Questions about Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s military record have centered largely on the Bronze Star Medal — first on his 18-year-long false claim that he had received it, and then on the controversial circumstances of the award’s presentation in 2024.
But a Spotlight on Maryland investigation has uncovered unexplained gaps and delays in his training that also warrant explanation, according to military personnel.
Spotlight reviewed more than 38 pages from Moore’s official military personnel file, obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, along with his public statements and prior reporting. To interpret the records, Spotlight consulted with eight retired Army officers.
They say a series of irregularities within the records raises a broader question: Did Moore treat Army service as a ticket-punch from which to build a political career, despite the obligation he accepted when he took the oath of office as a commissioned officer?
A July 3, 2006, Baltimore Sun article quotes Moore as stating he had political ambitions and that a mentor and senior officer advised him that a military deployment would help his resume toward that objective.
When asked directly, Moore did not answer Spotlight’s questions.
The retirees who spoke with Spotlight include a retired brigadier general, a colonel and two retired lieutenant colonels, who also served as Army ROTC professors of military science — Moore was commissioned from a junior college ROTC program. They asked to remain anonymous out of concern that they would be doxed or attacked on social media for providing their professional opinions on an elected official’s military record.
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