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  • 2017-12-15 (xsd:date)
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  • Is This a Photograph of Robert Mueller in Vietnam? (en)
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  • As speculation heated up in late 2017 that President Donald Trump was going to fire special counsel Robert Mueller from his position leading the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, Internet users started sharing memes claiming to compare the men's integrity. For instance, an image purportedly showing Robert Mueller serving in the Vietnam War (left) was frequently shared next to photographs of Donald Trump (right), who received multiple deferments exempting him from the draft: The image of President Trump is real. According to Business Insider, it was taken from the New York Military Academy's 1964 yearbook and showed Trump with (not pictured) his fellow intramural bowling team staffers. The photograph purportedly showing Mueller, however, doesn't actually show the former FBI Director during the war. Robert Mueller truly did serve in the Vietnam War, where his distinguished service as a Marine earned a Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and other decorations. A 2001 profile from Time Magazine reported that Mueller joined the Marines in 1968 and served as the Commander of a rifle platoon of the 3rd Marine Division: Military.com provided some more information about Mueller's service: Mueller certainly served in the Vietnam War. However, he is not the man featured in this photograph. This image actually shows Ed Episcopo, a Vietnam veteran who served in the 25th Infantry Division. The photograph was included in a Flickr album documenting Episcopo's time in Vietnam. All of the photographs were taken on a $12 Kodak Instamatic cartridge camera, in his words, before being scanned and processed with modern software: Episcopo confirmed to us that he was the soldier in the photograph: Observant viewers may had already determined that the man in the photograph was not Mueller by noting the rank insignia on his uniform. The pictured soldier has a single chevron and rocker on his left sleeve, indicating the Army rank of private first class (PFC). Mueller, on the other hand, was a commissioned Marine officer who served as second lieutenant leading a rifle platoon. Although we have not been able to find any pictures of Mueller during his time in Vietnam, he was likely wearing a single bar on his collar. (en)
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