We don’t plan this; this is just how the ticker at National Zero sometimes runs, and it’s focused on Marge and “stolen valor” stories at the moment.  The military record of Hung Cao, the Republican candidate challenging Virginia’s incumbent Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, does not reflect his claims that he was disabled when he was “blown up” while serving in combat, USA Today reports.

Cao’s records show he was not awarded a Purple Heart, given to those wounded in combat or the Navy’s Combat Action Ribbon, given to sailors who saw active combat.  Cao, who retired from the Navy in 2021 after 25 years with the rank of Captain (the same rank as fellow Republican Congressman Ronny Jackson), was awarded a Bronze Star, which may recognize “meritorious service” in a combat zone, as well as heroic feats in combat.

To be clear, Cao has not claimed he has a medal he wasn’t actually awarded, nor is the report challenging his official account of his military career.  Cao, however, has characterized himself as having been disabled in service of the country–as well as in a vivid combat situation–but there’s no supporting documentation to show he was actually “blown up” and disabled while in the Navy.

“I’m 100% disabled, you know, because just from being blown up in combat many times and everything else, you know, knee, shoulders,” Cao said on April 22th, 2022 during a failed run for Congress. “I’ve got more surgeries than you could possibly imagine.”

Cao appeared on the June 21st episode of a Virginia political podcast, saying he “was getting shot at and blown up in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia.”  Later that same day on a different podcast, Cao slammed Kaine as a DC desk jockey:  “Are you telling me your air-conditioned office where the worst thing that can happen for you is having a paper cut is the same as me getting, you know, blown up and shot at in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia?”