As a member of the Massachusetts National Guard, Scott Brown spent two weeks in Afghanistan in 2011 as part of his voluntary guard training. That time may have given him a better sense of the war effort, but he did not face the Taliban. So he was wrong to state, in last week’s debate against challenger Elizabeth Warren, that he “served in Afghanistan.” It might have been excused as a slip of the tongue, except that Brown himself has sought to make it a crime to exaggerate claims of military service.
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ruled against the 2006 Stolen Valor Act, which made it a crime to lie about military awards or service. The court said the act was too broadly written, and infinged on free-speech rights. At the same time, the justices suggested that a more carefully crafted statute would pass constitutional muster. So Brown introduced, last month, a law that would penalize the “faux-fighter” who lies to “obtain money, property, or other tangible benefit.” The purpose is to protect those who have sacrificed, and penalize those who would use war to buttress their resumes.
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Would Brown be deriving a material benefit from this stretching the truth about his military service? Seems so to me. Lucky for him that the proposed law didn't pass. Ms. Coakley Might come looking for him!
There is another issue here. Is it National Guard policy to fly staff officers to Afghanistan for their 2 weeks of activity duty training? If not this was purely a campaign stunt and the Brown campaign should reimburse the taxpayers for all expenses.
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I greee with "aferr." "Serving" in Afghanistan is harldy doing a two week stint and Brown knows it. It makes my blood boil to hear the sunshine patriots and chicken hawks tout wars and "service to the country" when they had the opportunity to head into the bush themselves, but never took that step.
Every time Brown brings up his military service claim, he is doing a disservice to combat veterans. We have been at war for 13 years. Being in uniform in a cushy job in Washington is damned lucky. Pulling it out in an attempt to connect with combat veterans is an insult to everyone's intelligence.
He seems like a nice guy but he is clueless. If I hear once more about how he has to be for women's issues because he lives with women.... That kind of thinking makes polygamists the new feminists! Gail did well in her career, supported by a stay at home dad. Not every woman has enjoyed that sort of position. For many, it is about working to put food on the table.
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would like to know how the boy senator made colonel in the Guard? To get that high you usually have to get your "ticket punched", ie. had some combat or wartime experience.
And system worked....stay on topic. If you're going to mention Biden and his son....who by the way did serve in a hostile environment....not too sure you have. However, talk about romney...the coward of my generation who frolicked in France while many of us served in Vietnam...
the boy senator has no business representing our state. everyone knows that if this state has the misfortune to have him in DC then he will continue his allegiance to mitch mcconnel and the rest of those republican weasels two are not interested in moving our country forward....they are pawns of the koch brothers...
At NO point did I get the impression that Sen. Brown was implying that he was in combat during his recent deployment or any of his previous deployments.This editorial is attempting to mislead the naive.........The Globe editorial staff is willing to stretch the truth to paint Sen. Brown as a hypocrite while allowing Prof. Warren with a pass when she presents herself as a defender of the common man after accepting exorbitant legal fees (from insurance companies and mining companies) in exchange for her representation in ethically questionable legal issues.
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I am a Vietnam veteran and find it disturbing that the boy senator is making comments about war time service. So far I have not heard him come out and clarify his comment. To tell you the truth....I don't believe he will. Being way down in the polls...he needs all the votes he can get. if it is on the backs of we who served then so be it. it would not be the first time the boy senator has effected manipulation of the truth and probably not the last. I've said all along that our state is woefully under represented with brown. Kind of reminds me of the chant that my late wife's school would express when playing a certain Ivy League school in RI....what's the color of horses*#t.....brown, brown, brown....
I must say that I chuckled when I read this piece where the Globe complains about someone's words being misleading. Brown has every right to be proud of his military service!!!
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It will be very interesting if Candidate Brown has the courage to explain his "service" in Afghanistan at the start of the next debate.