Wisconsin lawmaker admits he was not a Green Beret

The Associated Press


MADISON — After describing himself as a Green Beret for nearly two decades, state Rep. Terry Musser said he did not qualify for the U.S. Army Special Forces and apologized for misrepresenting his military service.

"It has never been my intent to mislead anyone about my military service," said Musser, R-Black River Falls. "I apologize if anyone felt I misled them in any way."

Musser served two tours in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966 and from 1967 to 1968. In between, he was assigned to the 6th Special Forces at Fort Bragg, N.C.

But serving with the Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets, is not the same as completing training to qualify as a member.

Mary Schantag, a historian for the P.O.W. Network, said Musser’s claim was "a slap in the face" to qualified Green Berets.

"The real guys go through a hell of a lot of training to get where they are, and the fact that he is making false claims is a slap to every veteran that got out there and worked for it," she said. "When you haven’t earned it, you don’t have a right to wear it."

Musser’s biography in the state Blue Book says he was a "paratrooper and Green Beret, 6th Special Forces Fort Bragg, N.C." between 1965 and 1968. His military records show that he completed paratrooper training.

He released a statement Friday, saying he never meant to mislead anyone about his military record and wanted to "clarify the details of my military service."

"I was not Special Forces qualified," he said. "My biography does not make that distinction clear enough."

Musser said he was not old enough to begin Special Forces training while he was at Fort Bragg and that he ended his service with the Green Berets when he returned to Vietnam.

Misunderstandings about membership in the Green Berets are "not uncommon," Schantag said.

Atlantic City, N.J., Mayor Bob Levy admitted last year that he had misrepresented himself as a member of the Green Berets. His military records showed no association with the Special Forces.