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GOP House candidate did not deploy to Afghanistan as he claimed, AP reports

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A far-right, QAnon-embracing Republican House candidate in Ohio lied about having been deployed to Afghanistan, according to the Associated Press which obtained the candidate’s military records through a public information request.
The candidate, J.R. Majewski, who appeared at a rally with former president Donald Trump on Saturday, has described himself as a military veteran who served in Afghanistan.
“Rather than deploying to Afghanistan, as he has claimed, the records state that Majewski was based at Kadena Air Base in Japan for much of his active-duty service,” the AP reported. “He later deployed for six months to Qatar in May 2002, where he helped load and unload planes while serving as a ‘passenger operations specialist,’ the records show.”
Majewski’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement, Majewski told the AP, “I am proud to have served my country,” and said the Democrat he is trying to unseat, Rep. Marcy Kaptur, has “a forty-year record of failure for my Toledo community.” The statement did not address Majewski’s false representation of his military record, the AP said.
Majewski rose to national attention by painting giant Trump signs on his lawn and in May, he won the Republican nomination in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, beating two state legislators in the primary. At Saturday’s rally in Youngstown, Ohio, Majewski began his brief speech by asking, “How many veterans we got in here? Police officers? Stand up. Let’s give you a round of applause.”

 
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Where is the "I deployed to Afghanistan" quote? I see where he says he joined after 9/11, which his records would seem to confirm. I'm not saying he didn't say it, but it isn't in those articles. One says "he deployed to Afghanistan" but was that their error? It isn't a quote.
 
Whiskeydeltadeltatango said:
Where is the "I deployed to Afghanistan" quote? I see where he says he joined after 9/11, which his records would seem to confirm. I'm not saying he didn't say it, but it isn't in those articles. One says "he deployed to Afghanistan" but was that their error? It isn't a quote.
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It's in his bio. On his website. He once went 40 days without a shower. Because of the tough conditions he faced.
 
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Whiskeydeltadeltatango said:
Where is the "I deployed to Afghanistan" quote? I see where he says he joined after 9/11, which his records would seem to confirm. I'm not saying he didn't say it, but it isn't in those articles. One says "he deployed to Afghanistan" but was that their error? It isn't a quote.
Click to expand...
Throughout his campaign Majewski has offered his Air Force service as a valuable credential. The tagline “veteran for Congress” appears on campaign merchandise. He ran a Facebook ad promoting himself as “combat veteran.” And in a campaign video released this year, Majewski marauds through a vacant factory with a rifle while pledging to restore an America that is “independent and strong like the country I fought for.”

More recently, the House Republican campaign committee released a biography that describes Majewski as a veteran whose “squadron was one of the first on the ground in Afghanistan after 9/11.” A campaign ad posted online Tuesday by Majewski supporters flashed the words “Afghanistan War Veteran” across the screen alongside a picture of a younger Majewski in his dress uniform. A biography posted on his campaign website does not mention Afghanistan.

But Majewski hasn’t been forthcoming when asked about the specifics of his service.

“I don’t like talking about my military experience,” he said in a 2021 interview on the One American Podcast after volunteering that he served one tour of duty in Afghanistan. “It was a tough time in life. You know, the military wasn’t easy.”

A review of his service records, which the AP obtained from the National Archives through a public records request, as well as an accounting provided by the Air Force, offers a possible explanation for his hesitancy.

Rather than deploying to Afghanistan, as he has claimed, the records state that Majewski was based at Kadena Air Base in Japan for much of his active-duty service. He later deployed for six months to Qatar in May 2002, where he helped load and unload planes while serving as a “passenger operations specialist,” the records show.

While based in Qatar, Majewski would land at other air bases to transfer military passengers, medics, supplies, his campaign said. The campaign did not answer a direct question about whether he was ever in Afghanistan.

Experts argue Majewski’s description of himself as a “combat veteran” is also misleading.

The term can evoke images of soldiers storming a beachhead or finding refuge during a firefight. But under the laws and regulations of the U.S. government, facing live fire has little to do with someone earning the title.

During the Persian Gulf War, then-President George H.W. Bush designated, for the first time, countries used as combat support areas as combat zones despite the low-risk of American service members ever facing hostilities. That helped veterans receive a favorable tax status. Qatar, which is now home to the largest U.S. air base in the Middle East, was among the countries that received the designation under Bush’s executive order — a status that remains in effect today.

Regardless, it rankles some when those seeking office offer their status as a combat veteran as a credential to voters without explaining that it does not mean that they came under hostile fire.

“As somebody who was in Qatar, I do not consider myself a combat veteran,” said Christensen, the retired Air Force colonel who now runs Protect Our Defenders, a military watchdog organization. “I think that would be offensive to those who were actually engaged in combat and Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Majewski’s campaign said that he calls himself a combat veteran because the area he deployed to — Qatar — is considered a combat zone.

Majewski also lacks many of the medals that are typically awarded to those who served in Afghanistan.

Though he once said that he went more than 40 days without a shower during his time in the landlocked country, he does not have an Afghanistan campaign medal, which was issued to those who served “30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days” in the country.

He also did not receive a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, which was issued to service members before the creation of the Afghanistan campaign medal if they deployed overseas in “direct service to the War on Terror.”

Matthew Borie, an Air Force veteran who worked in intelligence and reviewed Majewski’s records at AP’s request said it’s “odd” that Majewski lacks many of the “medals you would expect to see for someone who deployed to Afghanistan.”

There’s also the matter of Majewski’s final rank and reenlistment code when he left active duty after four years of service.

Most leave the service after four years having received several promotions that are generally awarded for time served. Majewski exited at a rank that was one notch above where he started. His enlistment code also indicated that he could not sign up with the Air Force again.

Majewski’s campaign said he received what’s called a nonjudicial punishment in 2001 after getting into a “brawl” in his dormitory, which resulted in the demotion. Nonjudicial punishments are designed to hold service members accountable for bad behavior that does not rise to the level of a court-martial.
 
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BelemNole said:
Throughout his campaign Majewski has offered his Air Force service as a valuable credential. The tagline “veteran for Congress” appears on campaign merchandise. He ran a Facebook ad promoting himself as “combat veteran.” And in a campaign video released this year, Majewski marauds through a vacant factory with a rifle while pledging to restore an America that is “independent and strong like the country I fought for.”

More recently, the House Republican campaign committee released a biography that describes Majewski as a veteran whose “squadron was one of the first on the ground in Afghanistan after 9/11.” A campaign ad posted online Tuesday by Majewski supporters flashed the words “Afghanistan War Veteran” across the screen alongside a picture of a younger Majewski in his dress uniform. A biography posted on his campaign website does not mention Afghanistan.

But Majewski hasn’t been forthcoming when asked about the specifics of his service.

“I don’t like talking about my military experience,” he said in a 2021 interview on the One American Podcast after volunteering that he served one tour of duty in Afghanistan. “It was a tough time in life. You know, the military wasn’t easy.”

A review of his service records, which the AP obtained from the National Archives through a public records request, as well as an accounting provided by the Air Force, offers a possible explanation for his hesitancy.

Rather than deploying to Afghanistan, as he has claimed, the records state that Majewski was based at Kadena Air Base in Japan for much of his active-duty service. He later deployed for six months to Qatar in May 2002, where he helped load and unload planes while serving as a “passenger operations specialist,” the records show.

While based in Qatar, Majewski would land at other air bases to transfer military passengers, medics, supplies, his campaign said. The campaign did not answer a direct question about whether he was ever in Afghanistan.

Experts argue Majewski’s description of himself as a “combat veteran” is also misleading.

The term can evoke images of soldiers storming a beachhead or finding refuge during a firefight. But under the laws and regulations of the U.S. government, facing live fire has little to do with someone earning the title.

During the Persian Gulf War, then-President George H.W. Bush designated, for the first time, countries used as combat support areas as combat zones despite the low-risk of American service members ever facing hostilities. That helped veterans receive a favorable tax status. Qatar, which is now home to the largest U.S. air base in the Middle East, was among the countries that received the designation under Bush’s executive order — a status that remains in effect today.

Regardless, it rankles some when those seeking office offer their status as a combat veteran as a credential to voters without explaining that it does not mean that they came under hostile fire.

“As somebody who was in Qatar, I do not consider myself a combat veteran,” said Christensen, the retired Air Force colonel who now runs Protect Our Defenders, a military watchdog organization. “I think that would be offensive to those who were actually engaged in combat and Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Majewski’s campaign said that he calls himself a combat veteran because the area he deployed to — Qatar — is considered a combat zone.

Majewski also lacks many of the medals that are typically awarded to those who served in Afghanistan.

Though he once said that he went more than 40 days without a shower during his time in the landlocked country, he does not have an Afghanistan campaign medal, which was issued to those who served “30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days” in the country.

He also did not receive a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, which was issued to service members before the creation of the Afghanistan campaign medal if they deployed overseas in “direct service to the War on Terror.”

Matthew Borie, an Air Force veteran who worked in intelligence and reviewed Majewski’s records at AP’s request said it’s “odd” that Majewski lacks many of the “medals you would expect to see for someone who deployed to Afghanistan.”

There’s also the matter of Majewski’s final rank and reenlistment code when he left active duty after four years of service.

Most leave the service after four years having received several promotions that are generally awarded for time served. Majewski exited at a rank that was one notch above where he started. His enlistment code also indicated that he could not sign up with the Air Force again.

Majewski’s campaign said he received what’s called a nonjudicial punishment in 2001 after getting into a “brawl” in his dormitory, which resulted in the demotion. Nonjudicial punishments are designed to hold service members accountable for bad behavior that does not rise to the level of a court-martial.
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I'm sure it was an honest mistake. Similar to Herschel Walker being former FBI.
 
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BelemNole said:
Throughout his campaign Majewski has offered his Air Force service as a valuable credential. The tagline “veteran for Congress” appears on campaign merchandise. He ran a Facebook ad promoting himself as “combat veteran.” And in a campaign video released this year, Majewski marauds through a vacant factory with a rifle while pledging to restore an America that is “independent and strong like the country I fought for.”

More recently, the House Republican campaign committee released a biography that describes Majewski as a veteran whose “squadron was one of the first on the ground in Afghanistan after 9/11.” A campaign ad posted online Tuesday by Majewski supporters flashed the words “Afghanistan War Veteran” across the screen alongside a picture of a younger Majewski in his dress uniform. A biography posted on his campaign website does not mention Afghanistan.

But Majewski hasn’t been forthcoming when asked about the specifics of his service.

“I don’t like talking about my military experience,” he said in a 2021 interview on the One American Podcast after volunteering that he served one tour of duty in Afghanistan. “It was a tough time in life. You know, the military wasn’t easy.”

A review of his service records, which the AP obtained from the National Archives through a public records request, as well as an accounting provided by the Air Force, offers a possible explanation for his hesitancy.

Rather than deploying to Afghanistan, as he has claimed, the records state that Majewski was based at Kadena Air Base in Japan for much of his active-duty service. He later deployed for six months to Qatar in May 2002, where he helped load and unload planes while serving as a “passenger operations specialist,” the records show.

While based in Qatar, Majewski would land at other air bases to transfer military passengers, medics, supplies, his campaign said. The campaign did not answer a direct question about whether he was ever in Afghanistan.

Experts argue Majewski’s description of himself as a “combat veteran” is also misleading.

The term can evoke images of soldiers storming a beachhead or finding refuge during a firefight. But under the laws and regulations of the U.S. government, facing live fire has little to do with someone earning the title.

During the Persian Gulf War, then-President George H.W. Bush designated, for the first time, countries used as combat support areas as combat zones despite the low-risk of American service members ever facing hostilities. That helped veterans receive a favorable tax status. Qatar, which is now home to the largest U.S. air base in the Middle East, was among the countries that received the designation under Bush’s executive order — a status that remains in effect today.

Regardless, it rankles some when those seeking office offer their status as a combat veteran as a credential to voters without explaining that it does not mean that they came under hostile fire.

“As somebody who was in Qatar, I do not consider myself a combat veteran,” said Christensen, the retired Air Force colonel who now runs Protect Our Defenders, a military watchdog organization. “I think that would be offensive to those who were actually engaged in combat and Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Majewski’s campaign said that he calls himself a combat veteran because the area he deployed to — Qatar — is considered a combat zone.

Majewski also lacks many of the medals that are typically awarded to those who served in Afghanistan.

Though he once said that he went more than 40 days without a shower during his time in the landlocked country, he does not have an Afghanistan campaign medal, which was issued to those who served “30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days” in the country.

He also did not receive a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, which was issued to service members before the creation of the Afghanistan campaign medal if they deployed overseas in “direct service to the War on Terror.”

Matthew Borie, an Air Force veteran who worked in intelligence and reviewed Majewski’s records at AP’s request said it’s “odd” that Majewski lacks many of the “medals you would expect to see for someone who deployed to Afghanistan.”

There’s also the matter of Majewski’s final rank and reenlistment code when he left active duty after four years of service.

Most leave the service after four years having received several promotions that are generally awarded for time served. Majewski exited at a rank that was one notch above where he started. His enlistment code also indicated that he could not sign up with the Air Force again.

Majewski’s campaign said he received what’s called a nonjudicial punishment in 2001 after getting into a “brawl” in his dormitory, which resulted in the demotion. Nonjudicial punishments are designed to hold service members accountable for bad behavior that does not rise to the level of a court-martial.
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So someone else said something ND someone else ran an ad for him.... Still seems like something he should have corrected.
 
tumorboy said:
I'm sure he came under heavy fire in Japan and Qatar while looking for water.
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I hear ya.
My old man enjoyed his two tours at Tan Son Nhut, outside Saigon. His 8mm film and photos are of steak cook outs and go go girls in everyone’s lap.
He was there through Tet, but his being in a warzone kept his two brothers in the Army from being deployed as well.
I guess you could say he banged whores in SE Asia to protect his family.
 
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seminole97 said:
I hear ya.
My old man enjoyed his two tours at Tan Son Nhut, outside Saigon. His 8mm film and photos are of steak cook outs and go go girls in everyone’s lap.
He was there through Tet, but his being in a warzone kept his two brothers in the Army from being deployed as well.
I guess you could say he banged whores in SE Asia to protect his family.
Click to expand...
Everyone plays their part. The military guys that over monetize themselves are the annoying ones. I'm not talking about the guys who get movies made about them.
When your job was support while important don't act like u were Rambo or American Sniper.
 
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seminole97 said:
I hear ya.
My old man enjoyed his two tours at Tan Son Nhut, outside Saigon. His 8mm film and photos are of steak cook outs and go go girls in everyone’s lap.
He was there through Tet, but his being in a warzone kept his two brothers in the Army from being deployed as well.
I guess you could say he banged whores in SE Asia to protect his family.
Click to expand...
Dad built air fields in Vietnam. He wasn't combat troop either but that didn't stop people from shooting at them when they were scouting area for new air fields.
On the other hand, no one is shootnig at you when you're in Japan.
 
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As for the OP...

A - Having military experience should not have any affect on someone getting elected. It literally has nothing to do with running for pu lic office

B - If you served, great. If you deployed, great. If you didn't deploy, no one should care.

C - Don't lie about what you've done in your life.

This is a great example of why holding up troops' service as more than it should be is stupid. He didn't see combat. The proper response should be "yeah, so?". But, he felt the need to lie because people look down on troops who didn't see combat. And yes, there are troops who do the same.
 
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Whiskeydeltadeltatango said:
So someone else said something ND someone else ran an ad for him.... Still seems like something he should have corrected.
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He has stated that he served a tour of duty in Afghanistan and allowed many ads to be run claiming he was an Afghanistan combat vet.

He was in the armed forces, but hever never saw combat and certainly not in Afghanistan. To allow that lie and to help perpetuate it should make anyone connected to the military or who honors and respects those who died serving our country furious.
 
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lucas80 said:
Really?
What has Blumenthal said about his military service and the controversy surrounding what he has said?
Majewski is a full on Q nut. But, you just never, ever can pass up the chance to throw out a weak whataboutism in order to protect Team Red.
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But you’re NOT defending Team Blue at all...
 
kc78 said:
He has stated that he served a tour of duty in Afghanistan and allowed many ads to be run claiming he was an Afghanistan combat vet.

He was in the armed forces, but hever never saw combat and certainly not in Afghanistan. To allow that lie and to help perpetuate it should make anyone connected to the military or who honors and respects those who died serving our country furious.
Click to expand...
Agreed he should be correcting it. I didn't see any of the stuff you are talking about bit one would hope he would get out ahead of it.
 
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