Park ranger speaks publicly about Sheehy, the glacier accident

MISSOULA, Mont. — The former National Park Service ranger who cited Tim Sheehy for accidentally firing his gun in Glacier National Park in 2015 is speaking out publicly after previously telling the story anonymously to The Washington Post.

“When the story first came out, I thought that was the end,” said Kim Peach, now retired. “That he would say, 'Oh yeah, I'm sorry, I shot that bullet in Glacier (National) Park, and I apologize for saying it was a war wound, and he didn't.' '“

Sheehy said he was wounded while deployed to Afghanistan in April on NBC Montana Today. The former Navy SEAL explained that it was against military rules not to report wounds, but that staying off the battlefield and away from his team was not an option for him.

“I hid the fact that I was injured for years. “I ended up hurting myself while hiking with my family, so I went to the hospital to get checked out and they wanted to file a police report,” Sheehy said at the time. “And for me, especially back then, in 2015, the war was still going on, I had teammates abroad, including them in an investigation was not an option. A very simple story, but of course exaggerated in the focus of this race, and it has been weaponized by our opponent to tarnish my military career, and they have done everything to do that to me, to my family, to my company do , my military record.”

Peach told NBC Montana that he was fired after a gunshot was heard at Logan Pass in October 2015.

He later met Sheehy and his family at an emergency room in Kalispell. The incident was not denied, the fine was paid, and Peach even claimed he could tell the Sheehys were “somewhat traumatized by the incident.”

Peach said Sheehy's story of being shot in Afghanistan was “disrespectful to war veterans,” adding that he “couldn't let it happen.”

The situation could be resolved if Sheehy released the emergency room records, Peach told NBC Montana.

NBC Montana reached out to Sheehy's campaign to request an interview or, if declined, to answer the following questions:

How is the campaign responding to Kim Peach publicly denying Mr. Sheehy's claim that he did not shoot himself in Glacier in 2015?

Is there a reason why the campaign or Mr. Sheehy's legal counsel have not released the emergency room records?

Sheehy's campaign declined an interview request but issued a statement. The statement does not answer the question of why the emergency room records were not released.

Statement from Sheehy for MT spokesperson:

“Kim Peach, whose social media profile photo attacks President Trump, is clearly a partisan. Kim's story has changed several times as he has continued to push this defamatory story to fit it into his narrative. The bottom line is that this is a pathetic last-minute attempt by Jon Tester, through an activist, to denigrate an American warrior who fought for our country and risked his life for our freedoms. Anyone who tries to dismiss the fact that Tim Sheehy went to war as a young man and spent most of his 20s in some of the most dangerous places in the world is either a partisan hack, a journalist with an agenda, or simple just a disgusting person. Tim was and remains a humble servant of our great nation, our veterans, and the men and women with whom he served admirably. He got into this race to put our country first, and he won’t let any of these smears stop him from fighting every day to be Montana’s next U.S. Senator.”

“Tim Sheehy served our nation humbly and honorably, serving alongside many heroes. Many of them never came home. Point. The bullet in Tim's arm was the result of his service in Afghanistan. Tim never reported it because he didn't want to investigate his team, be pulled off the battlefield, and see a teammate get punished. It was always about protecting a team member in his unit who he believed might be responsible for the ricochet of friendly fire in the heat of a battle with the enemy. Seeing the media in cahoots with Jon Tester and his allies and trying to destroy a combat veteran's record is appalling and they should be ashamed. It shows how desperate they are to win this race for the U.S. Senate. Jon Tester doesn't care about veterans and their sacrifices; All he cares about is another term.”

Peach identifies as a Democrat and said he previously voted for Tester and would likely do so again. He is also featured in a recent ad about the Last Best Place PAC controversy.

NBC Montana asked him about criticism that his actions were motivated by partisanship.

“I tell everything in advance. When asked if I was Democrat or Republican or how I vote, I could have lied because in Montana you don't have to identify as Republican or Democrat,” Peach said. “I could have said, 'Oh, I'm an independent, I'll vote for that person,' but I'm open about everything.”