The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee released a new ad last week accusing U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith of voting against funding that would properly take care of America’s armed forces once they return home from Iraq.

“Gordon Smith has let them down,” the ad says. “He voted 27 times to cut health care benefits for the troops once they return home.”

Smith spokeswoman Lindsay Gilbride was quick to call the ad false, saying that incumbent Republican Senator had supported veterans throughout his tenure. Gilbride said that Smith had supported multiple initiatives for American servicemen and women, including voting for $276 billion in funding for the Veterans Health Administration. Gilbride also said that funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs has more grown 125 percent while Smith was in Washington, D.C.

Several veterans released a letter last week showing support for Smith, saying “we served our country and we know Gordon Smith now serves us.” But Jim Rassmann, the vet most famously known for being saved by U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in Vietnam, said Smith’s statements were disingenuous. While Smith may have voted for funding increases, he said the V.A. was never fully funded.

"If Gordon Smith is telling me he's voting for all this funding, I would take that information with my tongue firmly in cheek," Rassmann told PolitickerOR.com.