Austin, Texas – Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, said he regrets not correcting a past interviewer who falsely claimed he was a Bronze Star recipient.
Moore, a rising Democratic star who served in Afghanistan as an Army captain, has come under fire since a Freedom of Information Act request by The New York Times revealed that he listed the prestigious military medal on his application for a White House fellowship in 2006. Moore was subsequently identified in at least two interviews as a Bronze Star recipient but did not correct himself at the time.
“This was an honest mistake that I made nearly 20 years ago and I acknowledge that,” Moore said in an interview with Fox News Digital on Friday.
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“When I had just returned from combat deployment, was thrown into a national media environment I had never experienced before and was still dealing with the effects of the conflict,” he continued. “In that lengthy introduction, should I have turned around and said something? In retrospect, I think I should have… and I take responsibility for that.”
Maryland Democratic Governor Wes Moore said he takes responsibility for failing to correct an interviewer who falsely claimed he was a Bronze Star recipient during an interview with Fox News Digital. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
Moore was mistakenly identified as a Bronze Star recipient. Interview from 2008 With the late “PBS NewsHour” host Gwen Ifill Interview from 2010 He appeared with comedian Stephen Colbert on “The Colbert Report.”
Moore said he remains proud of his service and that his love for country is “undying.”
“I enlisted at the age of 17. I raised my hand, put on this country's uniform, put the flag on my shoulders and chose to join one of the most elite units in the American military,” Moore said. “I led soldiers, I led paratroopers in combat and I was rated in the top 1% of officers. My senior evaluator said I was the best lieutenant he'd ever served with throughout Operation Enduring Freedom, throughout the entire Afghanistan campaign.”
“I'm really proud of my service. I'm really proud of the work that we did. I'm really proud of the work that I did and the work that I'm doing now as governor of Maryland to support veterans and their families. I always will be and I'm really proud of the service that I did,” he added.
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Moore initially acknowledged his mistake to The New York Times, but critics continued to link him to the controversy surrounding Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor whose military record has come under scrutiny since joining the 2024 Democratic field.
During a 2008 appearance on the PBS NewsHour, host Gwen Ifill claimed Moore “had won a Bronze Star medal.” (Screenshot/PBS)
The issue came up during a conversation at the Texas Tribune Festival, when Walz was asked whether the military service of both he and his Republican rival, Sen. J.D. Vance, was being “denigrated.”
“That's what happened to me,” Moore told NPR's Michel Martin, “less than 1 percent of people in this country have served in uniform, so, frankly, when we talk about veterans issues, when we have a national conversation with this country, it's more of a voyeuristic conversation because people haven't experienced that.”
“I look at what's happened to so many of our soldiers and airmen and Marines and sailors and how they've been repelled by their service. These are not people who put their hands up when their country called. These are people who were willing to lay down not only their families but their bodies when their country called,” Moore later said. “So I can't stand to be lectured by anybody, especially by people who have no idea what they're talking about, who have no idea what's going on inside the heart of a soldier or a sailor or an airman or a sailor who is getting ready to say goodbye to their family, not knowing that those are the last words they'll ever have to say to their family.”
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“So whether it's Sergeant Waltz, who gave 24 years of his life in uniform for this country and was prepared to sacrifice everything, or Corporal Vance, who put his hand up when his country asked, I think we have to remember that, frankly, 'thank you for your service' is more than just words. There has to be meaning behind it. We have two men who were truly prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to be called Americans, and we now know that no matter who wins, someone who has worn the uniform of this country will be the next vice president of the United States. And as a veteran, I feel a deep sense of pride in that.”
According to the Minnesota National Guard, Waltz served as a master sergeant and for many years described himself as a retired master sergeant, but “retired as a sergeant for benefits purposes in 2005 after not completing additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeant Major Academy.”
Maryland Democratic Governor Wes Moore spoke publicly about the Bronze Star controversy at the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, Texas, on September 6, 2024. (Joseph A. Wolfson/Fox News Digital)
Moore then addressed his own controversy, explaining how he was instructed by a superior officer and a former White House colleague to include his Bronze Star medal on his application.
“He told me I would be awarded a scholarship. He told me to write it in my application. [for the Bronze Star] It was never processed,” Moore said.
“That never happens in the military,” Martin said sarcastically.
“Well, you don't have paperwork issues in the military,” Moore said with a laugh, “and I've had people say to me, 'Why don't you go back and correct that?' about something that happened 20 years ago. The truth is, I'd forgotten about it. The truth is, I was just happy to be home. The truth is, I didn't go into the military for the medals. I didn't go into the military for the awards.” I I serve because I love my soldiers. I serve because I love this country.”
Moore added that after hearing the report, he was “humbled” that his superiors, upon learning the governor had not received his Bronze Star medal, told him they intended to “reapply” for the honor.
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Moore is widely seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party and has been given a prominent time slot at this year's Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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Despite his remorse, the Democratic governor dismissed the attacks against him as “stupid.”
“I don't have time to play games. I'm too busy. “I'm busy trying to make life better for Marylanders. I'm busy making sure our veterans are taken care of,” he said.
“I don't have time for stupid things. Never have, never will. So what we need to do, what true patriots need to do, is put our heads down and do our jobs. That's my response to this,” he later added.
Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.
