“First, Representative Ronny Jackson attained the rank of Rear Admiral but was demoted to Captain upon retirement. Yet, he goes around referring to himself as an admiral. That, to me, is stolen valor.”
I am ignorant. He was demoted in 2022 much after he retired. I saw that he didn’t update his congressional bio. Were there other instances where he referred to himself as Admiral?
“Second, Governor Tim Walz attained the rank of Command Sergeant Major, then retired as Master Sergeant. Yet, he goes around referring to himself as a Command Sergeant Major. That, to me, again, is stolen valor.”
Walz was demoted because he didn’t complete all requirements for his active rank. That was recognized while he was active and the demotion was recorded upon retirement. This resulted in a reduction of benefits. I don’t know how long he could remain active at that rank with unfinished quals.
He was actually demoted years ago and never told anyone or changed anything.
As of today, months and years later, his congressional website, for example, still sails rear admiral.
The letter written by Walz's accusers say that it was a "provisional" rank dependent upon completing the Command Sergeant Major Academy. He dropped out of the Academy and his provisional rank was withdrawn.
This is probably a bad analogy, but here it goes:
Suppose you are 16 and have a restricted learner's driver's license that limits your driving privileges to daylight hours until you pass the driving test and receive your permanent license. Can you claim to have been a "licensed" diver if you never take the driver's test and your learner's license is expired?
-PJ
Is a "provisional" rank the same as an "active" rank in your mind?
-PJ