Derrick Van Orden, a retired US Navy SEAL businessman, actor, and now a US congressman representing Wisconsin’s 3rd congressional district, was the first American government official not stationed in Israel to visit the country following the October 7 attacks.
Van Orden, who served in the Navy for 26 years and retired as a Senior Chief, has had five combat deployments and remains deeply engaged in global security matters. In an interview with The Jerusalem Post in Jerusalem on Wednesday during a 48-hour visit to Israel, he discussed his personal oath to the Jewish people, his meetings with injured soldiers, Israeli ministers, and security officials, and the broader political implications of US-Israel relations.
Van Orden did not hesitate when he learned about the October 7 attacks. “When I retired [from the Navy], I made a personal oath between me and God that if something like October 7 happened, I would help the Jewish people,” he explains. “Not the country of Israel—the Jewish people.”
This commitment, rooted in his deep Christian faith, led him to board a plane to Israel immediately. “I didn’t tell anyone about this oath, not even my wife. But when I finally did, she looked at me and said, ‘Then why are you still here?’” His wife, a veteran SEAL Team spouse, understood the seriousness of his convictions.
During his visit, Van Orden traveled to some of the hardest-hit areas, including Kibbutz Be’eri, where he met survivors and heard firsthand accounts of the massacre. “I spoke with a man whose parents were Holocaust survivors. They were butchered on October 7,” he recalls. “I met the Orthodox volunteers who retrieve and prepare bodies for burial. They had to pull burnt infants from the wreckage.”
Deeply moved, Van Orden donated blood at an Israeli hospital, emphasizing his background as a combat medic. “In any war, blood is needed,” he says simply. He also engaged with government officials and ministers to assess the situation.
Beyond offering solidarity, Van Orden came with a warning. “I told people in Israel that the Biden administration would turn their back on the Jewish people. The international community would turn their back. People would start questioning whether this was really a Holocaust-like event. And then they’d start blaming Jews for the destruction of Gaza. Every single one of those things happened.”
A self-described student of history, Van Orden has no illusions about how global politics unfolds. “I spent my entire adult life in combat, and I’ve worked in two different US embassies. I know how this works.”
Back in Washington, Van Orden took concrete action to counter anti-Israel sentiment. He personally delivered reusable cups from the Nova Music Festival massacre site to every member of ‘The Squad’—a group of progressive Democratic lawmakers—to remind them of the innocent lives lost.
“I wrote them letters explaining that these cups represented kids who would never grow up because they were murdered,” he says. He also gave a speech in Congress censuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib for her repeated anti-Israel statements. “One of my proudest moments in Congress was calling out anti-Semitism for what it is: evil. If you were a member of the KKK, would it be acceptable for you to be in Congress? No. So why should it be acceptable to discriminate against Jews?”
Bluntness over hostage negotiations
Van Orden is blunt about the ongoing hostage negotiations. “It’s incredibly difficult to negotiate with the devil. Hamas is evil. They are using hostages as human shields. And they are realizing that the more hostages they release, the less leverage they have.”
He has pressed Israeli officials on what the US government can do to help. “They told me they’re receiving everything they need from the US in terms of hostage recovery efforts. That’s good to hear.”
Van Orden is frustrated with what he sees as a lack of understanding in Washington. “Israel is fighting America’s war right now,” he states unequivocally. “Every Hamas terrorist that the IDF kills is one less terrorist that could kill Americans. It’s that simple.”
He has addressed groups of Israeli soldiers and young pre-army trainees, thanking them for defending shared values. “These kids are fighting so that young Americans don’t have to come here and do it themselves.”
When asked about Jewish members of Congress who have been less vocal in their support for Israel, he doesn’t hold back. “Chuck Schumer should be ashamed of himself,” he says. “American Jews need to do some soul-searching. They’re supporting a party that is funding organizations that, in turn, fund people actively trying to kill Jews. How does that make sense?”
Van Orden points to Iran’s role in funding terror against Israel. “All these rockets hitting Israel? They come from the pallets of cash that Obama sent to Tehran and from the relaxed sanctions under Biden. That money went straight to Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.”
Van Orden believes that the Trump administration’s policies were far more beneficial to Israel. “The Abraham Accords were historic. If the international community was honest, they’d have given Trump the Nobel Peace Prize.” He hopes to see an expansion of the accords under a potential future Trump administration.
As for Iran’s nuclear ambitions, he is confident that Israel and the US will never allow it. “Iran has said, ‘You can’t stop us from getting a nuke.’ Well, that’s just wrong. The US and Israel will never let that happen.”
On the war in Ukraine, Van Orden believes that the right strategy could bring it to an end. “You don’t negotiate peace with everyone at the table from the start. You start with a small group, establish a framework, and then bring in others. Trump knows how to negotiate. His approach—sending people like Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz—makes sense.”
Van Orden’s message to Israelis is clear: “You are not alone. There are Americans who stand with you from beginning to end. So that ‘from the river to the sea’ never happens.”
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
