A 1,600-word Substack essay shifts the question from what he did to why critics are asking
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews
Governor Wes Moore published a personal essay Monday on Substack titled “The Only Thing That’s Ever Made Sense To Me,” framing months of scrutiny over his military biography as the work of “partisan political operatives” engaged in “slanderous rumors.”
The essay does not appear to answer the core criticism driving the controversy.
The question critics — including veterans, journalists, and others seeking documentary corroboration — have raised is specific: Did Moore accurately describe his military service in the accounts that made him a public figure and, eventually, governor of Maryland? The essay does not address that question. Instead, it reframes the controversy entirely, shifting from what Moore did to why people are asking.
The piece emphasizes service, sacrifice, personal hardship, and the loyalty of unnamed fellow soldiers. Moore writes that “the United States Army recognized my service” and that his “commanders praised the work we did.” He notes that “the men and women I served with — the people who were there, who evaluated me, commanded me, fought alongside me — they’re not questioning my integrity.”
None of those characterizations name a witness. None address the specific disputed claims.
Moore deployed to Afghanistan in 2005 with the 82nd Airborne Division — that much is not in dispute. What critics have pressed for is corroboration of the combat-related storytelling that shaped his public biography, the accounts that appeared in his memoir, his speeches, and the national narrative that carried him to the governor’s office. Monday’s essay offers no new documentation, no named corroborating source, and no direct engagement with any specific claim that has been challenged.
Instead, the essay pivots. By its midpoint, Moore has turned to the Trump-Vance administration’s cuts to veterans’ benefits, layoffs of federal workers who are veterans, and the blocking of military promotions. These may be legitimate policy criticisms. They are not a response to questions about his own record.
The rhetorical structure of the piece is worth noting. Moore writes: “I don’t care about attacks on me. I can take the heat.” That framing — the selfless leader absorbing criticism for the sake of a higher cause — positions scrutiny of a factual record as a personal attack on a veteran, and by extension, an attack on veterans broadly. It is a reframe, not a rebuttal.
This is not Moore’s first opportunity to address the substance. The questions have been public for months. Monday’s essay was a platform with a wide audience and no word limit. He used it to describe his feelings about service.
The question he was asked remains open.
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