By Ben Kesling
Some veterans groups and members of Congress expressed
disappointment Tuesday after Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert
McDonald apologized for claiming he had been in special forces when
he had only served in conventional military units.
Mr. McDonald made the claim during a brief conversation earlier
this year with a homeless man as he surveyed the state of veteran
homelessness in Los Angeles.
"Special forces? What years? I was in special forces," Mr.
McDonald said after the homeless man shared his special forces
claim. The interaction was filmed by a CBS News crew and broadcast
on Jan. 30, during a segment on Mr. McDonald's efforts to get out
and talk with homeless veterans during the department's push to
eradicate veteran homelessness.
The seemingly innocuous claim made weeks ago was again reported
by the Huffington Post on Monday. Mr. McDonald, who was named
Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs last year amid a
scandal over falsified patient-appointment records, first
apologized Monday for the claim.
"While I was in Los Angeles, engaging a homeless individual to
determine his Veteran status, I asked the man where he had served
in the military, " said Mr. McDonald in a statement. "He responded
that he had served in special forces. I incorrectly stated that I
had been in special forces. That was inaccurate and I apologize to
anyone that was offended by my misstatement."
Mr. McDonald graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point and served as an infantry officer and in the 82nd Airborne
Division. He also completed Ranger School, but Mr. McDonald never
served in a Ranger battalion or with a unit associated with elite
soldiers commonly known as Green Berets.
"In an effort to bond with a homeless veteran, Secretary
McDonald told him he was in the special forces," said Michael Helm,
national commander of the American Legion, a veteran advocacy
group, in a statement. "But a lie is a lie...What a disappointment
from the leader of a department whose number one issue right now is
the restoration of trust."
"I'm disappointed in Sec. McDonald's comments," said Rep. Jeff
Miller (R., Fla.) the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans'
Affairs, one of a number of people expressing disappointment in the
false claim.
But while Mr. McDonald's false claim has exasperated some,
others are shrugging it off as a misstatement made while comforting
a homeless man as Mr. McDonald works to turn around an ailing
department.
Rep. Mike Coffman (R., Colo.), a member of the House committee,
spoke up as an unlikely supporter of Mr. McDonald on Tuesday. Mr.
Coffman and Mr. McDonald are known for their contentious
relationship, one that broke into a shouting match during a recent
congressional hearing with Mr. Coffman excoriating the secretary's
performance and Mr. McDonald pointedly asking the congressman "I've
run a large company, Sir, what have you done?"
"The Secretary's misstatement was an error, but it doesn't dim
the fact that he served honorably," said Mr. Coffman, a Marine
Corps combat veteran. "We should all take him at his word and
Washington shouldn't spend the next two weeks arguing about
it."
Write to Ben Kesling at benjamin.kesling@wsj.com
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