Lawmaker leaves veterans group

BROKEN ARROW — Rep. Mike Ritze has been removed from the rolls of the Disabled American Veterans and asked not to use the organization in his biography or literature.

Two of his House colleagues — Reps. Kevin McDugle, R-Broken Arrow, and Josh West, R- Grove — are accusing Ritze of embellishing his military record. They say he has been wearing on the House floor the DAV cover — or hat — with a Purple Heart insignia, implying that he was a member and had been awarded the medal.

The Purple Heart is given to those who were wounded or killed while serving in the U.S. military after April 5, 1917.

In a Monday letter to Ritze, J. Marc Burgess, DAV national adjutant, said Ritze told the organization in response to an inquiry from them that he was given an honorary life membership in the group.

Ritze, R-Broken Arrow, did not provide documentation to substantiate his eligibility for membership, the letter said, and was dropped from the rolls. The organization’s constitution and bylaws prohibit honorary members, Burgess wrote.

He wrote that it was unfortunate that members of the DAV chapter that gave Ritze the membership were not aware of the policies. Burgess apologized to Ritze for the action.

“I ask that you remove any reference to being a member, honorary or otherwise, from your bio or any other document which suggests that you are a member of DAV,” Burgess wrote.

Ritze did not respond Wednesday to requests for comment. In the past, he has denied wrongdoing.

McDugle called Ritze’s situation a case of stolen valor — when someone wears something they didn’t earn. McDugle served eight years with the U.S. Marines, serving with an infantry unit, special forces unit and airborne forward observer unit, and was also a drill instructor.

“It is a big deal,” McDugle said. “It is an honor situation. The idea is: Why portray himself as something he is not? It calls into question everything else he does.”

West, who served nine years in the Army, was awarded a Purple Heart from a firefight in Iraq in 2003 where he was shot in both legs and the stomach and sustained a traumatic brain injury.

West said he respects all veterans, regardless of whether or not they served in combat.

“It is very personal when people embellish their service,” West said. “I take issue with it.”

DAV spokesman Dan Clare said the organization’s members, who number more than 1 million, are veterans with a service-connected disability that occurred in a time of war.

According to Ritze’s campaign website, he joined the Oklahoma National Guard in 1977 and transferred to the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He later received an honorable discharge.

In 2018, he was given a certificate of appreciation from disabled veterans, according to his website.