1stCavRVN11B sent me this link to a story about a guy who wants to be a state senator in Kentucky by the name of Mike Cope.
Cope, 36, spoke to the Stanford Rotary back in August and before he talked to the lunchtime group, there was time for some questions. Cope’s bio says that he served in the Air Force during Desert Storm, and when asked what he did in the Air Force, he replied, “I was a PJ.”
PJs are Air Force Pararescue - the Special Forces of the Air Force. It takes almost two years of training just to qualify to join a pararescue unit. Some studly stuff.
Well, it turns out that Mike Cope completed Air Force basic training then injured his knee at the Pararescue Indoctrination Course. Nothing wrong with that, actually - since they wash out about 90 percent of their classes, it’s pretty common. But then to put in his bio that he was a PJ, well, that’s just disingenuous.
Oh, and the “Desert Storm” part of his bio, well, that’s even more disingenuous;
The other question, about Desert Storm, is trickier. The “war” part of Desert Storm lasted a very short time; it began on Jan. 16 1991 and ended on April 6, a full four years before Cope signed up with the Air Force. Cope’s claim of having served during Desert Storm is based on him beingeligible for the National Defense Service Medal (NDSM). The NDSM was awarded to those members of the armed forces that served anytime, anywhere, between Aug. 2, 1991 and Nov. 30, 1995. Cope’s military record indicates that he started active duty on Nov. 29, so he is eligible to claim Desert Storm era service for exactly one day.
So with all of this information suddenly becoming public, you’d think that Cope would apologize and correct his bio, wouldn’t you?
Cope said Saturday that he was sorry if there was any misunderstanding but he doesn’t intend to change his biography. “I was there, I don’t think it’s misrepresenting at all…I was never proud that I had to leave, but I did the best I could.”
He should be proud that he served, he should be proud that he was selected, but he washed out before qualifying. And joining the military four years after the shooting stopped doesn’t make you a veteran of the war. Dingus.
Oh, it looks like he changed his bio anyway. Now it simply states that “he was a member of the United States Air Force”. But I wouldn’t vote for him - do we have to investigate each part of his bio to get to the truth about him?
