Governor Wes Moore’s long‑standing story of leading paratroopers in Afghanistan is being contradicted by the officer who oversaw his daily work in the war zone.
Key points
- Gottschling says Moore served as a staff officer on information operations, not as a combat‑leadership paratrooper.
- Official records document a six‑month deployment and a Combat Action Badge for an indirect rocket attack, not a Bronze Star for combat leadership.
- Moore’s public accounts of leading troops and extended time in Afghanistan are not supported by his supervisor’s testimony or Army records.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore has repeatedly described his 2005‑2006 Afghanistan deployment as that of an 82nd Airborne paratrooper who led soldiers in combat. Retired Lt. Col. James A. “Jamie” Gottschling, Moore’s immediate brigade‑level supervisor, says those claims are “unequivocally false” and that Moore’s actual duties were limited to staff‑level information‑operations work.
Gottschling, a career field artillery officer who served as the 1st Brigade’s fire‑support coordinator, told Spotlight on Maryland that Moore was “airborne qualified” but never completed the jump training, did not receive jump pay, and was not a paratrooper. He emphasized that Moore “did not have any troops assigned to him” and that his role was to coordinate civilian assistance and public‑affairs messaging from Forward Operating Base Salerno.
Supervisor’s account of Moore’s duties
Moore’s official record shows he arrived in Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2005, more than five months after the brigade’s initial deployment, and left on Mar. 14, 2006 – a total of six months and 27 days, plus a month of emergency leave for his grandfather’s death. This contrasts with Moore’s public statements that he spent “10 to 13 months” in the country.
The governor’s award history also diverges from his narrative. Gottschling said he was not consulted in the 2024 retroactive Bronze Star process and would not have supported that award. Moore’s only combat‑related decoration from the deployment was a Combat Action Badge for a minor indirect rocket attack on Dec. 9, 2005, not for the firefights he later described in his book “The Work.”
Deployment timeline and awards
Gottschling characterized Moore’s post‑deployment self‑portrayal as “self‑aggrandizement,” noting that while Moore performed his staff duties competently, he “did not see combat” and “never led soldiers under hostile fire.” The former supervisor declined to label Moore a liar but called the embellishments “disingenuous.”
Spotlight on Maryland’s attempts to interview Moore’s office for comment were rebuffed, and the governor’s team has not issued a public response to Gottschling’s statements. The discrepancy has sparked renewed scrutiny of Moore’s military résumé as he seeks higher office.
Reader questions
What was Wes Moore’s actual role during his Afghanistan deployment?
According to his former supervisor, Lt. Col. James Gottschling, Moore worked as a brigade staff officer focusing on information‑operations coordination, without any direct command of troops or involvement in kinetic combat.
Did Wes Moore receive a Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan?
Gottschling says he was not consulted in the retroactive Bronze Star award and would not have endorsed it; the only combat‑related decoration Moore received was a Combat Action Badge for a minor rocket attack.
Source: foxbaltimore.com
