WASHINGTON — A decorated Navy veteran and Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Virginia has repeatedly noted that he was disabled after being “blown up” in combat, stressing that while incumbent Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine has made a fortune in the safety of Congress, he is scarred by his military service.
But the Navy service record of Hung Kao, who won the Republican primary in June, does not show him receiving a Purple Heart, an award given to soldiers who are wounded “as a direct or indirect result of enemy fire” requiring medical attention. Nor does the record show him receiving the Navy Combat Action Ribbon, which requires a sailor to “actively participate in surface or surface combat and perform satisfactorily under enemy fire.” USA Today obtained Kao’s records from the Navy.
Throughout his campaign, Kao, 52, did not answer specific questions about his military service. He has not claimed to have received a Purple Heart or Navy Combat Action Ribbon. His record shows he was awarded the Bronze Star and deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. The Bronze Star is awarded to Navy personnel who distinguish themselves for “heroic or meritorious service or achievement.”
The Navy commissioned him as a Special Operations Explosive Ordnance Disposal/Diving Officer. He retired as a captain in 2021.
“Captain Hun Kao is a retired Navy captain who honorably served his country for 25 years. His service, like that of other veterans, is of public record under DD214,” his campaign said in a statement Wednesday, referring to his military identification card.
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A Navy spokesman said in a statement that records did not say why Sergeant Cpl. was awarded the Bronze Star. Asked why he was not awarded the Purple Heart or Combat Action Ribbon, spokesman Ferry Jean Baylon said the Navy cannot discuss criteria or reasons “for whether or not a particular award is awarded.”
Cao has spoken at greater length about his military service during his election campaign, when he unsuccessfully ran for Congress in the 2022 federal elections, telling audiences that combat wounds left him completely disabled.
“I’m totally disabled because I was bombed so many times in the fighting and I sustained damage to my knees, shoulders, all kinds of parts of my body,” Kao said on April 22, 2022. “I’ve had more surgeries than you can imagine.”
Kao has continued to highlight his military service in his campaign against Cain on radio shows, podcasts and television news programs. He has said he was “shot at,” “bombed” and left with “scars” during his time in the military. He frequently attributes those battle scars to his combat deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.
“I’ve been shot at and blown up in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia,” Kao said on the June 21 podcast “Talk of Delmarva with Jake Smith.”
“The worst that could happen is you get a paper cut on your finger in an air-conditioned office, but you’re saying that’s the same as getting blown up and shot at in Iraq or Afghanistan or Somalia?” Kao said on “The Schilling Show” podcast on June 21.
Four retired Navy and Army officers who have reviewed Kao’s military record said it was unusual for a sailor who was seriously injured in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan not to have received a Purple Heart or Navy Combat Action Ribbon.
In a Facebook post, Cao criticized USA Today for asking about his military history and listed the questions reporters had posed to him. USA Today reporters contacted Cao’s campaign manager by phone, text and email on Tuesday and Wednesday, seeking comment about Cao’s military history.
The campaign did not directly answer the questions, only releasing a short statement.
“I want everyone to know what it means for a veteran combatant to have the guts to run for office against a career politician,” Kao wrote. “Any veteran reading this will feel the same disgust. Imagine being asked to provide proof of the date and time that Al Qaeda shot you. Imagine being asked why you don’t have a Purple Heart if you’re a disabled veteran.”
The contest between Kao and Kaine is one of several playing out across the country to determine which party will have the upper hand in the closely contested Senate.
Kao, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, won a landslide victory in the primary, receiving more than 60% of the vote among a field of five candidates that included Eddie Garcia, a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Chuck Smith, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War.
