James Gordon "Bo" Gritz is a retired United States Army Special Forces officer who served during the Vietnam War.
32 Facts About Bo Gritz
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Bo Gritz's campaign was characterized by the slogan "God, Guns, and Gritz".
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Bo Gritz's life has been marked by controversy, including questions regarding his military awards, his involvement in high-profile standoffs with federal authorities, and his involvement with the Christian Patriot movement and other right-wing militia groups.
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Bo Gritz was born in Enid, Oklahoma, and currently resides in Sandy Valley, Nevada.
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Bo Gritz was born on January 18,1939, in Enid, Oklahoma.
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Bo Gritz's father was a serviceman in the Army Air Force during World War II and was killed in action.
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Bo Gritz subsequently attended the Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia, a prestigious military school known for its rigorous academic and physical programs.
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Bo Gritz graduated from the academy, setting the stage for his future military career.
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Bo Gritz began his military career when he enlisted in the Army on August 20,1957, and attended Officer Candidate School.
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Bo Gritz retired in 1979 at the rank of lieutenant colonel.
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Bo Gritz received numerous military awards during his service, although some of these have been called into question.
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Bo Gritz's goal was to locate US prisoners of war who, according to some beliefs, had been detained since the Vietnam War by the communist governments of Laos and Vietnam, specifically in areas such as Nhommarath.
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Bo Gritz's missions were initially supported by elements of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 1981, and later financed by high-profile donors like Clint Eastwood and Ross Perot.
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Bo Gritz's activities were heavily publicized and controversial, with critics deeming them haphazard and poorly executed.
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However, both times the missions were scrubbed, according to Haney, when Bo Gritz suddenly appeared in the spotlight, drawing too much attention to the issue and making the missions too difficult to accomplish.
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In 1986, Bo Gritz traveled to Burma to interview drug kingpin Khun Sa about potential locations of US POWs.
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Bo Gritz returned with a videotaped interview in which Khun Sa named several officials in the Reagan administration as allegedly involved in narcotics trafficking in Southeast Asia.
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Bo Gritz withdrew early in the race and publicly distanced himself from Duke, opting instead to run for a Nevada Congressional seat.
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Bo Gritz was replaced by Floyd Parker on some ballots.
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Bo Gritz has stated that he accepted the party's nomination under the impression that he would be the running mate of James Traficant.
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In 1989, Bo Gritz established the Center for Action, which focused on various issues, primarily conspiracy theories.
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Bo Gritz attempted to build bridges among conspiracy theorists and unite activists from both the left and the right, organizing a conference in Las Vegas called "Freedom Call '90".
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Bo Gritz appeared on Pacifica Radio stations in California as a guest several times, and for a short period he was sought after as a speaker to left-wing and anti-war audiences.
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Bo Gritz advocated for staunch opposition to what he termed "global government" and the "New World Order", called for an end to all foreign aid, and proposed the abolition of the federal income tax and the Federal Reserve System.
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Bo Gritz left Almost Heaven in late 1998 after a suicide attempt.
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Bo Gritz has used his influence within the Christian Patriot movement to mediate between legal authorities and far-right activists.
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In 1996, Bo Gritz unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate an end to the standoff involving the Montana Freemen, an anti-government White separatist militia group.
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In 1998, Bo Gritz led an unsuccessful search for the Centennial Olympic Park bomber, Eric Rudolph, with the aim of persuading him to surrender to law enforcement.
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On March 19,2005, following the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube, Bo Gritz was arrested for trespassing after attempting to enter the hospice where she was residing.
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Bo Gritz's second book, Called To Serve, published in 1991, was an autobiography.
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The character of John "Hannibal" Smith from the 1980s television series The A-Team was loosely based on Bo Gritz, as were some of Chuck Norris' film characters.
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Bo Gritz was portrayed by Bob Gunton in the 1996 CBS television film The Siege at Ruby Ridge, and by Vic Browder in the first episode of the 2018 television miniseries Waco.