Military documents obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request tell a different story. They indicate that Majewski never deployed to Afghanistan, but instead completed a six-month stint helping load planes at an air base in Qatar, a longtime U.S. ally located a safe distance from the fighting. Majewski’s account of his time in the military is only one aspect of his biography that is suspect. His post-military career has been defined by hyperbole, conspiracy theories, talk of violent action against the US government, and occasional financial pressures. But thanks to an unwavering loyalty to former President Donald Trump — Magewski once painted a huge Trump mural on his lawn — he also has a shot at defeating longtime Democratic Rep. Marci Kaptur in a district newly drawn to favor Republicans. Majewski is one of the GOP candidates, most of them running for office for the first time, whose innocuous life stories and far-right politics could reduce the chances of a Republican “red wave” on Election Day in November. It’s also a vivid representation of a new breed of politicians who reject facts as they try to emulate Trump. “It bothers me when people trade in their military service to get elected to office, when what they’re doing is misleading the people who want to vote for them,” said Don Christensen, a retired colonel and former Air Force attorney general. Majewski. “Veterans have done so much for this country and when you claim that you did what your brothers and sisters did to build your reputation, it’s bad.” Majewski’s campaign declined to make him available for an interview and, in a lengthy statement provided to the AP, did not immediately respond to questions about his claim to deploy in Afghanistan. A spokeswoman declined additional comment when the AP followed up with additional questions. “I am proud to have served my country,” Majewski said in the statement. “My accomplishments and my record are under attack, meanwhile, career politician Marcy Kaptur has a forty-year record of failure for my community in Toledo, which is why I’m running for Congress.” With no prior political experience, Majewski is perhaps an unlikely candidate to be the Republican nominee against Kaptur, who has represented the Toledo area since 1983. But two state lawmakers who were also on the ballot in August’s GOP primary split voting for the establishment. That paved the way for Majewski, who previously worked in the nuclear power industry and dabbled in politics as a pro-Trump hip-hop performer and proponent of the QAnon conspiracy theory. He was also at the US Capitol during the uprising on January 6, 2021. During his campaign, Majewski offered his Air Force service as a valuable credential. The “veteran for congress” tag appears on campaign merchandise. He ran a Facebook ad promoting himself as a “combat veteran.” And in a campaign video released this year, Majewski attacks an empty factory with a rifle while pledging to restore an America that is “independent and strong like the country I fought for.” Most recently, the House Republican Campaign Committee released a biography describing Majewski as a veteran whose “squadron was one of the first on the ground in Afghanistan after 9/11.” A campaign ad posted online Tuesday by Majewski’s supporters displayed the words “Afghanistan War Veteran” on a screen along with a photo of a younger Majewski in his uniform. A biography posted on his campaign website does not mention Afghanistan, but in an August 2021 tweet criticizing the US withdrawal from the country, Majewski said he would “happily suit up and go back to Afghanistan.” He was much less forthcoming when asked about the specifics of his service. “I don’t like to talk about my military experience,” he said in a 2021 interview with One American Podcast after volunteering to serve a tour in Afghanistan. “It was a difficult time in life. You know, the army was not easy.” A review of his service records, obtained by the AP from the National Archives through a public records request, as well as an accounting provided by the Air Force, offers one possible explanation for his hesitation. Instead of being deployed to Afghanistan, as he has claimed, records show Majewski was stationed at Kadena Air Force Base in Japan for much of his service. He later deployed for six months to Qatar in May 2002, where he helped load and unload planes while serving as a “passenger operations specialist,” records show. While in Qatar, Majewski would land at other air bases to transport military passengers, medics, supplies, his campaign said. The campaign did not respond to a direct question about whether he had ever been to Afghanistan. Experts say Majewski’s description of himself as a “combat veteran” is also misleading. The term can conjure up images of soldiers storming a beach or taking cover during a battle. But according to US government laws and regulations, facing live fire has nothing to do with someone winning the title. During the Persian Gulf War, then-President George HW Bush designated, for the first time, countries used as combat support areas as combat zones, despite the low risk of US service members encountering hostilities. This helped veterans get favorable tax status. Qatar, now home to the largest US air base in the Middle East, was among the countries designated by Bush’s executive order – a status that remains in place today. Regardless, it offends some when office-seekers offer their combat veteran status as a credential to voters without explaining that it doesn’t mean they came under enemy fire. “As someone who was in Qatar, I don’t consider myself a combat veteran,” said Christensen, the retired Air Force colonel who now runs Protect Our Defenders, a military watchdog organization. “I think that would be insulting to those who were actually involved in combat and Iraq and Afghanistan.” Majewski’s campaign said he calls himself a combat veteran because the area he deployed to — Qatar — is considered a combat zone. Majewski also doesn’t have many of the medals usually awarded to those who served in Afghanistan. Although he once said he went more than 40 days without a shower during his time on land, he does not have an Afghanistan Campaign Medal, which was awarded to those who served “30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days” in the country. He also did not receive a Global War on Terrorism Mission Medal, which was awarded to service members before the Afghanistan Campaign Medal was created if they were deployed overseas in “direct service in the War on Terror.” Matthew Borie, an Air Force veteran who worked in intelligence and reviewed Majewski’s records at the AP’s request, said it was “strange” that Majewski doesn’t have many of the “medals that you would expect to see for someone deployed in Afghanistan.” There is also the matter of Majewski’s final grade and reenlistment code when he left active duty after four years of service. Most leave the service after four years having received several promotions that are generally awarded for time served. Majewski left in a ranking that was one notch above where he started. His enlistment code also indicated that he could not re-enlist in the Air Force. Majewski’s campaign said he received what’s called a nonjudicial punishment in 2001 after he got into a “fight” in his dorm room that led to a demotion. Nonjudicial punishments are designed to hold service members accountable for misconduct that does not rise to the level of a court-martial. The extravagance of Majewski’s resume is not limited to his military service, which reverberates throughout his professional life, as well as a budding political career forged in an online world of conspiracy theories. Since gaining traction in his campaign for Congress, Majewski has denied being a fan of the QAnon conspiracy theory while downplaying his involvement in the Capitol uprising. QAnon’s baseless and apocalyptic belief is based on cryptic online postings by the anonymous “Q,” who is supposed to be a government secret. It assumes that Trump is fighting entrenched enemies in government and also involves Satanism and child sex trafficking. “Let me be clear, I am reporting QAnon. I do not support Q and I do not subscribe to their conspiracy theories,” Majewski said in his statement to the AP. However, in the past Majewski has repeatedly posted QAnon references and memes on social media, worn a QAnon shirt during a TV interview, and described Zak Paine, a QAnon influencer and online personality who goes by the name de guerre Redpill78, as a “good friend. ” During a February 2021 appearance on a YouTube stream, Majewski stated, “I believe everything that has been posted by Q,” while calling the false posts “military-grade intelligence, in my opinion.” He also posted, on the right-wing social media platform Parler, a photo of the “Trump 2020” mural he painted on his lawn, which was altered to change the zeros to “Qs,” as first reported by CNN. Then there is Majewski’s involvement in the January 6 uprising. Majewski said he raised about $25,000 to help dozens of people attend the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the attack on Capitol Hill. Also traveled to…
