A number of political candidates with military background have sharply criticized OD Harris' embellishment of his short and poor military record. Congressional candidate Kelly Cooper called on Harris to step down from the Chandler City Council.
On video Harris has previously claimed that he served in the US military from 1997 (when he was 17 years old) to 2000, working in admin and counterintelligence. Records unearthed by AZ Central seem to show that in actual fact Harris only served for 16 months from 1998 to 1999, may have never completed basic training, did not get the customary promotion to Private Second Class, received no specialized military training and appeared to have washed out before the minimum 2 year contract obligation. His status appears to be "discharged".
The following veteran office holders and candidates have commented on OD Harris' embellishment of his military record:
Congressional Candidate Kelly Cooper, a Republican who is also a Marine Corps Veteran, has called on OD Harris to step down from his post and stop his re-election bid. On twitter he compares apparently highly embellished claims Harris has made of his record, on video, with actual data that, according to Cooper, seem to indicate that Harris may not even have completed basic training.
Maricopa County recorder candidate Tim Stringham, a Democrat who is also a Navy Reserve Lieutenant Commander, evaluates Harris' record: this guy's military career is a guy who was in the Guard for a year and probably did basic training. You typically cannot get a contract that’s only a year long. So, what this tells me is that for some reason, he was discharged early before completing his contract period.
Former Tempe City Council Candidate, Green Beret and Vietnam Combat Veteran David Lucier has called Harris' claims that he can't share his discharge papers due to privacy concerns "baloney". The brevity of Harris' military career is a red flag for Lucier.
Scottsdale City Council candidate Steve Casares, a veteran and former West-Point Professor said Harris’ use of his limited service record in his political career is “extremely disrespectful” of those who have served a full term honorably. “I do think it's unethical,” Casares said, who served nearly two decades in the Army and reached the rank of captain. “If he's touting this on the campaign trail (and) only did (16 months) … I don't think it's appropriate. That's just me.”
Harris responded to the AZ Central investigation. Interestingly, he does not appear to rebut any of the information unearthed by the publication but instead says that length of service doesn't matter: "In the veteran community, the length of service does not define the value of one's service. Whether you served one day or were deployed or not, the mere fact that you signed the dotted line and were willing to give your life earns you the right to be called a veteran," Harris wrote. "I am extremely proud of my time in service, and I always fight for my fellow veterans and our United States of America."
Sources:
An admittedly funny video put together by a campaign that seems exclusively dedicated to unseating OD Harris from the Chandler City Council is contrasting Harris claims of multi-year army service in counterintelligence with reports of a far less distinguished record, see top of the article.
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