More than two years after Gov. Wes Moore pushed back on claims that he had misrepresented parts of his past, he said Thursday that he incorrectly claimed to be the recipient of a Bronze Star medal while applying for a White House fellowship in 2006.

Moore’s acknowledgment of what he called “an honest mistake” came moments after The New York Times reported on the error in his application, which the newspaper received through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Moore made his pitch for the prestigious fellowship while still serving in the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan, claiming in the application that he was awarded the Bronze Star for his work that included strategizing and helping to “shape the face of the war,” according to the application published by the Times.

He mentioned the award based on instructions from a superior officer who had recommended him for the medal and believed it received the proper confirmations for approval, Moore said in a statement. Moore said he trusted the officer, and “that is why it was part of the application, plain and simple.”

While he said he wished he had corrected the error, the Democrat also referred to the unearthing of the document as an “attack” on his service record.

“I’ve been open and honest about my military service for my entire career, and I am deeply proud of it,” Moore said in the statement. “But it seems I must, once again, set the record straight, as people hunt for new ways to undermine my service to our country in uniform. … I sincerely wish I had gone back to correct the note on my application. It was an honest mistake, and I regret not making that correction. But do not think for a moment that this attack on my record holds any bearing on how I feel about my service, my soldiers, or our country.”

Moore’s forceful pushback on the idea that he misrepresented his military service echoed some of his response to similar claims during his 2022 campaign.

At that time, Moore fended off what he called “desperate attacks” during the Democratic primary when videos came to light that showed he failed to correct television interviewers on two occasions when they said he was awarded the Bronze Star. Political operatives also claimed Moore had embellished his childhood ties to Baltimore, indicating he was born and raised in the city when he actually spent most of his childhood in the Washington, D.C., suburbs and in the Bronx in New York before returning to the Baltimore area as a teenager.

Since becoming governor, Moore has frequently invoked his military background, which started at the Valley Forge Military Academy as a teenager and continued through his nearly yearlong deployment in Afghanistan. He introduced and signed legislation expanding benefits for retired service members during his first legislative session in 2023, and his slogan, “Leave no one behind,” he’s said comes from the lessons he learned while serving.

He’s also referred to it prominently on the campaign trail in recent weeks, while speaking on a “Veterans for Harris” call and defending Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz from attacks on his military service.

In his statement Thursday, Moore referenced those attacks on Walz, saying, “Over the last few weeks, our country has grown used to seeing what it looks like when a veteran’s integrity is attacked for political gain.”

“But those who seek to cast doubt on our records misunderstand something fundamental about true patriots, who have put on the flag of our country and put everything on the line to be called Americans: We don’t get shaken. We put our heads down, and we do the work. And that is what I will continue to do.”