Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s military service in the U.S. Army is confirmed, but his public accounts of that service are facing renewed scrutiny over factual inaccuracies in his book and past statements. The Banner reported today that while Moore’s Afghanistan deployment from 2005 to 2006 and his rank as captain are well-documented, he has repeatedly mischaracterized or inaccurately recounted details of his time in uniform across multiple forums.
Moore served as an information operations officer with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade, deployed to Forward Operating Base Salerno in eastern Afghanistan. He was awarded a Combat Action Badge for coming under indirect fire during a rocket attack on December 9, 2005, and received a Bronze Star in December 2024 for his meritorious service—nearly two decades after his deployment ended.
The most striking discrepancy involves Moore’s 2015 book “The Work: Searching for a Life That Matters.” In it, Moore describes mourning the death of 1st Sergeant Tobias “Toby” Meister at his grandfather’s funeral, writing that when he saw his grandfather’s casket, “I also saw Toby.” However, Meister was killed by a roadside bomb outside Asadabad on December 28, 2005—eleven days after Moore’s grandfather’s funeral. Moore did not learn of Meister’s death until he returned to Afghanistan in early January 2006. Moore acknowledged the error as a result of “poor editing and the effects stress, grief and time can have on memory,” according to The Banner.
Moore’s book also contains other factual errors. He wrote that his division spent the “blisteringly hot Georgia summer of 2005” training at Fort Benning for deployment. In reality, Moore trained that spring and summer at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri; the 82nd Airborne trained separately and deployed before him. Moore wrote that he was a “captain in the Army” when he deployed in 2005, though he was promoted to captain during his deployment, not before it.
A separate controversy from 2024 involved Moore’s Bronze Star claim. The New York Times reported that Moore had wrongly claimed the Bronze Star on a 2006 White House fellowship application. Moore apologized, describing it as a mistake and a paperwork error attributed to his commanding officer’s suggestion. His office later provided military records supporting that he was nominated for and ultimately deserved the award, which was formally presented in a private ceremony in December 2024.
Moore has also faced questions about whether he led soldiers into combat. In “The Work,” he describes an evocative scene of coming under fire: “the sound of shells buzzing past your ears, a flurry of divots leaping out of the earth around your feet.” His office could not provide documentation of that specific firefight. Moore told The Banner he had never been ordered to lead offensive missions in Afghanistan, though he maintained he faced danger and made numerous trips outside base perimeters, which carried risk of encountering roadside bombs or rocket-propelled grenades.
The governor has characterized the recent scrutiny as part of a coordinated effort by conservative media outlets, particularly those owned by David Smith’s Sinclair Broadcast Group and The Baltimore Sun, to undermine his integrity. Moore’s military service has been central to his political identity and his “Leave No One Behind” campaign slogan, which recasts a line from the Army Soldier’s Creed. Moore told The Banner that his service “has been my foundation” and “the only thing that’s ever felt right to me.”
Retired Lt. Gen. Douglas Stitt, who processed Moore’s paperwork for deployment, defended Moore’s route to Afghanistan as “nontraditional” but stressed there was “nothing illegal, immoral or unethical” about it. Moore’s officer evaluation report from his deployment praised his “extraordinary intellect” and “tremendous talent.” A Marine attached to Moore’s unit, Anthony Del Signore, confirmed that Moore traveled outside the wire regularly and that their convoy “took some shots” on at least one occasion.
Moore acknowledged in interviews with The Banner that he aimed to tell “more of a story” in “The Work” than to publish a purely factual recounting. The book’s copyright page notes that in “limited cases,” names, dates, sequences, or event details “have been changed.” However, Moore said the errors should not be construed as undermining his service. “There’s maybe ways I could have articulated things differently, but it still doesn’t take away from what we experienced and what we did,” he said.
Sources
- The Banner — Comprehensive investigation by Lee O. Sanderlin into Moore’s military service, including interviews with Moore, his wife, and those who served with him; review of military records and public statements
- The New York Times — August 2024 reporting on Moore’s Bronze Star claim on a 2006 White House fellowship application
- Governor Wes Moore’s Office — Official statement on military record (August 29, 2024) and military records provided for verification
- Wikipedia — Military service details: 82nd Airborne Division, rank of captain, Afghanistan deployment 2005-2006
