Derrick Van Orden

Derrick Francis Van Orden (born September 15, 1969) is an American politician, businessman, actor, and retired United States Navy SEAL who is the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district.

He is a member of the Republican Party.

Van Orden was born in Minnesota.

His family later moved to the Portland, Oregon area where Van Orden attended high school in Lake Oswego.

He holds a bachelor's degree from Excelsior University, a private online university.

He has said he attended law school at Mitchell Hamline School of Law.

Van Orden joined the United States Navy in 1988 when he was 18 years old.

He received orders to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in 1992.

After months of training, Van Orden graduated with BUD/S class 184 in October 1992.

Van Orden received assignment to SEAL Team FOUR at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va. Following advanced SEAL training and completion of a six month probationary period, he received the Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) 5326 as a Combatant Swimmer (SEAL), entitled to wear the Special Warfare insignia.

Van Orden played the role of Senior Chief Otto in the 2012 film Act of Valor.

He served for 26 years, retiring as a Senior Chief in 2014.

During his military career, Van Orden served five combat deployments.

Van Orden's 2015 book, Book of Man: A Navy Seal's Guide to the Lost Art of Manhood, included information about an incident in which Van Orden had exposed a male lieutenant's swollen genitalia to two young female officers.

In 2015, Van Orden published A Book of Man: A Navy SEAL's Guide to the Lost Art of Manhood.

From 2017 to early 2019, Van Orden and his wife operated the Butternut Café in the Village of Butternut in northern Wisconsin.

Van Orden and his wife, Sara Jane, have four children and eight grandchildren.

He is a Protestant.

In August 2023, Van Orden's oldest daughter, Sydney Marie Martenis, died of cancer.

Van Orden attended the January 6th "Stop the Steal" rally and was present at the United States Capitol during the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

On June 17, 2021, Van Orden confronted a teenage library page at Prairie du Chien Memorial Library in indignation over a display of books with LGBT themes assembled for Pride Month.

Van Orden was particularly upset by A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, a fictional book about the same-sex romance of Marlon Bundo, the real-life pet rabbit of former Vice President Mike Pence.

Van Orden submitted a written complaint to the library stating that the book was "skewing young people to think that Republicans are not inclusive. This book is not informational, it is propaganda".

He also had roles in the 2018 film Surviving the Wild and Running with the Devil (2019).

Van Orden was the Republican nominee for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district in the 2020 election, losing to incumbent Democrat Ron Kind by a margin of about three percentage points.

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Van Orden's 2020 campaign.

His account of the incident became an issue in the 2020 election; while Van Orden stated that the incident served a training-related purpose, Kind said that it was sexual harassment.

Van Orden was the Republican nominee for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district in the 2022 election.

Van Orden focused his 2022 campaign on his military service and the economy.

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Van Orden's 2022 campaign.

Van Orden defeated Democratic state senator Brad Pfaff in the general election.

As of November 2023, Van Orden served on the House Committee on Agriculture, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

Van Orden was giving a Capitol tour on the evening of July 26, 2023, when he happened upon Senate pages lying on the floor of the United States Capitol rotunda taking photos of the interior of the Capitol dome (this is a traditional activity for the pages during their final week of service).

Van Orden allegedly swore at the pages and told them to get off the floor.

Van Orden's behavior was condemned by his fellow Republicans, including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Thom Tillis, who said, "This is inexcusable and embarrassing behavior for a member of Congress or any adult for that matter. The Congressman should do the right thing and apologize."

In January 2024, an ethics complaint was filed against Van Orden for his behavior toward the pages.

Multiple sources allege that during a White House briefing about the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Van Orden cursed at Biden administration briefers, called the briefers' presentation "pathetic," and yelled "fuck you" at Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn).

Van Orden's behavior prompted loud boos in the room.

During President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union address, Van Orden shouted "lies" after Biden criticized Donald Trump over Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a later interview, Van Orden said he felt it was "shameful" for Biden to "disparage President Trump".