There are few things less enjoyable than seeing a capable, well-intentioned candidate for public office crater so quickly.
Gary McCollum, sadly, has accomplished this in quick order with his now-thoroughly debunked claim to be a major in the Army Reserves for the last 14 years.
The dogpile is pretty deep at this rate, and the kickoff starts with Patrick Wilson over at the Virginian-Pilot:
State Senate candidate Gary McCollum of Virginia Beach has said in campaign and business writings he is “currently a major in the Army Reserve.”
But Army records show he was discharged in September 2001.
Confronted with that information Tuesday, McCollum said he had mistakenly represented his status but said he believed he was in the reserves, even though he hadn’t had contact with the service for years, had not participated in drills and had not been paid.
WAVY jumps in with their own observations on the entire scandal:
But it is clear from documents obtained by 10 On Your Side that he was discharged by the Army in September 2001, and it’s McCollum’s failure to understand that which threatens his campaign today.
With information that 10 On Your Side had obtained, WAVY pointed out to McCollum that his repeated claims in stories, campaign literature, personal bios, that he is “currently a Major in the Army Reserve” was simply not true.
Ouch.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch has a bit more insight on the motivations to continue with the fabrication:
The former Army Ranger and current executive at Cox Communications has touted his military service during his campaign against Sen. Frank W. Wagner, R-Virginia Beach. The district where they are competing, made up of part of Virginia Beach and three Norfolk precincts, has a high concentration of current and former military members.
Jenna Portnoy at the Washington Post gets straight to the heart of the matter:
The misrepresentation could be particularly dicey in the Virginia Beach district, which includes part of Norfolk, home to the largest naval base in the world.
Wagner, a member of the House for nine years before joining the Senate in 2001, called the error a disservice to members of the military.
“I just think it’s a shame that someone feels like they need to exaggerate their military record,” Wagner said in a phone interview. “It certainly brings into question the integrity of the candidate. More importantly, this area I represent probably has one of the largest groupings of veterans of any legislative district in the state.”
…and the coup de grace from Alan Suderman over at the AP (as reported by the Military Times), perhaps not for the content — it is AP syndication, after all, same as the RTD story — but for where his article is published… which is practically everywhere because hey, Associated Press and stuff.
As in most things, it’s the denial that is worse than the story itself. From McCollum’s campaign website:
But while I am both remorseful and frankly embarrassed that an error like this occurred, at the same time I remain incredibly proud of my 20 years of service to our country.
Small problem with that — McCollum served on active duty for 8 years, then was moved to the Army Reserve for 3 years. That’s 11 years of service in the military… not 20 years.
That’s painful to read.
Stolen valor is a concept often talked about in this regard. Whether it’s wearing the uniform at bar, or using a title to obtain a job… it just shouldn’t be done. McCollum has claimed inactive reserve status through two wars and numerous conflicts at a time when military intelligence officers were at a premium.
Thousands of soldiers, airmen, Marines and midshipmen were asked to place their lives on the altar of freedom during that time — and some never came back. That’s the real scandal in all of this. It isn’t what McCollum claimed to be, but that he never shared in the sacrifice.
McCollum knows better than this. If not, he ought to.
