Yet another former army official says Oh did not mistate his military credentials

Yet another senior (former) army officer has affirmed that City Council candidate David Oh did not misstate his military credentials, contrary to several news articles and attacks by accusers suggesting that Oh's campaign materials were misleading in saying that Oh was a Special Forces officer or a "Green Beret."

(Oh was designated a Special Forces officer while serving in the Maryland National Guard and was assigned a Green Beret; the term Green Beret, however, now refers to offices who complete rigorous specialized training to become "tabbed" or "qualified" Special Forces officers, which Oh was not)

Yesterday, a piece on this blog cited various members of local veterans groups defending David Oh's military record and stating that they felt the recent controversy over supposed misstatements by Oh were part of a political "smear campaign" to bring the candidate down.

Nick Panarella, a retired army captain, Vietnam War veteran, and member of the U.S. Special Forces — and the man who recruited Oh from his career as an Assistant District Attorney into the Maryland National Guard  — agrees.

Panarella says he takes "stolen valor" questions seriously indeed: he' describes himself as the "point man" for the Special Forces Association's lobbying the federal government to make lying about military credentials a crime (the issue is now before the Supreme Court).

But Oh, he says, has not misrepresented himself.

"David was a member of the Special Forces unit," Panarella confirms. "When David served int he Maryland National Guard he had a right to wear a green beret."

"And I find it appalling that people who didn't serve are questioning the quality of his service," Panarella adds."He put his whole legal career on hold ... he served — this is a success story, and I'm proud of David ... Had a few things gone wrong [in Operation Desert Storm, for which Oh was activated] he would have been over there."

Click here for: "Who's behind the attacks on David Oh — and why?"

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