Senate candidate Jared Hudson held a press conference Thursday with a group of Alabama military veterans who challenged U.S. Rep. Barry Moore’s (R-Enterprise) veteran status ahead of the June 16 Senate runoff.
Hudson, a former Navy SEAL, said the press conference was about “honesty, transparency, and consistency” and laid out a chronology of questions surrounding Moore’s service record.
Moore enlisted in the Alabama Army National Guard in 1988, attended initial training in 1989, participated in Auburn’s ROTC program, and later transferred to the individual ready reserve. His separation records list his rank as cadet.
“When a candidate asks the people of Alabama for their trust, the people of Alabama have every right to ask questions and to understand exactly what is being claimed and what those claims actually mean,” Hudson said. “Questions are not attacks. Questions are accountability, and accountability is the cornerstone of public service.”
Stewart Hartley, an Alabama Army National Guard infantryman who deployed to Afghanistan in 2012, said Moore does not meet the federal definition of veteran status, which requires either 180 days in federal status outside of training or 20 years of Guard service.
“He never had a job in the Alabama National Guard. He can never be deployed in the Alabama National Guard,” Hartley said. “The only thing he can do is stand on a tarmac and wave as a plane takes off.”
David Corum, a 10-year Air Force veteran who also served as an Alabama Air National Guard recruiter, pushed back on Moore’s campaign claim that DD-214s were not required for Guard members until 2022. Corum said he personally processed DD-214 discharge documents for Guard members throughout his career.
“These facts speak to the integrity of the individual, and the things that have been talked about amount to stolen valor,” Corum said.
David Etherton, a 28-year veteran of the 178th Air Refueling Wing in Birmingham, rejected Moore’s framing that the scrutiny amounts to an attack on tens of thousands of Guard and Reserve members.
“As a former guardsman, I take no offense to that at all,” Etherton said. “And I don’t think anybody would when you’re questioning someone’s service that needs to be questioned.”
Hudson also challenged Moore to a one-on-one debate before Tuesday’s runoff, saying he would accept any moderator and any format.
Moore’s campaign has previously denied the allegations, calling them “a garbage swamp tactic” and saying the attacks disrespect the 30,000 men and women serving in the Alabama National Guard and Reserves.
The Republican Senate runoff is June 16.
Sawyer Knowles is a state and political reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
