"As veterans.. we are repulsed" by Irvin ads attacking Sullivan

By Prairie State Wire

May 9, 2022

A group of Illinois veterans says ads by GOP gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin attacking rival Jesse Sullivan are "shameful" and a "disgrace."

State Rep. Dan Swanson (R-Woodhull) co-authored an "open letter" to Illinois voters slamming Irvin and his campaign and defending Sullivan's work as a civilian for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.

"As fellow Illinoisans, as veterans, and as public servants, we are repulsed by the recent television ad attacking Jesse Sullivan, aired by Richard Irvin’s gubernatorial campaign," the letter says. "Irvin’s shameful use of veterans to dismiss a good man’s public service is a disgrace."

"This kind of conduct is beneath any person seeking to lead our great state. We hereby call on candidate Richard Irvin to pull his dishonest and shameful advertisement immediately," it says. "We also call on him to apologize to all the families who had loved ones killed or injured serving as civilians and military alike in combat operations."

"Every veteran who served in combat served alongside Department of Defense civilians. They undertake the mission at great personal risk. They love our country. And they serve honorably."

Irvin is currently running television ads seeking to denigrate Sullivan’s work in Afghanistan, claiming was a "social worker."

According to U.S. Department of Defense records, Sullivan was a "Human Terrain Analyst" in the country, where he says he "led fieldwork and intelligence collections on more than 68 dismounted patrols outside of the wire."

"His supervisor said Jesse’s impact on the battlefield ‘is expressed in units continuously requesting his presence in the battle space to better understand the local national perspective,’" the letter said. "His supervisor also wrote that ‘[his] impact is unmeasurable in dollars saved and lives not lost.’"

The Sullivan campaign has produced a new television commercial featuring veterans who are outraged by Irvin's political attack.

Irvin himself served in the U.S. Army, where he was one of some 540,000 troops stationed in Saudi Arabia, providing administrative support to soldiers in Iraq during the Gulf War. A report by Capitol Fax in March said official records show Irvin was in Saudi Arabia for just short of four months in the spring of 1991.

Irvin has represented his service in Saudi Arabia as that of a "combat veteran," though there was no actual fighting in the country.

All those stationed in Saudi Arabia for more than 30 days in combat support roles received a general service medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal.

Irvin, who ran as a Democrat for Mayor of Aurora and has voted Democrat in seven of the last eight primary elections, has recently drawn criticism for his lack of Republican political history.

Last year, Irvin called President Joe Biden's election "historic" and praised Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker as "a great leader."

In 2020, he attended rallies for the Marxist activist group, Black Lives Matter.

Following the looting and riots in Aurora, Irvin publicly vowed support for the BLM organization. "I support Black Lives Matter strongly and passionately," Irvin is quoted as saying.

Read the letter below in its entirety:

AN OPEN LETTER: Veterans demand Irvin apology for TV ad attacking Sullivan

May 9, 2022

To the People of Illinois,As fellow Illinoisans, as veterans, and as public servants, we are repulsed by the recent television ad attacking Jesse Sullivan, aired by Richard Irvin’s gubernatorial campaign.

Every veteran who served in combat served alongside Department of Defense civilians.

They undertake the mission at great personal risk. They love our country. And they serve honorably.

Irvin’s ad contains multiple falsehoods, most notably the dismissive comment that Jesse was a “social worker.”

Here are the facts: As Department of Defense records show, Sullivan was a Human Terrain Analyst under US Army TRADOC G2.

The DOD describes his work as “an emergency essential position that ensures the success of combat operations.”

His Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Performance Evaluation indicates he led fieldwork and intelligence collections on more than 68 dismounted patrols outside of the wire.

His supervisor said Jesse’s impact on the battlefield “is expressed in units continuously requesting his presence in the battlespace to better understand the local national perspective.”

His supervisor also wrote that “[his] impact is unmeasurable in dollars saved and lives not lost.”

For his work, Sullivan received the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism, and the Department of the Army Commander’s Award for Civilian Service.

Irvin’s shameful use of veterans to dismiss this form of public service is a disgrace.

This kind of conduct is beneath any person seeking to lead our great state. We call on Richard Irvin to pull his dishonest and shameful advertisement immediately, and to apologize to all the families who have had loved ones killed or injured serving as civilians and military in combat operations.

Proudly,

Representative Dan Swanson

Lt. Col (Ret.), U.S. Army National Guard

Detective Jack Harlan

1st Sgt, U.S. Army Veteran and Purple Heart recipient

Sheriff Nick Petitgout

Sgt, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran

Mike Hough

Lt. Col (Ret.), U.S. Army

Mark P. Conkrite

SSgt, U.S. Air Force Veteran

Jonathan Wallace