Fred Mattlage

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Fred Mattlage (born 1953) is an American Army veteran and small business owner from Hewitt, Texas. On 16 August 2005 he offered the free use of a parcel of his land near Crawford, Texas to dozens of Iraq war protesters led by peace activist Cindy Sheehan, who had camped in roadside ditches for the previous eleven days.

Mattlage said he had sympathy for the demonstrators whose makeshift camp, called Camp Casey, has angered some residents. He also said he offered Sheehan and her supporters the land "basically as an act of compassion for a parent whose son was lost in combat."

Mattlage says the group will be safer and have more room on his corner one-acre lot. Mattlage has stated that he thinks people should have a right to protest without being harassed. In addition, he also has stated he is against the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

Fred Mattlage is a third cousin of Larry Mattlage, who owns nearby land, and achieved notoriety for firing a shotgun twice into the air near Sheehan's camp (there were no injuries) the Sunday before Fred made his offer. Fred Mattlage says he and his cousin feel differently about the group.