Continue reading "Maryland Governor Wes Moore Waited Seven Years to Finish Basic Officer Training — Then Claimed He Led Paratroopers in Combat""/>
Sunday, May 10, 2026
Breaking News

Maryland Governor Wes Moore Waited Seven Years to Finish Basic Officer Training — Then Claimed He Led Paratroopers in Combat

Wes Moore received his Army reserve commission in May 1998. He didn't complete the Military Police Officer Basic Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, until June 2005 — seven years later. When the 1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division deployed to Afghanistan, Moore arrived on August 15, nearly five months after the brigade got there.

That's the guy who's been telling voters he led paratroopers in combat.

Retired Lt. Col. James A. "Jamie" Gottschling, Moore's former Army supervisor during the 2005-2006 Afghanistan deployment, told Townhall something Moore's press team probably wishes he hadn't. "Be honest. His service in Afghanistan was good. He was a valued member of the brigade staff. But 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."

Read that quote again — slowly. Gottschling isn't some partisan operative. He's the man who supervised Moore in theater. He's saying the Maryland governor's military narrative is fabricated. Not embellished. Not exaggerated. Disingenuous.

Moore's actual service record tells a straightforward story. Commission in 1998. Seven years to finish officer qualification. Arrived in Afghanistan months after the unit he claims to have led. Served on the brigade staff. Went home. That's a perfectly respectable record for a reservist who deployed to a combat zone. Nobody would criticize it.

But "served on the brigade staff" doesn't win elections. "Led paratroopers in combat" does. So somewhere between Fort Leonard Wood and the governor's mansion, the story got an upgrade.

Lt. Col. Michael Fenzel, who served as the brigade's deputy commander and was described as Moore's friend and mentor during the deployment, is part of the picture Townhall assembled of Moore's actual role. Staff officer. Not a combat leader directing paratroopers on missions. The distinction matters — especially to the people who actually did lead paratroopers in combat.

The pattern here isn't new. Connecticut Senator Dick Blumenthal spent years telling audiences he served "in Vietnam" before the New York Times revealed he'd never deployed there. Blumenthal got caught, apologized, and won reelection anyway. The playbook works because the media treats military stolen valor from Democrats as a one-cycle embarrassment rather than a disqualifying character issue.

Moore built an entire political brand on his military biography. The paratrooper narrative wasn't a detail in a long résumé — it was the foundation. Combat veteran. Leader of men. The kind of biography that makes voters trust you before they hear a single policy position.

Gottschling's assessment is worth repeating: "His service in Afghanistan was good." Moore served. He deployed. He contributed to the mission. That's more than most politicians can say.

He just wasn't the guy he told everyone he was.

Like this Article? Share it!


Most Popular

Most Popular

Comments are closed.