2016 MO Senate race: on Homeland Security

Jason Kander: The U.S. can't tolerate cowardly acts of terrorism

Jason Kander: As a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, keeping our country safe is my top priority. ISIS is the greatest threat facing our country and the U.S. can't tolerate cowardly acts of terrorism. Congress needs to come together to develop a targeted, comprehensive plan to destroy ISIS and work together with our allies so our brave soldiers have a coherent strategy.

Roy Blunt: FactCheck: Did not disclose student deferment from Vietnam

Blunt said he had not hidden the deferments. "Anytime anybody ever asked me about that, I would have said I had student deferments," he said. But Blunt's office did not disclose the deferments in 2015, when The Star directly asked if he had ever received one.

"Senator Blunt was 1A status in 1969, the year of the first draft lottery," the office had replied. "His number was in the low 300s and was never called."

Federal draft records show Blunt's draft status in 1969 wasn't 1-A, or eligible for service. Instead, he was classified as 2-S, which is a student deferment. That deferment, not a high lottery number, protected Blunt from the draft in 1969.

Blunt's staff said this week that poor memories and difficult-to-obtain draft records may have contributed to the confusion.