Emerson Kicks Off Memorial Day Weekend With Lie About Sowers' Service Record

In today's Southeast Missourian, you'll find a rather audacious claim from Rep. Jo Ann Emerson about why Tommy Sowers shouldn't be taken seriously on the issue of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell":

Emerson said her opposition [to a DADT repeal] is based on comments from field commanders "who have said that in very difficult situations in Afghanistan and Iraq, in combat jobs, that it is beneficial to have knowledge of that because there can be distractions. Since Sowers has never commanded anybody, he might have a different perspective." (emphasis added)

Emerson is apparently unaware that Sowers was an Operational Detachment Commander in Iraq and led a combat engineering platoon in Kosovo.  The Daily Dunklin Democrat has more: 

Sowers later spent 11 years active duty and obtained the grade of Major as a soldier. During the Balkan war, he deployed to Kosovo to lead a platoon of Combat Engineers in multinational operations. He attended the Special Forces Qualification Course, graduating 1st in his class. At 10th Special Forces Group, he led an Operational Detachment-Alpha (A-Team) of 12 Green Berets. In two deployments to Iraq in 2004-2006, he conducted a wide range of counterinsurgency operations and was awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge and two Bronze Stars. He is Ranger, HALO and Jumpmaster qualified.

The Sowers campaign also released this video in January about Sowers' fake military service.