Wes Moore’s military record: what’s known, what isn’t

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — A military career has long been central to Gov. Wes Moore’s public identity, shaping the biography that helped propel him from bestselling author to Maryland governor and potential national Democratic figure.

After months of reporting, interviews and records requests, Spotlight on Maryland has established key facts about Moore’s service while uncovering persistent gaps that remain unresolved.

Spotlight’s reporting has uncovered significant questions about Moore’s military awards, his public descriptions of his role in Afghanistan, his use of Army 1st Sgt. Tobias “Toby” Meister’s death in telling his story and training gaps in his Army Reserve service before deploying to Afghanistan.

“He knows what the truth is and he doesn’t want the people of Maryland to know what the truth is,” said Drew Sullins on Tuesday, a retired U.S. Army colonel with more than 30 years of service who has been leading Spotlight on Maryland’s investigation into Moore’s military records.

Moore’s office did not respond to Spotlight’s questions for this story.

ALSO READ | ‘Release everything’: Wes Moore’s military record fight escalates

The governor unquestionably served nearly seven years as a U.S. Army officer and deployed to Afghanistan. But his refusal to release his complete military personnel file has left fundamental questions unanswered about the awards, assignments, and public descriptions of that service. Those questions have grown as Moore and his administration have repeatedly declined to provide records or directly address more than 200 detailed questions.

Those questions are not about whether Moore served his country. They are about whether the public record fully supports the military narrative that has become a defining pillar of his political career.

He [Moore] has not personally answered [outstanding questions], but he has directed his staff to answer some of the questions we’ve asked,” Sullins said. “[T]hey leave unanswered most of the really meaningful ones that would provide the truth and get to the facts.”

Transparency has become the central issue.

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND – JANUARY 18: Maryland Governor Wes Moore (C), first lady Dawn Moore (L) and Oprah Winfrey bow their heads in prayer at the conclusion of his inaugural ceremony at the Maryland State House on January 18, 2023 in Annapolis, Maryland. Democrat Moore defeated Republican nominee Dan Cox to become the first Black governor of Maryland and only the third Black person to be elected governor in the United States. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Moore has not released the records that could resolve many of the outstanding questions. The debate has shifted from isolated discrepancies to whether a governor who has repeatedly pledged transparency is keeping his word while withholding documents he has the authority to release.

Due to Moore’s role in public office, federal law grants him the right to withhold information otherwise accessible through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process that he does not want released, while others do not have the same ability to block those details from becoming public.

ALSO READ | Wes Moore dodges military questions at Port of Baltimore event, zooms away

Since November, Spotlight on Maryland has sent more than 200 questions to Moore and his team to obtain answers about the governor’s military awards, assignments, prior public descriptions of his service, and access to documents that could help address lingering concerns.

The vast majority of those questions remain unanswered, and many sets of questions receive no acknowledgment from the governor, his office or campaign.

Sullins’ latest story showed that Moore received an Army Commendation Medal before leaving his tour in Afghanistan. A photo Spotlight on Maryland obtained from retired Army Lt. Col. Jamie Gottschling, one of Moore’s direct supervisors during his deployment, showed Moore being pinned with the award on March 1, 2006.

Capt. Wes Moore receives an Army Commendation Medal, or ARCOM, during an end-of-tour awards ceremony at Forward Operating Base Salerno in Afghanistan on March 1, 2006. (James Gottschling/Submitted)

This discovery was a hot topic on local talk radio stations in Maryland, including Baltimore’s WBAL NewsRadio 1090.

“I think it is good journalism, number one,” said Bryan Nehman, a WBAL host, on Tuesday morning. “I think it’s more proof that there was not going to be a Bronze Star given.”

As Spotlight on Maryland’s investigation has pressed on for months, Moore has said to other media outlets that he never intended to mislead anyone when discrepancies were discovered. He has described past discrepancies involving the Bronze Star as an “honest mistake” rooted in guidance he received from senior officers during his deployment.

ALSO READ | 86 days since Moore’s team promised military records, investigation presses on

Moore’s office has also engaged in an aggressive social media campaign to underscore the governor’s military service, while falsely characterizing outstanding questions about his service as a right-wing or political attack.

“Dan Rather was just glorified during his time going after George W. Bush and finding ways he got out of the military, and it turns out that there was a fabricated piece of evidence that wasn’t there,” Nehman said. “I don’t know, maybe something will show up that this is fabricated, but it doesn’t appear to be.

This is the reverse of Dan Rather, is what my point is. This is proof here that there was, at the time, they determined he didn’t deserve a Bronze Star, that he deserved another medal, and it’s a pretty damn good medal to be proud of, but it’s not the Bronze Star,” Nehman added.

Some of Spotlight’s questions about transparency have been prompted by comments from the governor’s office.

COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 26: Maryland Democratic gubernatorial nominee Wes Moore (R) and lieutenant gubernatorial nominee Aruna Miller hold a campaign rally at the Stamp Student Union on the campus of the University of Maryland on October 26, 2022 in College Park, Maryland. An Army veteran, television host and former investment banker, Moore, who is leading Republican nominee Dan Cox, would be the first Black governor of Maryland if elected in November. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In March, during an unrelated event in Hagerstown, Spotlight on Maryland asked Moore whether he would release all military records requested over the past year.

“We continue to show transparency on everything and all things related to your Spotlight,” Moore responded.

His press secretary, Ammar Moussa, countered moments later that he would provide those documents and that his team was in “active negotiations” with Spotlight on Maryland. Those negotiations never occurred, and the records have still not been released nearly four months later.

Last week, Spotlight on Maryland again attempted to ask Moore about his prior statements that he led troops into battle and other unresolved details involving combat claims he penned in one of his books.

The governor was swiftly escorted to an executive SUV feet away, not acknowledging the question.

ALSO READ | Wes Moore trust crisis? Tough week for governor raises questions about honesty

The known facts Spotlight on Maryland has at this point show that Moore served, deployed, and received the Bronze Star decades later in a process shrouded in secrecy and during a private ceremony.

ROCKVILLE, MD – AUGUST 25: U.S. President Joe Biden (R) reaches out to Maryland Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore while speaking at a DNC rally at Richard Montgomery High School on August 25, 2022 in Rockville, Maryland. Biden rallied supporters for Democratic candidates running in Maryland and to encourage Democratic voters nationwide to turn out in the November midterm elections. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Advertisement

The unresolved questions include:

• Why have some descriptions of Moore’s military experience shifted?
• Why has the governor’s full military personnel record not been released?
• What documents exist concerning the Bronze Star, especially considering he was pinned with another award while in Afghanistan?
• Do the assignments and awards match the story presented that Moore has used as a cornerstone to his political career?

The governor has framed the scrutiny as political and has consistently maintained that he has nothing to hide. Yet, political observers have maintained for generations that transparency is not a political standard. It is a public one.

ALSO READ | As Wes Moore demands transparency, his own records remain hidden

Still, during his Tuesday morning broadcast, Nehman focused on the discrepancies that Spotlight on Maryland recently discovered regarding the award Moore received before his deployment ended.

We have the picture of it, of him being pinned on that, so in his [Gottschling’s] view, and in his mind, the way he tells the story, it never was going to be a Bronze Star,” Nehman said. “It was always going to be this ARCOM.”

Both WBAL NewsRadio morning show hosts agreed that the latest findings by Spotlight on Maryland won’t be a problem for Moore in the gubernatorial race, but they could pose a political problem for him in pursuing higher political aspirations, including seeking a national office.

“I’m not convinced he’s going to run for president of the United States, but he would make a hell of a running mate,” Nehman said. “But that’s also now in question because then you have to deal with that thing [ARCOM].”

Do you have any tips or information related to this story? Send news tips to gmcollins@sbgtv.com or contact Spotlight on Maryland’s hotline at (410) 467-4670.

Follow Gary Collins on X and Instagram. Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun.