Let's get to the real veterans' issues

Republican Sen. JD Vance, left, and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz both served in the military. Credit: Getty Images/Anadolu
Four decades ago, the reelection campaign of Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York caught itself a big break. His aspiring opponent, Republican Bruce Caputo was forced out of the race. Charges had emerged that Caputo falsely claimed he’d been a lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He later admitted he was never in the Army.
Many charges of “stolen valor” have since echoed in high-stakes election races, many of them less than clear-cut or provable.
In 2004 President George W. Bush endured a controversy centered on his Vietnam-era service in the Texas Air National Guard, why he lost his flight status, and whether he lived up to his military service contract. His Democratic challenger, Sen. John Kerry, was politically targeted by other veterans who questioned the merits of his multiple combat medals.
In 2010, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal told an audience of veterans he served in Vietnam. He didn’t. He obtained at least five military deferments from 1965 to 1970. But Blumenthal retracted, apologized, and won the Senate seat that November.
All this is to put in perspective the electoral combat of today.
Sen. JD Vance, who is Republican Donald Trump’s running mate, is throwing shade at Democrat Tim Walz, who is Kamala Harris’ veep contender. Vance has scored on one point: Walz misspoke when said of gun control, “We can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war is the only place where those weapons are at.” He was never deployed for combat, but handled such weapons at home, the Harris campaign said.
After 24 years in the Minnesota National Guard, Walz retired as a master sergeant rather than a command sergeant major — as initially indicated in campaign materials since corrected. Walz retired before his battalion was deployed to Iraq in 2005 when he ran for Congress.
For his part Vance served as a combat correspondent — an in-house journalist — for nearly four years in the Marines, officials said. Of his six months in Iraq, he wrote he was “lucky to escape any real fighting.”
Because veteran status is considered a political plus, an opposing candidate looks for flaws in the record. That’s how the game is played. Vance’s claim of “stolen valor” is hype.
Barring surprising new revelations, it’s probably worth looking past this little “gotcha” narrative and ahead to military challenges that matter.
Veterans face difficulties getting access to health care, employment, housing and education in transitioning to civilian life. How could approaches and policies be improved? What do the candidates have to say about the defense budget and technological shifts in the armed forces, long-brewing sexual abuse and gender issues?
Let’s thank both candidates for their service and move on to the relevant issues that affect those in uniform and the rest of us.
MEMBERS OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD are experienced journalists who offer reasoned opinions, based on facts, to encourage informed debate about the issues facing our community.