Col. Matthew Muha, deputy commander of the 445th Airlift Wing, received a letter of counseling from the Air Force that could impact his career, said David Babcock, a retired Air Force officer, a supporter of Operation Honor and leader of an Air and Space Forces Association chapter in Ohio.
“It is surprising,” Babcock said.
“Operation Honor was a pretty successful event,” he said. “Having been part of that team, I saw what Col. Muha had done, and he was above reproach at every step.”
According to Babcock, Muha was charged with violating Air Force policy in three areas:
- Misrepresenting that Operation Honor was an Air Force-sponsored event.
- Soliciting support while in uniform.
- Improper use of Air Force credentials.
Babcock fears the discipline will “effectively ruin his career,” he said.
Michigan attorney Joshua Traeger, who represented Muha, said in a statement that Muha did not gain from any aspect of Operation Honor.
“Every decision he made was directed solely toward honoring veterans and ensuring the success of this historic event,” Traeger said. “He followed detailed procedures to comply with applicable ethics regulations, to include proactively coordinating the structure of the event and managing the use of official and donated resources to remain within established standards. He also sought and received legal clearance for his handling of the event, relying in good faith on the guidance provided to him.”
The discipline Muha received, if sustained, “will inevitably derail his decades-long career, as Col. Muha has been identified for potential assignment as a general officer by the Air Force Reserve Brigadier General Qualification Board, a promotion that is now in serious jeopardy,” the statement added. “Nonetheless, Col. Muha forcefully and categorically denies any wrongdoing, a position strongly supported by all parties involved in the planning of Operation Honor, who also refute the allegations.”
Traeger said Muha was not available for an interview.
Brian Jarvis, an Air Force veteran, former Beavercreek City Council member and former president of the Miami Valley Military Affairs Association, called Operation Honor “a great event.”
“You hear these old sayings that ‘No good deed goes unpunished,’ you know, and things like that over the decades as you’re growing up,” Jarvis said. “But to see something really happen right in front of you that is so unnecessary.”
What was distinctive about Operation Honor was that, for the first time, military aircraft were used to transport veterans to the nation’s capital on an Honor Flight trip.
For years, such “Honor Flights” have typically flown veterans to D.C., departing from, and returning to, civilian airports on commercial airliners.
In his statement, Traeger did not identify the specific charges against Muha. A question about the charges was sent to him.
Messages seeking comment were sent to representatives of the 445th and the Department of the Air Force.
“We do not provide comment on personnel matters or pending actions involving individual members,” the Air Force Reserve Command said in a statement in response to questions from the Dayton Daily News.
Babcock shared with this newspaper several letters from supporters of Muha and Operation Honor, including a letter from Al Bailey, an Army Vietnam War veteran who for years has led Honor Flight in the Dayton area.
“After over a year of preparation, Operation Honor was a huge success as the first joint Air Force-Honor Flight mission,” Bailey’s letter said. “It was a pleasure and honor to work with Matt. His leadership and conduct were nothing short of outstanding.”
In an interview, Bailey said that he and others took pains to ensure that Muha did not solicit funds. Fundraising was handled by the Miami Valley Military Affairs Association and the Wright Memorial chapter of the Air and Space Forces Association, an assessment with which Jarvis and Babcock agreed.
“It wasn’t the Air Force soliciting the money, nor were they paying bills,” Bailey said.
“I understand that firewall needs to be kept separate,” Jarvis said. “Both myself and Dave Babcock kept Matt, Col. Muha, away from this fundraiser part as much as possible. He was not involved in that at all.”
After Operation Honor, Bailey said his organization, Honor Flight Dayton, received invoices from the Air Force for approximately $114,000 per C-17 flight, an amount roughly equal to the cost of a civilian charter.
Sue Edwards, president of Wright State University, also penned a letter in support of Muha.
" ... it should be understood that at absolutely no time did Matt solicit or ask for anything when we initially discussed the event," Edwards said in the letter. “Rather, I initiated the offer to help and told him to reach out if there was anything that Wright State University could do to support the event.”
Edwards said that after that offer, Muha requested metal detectors.
A message was left with a spokesman for Wright State about the letter.
Babcock said the investigation into Muha was ordered by Maj. Gen. Paul Fast, commander of the Fourth Air Force, and conducted by Col. John Benson.
A message was sent to the public affairs office of the Fourth Air Force.
“We will continue to vigorously protect Col. Muha’s rights, reputation, and ability to serve, and we remain confident that when the process concludes, his actions in support of Operation Honor will be seen for what they were: good-faith, mission-focused efforts to honor the U.S. Air Force and America’s veterans,” Traeger said in his statement.
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