Mark Richter; another Florida politician phony

Darrell sends us a link to the Flagler, Florida Flagler Live which did background work on this fellow, Mark Richter, who is running for Flagler County Commissioner. Here’s his Facebook page;

He claims to be a veteran and that he was injured in Afghanistan, but the two aren’t necessarily related. This is what the Flagler Live folks wrote about his military career;

According to records obtained by FlaglerLive through a Freedom of Information request, as well as a medical record also obtained by FlaglerLive, Richter’s service was very brief.

On January 7, 1975, Richter, then 17, was recorded as having been “received” for Navy recruit training in San Diego, Calif. He was discharged seven weeks later—on Feb. 28, 1975. In the space marked “recruit training” on Richter’s official “history of assignments,” a hand-written notation says, “not completed 2-21-75.” The medical record obtained by FlaglerLive indicates that the 17-year-old recruit had a case of “atopic dermatitis”–a rash that did not appear to respond to treatment. According to the medical document, “Within a few days [after beginning recruit training] he reported to sick call, complaining of rash on his neck, arms and legs.”

While the medical document could not be independently verified, it is clear that young Richter was sent home, short of completing basic training. A further check of military records by FlaglerLive confirms no subsequent record of service in any of the four service branches.

The injury in Afghanistan? Well, that’s less clear than his rash;

Reached at the California headquarters of government contractor TJ Fig, Curtis Kimbro, a supervisor above Hamilton, confirms that Richter was one of several hundred technicians assigned to the MRAPs training program. Asked what Richter’s skills and duties were, Kimbro told FlaglerLive that Richter was “a trainer working on MRAPs. He had completed field-level maintenance training.” Kimbro added that the MRAPs were being modified at the time, or “re-armored,” and Richter was involved in the effort. “You could call it sort of auto-body,” Kimbro said.

Richter has made several appointments to explain the apparent misrepresentation of his military career, he’s promised to provide documentation, but something else always seem to pop up so he has to cancel the appointment. The journalists also found a 3rd degree felony in his past where he tried to snatch the purse of an Air Force wife in a San Antonio Mall, but he was foiled in that endeavor by a mall cop with a gun.

But the bottom line is that he isn’t a “Training officer for United States Military, Injured in line of duty.” Like he claimed. He hints that his “duty” is somehow classified and that the journalists should ask the State Department for details, for some reason. He can’t discuss his “injury” because conveniently, it’s the subject of litigation.

Personally, I wouldn’t vote for him.

Category: Phony soldiers