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.
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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 Times:
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As 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:
While Tran has cleaned up the English and Spanish versions of the “about” section on his campaign site, the Vietnamese-language version currently says:
“At 18, Derek enlisted in the Army to fight in Iraq, serving the country that had given him and his family so much.”
In a February 2024 interview Tran pointed to his “military background” and mission focus as qualifications for office:
“I think that this country is so divided, right now. Nothing’s really getting done. And given my military background, being a soldier, I know what it’s like to be mission focused and in accomplishing a task.”
On the Ed Branding Podcast in March 2024, Tran claimed that he “was called to active duty for the Iraqi conflict” but later adds that he was “fortunate… I was stationed stateside” and mentions his “almost half a year” at Fort Stewart.
Many of his Instagram posts contain the phrase, “As an Army veteran…” which he is, but he’s using the phrase as a way to claim authority on certain topics, like guns.
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Based on Tran’s comments, it’s clear he intends for voters to believe that he served overseas, deployed to a combat zone, and received many medals as a result of that service. According to Army records obtained by RedState as the result of a Freedom of Information Act request, though, Tran’s service was entirely stateside and he was not part of Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom, but instead was part of Operation Noble Eagle as a “Culinary Specialist.”
As shown above, Tran’s unit, the 401st Chemical Company, was “mobiliz[ed] for NOBLE EAGLE” and Tran’s PMOS (Primary Military Occupational Specialty) was 92G, or a Culinary Specialist.
“As a Culinary Specialist, you’ll cook meals and work alongside chefs to prepare meals comparable to any major restaurant, so that Soldiers can sit down and enjoy a hot meal in between training or mission deployments. You’ll be responsible for preparing and servicing meals both in the field and at home stations, as well as ordering, inspecting food supplies, and keeping the kitchen safe and sanitary.”
Tran’s unit was to be at Fort Stewart, Georgia starting on 25 March 2003 for up to 365 days. They were “released from active military service 12 July 2003 and reverted to reserve status,” according to an official Army site detailing the history of the unit.
According to the military records RedState reviewed, the two medals Tran received are the Army Achievement Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. The Army Achievement Medal was issued in June, 2001 for Tran’s “Outstanding professional ability and energetic approach while participating in the Memorial Day Parade held in Dorchester, MA. His outstanding qualities of leadership and devotion to duty reflect great credit upon himself, the unit, and the United States Army Reserve.“
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Yes, he was given a medal for marching in a parade in Dorchester, MA.
The Army Commendation Medal was given in January 2004 for “Meritorious service from 17 November 1999 to 7 July 2003. Specialist Tran distinguished himself on numerous occasions in support of 401st Chemical Company as First Cook. His dedication to duty and commitment to mission accomplishment reflects great credit upon himself, his unit and the USAR.”
It’s commendable that Tran apparently worked very hard at his job in the Army, even though that job was a junior enlisted soldier serving as a cook. As the saying goes, any job worth doing is worth doing well. But to portray that service as being part of the Iraq war or Operation Enduring Freedom and to portray himself as a “decorated Veteran” is incorrect and an insult to those who did serve – even in what some consider menial jobs – in those conflicts. Many of his claims are carefully phrased to be considered technically correct, but when he says he was “called to active duty for the Iraqi conflict” when he wasn’t even mobilized in a support role for that operation, it seems that he’s engaging in stolen valor.
Derek Tran Military Records by Jennifer Van Laar on Scribd
Tran has embellished more than just his military record. As the New York Post recently revealed, though he claims to be fluent in Vietnamese he repeatedly needed the assistance of a translator when giving an interview to a Vietnamese-language outlet.
RedState contacted Tran’s campaign asking for confirmation of these records and whether they had any additional information or would provide a DD-214. We did not hear back as of press time.
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(EDITOR’S NOTE: This piece was edited post-publication for clarity and to add an audio clip from a podcast on which Tran appeared.)
