Wade Sanders over at Military.com has a bit to say about Curt Weldon’s aggressive smearing of his opponent, Rear Adm. Sestak.
Smear agents view the political process as a game, where the facts and accuracy are secondary considerations to winning that game. They are secure in the knowledge that candidates, as public figures, realistically have no legal remedy. And, at their own peril, they complacently assume that no one will turn the same scrutiny on their own military service. Their credo is that no matter how outrageous the lie, repeat it often enough and enough people will believe it and veterans, whose honorable service has earned them public respect and the right to seek public office, can be destroyed.
No doubt, politics have always been tough and dirty. But, today, any chance to attack an opponent is not only fair game, in some circles it has become an essential part of a winning strategy. Take the case of recently retired Rear (two star) Admiral Joseph A. Sestak, Jr., locked in a hotly contested race against the Republican incumbent, Curt Weldon, in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District. Responding to a request from the American Legion, Sestak wore his naval uniform, that of a three star (Vice) admiral at a recent Memorial Day parade. Weldon and the Pennsylvania Republican Party instantly attacked, claiming Sestak was not entitled to wear any uniform, or the uniform of a that rank.
This is the same Weldon who less than a year ago stood on the floor of the House of Representatives and passionately railed against the smearing of a military officer, declaring it was “…so outrageous, it makes me sick at my stomach . . . they are destroying the reputation of a decorated career member of the United States military . . . if we let that happen then no one who wears the uniform will feel protected because we have let them down.”
Apparently, Weldon and his staff failed to do their homework, or they disregarded the law. Sestak was a Vice Admiral in his last job, confirmed by the Senate, and worked directly for then Chief of Naval Operations, Vernon Clark. Shortly after he was reassigned by Clark’s successor, Admiral Mike Mullens, he chose to retire at the two star level. Had Weldon, his team, and the state Republicans read the law, they would know that his wearing the uniform of a three star admiral was fully authorized by law.
Section 772(e) USC: “A person not on active duty who served honorably in time of war in the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps may bear the title, and, when authorized by regulations prescribed by the President, wear the uniform, of the highest grade held by him during that war.”
The United States Code is backed up by the Secretary of Defense’s Instruction 1334.01, which includes undeclared wars, and Navy regulations. Since Sestak was confirmed as a Vice Admiral during the Iraq War, he was, and is, perfectly entitled to wear that uniform at military funerals, memorial services, weddings, and inaugurals, parades on national or state holidays; or any other parades or ceremonies of a patriotic character in which any Active or Reserve United States military unit is taking part. That’s the law.
This begs the question: just how much is the reputation of a decorated, respected military officer worth to Weldon and the other smear agents. Surely it must deserve the time it takes to access the readily available law and learn the truth. Perhaps it was hoped that no one would invest the time. This kind of deliberate or negligent attack is, to cite Weldon, “…so outrageous, it makes me sick at my stomach.” Weldon and the state Republican Party need to step up and apologize for their lame attempt at discrediting a man who has earned the respect of all patriotic Americans.