Former Republican congressional candidate J.R. Majewski said he feels vindicated after the Air Force earlier this month added the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal to his record.
He said the Air Force issued a corrected discharge form with the medal, and he posted an image of the form to his social media accounts.
Mr. Majewski of Port Clinton won the primary and was in a competitive race with U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) in 2022 when his military record was called into question. He lost to Ms. Kaptur by a vote of 56 to 43 percent.
He acknowledges that the term combat veteran and the claims of stolen valor can elicit an emotional response from veterans.
“It’s not my fault that the military says I am a combat veteran if they don’t like it because I wasn’t kicking in doors,” he said Thursday. “Not all of us were kicking in doors and shooting people.”
“The word combat doesn’t resonate the same with everyone,” he said.
His role was to load planes from the base in Qatar, where he was deployed for six months and deliver the cargo to various locations in the Middle East, including Afghanistan, he said.
During the Persian Gulf War, then-President George H.W. Bush designated, for the first time, countries used as combat support areas as combat zones despite the low risk of American service members ever facing hostilities. That helped veterans receive a favorable tax status.
Qatar, now home to the largest U.S. air base in the Middle East, was among the countries that received the designation under Mr. Bush's executive order — a status that remains in effect today.
Mr. Majewski said that the effort over the last year to get his record updated was a long and arduous process but important to do in light of the negative publicity last year.
“I feel like I did what I needed to do,” he said. “I am at peace with it.”
According to the Air Force website, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal is awarded to personnel who participated in Operations Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom and meet one of the following:
- Assigned, attached, or mobilized to a unit participating in OEF/OIF and serving for 30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days (there is no time limit required for nonconsecutive days to be accumulated)
- Be engaged in actual combat against the enemy and under circumstances involving grave danger or death or serious bodily injury from enemy action, regardless of time served in OEF/OIF
- Killed, wounded, or injured requiring medical evacuation from Operations OEF/OIF
Air Force Personnel Center spokesman Michael Dickerson said the recent update has not been added to his personnel file but expects it will be in due time.
Mr. Majewski won the Republican nomination to challenge Ms. Kaptur last year by defeating two Ohio lawmakers — state Sen. Theresa Gavarone (R., Bowling Green) and then state Rep. Craig Riedel (R., Defiance).
He had planned to run again but dropped out earlier this year to care for his ill mother.
Her recovery is going well, and Mr. Majewski hasn’t ruled out getting back into the race, he said Thursday.
“There are a lot of voters in this district, and there are a lot of organizations politically that are trying to convince me to get back into the race,” he said.
Ms. Kaptur’s campaign declined to comment on the news.
Currently running to challenge Ms. Kaptur are Defiance Republican and former three-term state representative Mr. Riedel and Steve Lankenau, a real estate broker who resides in Defiance.
Information from The Blade’s news services was used in this report.
First Published August 31, 2023, 9:29 p.m.
