dbetzel

Hanging on the wall behind me is a photograph of Corporal Russell O. Meade, Jr., Company C, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. His childhood home is just a short distance from Maryland’s Governor’s House. In September 1943, CPL Meade landed at Salerno, Italy, and fought in one of the most desperate battles of the Italian campaign. Nine months later, he landed in Normandy. On 10 June 1944, he demonstrated the courage and leadership that would earn him the Bronze Star for valor. CPL Meade would later fight in Operation Market Garden, where he was killed in action on 18 September 1944. Initially listed as missing, his remains were not discovered until July 1945, when the area was being cleared after the war. He now rests at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial at Margraten. Corporal Meade never came home. He was the only son of Russell and Ethel Meade, big brother to Evelyn. He would never marry, have children, or see his niece win an Olympic Medal. He fought and died for our freedom. I thought about him today while reading the Spotlight on Maryland article featuring Governor Wes Moore's direct supervisor in Afghanistan, who has publicly challenged Moore's claims about leading men in combat. Stating Moore was never awarded a Bronze Star. The irony is difficult to overlook: Governor Moore served at Forward Operating Base Salerno in Afghanistan, a base named for the very battle in which Corporal Meade and his fellow paratroopers fought. A battle that took a heavy toll on the 82nd Airborne. On the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, Governor Moore posted a D-Day tribute in which he wrote: “When I led soldiers in combat with the 82nd Airborne, I knew that we stood on the shoulders of giants. Our democracy endures, and our home remains free because of the courage of all who stormed the beaches of Normandy 80 years ago today.” Those words have stayed with me because there is something profoundly offensive about invoking the courage and sacrifices of those who came before you while claiming experiences and valor that, according to the officer who directly supervised you, were not yours. There is no dishonor in serving in a support or staff position. Every soldier has a role, and every honorable contribution matters. My own grandfather served in the Quartermaster Corps in the Pacific during World War II. He never fought in a ground battle. He experienced enemy bombings, but his responsibility was supplying the men who did fight. Without soldiers like my grandfather, those on the front lines would not have received the supplies they needed to survive and win battles. His service mattered. Every role matters. The men who fought in combat do not diminish the service of those who supported them. Why, then, would anyone feel the need to diminish their own honorable service by claiming the experiences of those who fought? There is a world of difference between honoring the men whose shoulders you stand upon and using their sacrifices to elevate your own story. The "shoulders of giants" are not stepping stones for political ambition. What troubles me even more is the silence of elected officials who are themselves military veterans. These are men and women who understand military service, the significance of combat leadership, and the meaning of military awards. They know why accuracy matters when speaking about service and sacrifice. Two of the 7 core values of the Army are honor and integrity. So where are the voices of our political leaders who served in the military? Where are their demands for answers? Where are their demands for accountability? Where are our leaders with integrity? Those who serve, and those (civilians) who serve on veterans commissions and boards, understand the seriousness of these allegations; so why are they not publicly demanding an honest accounting by Governor Moore? Why are they not demanding an investigation? Do our fallen service members, whose sacrifices he invoked to advance his political ambitions, not deserve the truth, integrity, and accountability their service demands? Have we reached a point where political loyalty outweighs the obligation to uphold the values we expect of those who wear our nation's uniform? When did the letter beside someone's name on a ballot become more important than honor, integrity, and accountability? Corporal Russell Meade did not return from Europe to tell us about his courage. His actions, his military records, and ultimately his sacrifice tell that story for him. He is one of the giants whose shoulders future generations stand upon. He is one of those giants Moore used to prop up his own political ambitions. We honor those giants by telling the truth about their service, not by borrowing their valor to embellish another. Integrity is not a partisan value. Neither is honor. And neither should be negotiable. So why are so many of our political leaders not demanding accountability from Governor Wes Moore? Corporal Russell Meade and the more than one million American service members who gave their lives in defense of our nation deserve more than words of remembrance. They deserve honesty, integrity, and accountability from those who invoke their sacrifices. We owe them the truth. We owe them answers. And above all, we owe them the honor of never allowing their valor to become a stepping stone for someone else's political ambition.