Records do not support Tim Sheehy’s ‘shot in Afghanistan’ claim

| November 5, 2024 | 55 Comments

Tim Sheehy is one of the Republican candidates for the US Senate. Sheehy claimed that he was shot in the arm in Afghanistan during combat. However, a former park ranger said that that Sheehy shot himself at Glacier national park. When asked if there were any military records backing his claims of being shot in Afghanistan, Sheehy admitted that there was none.

From The Guardian:

Sheehy has maintained that he was shot in the arm during combat in Afghanistan – and questioning that account amounts to false accusations of stolen valor.

But an ex-ranger at Glacier national park in Montana’s Rocky Mountains has publicly recounted how Sheehy shot himself at the park in 2015 before going to a hospital for emergency treatment. The ranger subsequently issued Sheehy a $525 fine for illegally discharging a firearm in the national park – which he paid, according to government records, as the Washington Post has previously reported.

A spokesperson for Sheehy has accused the ranger, a registered Democrat named Kim Peach, of attempting to spread a “defamatory story”. Sheehy himself has sought to parry Peach’s version of events by saying he had never been hit by gunfire that day in 2015.

As he repeated to Kelly, Sheehy says he fell while hiking, which made his gun go off – and the only reason he went to the hospital was because he was worried the bullet already in his arm from his service in Afghanistan may have become dislodged.

Sheehy nonetheless also contends that he refused to report being shot in Afghanistan by friendly fire because he did not want his fellow military members to face an investigation over a relatively small injury, as he put it in his interview with Kelly.

Kelly pushed Sheehy to address whether any medical records would confirm his version of events. But Sheehy ended up acknowledging that he did not have any such records.

Additional Reading:

Reed, B. (2024, November 4). Republican US senate candidate Tim Sheehy admits no records prove his claim he was shot at war. The Guardian. Link.

Category: 2024 Election, Veterans in politics, Veterans in the news

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5JC

There was this time at band camp….

Hack Stone

Quite often Hack Stone found himself under hostile gunfire, but most of that was driving out the front gate of Bolling AFB when he lived in Base Housing.

Fyrfighter

That should be pretty easy to prove. “Friendly fire” would have likely been 5.56, far different from the handgun round, and easy to distinguish. Why in Gods name do these dudes that have honorably served have to shit all over that service with “look at me” lies???

My service was anything but special. I enlited, went through initial training, was assigned to a reserve unit which was then shut down during realignment in the 80’s. Being as there were no other reserve medical units within travel distance, I was moved to IRR, and finished out my enlistment. I did nothing special, and went nowhere, but I did sign on the line, and was ready and willing to go where I was needed. While it will never measure up to what many here and elsewhere have done, I will NEVER lie about or embellish the truth.

It just doesn’t seem that hard to tell the truth…

KoB

“…and the Truth shall set ye free…”

Not hard to keep your story straight when you tell the truth, every.damn.time!

USMC Steve

Nothing wrong with going where you are told to go, and doing what you are told to do.

Lurker Curt

I likewise have a very unexceptionable service record. 4 years IDARNG as a mechanic, then went active (being unemployed in the late ’80’s sucked). Went to Fort Bragg, and got to go to Basic Airborne in late ’88, hoping to go to the 82nd in a maintenance battalion – Uncle instead sent me to Germany to hang out with some FA folks (h/t KoB). That was the closest I got to combat, when Desert Shied/Storm happened. Pretty unremarkable, but an easy story to keep straight.

Army-Air Force Guy

I never got any closer to the sandbox than Icirlik AB. What I like to tell people, if the post/base you were at had slot machines in the bowling alley, then you weren’t in a combat zone.

Anonymous

He got wounded by 5.56mm less than Trump did– no joke.
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Last edited 27 days ago by Anonymous
Anonymous
A Proud Infidel®™

I watched a few videos yesterday claiming that the Norks got their asses handed to them in fights against Ukrainian Units.

Anonymous
Last edited 27 days ago by Anonymous
Eggs

Are you saying they were caught with their pants down?

Jimbojszz

when shooting the M79 you can see the round for a split second. And the .38 spcl has the same fps. Nobody cares about one’s service as long as you are honest about your duties. Just don’t fabricate, as we who have served know the difference. It’s pretty easy to check records.

Slow Joe

I know why people embellish their records. I have seen it many times. They feel like they coulda/shoulda have done more during their service. I always tell them, why didn’t you stay in, if you are so hellbent on smelling gunpowder in the morning? One of the many lessons I learned early, was that you go to war, but combat comes to you. You have to play by the rules and work hard. War is hard work, especially if gunpowder is your poison of choice. If you don’t play by the rules and push the ROEs, you will get disciplined, and your chances of smoking Talibs become zero. Even worse, people who push the limits hungry for a taste put at risk their entire unit, they become blue falcons, hated by the rest of the guys. That’s why I say that war is hard work. Because to score, the only way is to volunteer for all the stupid patrols and all the stupid missions, take as much of your unit’s workload as you can, ensure you are surrounded by like-minded guys who work hard to play hard and hope that eventually, the Enemy will decide to come out and roll their dice against you. Then you crush them, legally. That’s why later when I became an NCO, I always trained my guys to work hard, to NOT try to look cool because that only brings negative attention to you, and to always share their kills if tactically sound, because the more guns firing on little Mo, the better. Don’t be greedy. If you detect the enemy moving around in the night, share it with the other teams around you. They will love you and invite you to come out and play when they go out hunting. That’s my experience serving with the Recon platoon and the Snippery section. As Battalion assets you get to do a bunch of missions with the platoons in the line companies, but you have to play nice, and not try to look special, because you are not. The line companies loved our ability to detect… Read more »

5JC

This is why I like Sam Elliott. He was in the Air National Guard for a while and basically did nothing and went nowhere. This was Vietnam era so he feels a little guilty. But rather than make some s*** up he just says he feels a little guilty about it. I have a million times more respect for that guy, then anybody that just makes stuff up.

He is an actor but when he portrays SGM Plumley or whoever I think he brings an extra ounce of realism to the role because of his service, even though he wasn’t on the LZ X-Ray with the 101st for real.

SFC D

The same with Clint Eastwood, Tom Selleck, probably many more. Served quietly, nothing spectacular in their service and they really don’t make a big deal out of it.

RCAF-CHAIRBORNE

And NOT Brian Dennehy. He served, but not in Vietnam as he once claimed

SgtM

Well Johnny Rambo showed his king shit cop ass.

5JC

He did apologize for stealing valor but I heard he went right back to it afterwards. Apparently so many people had heard he had served in Vietnam story he couldn’t bring himself to tell everyone that asked him about it to tell them it wasn’t true.

He dug his own grave.

Claw

Clint Eastwood -Drafted Army 1951 – Became a swimming instructor/NCO Club Bouncer at Fort Ord.

Tom Selleck – Drafted Army 1967 -California NG – 160th INF – 11B Sergeant.

Sam Eliott – Conflicting stories – one source says he in the CA Air NG 146th Airlift Wing (Hollywood Guard) while another source says he was a Tank Mechanic with the CA NG 163rd Armor from 1967-1969.

SFC D

I knew a ski patroller in Utah that was drafted in the 50’s, did his whole enlistment as a lifeguard/ski instructor at Garmisch. Tough duty!

5JC

I think it was both. The 146th relocated to another state and he transferred units.

Claw

Hmmm, quite a transfer (if that did happen) since the 146th is affiliated with the Air Force while the 163d is Army.

I can’t find anything about him switching services.

jeff LPH 3 63-66

Same here for not shipping over and going to Viet-Nam on the USS Okinawa and turning down going on Swift Boats.

SFC D

Well said! I keep tellin’ ya Joe, you keep writing like this and you’re gonna have to change your name.

Fyrfighter

Very well stayed Joe, and yeah, I feel an little guilty. I made the choices I did, based on my priorities at the time. They involved a girl, a d I wish I’d made better choices. I could have pushed to get into a different kind of unit, but I didn’t. My decision, and my mistake. But I own it..

Jimbojszz

I was young and dum 17year old. I volunteered for everything , it was the best thing I ever did.

fm2176

Yep, no need for embellishment for most of us. I did some “special” assignments that, according to the Army, put me in the top 10% or more of NCOs: Old Guard (x2), Recruiter, Drill Sergeant. Of course, we all know that it’s luck of the draw for the latter two assignments and that probably 90% of NCOs would qualify and pass the background check.

I spent a month in Kuwait, 10 months in Iraq, another month in Kyrgyzstan, and eight months in Afghanistan. Twenty-one years total service, one rightfully earned CIB for March-April 2003, and 16 months spent hearing loud noises in foreign countries, waiting for impact, and getting beat down from patrols, heavy loads, and the guilt of not being “in the fight”. The disability hit last week–it’s not for combat wounds or other claims and based solely on my Army medical records. I was fortunate: never wounded, never so much as a broken bone or major surgery, just a bunch of lesser injuries that add up over time.

There can be honor in shedding blood for your country, but not glamour. I was heartless, telling my friends who’d earned Purple Hearts that they failed the Individual Movement Techniques portion of CIB testing. That’s not a light joke, and one I wouldn’t make to a stranger or someone whose body was shattered in combat, but the PH is the one award that no one should aspire to earn, and for which false claims should result in absolute shaming.

Make claims? Have receipts, regardless of political alignment.

Daisy Cutter

I spent a year in Kar-jack-istan.

Jimbojszz

The chemicals used around and off base don’t care about you or your rank, nor how long you served. If you get exposed to the chemicals it will be a life long battle. Agent Orange.
Now it’s burn pits and ?. The list keeps growing.

SFC D

Burn pits, DU, anthrax shots, nerve agent antidote pills, the list is long.

rgr769

Correct. In the Viet of the Nam, we called it The VC Marksmanship Medal. I was very happy not to get one, though I came very close on a couple of occasions, as I was mortared twice and my Huey was shot up with AK fire.

Green Thumb

Told you about this guy.

What else will he lie about down the road?

And the powers that be do not care as long as he gets in. Classy.

Forest Bondurant

Tim “The Lying Shitbag” Sheehy

As it is written, so he shall ever be.

NEXT!

Green Thumb

Yep.

My best guess is that he waited to finally do an interview after everyone voted early.

Good plan, I guess. Good plan for a bullshit artist, I am sure.

26Limabeans@pwless.net

I’ve been shot in the arm many times both in and out of the
service including Viet of the Nam. And that was before Covid.

5JC

I was there back in the shit! The doc was standing there with 50 gallon vat of vaccine and fully automatic spray gun. My battle buddy got hit first and blood sprayed back on to the gun. I looked at the doc like; *aren’t you gonna clean that first?* But he just kept going. Glad battle didn’t have aids.

Jimbojszz

They would get you in both arms too. You’re looking at one guy while the other is getting ready to shoot you on the other side. Double wam!

Army-Air Force Guy

Those air gun shot things they used at Basic still give me nightmares +35 years later.

26Limabeans

If you flinched they would slice open your arm.

rgr769

Guess what. I don’t care where or how he was shot. If he or someone accidentally shot him. It was still “friendly” fire. We need him in the senate if we want to get Trump’s agenda passed. Testor, D-rat, votes with the effing Progs over 90% of the time.

Jimbojszz

Voting is a different issue. I use to be a dem. Then I grew up. No one is perfect, I want someone to protect the constitution. I wish we had better people to run for office. We have to accept that only the creator is perfect, who ever that is for you. The rest of us have to keep trying. I can look past imperfection if the goal is just.

Green Thumb

Hell no.

If you are good with that, good on you ,man.

But I ain’t selling out boys that did not make it back for this guy.

Ask Pat Tillman what he thinks.

Jimbojszz

He’s not in my district. Not my vote. I would vote for someone that wants to beat socialism. So does that mean you would vote for socialism, so you don’t support a dirt bag that could benefit your cause? Next election in the primaries vote for someone else to run.

Green Thumb

State. Not District.

But don’t worry about it, man. If you want to hang and support dirtbags, that’s on you and your set of standards.

We will just shoulder the load out here with a dirtbag so you can feel good about yourself.

Green Thumb

He lied, man. Ain’t rocket science.

Green Thumb

Maybe you should ask him.

Curious to what you think then.

rgr769

First of all, I would not put much faith in the Grauniad, as some like to call it. It is a totally left-wing newspaper in England that strongly supports the socialist Labor Party. It is no friend of the US, ever.

rgr769

I should add that it has also been strongly anti-military and critical of every war we have ever fought, except for WWII.

Tallywhagger

Ah hell, the Army was my first ever sedentary job.

Tallywhagger

Did you know that Dead Ted Kennedy was a veteran? I think that he probably didn’t have much choice and that a local judge in Virginia made him a deal that he knew better than to refuse.

Odie

Did the military also teach him how to drive? He must have missed the part about bridge crossings.

5JC

It was a lack of a safety brief. If only they had told him not to drink and drive and not have sex with strange women none of that would have happened.

rgr769

I hear he voted by mail in ballots in MA and a couple is swing states.

ETC(SS)

I sucked a cherry out of a TMC(SS)’s belly on SSN 666 crossing the equator. Pretty sure I can claim PTSD. All the initiations…the horror, the horror…