglas V. Mastriano". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  32. Project 1704: U.S. Army War College Analysis of Russian Strategy in Eastern Europe, Appropriate U.S. Response, and Implications for U.S. Landpower – Putin's Rise to Power, Military, Ukraine Crisis (Report). January 13, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  33. Project 1721: A U.S. Army War College Assessment On Russian Strategy In Eastern Europe And Recommendations On How To Leverage Landpower To Maintain The Peace. Strategic Studies Institute (Report). March 22, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  34. Project 1704: A U.S. Army War College Analysis of Russian Strategy in Eastern Europe, an Appropriate U.S. Response, and the Implications for U.S. Landpower. Strategic Studies Institute (Report). March 26, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  35. Mastriano, Douglas V. (June 2002). Nebuchadnezzar's Sphinx: What Have We Learned from Baghdad's Plan to Take Kuwait? (PDF) (Thesis). Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  36. Mastriano, Douglas V. (April 2001). The Civilian Putsch of 2018: Debunking The Myth of a Civil-Military Leadership Rift (PDF) (Report). Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
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