Rep. Graham Hunt Valor Questioned After Stolen Photo

For a politician to use a photo of real grief in combat in a campaign is terrible. It is reprehensible for one to use it and say it was a photo of his grief.

‘Combat veteran’? Records fail to back state lawmaker’s claims 
Seattle Times
Jim Brunner
January 23, 2016

A doctored war photo and discrepancies about medals have raised questions about state Rep. Graham Hunt’s military background. He served in the Middle East and says he was “wounded in combat,” but has been vague about the details.

A 2014 post on the Facebook page of state Rep. Graham Hunt, R-Orting, displayed a version of a 2003 Associated Press photo with a doctored military insignia on the uniform. The post falsely claimed Hunt was one of the soldiers. Hunt blamed an unnamed campaign volunteer.

A version of this Associated Press photo was shared on Graham Hunt’s Facebook page. The photo shows Sgt. David Borell and Sgt. Maj. Bryan Pacholski, both of Ohio.

In May of 2014, a dramatic Iraq war photo was posted to the Facebook page of state Rep. Graham Hunt, R-Orting, showing two kneeling U.S. soldiers in desert combat uniforms, one man consoling the other.

 “This picture of me was taken after a mortar attack in 2005,” the post said. “Background has been modified, but I think combat camera captured the moment pretty well. I surely have not forgotten that moment.” 

Hunt is a decorated former Arizona Air National Guard member who deployed to the Middle East.

But neither soldier in the picture was him. The image was a doctored version of a 2003 Associated Press photo of two military policemen from Ohio during a deployment near Baghdad. The photo was removed several months later, with Hunt saying a campaign volunteer had posted it without his knowledge. read more here

In 2006 I start to make videos on PTSD using real pictures of soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. This was one of the photos I used many times. When I saw it being used by a politician, it damn near broke my heart. Then to read the Facebook post saying it was Hunt, all I wanted to do was find Sgt. David Borell and Sgt. Maj. Bryan Pacholski to let them know this moment of true compassion had been used for political gain. What makes all this even worse is Hunt was a member of Arizona Air National Guard.