EXCLUSIVE: Dem Congressional Candidate Derek Tran Claims He's a Decorated Iraq Vet; Records Say Otherwise
California Democrat Derek Tran is running for Congress as a “decorated Veteran” and proudly says that he enlisted at age 18 “to fight in Iraq, serving the country that had given him and his family so much." The son of Vietnamese refugees, Tran enlisted in the Army Reserve and says that "in 2003 [he] was called to active duty for the Iraqi conflict" and that he "served during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2003." The tagline for his logo reads, "Veteran for Congress," and in interviews and campaign materials Tran references his military service, saying his time in the Army taught him to be "mission-focused" and to work together to get a job done, regardless of one's political affiliation.
However, a RedState investigation into Tran's military service reveals that the candidate's claims are about as truthful as those made by Democrat Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz - starting with the fact that Tran enlisted in 1999, well after Operation Desert Storm ended and well before the 9/11 attacks.
Whether in his own campaign materials or those put out by PACs or groups who've endorsed Tran, his status as a Iraq veteran is front-and-center. This ad from House Majority PAC running on YouTube shows paratroopers jumping out of an airplane as the narrator repeats Tran's talking points about bipartisanship and his Army service and saying, "That's the kind of leader Derek Tran is."Leader? That's a strong implication that Tran was in some kind of leadership position in the Army reserves.
In a press release on Tran's campaign site announcing an endorsement, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) is quoted as saying:
"The son of Vietnamese refugees, Derek Tran bravely served our country during Operation Enduring Freedom."
And Justice HQ, a group endorsing Tran, wrote:
"Derek is a decorated Veteran and served during the 2003 Iraqi Conflict."
Where did they get that information? Obviously, from Tran, starting from the moment he announced his candidacy on October 2, 2023. Here's the headline from the Daily Pilot/LA TimesAs of September 28, 2023, just a few days before his candidacy was announced, his law firm bio said:
"After his military service during the Iraq War in 2003, Derek Tran began his expansive career with serving the people."
A short time later Tran sold his firm to Feher Law, and his current biography there says:
"Derek is a decorated Veteran and served during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2003.An introductory video his campaign put out in December 2023 leads off with Tran's military credentials:
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