Staff Reports
Governor Wes Moore’s version of his Afghanistan service took a fresh hit this week when his direct supervisor spoke on the record and called parts of the governor’s account “disingenuous.” Retired Lt. Col. James A. “Jamie” Gottschling told Spotlight on Maryland and the Baltimore Sun that Moore did valuable staff work, but he did not lead paratroopers in combat or perform direct-action missions as some public accounts suggest.
Supervisor’s blunt assessment: “Be honest”
Gottschling, who supervised Moore on the brigade staff, did not mince words. He said, “Be honest,” and added plainly, “He’s not a paratrooper.” That matters because Governor Wes Moore has repeatedly described training and combat experiences tied to the 82nd Airborne that gave the impression he led troops in firefights. Gottschling says Moore was an information-operations staffer attached to the brigade, not a jump-status paratrooper leading soldiers in direct combat.
Records and the Bronze Star question
Spotlight’s earlier document review found few after-action reports or witness accounts to back up the more dramatic combat claims. Gottschling also told reporters he was not consulted about the retroactive Bronze Star awarded to the governor last year and that he would not have concurred. The Bronze Star listing on earlier paperwork and the timeline of the medal’s formal approval have already raised eyebrows; the supervisor’s interview only deepens those questions.
Why this matters for trust and credibility
For a sitting governor with national visibility, accuracy about military service isn’t a trivia point — it’s about character. Voters expect leaders to be straightforward about service and awards. When the man who oversaw you in theater says your public story overstates your role, that’s not a friendly disagreement. Governor Moore has defended his record and said he has “nothing to hide,” but his office declined a sit-down to respond to Gottschling’s remarks on the record.
This new, on-the-record supervisor account makes clear the debate is not just partisan noise. It is a factual dispute between a commanding officer and the governor’s public narrative, backed by document searches that spotlight gaps in the more dramatic claims. If Moore wants to end the controversy, transparency — not spin — is the quickest way. Voters and watchdogs should expect a clear accounting from the governor and the records to match the story he tells on the campaign trail and the lectern alike.
