The problem is that he has made his service central to his character and argument. He qualified his statements with that. So when you qualify yourself, it's expected that you are able to prove that qualification. He refuses to do that. It's obvious why.
This isn't my first rodeo with Conservatives who embellish; I saw it happen with Joe (not his name) the Plumber (not his job), with Julie "My insurance premiums increased because of Obamacare, only they actually went down according to my insurer" Boonstra, and Ashley "some black guy carved a backwards B in my face because I was a McCain supporter" Todd.
That's all Conservatives do; embellish and exaggerate their personal stories for the only reason to lend their arguments credibility.
You should be able to come and make an argument without invoking any personal circumstances at all, let alone ones you refuse to verify.
So when a Conservative inserts qualifiers into their argument, you know those qualifiers are bullshit because all they're doing is serving the makeshift credibility these people think they have.
It's a lazy crutch and is weak sauce.