Candidate(R) 'war veteran' and 'Harvard degree' claims challenged

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/GOP_challenger_claims_war_veteran_status_0802.html

A GOP challenger to Rep. Alan Mohollan (D-WV) has come under scrutiny after accusations he falsely claimed to be a veteran of the first Gulf war. Republican candidate Chris Wakim (right) has also been questioned about the type of graduate degree he received from Harvard University, ROLL CALL is reporting today.

Wakim currently serves as a member of the House of Delegates in West Virginia.

He has claimed to be a veteran of the first Gulf War, honorably discharged for injuries sustained "in the line of duty." However, the Delegate was actually stationed at Fort Devens in Massachusetts from 1988 to 1991, the period encompassing the war.

Waskim has also been questioned about his claim of earning a “Masters Degree in Public Policy from Harvard.” Wakim did not attend Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, the only school at Harvard that awards such a degree. ROLL CALL reports he “graduated from the Harvard Extension School, and he received a Masters in Liberal Arts.” Harvard Extension School has open enrollment, meaning everyone is accepted for courses. The school is not a part of Harvard University, although the two schools are affiliated.

[GOPBasher]

1. A Republican who lies????????

Wow! Next thing you know, they'll tell us that the earth is round!

[WCGreen]

2. With that guys gray hair on only one side.....

He looks like Two Face, the Batman villian....

[adarling]

3. I am shocked...just shocked by these events

poor republican:sarcasm: The guy looks creepy as hell too :hide:

[alfredo]

4. Ft Devens! That's my old post. I thought they closed it

when they disbanded the ASA.

I hope they had him in company I. That was the oldest, most decrepit, barracks on base.

[TheCowsCameHome]

5. Oh Alan, you are such an embarrassment. I can't believe it.

Imagine, a Republican not being honest.

Bwahahahahahahaha.

[liberal N proud]

6. What he meant to say was that he was in the military during the gulf war

and that he went to school at Harvard near where you could get the Masters in Public Policy.

You jest, a Republican never lies, he just changes the facts to meet his needs.

[alfredo]

10. In the line of duty. OK, let's see his purple heart.

I got injured in the line of duty, but it wasn't in a war zone. I got no purple heart and didn't expect one. It's never been on my resume. It was long forgotten until this moment.

A guy with a grudge smacked me in the head with a coffee cup. I was sitting at my R-390 at the time. Blood went everywhere. I was sent to the hospital where I received stitches. Afterwards we patched up our differences and got drunk. In the morning I couldn't tell it it was the booze or the injury that caused the crushing headache. Mission accomplished.

[Posteritatis]

12. Purple Hearts are specifically for wounds in action, right?

(So clearly you should consider that a hostile encounter with the enemy and get one! ;) )

A 'friend' of mine was in (I think) the air national guard reserve or something highly peripheral like that during the last Gulf War; it was (and still is) rather spectacularly annoying to see how desperately he tries to play that up to being a combat veteran, including describing a football injury he recieved as a classified war wound.

[alfredo]

14. I am in a position where I can't talk about anything

that relates to my Army work. I can say I used an R-390 and a telegrapher's mill and that I copied Morse Code. My MOS was 05H20.

My war stories are about drunken brawls, and other such off duty antics. You can read about my friends in Michela Wrong's "I Didn't Do it For You." Chapter 10. I can discuss the USS Liberty because I know it is declassified, but I'd much rather talk about wild times in Massawa and dangerous things we did with our cars and motorcycles.

We were young men. We drank, fought, went downtown to get laid. Life was an adventure. We tried every form of perversion and even invented a few.
One incident sticks in my mind. In the EM club a new guy wanted to impress some of the old guys by showing he can be as gross as them. He stood up at the table, whipped out his pecker and peed into a glass. The grossest of the guys at the table picked up the glass and drank the piss. Obviously, the new guy was out of his league. The guy who drank the pee died recently. He was a good agent. He could do more drunk than most of us could stone cold sober. there's even a website about his exploits. (spooks alley) Some people hold him in high regard.

it wasn't because we were more decadent than the rest of the population, we were young and under extreme pressure. To relieve that pressure called for extreme measures. We drank more booze per capita than any base in the US military. They even had a congressional investigation of our consumption. They thought we were engaged in massive black market. They were wrong, we drank it. Tires and cigarettes were what we traded on the black market.

[itzamirakul]

17. Alfredo..for some reason your story made me LOL...

To have somebody come up and blindside you with a coffee cup! I know you wanted to knock the crap out of him but you were bleeding and couldn't. The injustice of it all. Glad to hear the beer(?)fest made everything better....

Really, you should have received a medal for not kicking his ass. (OK, I'm in a Mars-inflamed moment today.)

Mission accomplished...LOL

[Magleetis]

7. Lets see

how long this lasts.


http://www.chriswakim.com/about/

[noonwitch]

8. Where are the Swiftliars on this one?

I guess they only care about democrat's truthful claims.

[Lowell]

9. This lying dirtbag

should be kicked out of congress. Another imposter, just what we need in Congress.

[xxqqqzme]

11. he looks like a televangelist

from his website - he is almost toooo good 2 be true!

'...Delegate Wakim is a graduate of West Point, Harvard, and a Gulf War Veteran. Chris held various command and staff positions throughout the United States and Europe until he was honorably discharged for injuries sustained in the line of duty. His career culminated as a Captain in command of a mechanized infantry company in the Fourth Infantry Division.

A successful businessman, Delegate Wakim currently owns several real estate and commercial properties in the Northern Panhandle. He earned his Master's Degree from Harvard University in 1991 graduating in the top 15% of his class. Delegate Wakim is a former investment banker in Chicago, and managed a national portfolio valued at $180 million....'

[Johnyawl]

13. how much of that resume is lies?

We know these to be lies/exaggerations. I have to wonder how much of the rest is pure bullshit.

Delegate Wakim is a graduate of West Point, Harvard, and a Gulf War Veteran. Chris held various command and staff positions throughout the United States and Europe until he was honorably discharged for injuries sustained in the line of duty. His career culminated as a Captain in command of a mechanized infantry company in the Fourth Infantry Division.

A successful businessman, Delegate Wakim currently owns several real estate and commercial properties in the Northern Panhandle. He earned his Master's Degree from Harvard University in 1991 graduating in the top 15% of his class. Delegate Wakim is a former investment banker in Chicago, and managed a national portfolio valued at $180 million....'

[northzax]

22. actually, in 1991-

degrees from Harvard Extension still said Harvard University on them, so technically, he did recieve a Master's from Harvard, he just didn't specify which school (and this is no longer the case, diplomas now are clear that is is Extension)

[WildClarySage]

15. Unfortunately the "McGrawing" of Mollohan has already begun in

earnest here, with out-of-state PAC's funding an extensive smear campaign against Mollohan. The local paper has been printing LTTE's from Wakim's supporters smearing Mollohan with not-so-coincidentally similar talking points, all about traditional marriage and anti-gay BS.

[daleo]

16. He sounds like Bush

"I've been to war and I've had twins" - not unless Texas was a war zone.
Earned a Harvard degree - bought, not earned.

[tanyev]

18. Now that's creating your own reality.

I'm starting to think they really believe it once they've created it. Which mental illness is that?

[warrens]

19. That's pretty hilarious

When are the last four or five decent republicans going to bail out? It must be soooooo embarassing.

[Bandit]

20. Maybe Republicans should award him one of their Purple Heart

Bandaids......They are very proud of them...

[MasonJar]

21. He's got that Chriatian coalition look!

[Anakin Skywalker]

23. Ah Hah Hah Hah!

Another rightwing false hero.