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Has Wikipedia deleted JD Vance’s wartime medals, awards from his page? Netizens say ‘They literally stole his valor’
Wikipedia has reportedly deleted several of JD Vance's military decorations from his page, prompting netizens' reactions.
JD Vance, the Ohio Senator and Donald Trump's Vice President candidate, served for four years in the US Marine Corps. After Kamala Harris declared Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 White House race, Vance made explosive allegations against the Minnesota Governor, asserting that he is guilty of “stolen valor”.
Amidst the ongoing political dispute between Democrats and Republicans over Walz and Vance military's achievements, Wikipedia has reportedly deleted several of his military decorations from the Ohio Senator's page. He received several honors and medals during his combat correspondent deployment to Iraq.
While acting as a military journalist in Iraq for roughly six months in 2005, he was not involved in any combat. He departed the Marine Corps in 2007 as corporal to enroll at Ohio State University. In his 2016 memoir, Vance stated, “I was fortunate to avoid any real fighting.”
There's no proof that Walz committed such a crime, but there are concerns over the way he has described his service, notably the assertion that he carried a gun “in war”, despite the fact that he never participated in actual combat.
In a statement, the Harris-Walz campaign claimed that Walz fired and trained others to use armaments of war on multiple occasions during his 24 years of service. It further stated that Walz expresses gratitude to Vance for risking his life in defense of this nation and would never disparage or discredit any American for their devotion to it.
Addressing the reporters in Detroit, Michigan, Harris asserted that she praises anyone who has offered to serve the United States.
Also Read: JD Vance explodes over racial attack on his Indian wife, Usha, by white supremacist
What changes were made to JD Vance's Wikipedia page?
Meanwhile, several X users shared a screenshot of Wikipedia's previous mentions of Vance's decorations and the newly-made changes to his page.
“Wikipedia removes JD Vance’s medals from his page. They literally stole his valor,” one X user user wrote.
Reacting to the post, one X user commented, “Disgraceful,” while another wrote: “That's crazy”.
“Wikipedia doesn't edit anything. Users do. Someone must have changed the page. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see who changed the entry,” a third user mentioned.
“Wikipedia is such a biased hack source,” one more chimed in.
According to Shore News Network, Wikipedia has removed references to three of Vance's military awards: the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
As of July 28th, Vance's military service record was as follows according to his Wikipedia page:
Allegiance: United States
Branch/Service: United States Marine Corps
Years of Service: 2003–2007
Rank: Corporal
Unit: 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Battles/Wars: Iraq War
Awards:
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
His four years in the Marine Corps, including a deployment to Iraq with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, were documented in this record. The honors on the list were customary acknowledgements given to service troops who took part in the Iraq War and other pertinent operations during that time.
The part on his military awards was considerably changed after Wikipedia updated the page on July 30. The medals that were listed in the amended entry were the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
The edits were made by a user going by the handle “Cortador,” who defended the removal by pointing out that trustworthy sources were required to establish the medals' existence, as the article's body did not do so, as per Shore News Network.
