Kirk says he 'misremembered' military record :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Metro & Tri-State

Kirk says he 'misremembered' military record

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June 3, 2010

BY ABDON M. PALLASCH Political Reporter

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U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, a Republican Senate candidate, explains to the Sun-Times Editorial Board exaggerations of his miliary service he put on his resume.
(Dom Najolia/Sun-Times)

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�I simply misremembered it wrong,� Rep. Mark Kirk told the Sun-Times Thursday.

The North Shore Republican was trying to explain how he could have reported on his resume for a decade that he had been awarded the �Intelligence Officer of the Year� when he actually was describing a group medal awarded to his Naval unit as a whole.

Over and over again, Kirk tried to explain how tumultuous his life was when he got the award � he just won a primary election against 10 opponents and now was facing a tough general election for his first term in Congress.

�I swung by D.C. and picked up this award, but I was no longer focused on the award,� Kirk said.

�I apologize to you and your readers,� Kirk said several times.

Kirk launched his apology tour to the Sun-Times and other media after exaggerations he put on his resume and voiced himself on the floor of Congress blew up in the middle of his campaign for U.S. Senate this week.

�There is a casualness that I sometimes use to describe military details,� Kirk conceded.

How could he say: �In my role in the military, I command the war room at the Pentagon�?

Well, he commands one of two rooms � the intelligence unit � for eight hours at a time on his once-a-month weekend Naval reserve duties, and he was trying to explain that to a civilian audience, he said.

�I need to be humble about my military record,� Kirk said. �Going forward, the way I should conduct myself is to understate, and downplay.�

Kirk has been criticized over the years for using a bit of swagger and braggadocio in talking about his 21 years of military service � often in the Reserves as he served in Congress or as an aide to former U.S. Rep. John Porter. No, he was never fired on as he flew over Iraq or Kosovo, he said Thursday, but he never said he was, he said.

�It�s my responsibility,� Kirk said of ensuring the accuracy of his resume and letters he sends to his constituents � which he acknowledged have also over-stated his military credentials. �This has hurt me when it was absolutely unnecessary. This is a human mistake I made � When you put together your biography, you should use much more precision than I used.�

via suntimes.com

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