Wes Moore: ‘I take full accountability’ for Bronze Star ‘mistake’

Gov. Wes Moore (D-Md.) admitted to incorrectly stating on a White House fellowship application nearly two decades ago that he was a Bronze Star recipient. 

"I take full accountability for an honest mistake that was made on an application that I sent out nearly 20 years ago," Moore said in an interview with FOX 5 on Friday. "I'm incredibly proud of my service. I'm incredibly proud of the soldiers and the paratroopers that I led in combat. I led some of the best soldiers and some of the best warriors that the world has ever produced."

He added, "I'm really proud of, not just what I did in combat, but I'm really proud of the work we’ve done for veterans since coming back as well.”

Moore served in the Army Reserve from 1996 to 2014 and deployed to Afghanistan from August 2005 through March 2006. 

But in documents obtained and published Thursday by The New York Times, Moore incorrectly stated on a 2006 application that he had been awarded the prestigious Bronze Star. 

In a statement on Thursday, Moore said he included the commendation after his commanding officer instructed him to. 

“My commanding officer not only nominated me, he instructed me to put it on the application,” Moore said on Friday. “And he’s actually already resubmitted the paperwork because found out a couple of days ago and said, ‘I thought you got it.’”

Still, Moore had previous opportunities to correct the record, including during a 2008 PBS panel discussion with Gwen Ifill and in a 2010 appearance on “The Colbert Report” with Stephen Colbert, but did not. 

In his statement on Thursday, Moore said he regretted not making that correction.

“In the military, there is an understanding that if a senior officer tells you that an action is approved, you can trust that as a fact,” Moore said Thursday. “That is why it was part of the application, plain and simple.”