Rep. Graham Hunt (R-Orting) inflated his military record, the Seattle Times says. (Read story here.)
Rep. Hunt claims to be a “wounded combat veteran.” In reality, he served in the Air National Guard in Phoenix, with a stint in Saudi Arabia during 2002-2003. His job there was security (searching vehicles, etc.). There is no evidence he participated in combat operations.
Rep. Hunt placed, then removed, a photoshopped picture of two soldiers consoling each each, with an American flag as backdrop, on his website. He implied one of the soldiers was him. The picture was doctored to replace the soldier’s Army insignia with Air Force insignia.
Rep. Hunt was vague in answering questions put to him by the Seattle Times. He claims records were lost, and he doesn’t remember things.
Thank you for your service, Rep. Hunt. Six years in the National Guard is no small thing. We honor all our veterans, including those who performed necessary jobs like providing base security, cooking food for the troops, driving supply vehicles, typing reports, etc. You don’t need to lie about your military record. Not everyone has to be a hero. The fact you served is good enough for most of us.
Btw, it would be better if you hadn’t paid a courtesy visit to the armed militants occupying the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon; some people might interpret that as supporting their criminal actions.
Graham Hunt’s Facebook page claiming a photo showed him after a mortar attack in Iraq. The photo is in fact a doctored version of a 2003 AP photo showing two other men. (Jim Brunner / )