Navajo County GOP Calls for Candidate to Drop Out of Race For Falsifying Vietnam Service

June 25, 2024 ADI Staff Reporter
steve slaton
Slaton stands beside truck sporting a Vietnam veteran bumper sticker with the Cobra Co-Pilot claim he falsely continues to make.

Over the weekend, the Navajo County Republican Committee issued a formal request for Republican candidate Steve Slaton to withdraw from the legislative district 7 race over falsifying his military service.

Slaton, self-proclaimed MAGA candidate and cofounder of The Trumped Store in Show Low, altered his service record to portray himself as a decorated Vietnam combat veteran, as Mountain Daily Star discovered with the help of Guardians of the Green Beret.

The Navajo County Republican Committee expressed concern over the apparent dishonesty exhibited by Slaton with the altered military service records.

“That unfortunately has cast a shadow of dishonesty on your campaign, and by extension, on the Republican Party organizations in LD-7. While we believe in due process, you have canceled numerous opportunities to speak to constituents in LD7 to address and defend those concerns,” stated the committee. “Furthermore, you have silenced and served cease-and-desist letters to some who wish to verify your military records.”

The National Archives and Records Administration’s of Slaton’s DD-214 (the discharge papers reflecting a complete, verified record of a member’s service) reflected that Slaton joined the Army in 1973, where he served as a helicopter repairman and then was stationed in Korea from 1974 to 1975. Slaton served a total of three years in active duty before transferring to the Army Reserve Control Group in 1976 to finish his term of service in 1979. During his service, he received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and National Defense Service Medal.

Contrary to that record, Slaton has claimed he served in Vietnam as a Cobra Pilot, or those who flew the nation’s first attack helicopters, as well as Special Forces and part of an initiative dubbed the “Nixon Vietnamese Program.” In addition to those on record that he received, Slaton claimed to have earned the Vietnam Service Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal. The Vietnam Service Medal was discontinued several months prior to Slaton’s enlistment.

Following scrutiny into his military service, Slaton modified his campaign website claim that he “retired” from the Army to reflect that he was simply a veteran.

Contrary to the local committee’s urgings, Slaton doubled down on his claims of service. He dismissed the challenges to his service as part of a “left wing smear campaign.”

“These people doing this are doing to me what the liberals did to my fellow Vietnam veterans decades ago when they returned – spitting on them and mocking them,” said Slaton. “They are a bunch of establishment Chamber of Commerce RINO hacks who support Democrats more than Republicans. It is about 10 losers with no real power to do anything. They get everything wrong and are about as irrelevant as the paper their phony letter is printed on.”

The Arizona Clean Elections Commission’s voter guide reflects these false claims of service as well, where Slaton described himself as “Veteran- Crew Chief/Co-Pilot AH-1G Cobra Attack-Helicopter.”

Despite the evidence of Slaton altering his DD-214, State Senator Wendy Rogers, also a veteran, ultimately came to Slaton’s defense, agreeing with a deleted post from Slaton that the Navajo County Republican Committee were “losers.” Rogers also blocked the GOP group on X.

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