Thomas Sauer

Tom Sauer is a former Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer who founded one of America’s premier Veteran mental health treatment companies, where he advocated for our most vulnerable Veterans struggling from America’s disastrous mental health and addiction crisis.

Three weeks after his father’s death from an overdose, Tom joined the Marines as a Rifleman and was later admitted to the US Naval Academy.

As an EOD Officer, Tom trained and readied his Special Operations team to counter terrorist nuclear threats alongside US Army Special Forces as the Pacific Crisis Response Force. He worked in concert with Joint Special Operations Command, the Department of Energy, and the highest levels of the US Government.

As a former Navy Lieutenant Commander from one of the most selective, demanding, and dangerous career fields in the world, Tom shifted to an even more deadly threat to America’s Veterans: our mental health, addiction, and suicide crisis. His incredible team of physicians, nurses, therapists, medical technicians, case managers, and support staff saved lives and relieved human suffering on a daily basis, where there was no group of Americans who needed it more than our own Veterans.

Today, Tom owns Pastorum Partners, a new government consulting firm shepherding leading edge, venture-backed startups into the defense and government space. Tom holds graduate degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles and the National University of Singapore. He lives in McLean, VA with his wife, Natalie, a former Federal Reserve economist, their infant daughter, Mary Grace, and their golden retrievers, Bosco and Birdie.

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What is your current position?

I wear several hats, although I’d like to think they’re all united by a common purpose.

For the previous six years, I owned and operated a veteran-focused mental health and addiction treatment company contracted with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Our mission was straightforward but ambitious: To free Veterans from America’s mental health and addiction crisis and empower them to create a better future for themselves and their families. Over the course of that work, we quite literally saved hundreds of lives.

Unfortunately, the VA ultimately chose not to honor either the spirit or the letter of the VA MISSION Act, forcing community care providers like my company to wind down operations. While deeply frustrating, the experience remains one of the most meaningful chapters of my life, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Today, I own a boutique government affairs and consulting firm focused primarily on defense and emerging technologies. I am also a partner in a Christian-based hedge fund that is performing exceptionally well.

What inspired you to choose this career path?

I spent the better part of my adult life in uniform. I began as an enlisted Marine infantryman, later graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, and served as a naval officer, primarily in Special Operations roles as a Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Officer.

Over the years, I lost more friends and teammates to suicide and addiction than to al Qaeda, ISIS, and the Taliban combined. Helping fellow veterans rebuild their lives after service was the honor of a lifetime.

Today, I continue that mission in a different form, working at the intersection of technology, government & politics, finance, and the veteran community, alongside friends and colleagues who share a sense of duty and seriousness about the future of the country.

What are you currently working on?

The honest answer? Preparing for controlled chaos.

In ten days, my wife, our nine-week-old daughter, two golden retrievers, and all our earthly possessions are making a cross-country move from Orange County, California, to McLean, Virginia.

How did you hear about the Claremont Institute?

I’ve followed Claremont for over a decade, particularly figures such as Mike Anton, Matt Peterson, Dave Azerrad, and Glenn Ellmers.

Claremont explained ideas and thoughts I couldn’t articulate but still felt, especially regarding statesmanship, the administrative state, and the moral foundations of self-government.

What is your fondest memory of the Claremont Institute?

The small gatherings with my fellow Claremonsters.

Personal and professional bonds aren’t formed in only lecture halls, but in conversations among friends who are ideologically aligned and have a bias towards action. Those are always the best times for me with Claremont.

There are all sorts of educational programs out there for current and rising conservative professionals. What do you think makes the Claremont Institute’s Fellowships unique?

Two things: alignment and network.

I’m convinced that Claremont is the most intellectually coherent and unapologetically America-First institution in the conservative movement. It is also the fellowship most closely aligned with President Trump and Vice President Vance.

Out of fewer than a thousand Claremont Fellows, roughly eighty currently serve in the Trump Administration. That’s not a coincidence!

Who would it be, why, and what would you discuss, if you could have a conversation with an American Founder, or any great thinker?

At the risk of sounding like a teacher’s pet, I genuinely prefer conversations with Claremont’s senior fellows.

The writings of the Founders and great philosophers are indispensable, but I became a Claremont Fellow to help think through the problems of the future and solve them, not merely to admire the past. Today’s scholars—well-informed by history and deeply engaged with contemporary realities—are best positioned to help us navigate what lies ahead.

What would the artifact be, if you could hold one piece of history from the early founding of our country and why?

As a former naval officer and Naval Academy graduate, I would choose the sword of Captain John Paul Jones, the father of the American Navy. It’s in his crypt beneath the Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis—a fitting place for a man who embodied courage, audacity, and the spirit of a young republic at sea.

As far as I know, it’s not for sale.

Looking back on history, in which one of the original 13 colonies would you have wanted to live and why?

Although I am instinctively a West Coast person, I would choose Maryland. Annapolis remains one of my favorite places in the country: steeped in history and maritime tradition.

What qualities do you believe will make outstanding statesmen/women in this century?

Courage and political will.

Plenty of today’s professional statesmen have intelligence, credentials, and experience. We are lacking in those willing to act decisively, accept risk, and exercise authority rather than retreat behind processes or moral evasion.

What do you believe is the greatest challenge facing the United States?

Expelling tens of millions of people from this country who shouldn’t be here, which would also dismantle the American Neo-Bolshevik’s power structure of paid-for votes, fraud, and patronage.

What do you believe has led to our established culture redefining itself in the 21^st Century?

The emergence of social media, without question. It’s fundamentally changed the way we see the world and communicate with each other.

What are your thoughts on the use of service dogs when it comes to helping our American Veterans who are dealing with mental health and addiction issues?

I’m a dog lover, and I have close friends who are Veterans who told me it was their dog who saved their lives. If it weren’t for their dog, they likely would have killed themselves. They can and should absolutely be used as much as they reasonably can, because they love their owner unconditionally and depend on them, which gives the Veterans a sense of purpose in taking care of them.

What would the message be if you could communicate one thing to politicians and Americans alike about the need to extend a lifeline (outside of the VA) to our troubled American Veterans?

Veterans are people. No more, no less.

They should neither be lionized nor infantilized. Most veterans live productive, ordinary lives. Some struggle, as many Americans do. The goal should be integration, dignity, and access to real options instead of bureaucratic monopolies that crowd out effective alternatives.

What book, speech, or movie has left a lasting impression on you and why?

“How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big” by Scott Adams. Hands down the most useful and practical “self-help” book out there. Absolutely changed my life.

What books are you currently reading?

The Book of Exodus.

Do you have a favorite quote? Why does it resonate with you?

I’ve never been in a twelve step program, AA, or anything like that, but the Serenity Prayer (often prayed after 12 step meetings) is tremendous wisdom.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

It’s distilled moral realism that’s useful in leadership, politics, and life.

What is the most distinctive attribute/character of the people in the state where you grew up that you genuinely admire?

Even though I didn’t grow up there, I was born in Minnesota. They are the nicest people in the world. Too nice, unfortunately.

What brings you peace of mind at the end of a stressful day?

Prayer.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Hopefully with a couple more kids! Probably in the DC area, maybe back in California. I would love the opportunity to work for JD Vance one day. That guy’s the future of the American Right.