In 1987, when Robert Kerkorian joined the Waukegan, Ill., police department, he may have stretched the truth a little bit about his military background. Twenty-six years later, less than two months after he was appointed chief of police, that lie has finally caught up to him.
The chief of police for the small Chicago suburb has resigned in disgrace over revelations that he lied about being a Navy SEAL, reports Dan Moran of the Sun Times.
Waukegan mayor Wayne Motley said Monday that he asked for Kerkorian's resignation after a city attorney questioned his initial application to the police force, where he listed that he trained as a Navy SEAL.
In a June 29 letter to city officials, Kerkorian tried to clear things up:
“I served in my preindoctrination class prior to the start of [Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL] training until I was issued a general discharge under honorable conditions in February of 1987,” Kerkorian wrote. “My discharge was based on my principled refusal to discuss matters involving non-military family members that I deemed unrelated to my ability to serve our nation.”
It's unclear what matters Kerkorian was referring to, but one possibility is that he's talking about the screening necessary for Top Secret clearance required of SEALs and other special operators, which often involves questions on background and other family.
Regardless, he never entered the core of Navy SEAL training, and only served in the Navy for six months. He admits he misrepresented his service.
“I could have done a better job informing those that I never completed SEAL training,” he writes.
Kerkorian also reportedly told another officer in 1999 about a combat mission that he went on as a Navy SEAL, according to a report from the Chicago Tribune.
Kerkorian will be demoted down to his previous rank of police commander, Motley said. Deputy Chief Wayne Walles will head the police department while the city searches for a permanent replacement.
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