In response to the initial report, Stewart posted a copy of a DD-214, a Department of Defense form documenting a period of active-duty service, in an attempt to “set the record straight.”

“I’ve also recently picked up that my military record has come into question,” Stewart posted on Facebook. “So let me set the record straight. Just as my grandfather served in the Seabees in World War II, I signed up to serve my country in the Marine Corps.”

Marine Corps reservists typically receive a DD-214 after completing initial active-duty training and may receive additional DD-214s for qualifying periods of active duty. Critics argue the form only documents his completion of initial training rather than his final separation from the Marine Corps Reserve.

“Unfortunately, my service was cut short because I had an irregular heartbeat, which led to having part of my thyroid removed,” Stewart continued. “I was honorably discharged from active duty and my medical issues started after joining the reserves unit.”

The Washington Examiner sent that form to Mark Cancian, a retired colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve and senior adviser for the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“This DD-214 covers his basic training and infantry training,” Cancian said. “He was discharged at Camp Lejeune, where the infantry school is, and sent to his reserve unit. That is customary. Service members receive a DD-214 when they leave active duty and return to reserve status.”

The DD-214 posted by Stewart is from 1998 after he completed training. The military files sent exclusively to the Washington Examiner are from August 2000, when Stewart separated from the Marines.

“I only saw one DD-214 in Stewart’s record from his entry-level training period,” Yvonne Carlock, deputy communication strategy and operations officer at the Manpower & Reserve Affairs, told the Washington Examiner. “There were no other periods of active duty noted in the record.”

Marine personnel confirm Stewart completed his initial training, was never deployed, and separated in August 2000 at the rank of private, the lowest enlisted rank in the Marine Corps.

One of his primary opponents, John Gentry, who is a Marine veteran, responded by posting his own military records. In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Gentry said he just wants to set the record straight.

“I just, out of transparency and full disclosure, I put up my own DD-214 and a letter of commendation that I received,” Gentry said. “But if it’s true, you know, I feel really bad for his wife, and for his family, and his extended friends. I think it’s all very unfortunate. I think it’s unfortunate that somebody feels that they need to portray themselves, you know, as more than they are.”

Another primary opponent, Chris Hughes, an Army veteran, posted a couple of statements rebutting Stewart’s explanation and paperwork.

“It’s sad that Brian Stewart is trying to deceive voters once again,” Hughes posted on Facebook. “The Marines would not have given the damning statement on Mr. Stewart’s service if he had been honorably discharged. because he was not. Don’t be fooled.”

Hughes went so far as to call for Americans for Prosperity to rethink its endorsement of Stewart. Mailers sent out by Stewart’s campaign and Americans for Prosperity lean on his Marine background to court voters. While the Washington Examiner asked AFP for comment and they have yet to respond, Michael Lotfi, the deputy state director for AFP, wrote on Stewart’s Facebook post that the accusations are “fake news” and a “false attack.”

“So, a candidate for TN state house releases his DD-214 showing an ‘honorable’ discharge, and that’s not good enough for those accusing him of ‘stolen valor.’ LOL!” Pamela Furr, the engagement director at Americans for Prosperity, posted on her personal account. “These are not serious people and it’s seriously disappointing.”

Cancian dismissed the idea that the statements and documents obtained by the Washington Examiner were a matter of people’s opinion.

“It is the official view of the Marine Corps and the Department of Defense,” he said.

Stewart’s Facebook post has drawn criticism from veterans, military personnel, and political opponents, with several arguing the DD-214 he posted documented only his initial active-duty training and did not address the circumstances of his later separation from the Marine Corps Reserve.

WHAT DSA WANTS

“This is release from Bootcamp, not his discharge from Reserve duty,” Brian Robertson, who lists himself as a former sergeant at the Marine Corps, wrote in the comments. “This is purposely misleading to people who don’t know better.”

“This DD214 only shows that you completed your basic training and were released to the Marine Reserve unit in Nashville,” Chris Poach, a former military recruiter, wrote on the post. “This does not show when or why you were released from the service.”