The Rev. Jeremiah Wright-Marine and Sailor-Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
The eRumor describes an African-American man who volunteered for the Marines in 1961 then after completing his service volunteered to be a Navy corpsman, a career that won him recognition for his service including being a part of the medical team at Bethesda Naval Hospital that tended to President Lyndon B. Johnson after surgery. The eRumor contrasts this man’s military service with the non-military lives of Dick Cheney, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, all of whom avoided active military duty.
The Truth:
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright was the popular pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. He became best known to the country as a whole during the 2008 presidential primary season. He had been Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama’s pastor for two decades but controversy erupted because of quotes from some of his messages. (CLICK HERE for that story.)
The text of this eRumor is drawn from an article published in the Chicago Tribune in April, 2008. It was written by Lawrence Korb and Ian Moss who are military veterans themselves and work for the Center for American Progress. The article appeared in the aftermath of the Jeremiah Wright controversy and was titled Factor Military Duty into Criticism.
The facts in the article do fit with published and biographical information about Wright.
It is also true that Dick Cheney, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush avoided active duty. Bush served in the reserves.
Updated 4/17/08