When one thinks of a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, images of bravery, honor and respect are evoked. A veteran has volunteered to put his or her life on the line for our country and our freedom. Many have survived conflicts, and many have lost their lives in the name of securing our liberty. These special groups of heroes deserve all the recognition for their service.
However, another group of people tried to deprive that recognition. These people pose as veterans or claim they served in whatever branch of the Armed Forces. They also claim to have earned accolades like the Purple Heart or the Congressional Medal of Honor. And some of these people are former veterans who fabricate their service. Most of these people do this to claim money, benefits, or other services meant for actual veterans.
What these people practice is called ‘Stolen Valor?’
According to the Armed Forces Benefit Association (AFBA), Stolen Valor “involves falsely claiming military service, rank, recognition or even someone else’s identity,” and “it is considered a crime.”
Two pieces of legislation, the Stolen Valor Acts of 2005 and 2013, were passed to curtail stolen value. The former legislation did not last long due to a stolen value case, United States vs. Alvarez, which stated that the rules under the legislation infringed on the First Amendment. Therefore, the act was declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court.
However, the legislation was revived under the Stolen Valor Act of 2013, which focuses on “legislative language on fraudulent activity that isn’t protected under the First Amendment.” The amendment also includes protections for military accolades, including the aforementioned Medal of Honor and Purple Heart, along with the Navy and Air Force Crosses, Silver Star, Combat Action Badge, Combat Action Ribbon and Distinguished Service Cross.
This brings us to Steve Slaton, an Arizona Republican legislative candidate who is an America First candidate and an ardent Donald Trump supporter who owns a Trump-themed store called the “Trumped Store” in Show Low. In addition, he was also seen campaigning alongside Republican U.S. Senate hopeful and failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, a former news anchor for Fox 10.
According to his campaign website, Slaton served in the “United States Army from June 1973 to June 1979” and “worked as a crew chief/co-pilot on an AH-1G Cobra Attack Helicopter in the United States, 6th Air Cavalry Combat Brigade Fort Hood Texas.” The site also read that he “served overseas duty in Vietnam and Korea with the 128th Aviation Company, 8th U.S. Army I Corps.” Furthermore, the site has a picture of a young Slaton in a pilot uniform standing before a helicopter.
But, an article in the Arizona Republic by reporter Laurie Roberts reports that while Slaton did serve in the military, it wasn’t as a combat veteran. The article explained that there are military records stating that Slaton “was a helicopter repairman and crew chief stationed in Korea in 1974” and that he did not “join the army until June 29, 1973,” which was “three months after the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam.”
Despite that, Slaton doubled down on his claims of seeing combat to Roberts via text.
“The U.S. did not fully pull out until 1975,” he told Roberts. “The Paris peace talks were supposed to bring peace, and they didn’t. So they knee-jerk reacted and pulled me and 20-30 other Cobra helicopter crews from Korea to Vietnam to provide support for our allies during the fighting.”
However, Todd Andersen, a freelance investigative reporter, posted a copy of Slaton’s DD-214, or military discharge papers, on X, formerly Twitter. The document clearly states that his last overseas service was in Korea and does not mention service in Vietnam. In response, Slaton paraded his own version of the DD-214, stating that he saw combat and making that claim on several outlets.
Another reporter, Molly K. Ottman, of the Mountain Daily Star, compared Slaton’s actual records that they obtained from the Guardians of the Green Beret and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to Slaton DD-214. The records obtained were starkly different from the records Slaton had been waving around.
Slaton’s DD-214 shows that he received the Vietnam Service Medal, which was no longer awarded three months before joining the Army. His papers also stated that he received the Army Commendation Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.
One would think that Kari Lake, a former anchor, would use her journalistic skills to investigate or research the people she is campaigning with. Clearly, she is no longer a journalist, and her support for a man who lied about his military service proves it. It also proves that Mr. Slaton might have, in fact, practiced stolen Courage.
One would also think that this would bother Kari Lake and her supporters. After all, Lake is 13 or more points behind her opponent, Democrat Ruben Gallego, a Marine who actually served as a combat veteran in the War in Iraq in 2005. Lake’s support for a man who lied about his military service could further damage her already rocky road to the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Independent Krysten Sinema.
But one would definitely think that, regardless of politics, this would bother real combat veterans who have experienced the horrors of war. Combat veterans who have seen their brothers and sisters die before their eyes or wind up injured or losing a limb.
Even as someone who struggles with mental health issues like anxiety, I can only imagine what going through war can do to one’s mind. I can only imagine the amount of counseling that combat veterans have to go through or the many medications they probably have to take to heal from war or their mental affliction.
I can only guess that Steve Slaton, America First candidate, owner of Trumped Store in Show Low, and former helicopter repairman, did not imagine what it would be like to be in the shoes of an actual combat veteran when flashing his version of the DD-214 around.
I can only guess.
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