HELENA – U.S. House candidate Ryan Zinke on Monday released all of his Navy personnel evaluations, including one from mid-1999 in which he was marked down for lapses in judgment over two disputed travel claims, but was otherwise praised and recommended for an early promotion.
“Declining performance marks in Military Bearing and Leadership are due to lapses in judgment in executing his TAD (temporary additional duty) on two occasions,” his superior officer wrote in Zinke’s June 14, 1999, fitness report. “I am confident that he now understands his responsibility in setting an example that is beyond reproach.”
Fitness reports are issued whenever a Navy member is promoted, changes locations or is recommended for promotion, and are done nearly every year. They are like the yearly performance evaluations of employees done by their bosses in the private and public sectors.
Zinke retired in 2008 as a Navy SEAL commander after 23 years in the SEALs.
On Sept. 1, Zinke asked the Navy Personnel Command for copies of all of his military records that it had. His campaign staff said it had made a number of attempts to expedite the release of his records. He received them Monday afternoon and released 39 fitness reports and intends to release the other records midweek.
He said the two “lapses in judgment” referred to in that fitness report were when he came to Montana to scout out potential locations for SEAL training. He has said he aggressively tried to promote SEAL training in parts of Montana where the landscape resembles that in Afghanistan.
Zinke has said he was ordered to repay the Navy $211 for a one-way trip from Virginia to Whitefish.
The other lapse, he said, referred to when he had been in Yakima, Washington, for weapons training and flew to Spokane and then traveled to Montana to look at surveys of the former Glasgow Air Force Base and Fort Harrison, west of Helena. He was not required to repay money for that trip.
“My desire to have Seal Team Six train in Montana was not my commander’s,” Zinke said Monday. He previously has said he was “a little aggressive for a junior officer.”
He said his travel expenses for seven years were audited. He was ordered to pay back $211.
The rest of his June 1999 fitness report comments includes such descriptions of Zinke’s performance such as “(d)ynamic decisive and intelligent. Excels at the most complex taskings and assignments.”
It says he provided “outstanding operational and fiduciary oversight for over 200 command high-risk training events while managing an annual O&M (operations and maintenance) budget in excel of $10 (million).”
It said Zinke was singled out for “a nothing short of spectacular performance.”
Zinke was recommended in that same report for early promotion in the fitness report. It also recommended that he attend the Navy War College.
His military records have become an issue in the House race after retired Navy SEAL Capt. Larry Bailey of North Carolina contended that Zinke was forced out of SEAL Team Six because of the fitness report in June 1999.
Reached Monday night, Bailey maintained that the June 1999 fitness report “killed his (Zinke’s) career” and prevented him from being promoted to captain.
“This attack is unwarranted and shameful,” Zinke said. “This is a political attack with no substantiated evidence.
***
Zinke said after the June 1999 fitness report, he later was promoted to be executive officer and later a commander, selected to be a mission commander in Kosovo, selected to be a deputy and acting commander over special forces in Iraq, and later was officer in charge of SEAL advanced training and then chose to retire. He received two Bronze Stars and four Meritorious Service medals.
“As I have said, the record is one of distinguished service,” Zinke said, calling Bailey’s criticism “an affront on a veteran.”
This summer, Zinke released four of his Navy fitness reports and some other Navy personnel records to Lee Newspapers State Bureau and other news organizations. He said those were the only fitness reports he had saved.
The Montana Democratic Party accused Zinke of cherry-picking and releasing only the documents he wanted released. The party made a formal request to the Navy for Zinke’s records. The records it received were mostly redacted.
On Monday night, the Democratic Party’s spokesman, Bryan Watt, released this statement:
“There is nothing honorable about using taxpayer dollars for personal use, regardless of the amount. ... Only after months of public pressure was Zinke fully willing to come clean with the people of Montana. Z inke lied to the people of Montana – he was pushed out of Seal Team Six for lapses in judgment that he's been covering up.”
Zinke’s next fitness report after the mid-June 1999 one that cited lapses of judgment came on Nov. 11, 1999. It was filled with praise for Zinke that included: "(h)igh-energy, results oriented officer.” It was written by a different superior officer who said he had had four executive officers in two command torus and Zinke is moving to the top of the list.”
It concluded by calling Zinke “a savvy, experienced war-fighter proving equally adept in management.” The report said Lt. Cmdr. Zinke “has my complete trust and confidence.” It recommended promoting Zinke to commander as soon as possible and sending him to War College.
A January 2001 fitness report for Zinke said: “SELECT FOR COMMAND NOW! WIDELY ACCLAIMED AS A TOP NOTCH LEADER IN NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE. STERLING PERFORMANCE AS XO (executive officer) AND ACTING CO (commanding officer). WILL EXCEL IN COMMAND.”
In a fitness report on Zinke in late July 2001, his superior officer said: “My number one CDR (commander) and ranks among the finest officers that I have served with during my 36 years of active duty. A superstar who has earned my complete trust and strongest personal recommendations for an immediate CO (commanding officer) assignment. ... If you screen just one officer for command, screen CDR (Commander) Zinke. He is that good!”
A July 2004 fitness report called Zinke a “brilliant” chief staff officer “who excels at leading the largest command in Naval Special Warfare. In my 28 years of active duty, nobody does it better or with more enthusiasm, integrity and courageous leadership. ... A superstar.”
His fitness reports both before the June 1999 report and after it until he retired were filled with similar praise.
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$211 after an extensive investigation over nothing. He was in control of a budget over $10 Million. Now the libs are trying to make a stretch when they cannot oversee much smaller budgets for, say, tribal funding. Where case after case of embezzlement has occurred because of total lack of oversight. All reported by the Missoulian. One fitness report out of over 30, written by a superior officer who probably had concern for his own career when compared to this rising star. Combat medals are not given for drill. They are given only to those who EARN them. Zinke isn't going to need luck. He's earned this election win based on character. Tick Tock.
So, annenigma, you are saying that during Zinke's entire career, all the different commanders that gave him glowing recommendations using exclamation points, conspired to ??? do what??? They are all bogus? Over 23 years?? Wow, what an imagination. You might want to keep hiding in that mystery. More Leadership Less Politics Vote Zinke
Still an undecided voter; so if during the Republican primary when asked to release his ENTIRE military record Zinke rebuffed requests to do so. Then stating he had....then recanting that comment. Zinke has served this country honorably, but I still see a person with no political intestinal fortitude and standing in total light, and complete transparency. I am starting to see yet another politician who will say whatever sounds great in a sound bite, yet is not completely truthful to Montana's....Montana deserves someone who will work for Montana, not their political elevation.....so, where is the support from those who worked directly with Mr. Zinke, both in the military, and private sector? Why so much out of state monetary support? Why was Mr. Zinke not the "chosen" republican candidate (from the Montana Republican Party) from the on-set...what does the MT. GOP committee know @ Zinke, and his direction for Montana that they are not making public since the is now their standard bearer? Montana deserves the best person....I am just not feeling that Zinke best promotes Montana, still opened minded though.....
"This week, he (Zinke) declined to directly say what he thought the document might contain, calling insinuations of wrongdoing "shameless" and "a blatant lie." How does Zinke not know what is in his military record? That is hard to swallow as a veteran....
"he (Zinke) was eased out of SEAL Team Six, because of transgressions,'" Bailey said in the interview. "They got him out of there. What they tried to do was to let him stay 20 years in the Navy, so he would get his retirement." retired SEAL Capt. Larry Bailey said in a letter circulated earlier this year by Republicans working against Zinke. So they removed him, a loss of command, that is a big deal in the military, a career killer. They held on to him so he could retire, not that the military needed his leadership.
Oh, please. Look at the use of exclamation marks repeatedly used by Zinke's reviewing officer. No one writes such exuberantly effusive praises, especially not a commanding officer. It looks like a buddy wrote those.
Those are clearly bogus reviews, as bogus as John Lewis' thesis and just as obvious.
You mean John Walsh's thesis?
What would you expect from a progressive, progressive. Thats why most should stay home on election day!
AND, Zinke ran a positive campaign to boot!
I want a leader in Washington and it now seems that I have found one. I was undecided before this story that is not the case now; my vote is going to Zinke.
Thank you Ryan Zinke for all of your years of service, without soldiers like you our country would not be as safe as it is today. I would be honored to have you representing Montana in Washington DC.
Hmmm, yet you're a Republican who supported armchair-warmongers "Air National Guard" W. and "Five Deferments" Cheney, both of whom voiced support for the Vietnam War yet used their fancy connections to avoid actually fighting in that war -- not to mention lying this country into the catastrophic Iraq War that resulted in more American deaths than 9/11 (which happened under a Republican's watch). Vote for Zinke all you want, just keep in mind that unless you're wealthy, his support of the GOP's screw-the-needy/reward-the-greedy policies aren't going to help you in any way whatsoever.
Forget Dems, Zinke will easily win in November and rightfully so.
Still no audit of the work history on Mr. Lewis?
He says "Nope......not me.......didn't have nuttin to do with Obamacare.......I was in Helena just kissing babies and serving at the soup kitchen.
How about that yarn!!
spin me a blanket yarn master!
At least he served a full day at the soup kitchen, unlike Paul Ryan who did a 15-minute photo-op at one -- washing a couple of pots that were already clean and leaving as soon as the homeless started arriving back at the place.
Let's here what Super Soldier John Walsh has to say........chime in here any time General Walsh, always looking for trove of controversy and lies.
November 4th is coming awfully fast rats........I here they GOP is going to start cleaning the maggots out of the parasite sector! All hands........to battle stations!
"Parasite sector"? Actually, with 97 of the 100 poorest counties in the U.S. being Republican ones, you'll find the most parasites there. And that goes for the 6 Republican states in the U.S.'s top-10 states for food-stamp usage.
Well, it will be interesting to see how the liberals respond. They hoped for something more but it now is shown that he is an exceptional leader. Game. Point. Match.
Being an exceptional leader in the military has absolutely nothing to do with any perceived leadership in government. Duh.
Ok, tell that to Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Teddy Roosevelt, George Washington and a host of other Military men who have made great leaders in Government.
I take it that you never served. Now, lets talk about a math teacher, and that perceived leadership.......
Those with the most money are the leaders of our government, Zinke will be just a bought and paid for puppet.
We voters are only valued on election day, hence the amount money spent to brainwash us into voting against our own best interests.
It takes far less than the estimated (record for a midterm) $4 billion to tell us the truth and give us the info we need to be well informed voters, than it does to fill our psyches will lies. But well informed voters seems to scare those with the most money into spending bucket loads of it to influence us to vote in their favor instead of ours.
Real campaign finance reform anyone?
Now the progressive liberals will come up with a theory how the military conspired all through Zinke's service history just to make their non-military politician look bad for this election. Just like attorney's tell you admit nothing even if they have photo's and a certain number of people will go along with whatever you tell them no matter the evidence. Nice try Dem's but we're not biting.
Opps, guess it didn't work out the way, the Liberals wanted it to, did it!
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