For years Gov. Wes Moore has told voters he “led soldiers into combat in Afghanistan,” but the officer who was his boss there says that never happened, because Moore held a staff job, not a fighting one.
Story Snapshot
- Moore’s account of his war service has shifted over the years, from “special ops” and leading paratroopers to a staff job in information operations.
- His direct supervisor in Afghanistan, retired Lt. Col. James “Jamie” Gottschling, says Moore had no troops under him and did not fight.
- Army records show about seven months in Afghanistan and a badge earned in a rocket attack on his base where no one was hurt.
- Moore’s office has not answered the supervisor’s account.
Moore in His Own Words
Maryland’s Democratic governor, re-elected on Tuesday, November 3, has made his Army service a pillar of his public life. In a 2022 social media post, he wrote that he “led soldiers into combat in Afghanistan.” On a 2021 podcast, he said he “led a group of paratroopers.” His 2015 book, The Work, speaks of “the opportunity to lead soldiers in combat” and describes bullets hitting the ground in a firefight. On Sunday, November 8, the man who supervised him every day in Afghanistan said those stories are not true.
The reason he gives is the job itself. Moore served as an information operations officer, a staff role focused on public messaging and helping local Afghan officials tell their side of the story. That work did not involve leading troops into battle, his supervisor says.
How the Story Has Changed
Moore’s description of his service has not stayed the same. In a 2014 interview for a USO program, he said he had been an infantry officer, then a military police officer, and then “became special ops.” A yearlong investigation by a Baltimore TV station found the infantry and special operations claims were untrue; his records show military police training. In other interviews, he said he served in Afghanistan for 10 to 13 months. Army records show August 15, 2005, to March 14, 2006, about seven months, with roughly a month of that spent home on emergency leave.
By June of this year, under pressure, Moore’s words had narrowed. He said he had never been ordered to lead offensive missions but had faced real danger. “I was scared over there,” he said. “There’s maybe ways I could have articulated things differently, but it still doesn’t take away from what we experienced.” In a national TV interview, he described his role this way: “My job was serving as a director of information operations.”
What the Supervisor Says
Gottschling, who retired as a lieutenant colonel, was a major at the time and the 1st Brigade’s fire support coordinator, the officer who plans artillery and air strikes, at Forward Operating Base Salerno with the 82nd Airborne Division. He was also Moore’s rater, the officer who writes the formal job review, which put him in a position to see Moore’s daily work.
“It’s disingenuous to say that you led paratroopers in combat,” Gottschling said. “He didn’t have any troops assigned to him.” Asked whether Moore fired his weapon, he answered, “Not to my knowledge.” He said Moore “wasn’t assigned to a parachutist position and didn’t earn jump pay, so therefore, he’s not a paratrooper.” Still, he praised Moore’s actual work: “His service in Afghanistan was good. He was a valued member of the brigade staff.” His message to the governor: “Be honest.”
The Records Behind the Badge
Moore’s Combat Action Badge, an award for coming under enemy fire, came from a rocket attack on his base on December 9, 2005. Three rockets hit and no one was hurt. Investigators found no after-action reports, the Army’s official accounts of a fight, and no witnesses to support the firefights Moore has described.
There is also the Bronze Star. Moore listed it on a 2006 White House Fellowship application before he had received it. In 2024, he called that “an honest mistake,” and he was given the medal in a private ceremony that December. Gottschling said he was not consulted and would not have backed the award.
Moore’s Response
Moore’s office did not respond to requests for comment on Gottschling’s account and passed on an offer for the governor to sit down and answer it. In June, when a reporter asked which version of the combat story was true, a spokesperson replied, “What is the difference between these two things?” and asked whether enemy fire aimed at the governor is not combat. Moore has called the attacks on his record “deeply slanderous and disrespectful.”
Why This Matters
Serving in a war zone is honorable, and even Moore’s supervisor says he did his job well. But a sitting governor’s words carry weight. Saying you led soldiers in combat tells voters you took men into battle. Moore’s own words have moved from that claim toward a smaller one, and the officer who saw his work every day says the smaller one is the truth.
Sources:
foxbaltimore.com, foxbaltimore.com, freebeacon.com, wesmoore.com, thebanner.com
