Meet Fred
Fred is a veteran, entrepreneur, and father who has dedicated his life to service — service to his country, his fellow veterans, and the truth. Now he’s running as a Democrat to serve his friends and neighbors as Missouri’s Second Congressional District’s Representative in Congress.
Early Life & Military Service
The Wellmans moved Fred and his three siblings to Kirkwood, Missouri, when Fred was still an infant. He grew up in the Kirkwood public schools, graduating from Kirkwood High School in 1983. Fred continues to be thankful that his parents made such a wise choice when choosing where to settle down.
Fred’s siblings all stayed close to home and proudly headed to MIZZOU, but Fred knew he wanted to serve. The son of a long line of military veterans, including his father who served as a Marine in World War II, Fred chose to apply to West Point. He was accepted into the class of 1987 and graduated with a commission as an Army aviator. He chose to fly OH-58 scout helicopters and, after a tour in Korea, led a scout platoon into Operation Desert Storm. After his first combat tour, Fred attended and graduated from the Army’s famed Ranger School.
Fred married his college sweetheart, Jennifer, but she was tragically killed in a car accident in 1994 while 7 months pregnant with their first child. Fred responded to the tragedy by doubling down on his military service. He threw himself into his work with the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii, rebuilt his life, remarried, and raised four incredible kids: Amber, Dylan, Morgan, and Hunter.
Fred thought he was finally taking a step back from the military when he joined the Army Reserve in 2000. But after being mobilized on 9/11, Fred chose to serve again and volunteered to return to the Active Army. Fred deployed with the famed 101st Airborne (Air Assault) for the initial phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom as a UH-60 battalion Operations and Executive Officer.
After his second tour in Iraq, Fred decided it was time to go back to school. He attended the Harvard Kennedy School, attaining a Master's degree as a Presidential Scholar, Public Service Fellow, and graduating with a Littauer Fellowship.
But he wasn’t ready for civilian life just yet. Fred was posted to the Army Headquarters at the Pentagon and returned to Iraq for one last combat tour. After decades in the military, Fred finally retired in 2010
Post Military Life
Not long after retiring, Fred launched ScoutComms, a firm focused on serving veterans and military families. For almost a decade, ScoutComms worked with top nonprofits and corporations to invest in the veteran community. Fred and his team would go on to win multiple community awards for their work.
When COVID hit, Fred was called on to serve once again. He was asked to run a field hospital in New York City staffed by Special Operations medical veterans and others in support of New York Presbyterian Hospital. As Administrative Chief-of-Staff, Fred orchestrated the build-out, staffing, and support for Ryan F. Larkin NYP Field Hospital.
When the Field Hospital wound down, Fred decided it was time to close his firm and expand his activism beyond the veteran community. He joined the Lincoln Project as the Senior Advisor for Veterans Affairs. After Donald Trump’s defeat in 2020, he stepped up as the Executive Director. In 2021, it was finally time to return to Missouri because his very wise fiancée Heather said so. He moved to Wildwood.
Immediately after arriving home, Fred found a new community to serve. The fall of Kabul meant hundreds of Afghan refugees would be coming to St. Louis. With donations piling up at the International Institute of St. Louis, Fred got to work. He orchestrated volunteer teams from Scott Air Force Base to organize, store, and prepare the thousands of generous donations from across the St. Louis region for distribution.
Fred’s political activism has only grown since moving back to Missouri. He has been active in dozens of efforts supporting common-sense candidates, projects, and more across the state. Realizing the potential for podcasts to drive political change, Fred launched the growing, ‘On Democracy with FPWellman’ show on the MeidasTouch Network.
Today, Fred continues to appreciate his fiancée’s encouragement to move back to Missouri. Together, they live in Wildwood with their dogs, Ash and Maple, and the very opinionated cat, Shugs. When he’s not chasing them he is hiking and walking all across the region. He insists he’ll still have plenty of time left for them in between fighting to serve us in Congress.