Last Veterans Day Sen. Mitch McConnell released a picture of himself holding a large photo of a young Army soldier. I assumed that the young soldier was Mitch. It was not.

The young soldier was his father. But why not Mitch? He enlisted in the Army in 1967. Undoubtedly, photos of him were available. Why didn't the press release show Mitch holding two photos, one of himself and one of his father?

Answering that question opens the door to a secretive and sordid corner in Mitch's life.

Ostensibly, Mitch was discharged from the service because of optic neuritis (ON). ON sounds intimidating, but it's not. ON is an inflammation of part of the optic nerve that usually clears up on its own, or could be easily treated at that time with steroids. Most experience complete remission in a couple of weeks.

ON, then, is hardly a reason for discharge especially so since troops were urgently needed for the build-up in Nam that peeked in 1968, and that's where Mitch was slated to go. Mysteriously, he was discharged for a minor infection after only four months of service. Why?

The tale of Mitch's abbreviated time in uniform starts with a narrative told by fellow recruit, Pvt. Alan Lynch.

Lynch remembers noticing his commanding officer was visibly upset. He asked the major [name not recalled] why. He replied, "A new member of the 100th Army Reserve Unit was arrested in the barracks for sodomy. The guy [name not recalled] is getting out of the military, and the excuse will be due to an illness, an eye disorder."

Though Lynch could not remember the accused recruit's name, there is sufficient reason to surmise that it was Mitch McConnell. Facing a court-martial for sodomy and a dishonorable discharge, Mitch used an influential contact to have the reason for his early release changed to ON with an honorable discharge.

How, then, did a lowly private manage to get sodomy and a dishonorable discharge switched to an innocuous eye problem and an honorable discharge? That's where we're going next.

Mitch graduated with honors from the University of Louisville with a B.A. in political science in 1964. In that same year, he enrolled in the University of Kentucky's law school. Again, Mitch proved himself to be an outstanding student. During his final semester, Mitch was an intern for Sen. John Cooper.

When Mitch enlisted in the National Guard in 1967, he had earned his law degree and enjoyed the friendship and respect of his mentor, Sen. Cooper. But, months after he entered active service in the reserve, things got dicey.

The pieces come together.

Mitch---we surmise---was caught engaged in sodomy, which is defined as, "sexual intercourse involving anal or oral copulation." The incident is reported to his superior, the unnamed major, who then begins processing Mitch for a court-martial and a dishonorable discharge.

About this time phone records reveal that Mitch called Sen. Cooper. We assume the conversation revolved around Mitch's predicament. Following that, Sen. Cooper fires off a telegram to Major General A. D. Surles, Commanding General, Fort Knox, Kentucky.

The telegram: "Pvt. Mitchell McConnell being medically discharged your station optic neuritis. Papers in office. Colonel Fletcher battalion co. Mitchell anxious to clear post in order to enroll NYU. Please advise when final action can be expected. [signed] John Sherman Cooper, USS.”

(Sen. Cooper's reference "to enroll NYU" is puzzling since Mitch had already obtained his law degree and never enrolled in NYU.)

The point of all this is not Mitch's sex life; that's his business. It is whether he is deceptive and hypocritical.

Mitch led the charge against Judge Roy Moore demanding that he immediately step aside. But was his outrage feigned to mask an ulterior motive?

Could it be that Mitch's real reason for dropping the hammer on maverick Moore was to replace him with his choice establishment-friendly, Luther Strange?

And is Mitch deceptive and hypocritical when he condemns Moore, who has no evidence against him, while Mitch, in fact, faces a headwind of evidence condemning him of gross misconduct and deception?

A parting shot. After seeing a photo of Sen. Al Franken---a Democrat---fondling a subordinate's breasts, Mitch called for an investigation. However, he demands Moore's ouster---a Republican---without any incriminating evidence.

Mitch may be right about "stepping down," but wrong about the person who should bow out.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins, New Milford, PA