Maryland Dem. Governor Might Have Lied About His Military Service

Is it a Danang Dick lie? No. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore served this nation with distinction. That’s not the basis of the attack, but his claim of leading men into combat has struck a nerve with some folks who were also there, because he didn’t do that in Afghanistan (via WJLA):

For years, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has described his Afghanistan deployment as the experience of an 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper who led soldiers in combat. Now, the Army officer who supervised Moore daily says his accounts of what happened there in 2005 and 2006 are unequivocally false.

“Be honest,” retired Lt. Col. James A. “Jamie” Gottschling said when asked what he would tell Moore. “His service in Afghanistan was good. He was a valued member of the brigade staff.” But he added, “It’s disingenuous to say that you led paratroopers in combat or that you did what would be direct action activities in a combat zone.”

When Spotlight first cast doubt on Moore’s claims of leading soldiers in combat, it had not yet learned about Moore’s direct supervisor, Gottschling, who has participated in two interviews with Spotlight. Gottschling’s knowledge of Moore’s daily activities in the combat zone adds a firsthand perspective to three Spotlight articles published in May that examined Moore’s path to Afghanistan, his duties and his false combat claims.

Moore’s office did not respond to Spotlight on Maryland’s offer to sit down with the governor and give him an opportunity to dispute his former supervisor’s statements or any of Spotlight’s reporting to date.

Moore received an Army reserve commission in May 1998 but did not complete his initial officer qualification for more than seven years until graduating from the Military Police Officer Basic Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, in June 2005. By then, the 1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division had already deployed to Afghanistan. Moore arrived Aug. 15, nearly five months after the brigade arrived in country.

Spotlight reported on May 10 that Moore’s records showed no prior troop-leading experience or information-operations training. His placement came through then-Lt. Col. Michael Fenzel, the brigade’s deputy commander and Moore’s longtime friend and mentor, who arranged a by-name deployment request for the newly qualified Army Reserve officer. For years, before attending his officer basic course, Moore largely disregarded the reserve military obligations he had undertaken as a commissioned officer, failing to fulfill the fundamental duties and training requirements that accompanied his commission.

Moore at least served and deployed overseas, whereas Sen. Dick Blumenthal (D-CT) outright lied and survived this embarrassing Temu G.I. Joe tale because his state is D+500000. If Moore does run in 2028, he better be prepared for this. 

Editor's Note: Do you enjoy Townhall's conservative reporting that takes on the radical Left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.

Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.