Father Of Democratic State House Candidate Accuses Son Of Stolen Valor Over Military Service

Family can be complicated. That’s something that just about all of us can relate to on some level. When you take a group of fallible, imperfect human beings and stick them in a house together, there’s bound to be tension, arguments, some hair pulling now and again. It’s only natural. Sometimes, however, things get carried away. They turn super serious and grudges or feuds are born.

Such is the case with a Democratic candidate for the state House in Washington, who is currently battling his family concerning the truthfulness of his military service. Apparently, the man’s father is accusing him of “stolen valor,” meaning that his alleged military service isn’t real.

According to Fox News, “The father of Clyde Shavers, Democratic candidate for Washington state’s 10th Legislative District, claims in a recently published letter that his son lied about the details of his service in the U.S. Navy, according to local outlet Herald Net.”

The story continued, “Clyde Shavers has run on a platform emphasizing his service in the U.S. Navy, claiming to have been installed as a nuclear submarine officer — a position which requires a great amount of training and three separate courses.”

“Clyde was never a submarine officer, not even for a day,” Brett Shavers went on to say in response to his son’s claims.

Brett Shavers, who formerly served in the U.S. Marines, then dismissed any notions that his son proudly served in the military, going on to say that Clyde actually has a “disdain” for the men and women who serve in the armed forces.

“Clyde has only disdain for the military. I have seen Clyde’s use of veteran status used heavily as a seal of endorsement of honor and integrity, even as he or his campaign continually use the phrase ‘son of a Marine’ for his credibility,” Brett Shavers went on to write.

Shaver added, “There are no words that I have that could come close to overemphasize Clyde’s negative view of the military, his disdain of enlisted service members, and his revulsion to wear the uniform.”

The elder Shavers sent the signed letter on Sunday to the campaign of Greg Gilday, Clyde’s GOP opponent. The text of the letter was then sent around to local media outlets.

Later in his letter, Brett Shavers alleges that his son’s only connection to the 10th Legislative District is through renting a bed and breakfast in the area. And that’s not all. He also said that Clyde likes to tell whoppers to inflate his family history and his law credentials.

Clyde has denied all of the claims made by his dad, stating that the letter is “inaccurate” and that it’s “all about politics.”

“His political letter is inaccurate and, personally, very painful to me as his son,” Shavers stated in his response to his father’s claims. “To be clear, this letter is all about politics.”

He then said, “This is the kind of politics that’s tearing apart families and communities, and my campaign is about healing and moving forward.”

Isn’t it sad that someone would feel the need to lie in order to achieve their political aspirations? That’s everything that is wrong with modern politics. Serving in public office used to be honorable. The whole point was to work toward making your community stronger, healthier, more robust. It was a sacrifice. You didn’t become rich by running for an elected office.

That is not the case today. It seems the main motivation for most politicians is that of lining their pockets with cash earned by hard working Americans.