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  • 2016-06-01 (xsd:date)
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  • Hillary Clinton Paid Actor to Impersonate Military Member (en)
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  • On 31 May 2016, Facebook user Tony Galvez posted the above-displayed image of Hillary Clinton walking in a Memorial Day parade in Chappaqua, New York, along with the accusation that the Democratic presidential candidate had hired an actor to dress up in Navy attire to make it seem as if she had military supporters: Galvez didn't provide any proof to back up this accusation. Instead, the claim that Clinton had paid an actor to be a Navy poser was based on a few innocuous observations about the man's attire and a misleading statement about military rules. The writer of the Facebook post claimed that active duty service members are not allowed to wear their uniforms at a political events in support of particular candidates. This is true and is specifically addressed in a Department of Defense directive: In this case, however, the photograph was not taken at a political event supporting Hillary Clinton, but rather at a Memorial Day parade that the candidate attended. Moreover, the man pictured is indeed a service member, but not one who is on active duty: He is Oscar Flores, director of operations at the Clintons' New York home, who was also a member of the United States Navy until he retired in 2011 after 22 years of service. Flores attends the Memorial Day parade each year to pay his respects to those who were killed or who are missing. The Clintons attended Flores' retirement ceremony aboard the USS Makin Island: While the rules about wearing uniforms after retiring vary slightly by military branch, the United States Navy is very clear about whether their retired personnel can wear uniforms during parades — it's allowed: We contact the United States Navy about retired Chief Petty Officer Oscar Flores' service. They sent us a list of his awards and decorations as an enlisted member of the military: Flores is not an actor, nor is he a shill. He is a retired member of the United States Navy, who appeared at a parade — as he does every year — alongside his high-profile employer in order to honor those who lost their lives serving in the military. (en)
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