by S. Walsh at californiaglobe.com
Stolen Valor? At the 2024 Nevada County Fair, Jessica Morse claimed to have served in the military, then changed her story after being questioned by a military family. This occurred on the heels of national headlines spotlighting Democrat Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz being accused of stolen valor. Witnesses share their observations of what happened.
It was a warm summer day a little before sunset at the Nevada County Fair last week when a family waited at the gate to buy their entrance tickets. They were approached by Jessica Morse, Democrat candidate for U.S. Congress, who was making her way down the line passing out literature and campaigning.
Jeremy Sheckels remembers how his conversation with Morse started. “My dad, he served in the U.S. Military, for the Marines. We were in line and Jessica Morse was in front of us talking to another patron of the fair. As we were approaching her, she was telling the person in front of us that she had served in the military.”
The two men decided to ask her more about her service. “The line had moved forward in the gate, and we were next in line to talk to Jessica. I said, “Before you go any further, I would like to know about your military experience as you were telling the person ahead of me.”
Morse responded that she “served in the military.” When Sheckels pressed her about where she served, she claimed she “got sent to Baghdad.” The father was excited to meet another veteran and asked if she “was in the forward or the rear.” According to Sheckels, she replied, “Oh I was in the forward. I was getting shot at.”
When he started to question her story, Morse became nervous. “You could tell at that point that the gig was up. She back-pedaled for a little bit on the conversation… she moved back a person and tried to fizzle out.” He asked if she had a photo of herself serving. Morse said she didn’t have her phone on her. Then, Morse finally admitted that she “worked with” the military, and didn’t “serve in” the military.
Morse then proceeded to change her story, saying she was a defense contractor. “If you’re a defense contractor, you’re not on the front line,” Sheckels says, reflecting on the conversation, adding that defense contractors also don’t usually expose the work they do overseas.
Sheckels believes that she was counting on a moving line to prevent people from asking too many questions about her claims. “When you’re doing all the hand shaking and all the back patting, her primary reason for being there is she knew the line was going to move rapidly; nobody was going to challenge her.”
A bystander who retired from local law enforcement witnessed the exchange, saying, “I heard the lady running for Congress responding to the guy. ‘I was shot at in combat, I served in the Middle East, I was at Camp Victory, I was in Iraq…’” and when Sheckels asked her what branch she served in and who she served under, the bystander said, “She was dodging, dodging, like she was caught in lie.” He remarked that the father and son talking to Morse didn’t step out of line and were peaceful, but at the same time were “justifiably irked.”
“Why Would You Lie About That?”
Sheckels remembers replying to Morse, “Just so you know, there’s a big difference in that. Why would you lie about that?” Sheckels says Morse replied, “Well, I’m sorry, but you startled me.”