Candidate May Have Lied About Heroic Death In Vietnam
JUNE 14, 2010 | ISSUE 46•24, The ONION
Wilfred (inset), and the place he claims to be buried. Photo: The Onion
MONTGOMERY, AL—In a major scandal that could cast doubt on his political future, U.S. Senate candidate Chris Wilfred came under fire this week for comments he made alleging he had died heroically while fighting in the Vietnam War.
Wilfred made the controversial claim during a speech Monday honoring three American soldiers recently killed in Afghanistan.
"I know all too well the depth of their sacrifice, for I myself was killed on a battlefield far away from home," Wilfred, a three-term Democratic state representative, said to a crowd of hundreds. "But we who have laid down our lives—whether in Vietnam or Afghanistan—have done so with the knowledge that our deeds have kept our country safe."
Added Wilfred, "Their deaths, like mine, were not in vain."
Following the speech, critics pounced on Wilfred’s comments, accusing him of overstating his military record for the sake of scoring political points.
