Correction: Green's no Chickenhawk, just a modest military veteran

I did Mark Green an injustice, and I want to make amends.

I recently called him a Chickenhawk, one of those guys who beat the drums for war when they have never been to war themselves, and haven't even served in the military.

It's not uncommon for guys with no military background to claim they're veterans. One of the Vietnam Marine vets I hang out with loves to expose those phonies. Just last week, there was a story about a guy posing as a retired two-star Marine Corps general, when he actually never got past PFC.

Rare, however, is the military veteran -- especially one in political office -- who hides his military service instead of bragging about it, or at least acknowledging it.

Congressman Mark Green is one of that rare breed.

His modesty might stem from the fact that his career was rather short -- five days. His enlistment was supposed to be for six years.

That could be why he denied ever being in the military at all, when asked about it by the Journal Sentinel's Katherine Skiba in 2001. I'll let her tell the story:

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1983, U.S. Rep. Mark Green attended the Navy's Aviation Officer Candidate School, dropping out after five days.

But he denied this when initially asked.

"I never entered the armed forces or that program," Green said. "I never entered the Navy . . . I never started the program. "I thought about joining the Navy; never did."

In fact, Green signed up for the Naval Reserves in September 1982, his senior year in college, and was selected for the Aviation Officer Candidate School. His initial enlistment was to be for six years.

The next June, Green entered the famed aviation officer training school in Pensacola, Fla. The school was depicted in the 1982 movie "An Officer and a Gentleman."

Green received an honorable discharge five days later.

Confronted with a Navy confirmation that he had served, Green said:

"I did go to Pensacola . . . (but) I never took courses, never took training, never took exercises."

He said he left after a few days when he realized he could not pursue Navy flying and law studies at the same time. Green went on to become a lawyer.

Green released his military file to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week.

His father, a physician in Green Bay, once was an aspiring pilot. Jeremy Green thinks his son entered the aviation program more for his father's sake than his own.

Asked if he'd learned from the experience, Mark Green said: "It taught me to be less of a dreamer, and maybe a little more focused on my plans. It was part of the growing up process, I guess."

The Navy says its Officer Candidate School is "intense . . . extremely demanding, both physically and mentally."

"Only those with a strong desire to become Naval Officers will successfully complete Officer Candidate School," a Navy Web page notes.

OK, it's old news, I guess. But it was news to me. And it does raise a couple of questions:

How on earth could anyone think he could go to Navy flight school and law school at the same time? I find that just a tad hard to believe.

And how do you get one of those honorable discharges after five days?

I could imagine telling one of my drill instructors: "Sir, the private did not understand how difficult and demanding boot camp would be, sir, and requests an honorable discharge. The private does not seem to be cut out for this program, and would like to return to journalism school, sir."

To which my DI would have replied: "Shut your piehole, you slimy little puke. If I want any shit from you, I will unscrew your head and dip it out. Now get down and give me some squat thrusts until I tell you to stop."

Of course, we weren't officers or gentlemen. Maybe that's the difference.

So, to Congressman Green, founder of the Victory in Iraq Caucus in Congress, I say: Don't hide your light under a bushel. Put your military service in your resume, talk about it in your speeches, join the American Legion. You've earned it. You're no Chickenhawk, no sir. You are a warrior, and I will listen to your views on victory in Iraq with all of the respect they deserve.