Illinois Senate hopeful Kirk amends official bio after misidentifying military award

IL Senate hopeful Kirk amends bio to correct award

WINNETKA, Ill. — Rep. Mark Kirk said he has amended his biography after he misstated an award he received for military service.

The Illinois Republican, who is locked in a high-stakes Senate race against Illinois state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, is highlighting his service as a Naval Reserve commander as he fights to win the seat vacated by President Barack Obama.

But in a campaign blog posting Thursday, Kirk said he misidentified the award, telling constituents he was given the Navy’s prestigious Intelligence Officer of the Year honor.

Instead, he received the Navy’s Rufus Taylor Intelligence Unit of the Year award. That was issued in 2000 by the National Military Intelligence Association, a professional group.

The five-term congressman from Chicago’s northern suburbs was deployed at Aviano Air Base in Italy during the conflict in Kosovo.

In his blog post, Kirk said he remains “very proud” of the award.

The revision was first reported Saturday by The Washington Post. The newspaper said its review of the congressman’s credentials was sparked by complaints from a Giannoulias campaign staff member.