I always find it disheartening to see mispresentations on the Columbian’s website or in their print edition. Whether deliberate or accidental, misrepresentations serve no one and leave people with false impressions of news or something that happened.
As readers know, Clark County Politics blog and I both raised the question about a claim of “numerous combat medals” received by current Clark County Board of Commissioners candidate, Joe Tanner, seeing that he served aboard a ship cruising in the South China Sea off of the coast of Vietnam during the war in support of the war.
Such a claim is vague and leads people to believe such medals to be earned during actual combat by a soldier or sailor if a member of the Navy as was Tanner.
Most that never served in the Military do not see a distinction nor do they see a need to question Military service, unless of course your name is George W. Bush or you’re a Republican.
Seeing that Mr. Tanner was an Electronics Technician most likely serving at sea, the question arose about how “numerous combat medals” could be received. Given that, on April 25, 2012 I sent an email to the Tanner campaign requesting clarification.
On April 29, 2012, a little after 9 pm I received from Tanner;
Lew, sorry for the delay. I have a new grand daughter (my first) and that took priority. By noon tomorrow I will send to you my DD-214 and a statement about my military service. I am taking you at your word that you will publish my DD-214 and statement verbatim on your website. All the Democrats and Republicans I know believe you to be a straight shooter, so I am going to assume that – until and unless you give me a reason to think otherwise. At the same time I will post the DD-214 on my website and also send it to the Columbian and Reflector.
I think we will both be a big part of the political landscape in Clark County for many years, so hopefully we will have a mutually respectful and productive working relationship. By the way, I personally gave my DD-214 to David Madore 2 months ago, given our mutual experience in the Navy. I assumed you already had a copy, but in any event tomorrow you will have it (absent only my social security number).
True to his word, he emailed me a copy of his DD 214 and a statement on his service, that I posted just prior to meeting him for lunch today, where we had a pleasant discussion and he accepted my advice to change the misleading wording of “numerous combat medals” to “several meritorious medals and awards,” accurately describing his Honorable Service aboard the USS Providence.
I also agreed with him that it was a good idea to include the Columbian in the release, if for no other reason that to give him the assurance that I would indeed post his response verbatim as well as they are the “newspaper of record.”
Given the Columbian’s history of dislike of current Commissioner Tom Mielke, who Joe Tanner is challenging, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to come home from meeting Tanner and seeing the Columbian’s All Politics is Local blog distorting the concern both Kelly and I had.
Written by Stephanie Rice and under the heading Tanner releases military service record we see written, “Tanner released the record because two conservative bloggers, Lew Waters and Kelly Hinton, had questioned how Tanner earned combat medals.”
We also read, “Tanner said today that having Waters and Hinton question his military record was ‘disheartening’ and politically driven,” which was not expressed to me during our lunch together.
What is “disheartening” is to drop down in comments and read from Columbian editor Lou Brancaccio,
“It was nice to have Joe come in today to speak with Stephanie about all of this. Anyone who has been around politics for very long likely understands the drill. It is what it is I guess.”
It’s disheartening as neither Stephanie Rice nor Brancaccio made any effort to contact either me or Kelly about this, but automatically assigned political motives to it when it was a Veteran to Veteran matter.
Nobody impugned Tanner’s service nor questioned his being a Vietnam Veteran. The question was solely over the claim of “combat medals,” now corrected on Joe Tanners campaign page.
Also disheartening was to see the claim made by well known citizen Jim Mains of,
“It’s pathetic that people start rumors and misinformation about our good men and women who serve our country. We are the United States not the Divided States. Let’s start acting like it! Thank you Joe for your service.”
I have not yet found Jim’s defense of claims made for several years about the service of former president George W. Bush in the Texas Air National Guard by many from his party still.
But apparently he formed the desired outcome of Stephanie Rice’s post, that we were somehow denigrating Tanners service to benefit Mielke when in fact, it is they who wish to marginalize Mielke and ignore Mielke’s own Vietnam Service with the 82nd Airborne Division, receiving the Bronze Star with ‘V’ device, a true “combat medal.”
In the past, our blogs have requested similar clarifications from both self proclaimed “tea party icon,” Marine Corporal David W. Hedrick and Presidential Candidate Ron Paul, neither of whom has bothered to respond, Hedrick’s redacted records obtained through a “Stolen Valor” watchdog group.
The request was not made over partisan issues, but due to seeing over recent years several political candidates who have embellished or fabricated Military Service claims when seeking office.
It was just an effort to seek clarification on a questionable claim and has been rectified.
But leave it to the Columbian, who did not raise any question when Hedrick’s records were being sought nor has any asked Ron Paul for clarification on supporters claims of his service, to create a mountain out of a molehill and never contact those who they assign motives to.
Tanner did not respond to Kelly’s request and has issued an apology to him for missing his email on this blog, which the Columbian does not mention.
That too should be of no surprise.
Veteran to Veteran, I thank Joe Tanner for his clarification as well as for the lunch meeting he requested.
To both he and fellow Vietnam Veteran Tom Mielke, I give a hearty Welcome Home, brothers.
