Loading ...THIS IS A GUEST COLUMN CONTRIBUTED BY STEVE ROBINSON ***
“The name and regiment of the person with the action so certified are to be entered in the ‘Book of Merit,’ which will be kept at the orderly office. Should any who are not entitled to these honors have the insolence to assume the badges of them, they shall be severely punished.”
So wrote General George Washington in his Aug. 7, 1782, general order establishing the nation’s first military decoration, now known as the Purple Heart. Recent amendments to the laws of our land, proposed legislation for a national database of valor awards, and a concerted effort by federal law enforcement personnel to bring lawbreakers to justice, are aimed at ensuring that General Washington’s instructions are fully honored and implemented.
As this article is written there is a veritable epidemic of military imposters loose in our nation; respect and admiration for our armed forces personnel are at a level not seen since the days of World War Two. Military personnel are seen as laudable and commendable, and are praised and honored at public gatherings. Hardly a day passes without mention of “our heroes in uniform” in the print and broadcast media. While most military veterans are loath to be called a “hero” themselves, most will readily suggest that they have met or served with some bona fide heroes. There are some members of our society, however, who covet the title of “military hero” and intentionally seek the spotlight, despite never having served in the nation’s armed forces. There are also legitimate military veterans who are not satisfied with their record of achievements and duties who embellish their military records, claiming duties, skills, awards and commendations which they never actually earned. Some have even managed to obtain access to their official records while on active duty and altered those records (albeit incorrectly) to display false information before they leave the service and before their records are sent to the official archives.
False claims of military service are offered by charlatans for a plethora of reasons. Lecherous Lotharios attempt to impress potential female companions with their false claims of military prowess. Chest-thumping barroom braggarts attempt to impress and intimidate their drinking buddies with false claims of ‘secret missions’. Jail cell braggarts attempt to intimidate inmates and guards with false claims of deadly military hand-to-hand training. Office personnel offer false claims in an attempt to gain an advantage in the battle for promotions where preferences are given to military veterans. Corporate executives use false military credentials in an attempt to gain an edge in corporate marketing directed at military clients. Members of military and fraternal organizations attempt to gain undeserved praise and unearned recognition with false claims of extraordinary valor and wear medals which reflect their false claims. One of the largest contingents of military imposters involves those who falsely claim to be military veterans for the purpose of obtaining VA medical benefits, tax benefits, and monetary compensation.
The majority of Americans are trusting individuals who readily accept personal credentials when they are offered. Most wouldn’t think of claiming deeds or honors which they didn’t earn. Military imposters thrive in this trusting atmosphere.
Hollywood movies are intentionally designed so that viewers might imagine themselves in situations being portrayed on the big screen. Many movies in recent years have depicted an ‘everyman’ going about his normal job by day, but acting as a secret agent at nights and on weekends in the defense of our nation. Co-workers are shown to be completely oblivious to the skills and abilities of these remarkable warriors. These surreptitious heroes are often depicted receiving secret awards and medals which ‘cannot be documented because of national security interests’. Often there are depictions of military actions taking place which are never documented, and men being held as prisoners of war without records of their captivity, all presented as being in an effort to preserve national security. Such fictional plot elements are completely false and unrealistic, but since only about 7%-10% of the American population has been involved in active military service, the remainder of the population is ill-equipped to determine where reality ends and fantasy begins. When an imposter offers claims of military service, rank, awards, and events which are virtually lifted from the scripts of such movies, few outside of military veterans will suspect the duplicity.
The Stolen Valor Act of 2005
When informed about the growing epidemic of military imposters in our nation, many people ask “why bother with them?” Inquirers often suggest that military imposters are more to be pitied for their lack of self-esteem and self-worth than prosecuted, and that the making of false claims of military service is a ‘victimless crime’. On the contrary, it is not victimless, and it should be strongly stressed that it is a crime; a violation of federal law. Title 18 of the United States Code, Sections 702 and 704, the original laws which pertained to this sort of thing, had some sizeable loopholes which allowed imposters to get away with making false claims so long as they didn’t actually wear the specific awards, medals, or insignias. Those loopholes were closed by the STOLEN VALOR ACT OF 2005 which amended the original Title 18 USC sections. It was signed into law by President G.W. Bush in December 2006 and the making of false verbal claims is now legally defined as a violation of federal law.
The applicable laws refer to “the uniform, or a distinctive part thereof or anything similar to a distinctive part of the uniform of any of the armed services of the United States…” as well as “any decoration or medal authorized by Congress for the armed forces of the United States, or any of the service medals or badges awarded to the members of such forces, or the ribbon, button, or rosette of any such badge, decoration, or medal, or any colorable imitation thereof, except when authorized under regulations made pursuant to law…”
The amended law specifically includes doubly harsh penalties for those who make false claims of being awarded the highest medals for valor such as the Medal of Honor, the three Service Crosses, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart, or of being awarded the POW Medal.
Federal law enforcement agents are currently engaged in Operation Stolen Valor, a nationwide effort to bring the most egregious offenders to justice and demonstrate to the American public that our government will not tolerate those in our society who make false military claims for any reason, whether it is to gain employment or promotion under false pretenses, obtain unearned government benefits, or for purposes of self-aggrandizement of an over-inflated ego.
There are victims aplenty when false military claims are made. In addition to those individuals who are personally defrauded of goods, services and cash by multitudes of military imposters, the American taxpayers often bear the burden and costs of fraudulently obtained benefits which annually runs into the billions of dollars. That’s “Billions” with a capital “B”.
James O’Neill is assistant Inspector General for the VA, and it is O’Neill’s office which is responsible for rooting out those who defraud the VA.
“We take it seriously because this money is meant for veterans, not for fakers. Every dollar that’s lost to a faker is one more dollar that can’t be spent on a veteran,” stated O’Neill in an interview with Military Times.
Fraudulent Claims for Profit
On Friday 21 September 2007 Christopher Lee Proe (Google) was arrested in South Yarmouth Massachusetts for writing five fraudulent checks totally more than $4,000 at a nightclub. Proe had spent an evening in the nightclub telling everyone that he was a soldier just back from Iraq, that he had nearly died there, and that he was celebrating being home. Based upon his claims of being a member of the military recently returned from a war zone, the club management waived their normal policy as a courtesy and allowed him to write personal checks instead of requiring cash or a credit card.
Proe has admitted to police that he was never in Iraq and never served in the military in any capacity. He has a criminal history in the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Virginia. Proe is specifically wanted in Indiana for failure to register as a sex offender. Police in South Yarmouth charged him with five counts of Larceny over $250 and he was scheduled for arraignment in Barnstable District Court on Monday 24 September.
In this instance it was the private business – the nightclub – which was defrauded after having made a good-faith effort to extend a courtesy to a man they thought to be a legitimate American military veteran.
An article in the Air Force Times described the case of Mr. Larry Porter of Seattle who spun a tale of harsh abuse and near death by drowning as a sailor undergoing water survival training while in basic training. He added vivid accounts of having witnessed the death of a civilian worker who fell from a ship in a California shipyard. Presumably on the basis of resulting mental trauma, Porter, who spent a total of 15 months in the US Navy in the 1970s, was granted $134,000 in VA benefits and $40,000 from the Social Security Administration.
All of Porter’s claims were subsequently found to be false, and he is currently serving a three-year jail sentence and must repay all of the money which he took from the VA and the Social Security Administration.
In this instance it was the American tax payers, the Veterans Administration, and the Social Security Administration who were defrauded. All too often such fraud is not discovered and both the VA and the SSA are bilked out of billions of dollars each year by those who are not legitimately eligible to receive benefits from either administration.
And then there is the case of Jesse MacBeth, a former soldier who served in the US Army only 44 days and who didn’t even finish basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia. According to Ronald Friedman, assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington state, MacBeth filed falsified discharge documents with the VA stating that he served three years and separated from the military as a corporal after deploying to both Afghanistan and Iraq. He also claimed to have earned a Ranger tab and a Purple Heart.
MacBeth’s claim for VA benefits was denied, but that didn’t stop his charade. According to Friedman, MacBeth produced anti-war videos claiming he committed atrocities while serving as a Ranger in Iraq, that he had killed innocent civilians after being ordered to do so.
The truth is that MacBeth was never a corporal, never received a Purple Heart for wounds received in combat, and neither saw nor participated in war crimes in Iraq or Afghanistan He was never a Ranger, and was released from the Army for issues related to performance and conduct. There is no possible way, therefore, that he could be suffering from the combat-based post-traumatic stress disorder for which he sought compensation and for which he compiled his falsified military record.
In September 2007 MacBeth was sentenced to five months in jail, three months in a halfway house, and three years’ probation for falsifying a Department of Veterans Affairs claim and an Army discharge record. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik also ordered MacBeth to seek help for mental health problems, especially as they related to committing domestic violence.
The videos he made were translated into Arabic for Middle Eastern audiences and MacBeth became a ‘poster boy’ for the anti-war movement. He fooled peace groups, those with a political axe to grind in contention with the US political administration and its foreign policies, and with alternative news media, becoming something of an anti-war star over the past several years.
The videos proclaimed his concocted stories of war atrocities, including MacBeth’s claims that “We would burn their bodies … hang their bodies from the rafters in the mosque”. These videos have been widely distributed in areas of the world where they will do the greatest possible harm to American efforts. It is likely that any details which are disseminated in the Middle East regarding MacBeth’s conviction and jail sentence for falsifying this information will only be interpreted by America’s enemies as evidence of a conspiracy to ‘cover up’ the fictional atrocities which he fabricated for his own fraudulent ends.
In this instance the VA saw through the false claims and denied MacBeth’s application for benefits to which he had no legal right. It is the American public, and the American reputation abroad, however, which has suffered terribly as a result of his fraud and self-aggrandizement. Doubtless his widely-distributed claims of war atrocities will continue to incite violence against our own military forces and greatly embolden those who seek to counter US efforts at home and abroad.
According to federal prosecutors, in Philadelphia a prominent leader among Delaware County veterans has been found to have claimed and worn military medals he never earned including the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
Formal charges have been filed against James Anthony Alleva, (POW Network) 54, the Commandant of the Marine Corps League’s General Smedley D. Butler Detachment 741. Mr. Alleva was ordered to surrender his passport and subsequently released on $10,000 bail pending disposition of the case which was filed by U.S. Attorney Patrick L. Meehan and FBI Special Agent-in-Charge J.P. Weis.
According to the charges, Alleva allegedly “altered his military discharge certificate, wore unauthorized military medals or decorations, and falsely represented himself as an award recipient of commendations achieved in action”.
In a news article published online by the Delco Times (Delaware County, PA) detailing the matter, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose R. Arteaga stated that Alleva was cited Aug. 7 for allegedly altering his military discharge certificate and on Feb. 5 and Aug. 7 for illegally wearing the Silver Star medal, the Bronze Star medal, two Purple Heart medals, awards only authorized by Congress, and Parachute Jump Wings and a SCUBA Badge for completing diver school.
Mr. Alleva faced a potential maximum sentence of two years imprisonment, one year supervised release and $110,000 in fines.
In this instance it was the American public in general, and members of the Marine Corps League in particular, who were defrauded. In fact it appears that the initial queries regarding Mr. Alleva’s claimed commendations and awards were prompted by suspicious members of the Marine Corps League.
Those who are serving or have served in the military forces highly value selflessness by their fellows. That selflessness – the placing of a higher value on the safety and lives of one’s fellows above one’s own safety and life – is respected, acknowledged and honored by the award of medals and commendations. Falsely claiming to have been granted such awards, military imposters seek to mislead others into believing that they belong in the company of those who have selflessly put themselves at risk for their brothers-in-arms. The dishonor which such deception does to those who truly earned the awards discredits the contributions of the real heroes and devalues the sacrifices of those who gave their lives in service to the nation while observing those ideals.
Devaluation of History
World War Two veterans are reportedly dying at the rate of approximately 1,000 persons a day, and many of them have never shared the details of their military experiences outside the limits of their own families. Korean War veterans are aging rapidly and their history is likewise being lost at an alarming rate. The decade-long televised accounts of the Vietnam War made it possibly the most widely documented conflict of the 20th Century and yet many of the men and women involved in that unpopular conflict returned home and resumed their lives without telling others the details of their service.
Military actions in Grenada (Urgent Fury 1983), Panama (Just Cause 1989), Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield (1990-91), the ongoing Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF Afghanistan) and ongoing Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF Iraq) have all received massive televised coverage, yet the individual experiences of military veterans in these conflicts go largely unreported and undocumented.
In the year 2000, in an effort to preserve the oral histories of individual military participants, the Library of Congress began its Veterans History Project. They invited military veterans or their families to compile written, oral, or video histories of the military events of their lives. Sadly, those who feel comfortable with exaggerating their personal contributions related to military service have had a veritable heyday at the expense of historical accuracy in the Veterans History Project.
Recently a reporter for the Marine Corps Times looked into the actual credentials of a number of individuals who had contributed to the Veterans History Project. The findings were truly alarming. More than half of those listed as having received the Medal of Honor had not actually been granted that award. That reporter also found 30 false claims of receiving the Army’s Distinguished Service Cross, and 14 false claims related to the Navy Cross. And this was only a cursory examination. Further examinations are ongoing related to claims of membership and service in various elite units such as the Army SF, Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, and Marine Force Recon. Preliminary examinations reveal significant numbers of false statements requiring further investigation.
Initial responses from the Library of Congress indicated that there had been some errors found but blamed them on clerical transcription errors. In the work-a-day business world clerical errors of this magnitude would certainly justify some serious changes in clerical staff. However, given the fact that veterans making contributions to the Veterans History Project must complete a written statement as well as a verbal interview, it seems clear that despite the initial response from the LOC, “simple clerical errors” cannot begin to explain away all of the ‘erroneous’ claims.
The Library of Congress subsequently issued a statement defending the Veterans History Project as a congressionally mandated effort that isn’t a historical archive and thus doesn’t have to verify the accuracy of the accounts submitted to it. Library of Congress officials, however, confirmed that they would remove false medal claims when they were discovered. The problem is that they are not actively seeking to discover false claims and many go completely undiscovered.
“When you put the Library of Congress stamp on the project, people will take it as factual history. If they are not going to care about the facts, then they should rename the project ‘War Stories, Including Some That Are True,” said Mr. Doug Sterner, who with his wife, Pam, originated and championed the Stolen Valor Act of 2005 in order to strengthen federal laws regarding military imposters.
Mr. Sterner, who operates the Home of Heroes web site which includes information about Medal of Honor recipients, has proposed that Congress order a national database be compiled on all those service members who have been awarded the nation’s top medals for valor, including the Congressional Medal of Honor and the three service crosses, among others. Mr. Sterner firmly believes it is the government’s job to maintain a definitive database for all valor awards and he is seeking congressional support for the “MILITARY VALOR ROLL OF HONOR ACT” (Google) which would create such a database.
Mr. Sterner, who is himself an Army veteran of the Vietnam War and a holder of the Bronze Star, believes public access to this important information would be a tremendous service to veterans and their families, and would serve to make quick work of the imposters who pretend to be heroes. The database, which Mr. Sterner guesses would cost about $8 million to create, would quickly pay for itself by ending much of the fraud rampant in claims made to the Veterans Administration. Mr. Sterner pointed to recent arrests in the Seattle area where a number of military imposters were caught. Several of those military imposters had received a total of $1.4 million in unearned VA benefits. When such a figure is expanded to take in the entire nation the magnitude of the fraud perpetrated by military imposters against the VA alone is truly staggering.
In 2007, Congressman John T. Salazar (D-Colorado) announced he would introduce legislation as a follow-up to The Stolen Valor Act which was signed into law by President Bush in December 2006. The Military Valor Roll of Honor Act of 2007 would create a database containing the names and citations of individuals who have been awarded the Medal of Honor or any other medal authorized by the United States Congress. Congressman Patrick J. Murphy (D-Pennsylvania) joined Congressman Salazar in these efforts.
“Medals recognize the best American qualities – courage, honor, and sacrifice,” said Salazar. “These honors are reserved for those who willingly risked their lives for our country. The Medal of Honor is our nation’s highest military honor. It is our job to protect the honor and integrity of our veterans, to make sure the memory of their heroism is not tarnished.
“Having a readily accessible and public database will not only give the tools to law enforcement to prosecute fraudulent claims, but will properly recognize those who have been honored with these citations,” Rep. Salazar added. “I’m proud to work with Congressman Patrick Murphy, who is a fellow veteran, to bring this historic legislation forward.”
In December 2009, more than two calendar years later, that bill still languishes unresolved, and has not yet garnered enough support from politicians to bring it to a vote.
More Than Just Money
Justification? Reasoning? What is the motivation for the claims made by military imposters? In many cases it principally involves the words Prestige, Respect, and Admiration. In the years during and immediately following the Vietnam War, the military was so widely disliked, distrusted, and held in such disfavor that few wanted to admit being military veterans, much less claiming to have served in the war. In TV shows and movies the ‘bad guy’ was often depicted as a wildly dysfunctional Vietnam veteran with deadly combat or explosive skills.
In the wake of Operation Urgent Fury on the Caribbean island of Grenada, a new generation of young Americans began efforts to reverse the post-Vietnam perception of the military. Returning military forces were greeted, hailed, feted, and respected. The same thing happened again after Operation Just Cause in Panama. Troops returning from the ‘First Gulf War’ (Operation Desert Shield, and Operation Desert Storm) found Yellow Ribbons adorning phone poles and fence posts across the nation, they were given heroes’ welcomes, a parade down the Avenue of Heroes, and honored from coast to coast. Respect for military personnel soared.
In Sep 2001 our nation was attacked and our military responded, and the media gave wide coverage to those at the very front of our nation’s response – the Special Operations Forces (Army SF, Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, USAF PJs, etc). Our citizens honored and admired the military, and wanted to emulate them. Wearing ‘camo’ clothing became popular once more, and veterans no longer avoided telling others about their military service.
The American entertainment industry reflects both the mood of the people who buy their products, and the mood of the people who are engaged in producing those products; whether the products takes the form of books, or a movies, or a video games. Successes and profits lead others to follow suit. Our nightly TV news shows regularly feature stories about veterans (although few stories contain any actual war footage or accounts of heroic actions). TV dramas and big screen movies portray military personnel as respectable, skilled, and competently facing deadly challenges. Video games provide an opportunity for anyone to graphically imagine themselves in front line combat roles and heroic actions. And while the movies are seldom realistic, they are action filled and exciting, drawing huge audiences and laudatory comments from viewers.
High Repute
In 2009 the US military stands in high repute – as highly respected as in the days following the end of WWII. Yet that atmosphere of admiration and respect brings with it yet another peculiar phenomenon; there are a small percentage of our citizens who desire that respect and admiration for themselves despite never having served in the military. There are a small percentage of our real military veterans whose low self esteem drives them to wish they had done more, accomplished more, and to seek greater personal praise and admiration. Not for profit, these aspirations, but simply for a piece of the public acclaim pie… the admiration and respect earned by those in the military who have faced the greatest possible hurdles and the most profound dangers, and overcome them.
During the Vietnam era (1965-1973) there were thousands who fled to Mexico and Canada to avoid the military draft. War protests raged across the nation and many hundreds of thousands loudly proclaimed that they wanted nothing to do with that war, the military who were fighting the war, or the politicians who had engaged our nation in that conflict. Now many of those same people who loudly declared their anti-war, anti-Vietnam sentiments are claiming to not only have served in the military, but to have served in combat in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations.
The US government figures showed that in 1995 there were 1,703,823 of those who served in Vietnam (within the area designated as a ‘war zone’) still alive. According to statistics released from the US Census of 2000, some 9,492,958 people FALSELY claimed to have served in Vietnam. This number was derived by taking the government’s figures regarding living Vietnam veterans and subtracting it from the total number of those who had claimed to be Vietnam veterans on their 2000 Census forms.
There is popular sentiment that is widely shared among real Vietnam era veterans (whether they saw combat or not) – “Back then no one wanted to go to Vietnam, now everyone wants to say they were there in the thick of things!”
Few, if any of those making such false claims are likely to offer stories of being a rear area supply clerk, a nondescript deck hand aboard a ship, a clerk typist in a recruiting office, a motor pool driver, a boot camp classroom instructor, an aircraft engine mechanic, a radar or teletype operator. Claims of heroic and dangerous assignments and heroic actions abound among the imposters. Claims of hunting the enemy through tall jungle grass, or through dangerous desert cave complexes, of carrying out daring sniper missions and eluding vast numbers of enemy aggressors are the norm, rather than the exception. Almost all will invariably claim special training, membership in an elite Special Operations unit, participation in daring, highly classified operations ‘behind enemy lines’, credit for killing huge numbers of enemy forces, and often claiming to be the sole survivor of their “unit” (in an attempt to explain the lack of anyone to verify their claims). Special training! Black ops! Secret missions! Personnel records which are classified and therefore cannot be revealed! These are the cries of the military imposters.
The imposters demand respect and admiration for their claimed deeds, and thousands upon thousands of American citizens seeking to honor our real military veterans are scammed, conned, and duped daily. Imposters wearing row upon row of unearned, undeserved medals and ribbons are pictured in newspapers, they are featured on local TV news stories, they march proudly in Veterans Day parades, and they bask in the light of respect and admiration earned by the much smaller number of real veterans.
The numbers are clear and unambiguous; our nation is experiencing an epidemic of military imposters. National laws have been enacted in an attempt to stem the tide, but more are needed, with stronger penalties for those who break them. State legislatures need to enact laws which mirror and support those federal laws so that the burden of enforcement does not fall solely upon federal authorities. Citizens need to be aware that there is an epidemic, and to be wary of extraordinary claims of military service, no matter what the context of those claims. As former President Ronald Reagan said…
“Trust… but verify!”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Author Steve Robinson served on active duty as an enlisted man in the US Navy from January 1970 to November 1978. After schooling as a Radioman, he subsequently attended and successfully graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training and joined SEAL Team ONE in early 1971. Following his active duty, Robinson worked as a Defense Analyst specializing in Soviet Threat for a number of military defense contract firms. In 1993 he turned his hobby of historical blacksmithing into a full time job. He is now medically retired and lives with his wife in southwest Missouri.
Robinson currently volunteers his services as a member of the Board of Directors for the POW Network (www.pownetwork.org), and as an SOF Analyst and Contributing Journalist for the Naval Special Warfare Archives (www.navyfrogmen.com). He is the author of the book “NO GUTS, NO GLORY – Unmasking Navy SEAL Imposters” (2002).
Agree? Disagree? Have Something To Add? Please Show Your Appreciation To Mr. Steve Robinson For Taking The Time To Author This Guest Column In The Comments Section Below
***
Thanks much, Mr. Robinson, for such an important and well-written column. I do hope it gets the attention it deserves
Amen.
One way to deal with it would be to “call back to active duty” those making false claims to honours not earned. They should be just the right people to take point on patrols in Afghanistan and Iraq. Ya know?
May I pass this on to some others?
@Joe Lovell, Yep — pass this onto as many as you wish bro
Joe… the problem would be that the guys who’d aggrandized their records to reflect medals and honors not officially granted would be the last ones that I’d want walking point on my patrol. They might not care enough to keep from getting dusted themselves, and that’s just fine with me… but such disregard is likely to get other men – good men – hurt or killed in the process.
During the Vietnam era the draft was in full force, and while the Navy was “all volunteer”, there were a lot of guys who were in the Navy because they’d joined to avoid being drafted into the Army. I was fortunate in that I was in a truly all-volunteer unit (SEAL Team ONE). While the politics and the timing of my training conspired to keep myself and many newer members of SEAL Team ONE home from deploying to Vietnam, I knew that no matter where I might be sent, it would be with dedicated, professional Teammates at my side… men who wanted to be there, and had dedicated their lives to being professional warriors. The last thing any military member needs is someone “up front” who doesn’t give a rat’s ass and who isn’t professional.
As for the article… feel free to share it with others, but please include my “by line” credit. Better yet, send your mates the link to this GTL page, and ask them to give the links a “clicky” or two to help GTL with its coffers.
@Steve Robinson, OK, how about give ‘me sticks and have them probe for mines and IEDs?
@Joe Lovell, That’d be fine… if you managed to bring back the draft, or institute some other form of “compulsory service”. The vast majority of the imposters I’ve encountered don’t even have ANY military experience, and they’ve concocted their accounts of heroic action from thin air.
If we’re talking about veterans who have exaggerated their military service and somehow managed to falsify, alter, or forge supporting documents in order to receive benefits, then jail time and fines are far more appropriate. Let ‘em become bunk buddies with CLETUS and BUBBA in a federal lockup, require them to repay all their ill-gotten monies and pay for all the undeserved benefits they’ve received.
War fighting is too important to involve anyone who has a grudge against the military or the government. There’s always the danger that someone who doesn’t care, or doesn’t want to be there, will get someone ELSE injured or killed.
Yeah, it’d be satisfying to see some of these imposters being sent into a mine field with a long stick… but ultimately it ain’t gonna happen, and that’s probably a good thing in the long run.
@Steve Robinson, well, crap, Steve, you take the fun out of everything.
Mr. Robinson,
You are a strong representative of our Armed Forces, both active duty and veterans. Thank you.
Those phonies should go find something heroic to do before it is to late. It seems like the lines are short when duty calls.
Jerry Clark, U.D.T-11 and SEAL Team One, Vietnam War Veteran
Another GTL Guest Column: “An Epidemic of Military Imposters” — By … | Drakz News Station // Dec 27, 2009 at 12:57 AM
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Very well written Mr. Robinson. Thank you for your dedication to this issue. Shame you don’t sit in a prosecutors office. Might get a few more indicted.
Steve,
Well written. Be of good cheer. Sometimes it is harder to have the truth be know and told than it is to spread lies.
We will overcome by the word of our testimony.
Ken
Your Teammate and long time friend. 1969-1991
@Ken, You’re right, as always, buddy! Thanks for standing beside me, brother… then AND now!
What an excellent column Steve. I think that you have covered every aspect of this enormous issue rather well. In my opinion the Veteran’s Administration is not doing nearly enough to combat this problem despite their IG’s claims to the contrary. Nor is the ARPERCEN in St. Louis assisting with the investigation into these frauds in a timely manner it can take upwards of a year or more to get a response back from them usually due only to a lack of a JAG Officer’s review and signature releasing an individuals records under FOIA. That’s pretty ridiculous considering that the NPRC does that very same act hundreds of of times daily.And “Operation Stolen Valor” a national LE effort? Really? I’ve checked with my contacts at the local, state and federal levels in Michigan and they have never heard of it nor have they seen and broadcast pertaining to it come across the LEIN/NCIC regarding it? I’ve also checked with a friend who is with DoHS in FL and he too has not seen or heard a word about it so maybe the initiative needs to be sent out again? This time using the LEIN to ensure all levels of LE receive it nationally to include and especially our military LE personnel who need to be hypervigilant against these vermin infiltrating our military installations worldwide.Thank you for all of your very hard work Steve without you and Mary at the POW Network this cause would have been lost long ago!
What an excellent column Steve. I think that you have covered every aspect of this enormous issue rather well. In my opinion the Veteran’s Administration is not doing nearly enough to combat this problem despite their IG’s claims to the contrary. Nor is the ARPERCEN in St. Louis assisting with the investigation into these frauds in a timely manner it can take upwards of a year or more to get a response back from them usually due only to a lack of a JAG Officer’s review and signature releasing an individuals records under FOIA. That’s pretty ridiculous considering that the NPRC does that very same act hundreds of times daily.And “Operation Stolen Valor” a national LE effort? Really? I’ve checked with my contacts at the local, state and federal levels in Michigan and they have never heard of it nor have they seen and broadcast pertaining to it come across the LEIN/NCIC regarding it? I’ve also checked with a friend who is with DoHS in FL and he too has not seen or heard a word about it so maybe the initiative needs to be sent out again? This time using the LEIN to ensure all levels of LE receive it nationally to include and especially our military LE personnel who need to be hypervigilant against these vermin infiltrating our military installations worldwide.Thank you for all of your very hard work Steve without you and Mary at the POW Network this cause would have been lost long ago!
Another GTL Guest Column: “An Epidemic of Military Imposters” — By … | Drakz News Station // Dec 27, 2009 at 4:40 PM
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Mr Steve,
This is incredibly well written.
With your permission; I would like to use this article to ‘encourage’ my Senator to support this possible bill.
name withheld
1SG, US Army
First Sergeant
Camp Liberty, Iraq
@1SG in Iraq, Thank you for your kind words. As I told Joe Lovell (above)… “As for the article… feel free to share it with others, but please include my “by line” credit. Better yet, send your mates the link to this GTL page”
My own point of view is that the politicians from both major parties are so completely wrapped around the axle trying to get the best bacon-wrapped legislation for their own districts/regions, while bickering and back-biting anyone from the other side of the aisle, and are simultaneously doing their level best to feather their own nests. It seems unlikely, therefore, that any of them will bother to pay much attention to someone sending them my lengthy article, or a link to the article… but I certainly wish you the very best in your efforts.
The best I can really hope for is that those citizens interested in casting a meaningful vote in this year’s elections will read my article, and then examine the candidates on the ballot for evidence of anyone supporting such measures as I describe. I doubt any will be found… but it’s always worth a look.
I have my own complex opinions on politics and politicians, but this blog/comment section isn’t the place or the time to offer those lengthy thoughts. The only sentiment I will share is that I intend to vote against any/all incumbants, no matter which party they represent. I think we need to pull the rug from under all of the “professional politicians” and get back to the idea of “citizens serving the people”. If my article inspires others to petition their local/state politicos then I’m proud to be a part of that effort.
Thank you for your service in uniform. Watch your back, brother! *hand salute*
Yeah, Blah Blah Blah another veteran wants to start another organization where everyone bows down and worships him and hes an elete citizen with privileges.You cant just go around demanding respect and honor and get it.My father was a veteran he was also a drunk a child abuser and wife beater and he often got away with it due to his veteran status.I dont think just because you were in the military you get a free pass at least not from me,you got to earn that on a daily bases.Concerning imposters what is criteria for being a veteran.Im 41 yrs old and i got 20 yr olds orderin me around i think you ought to be at least old enuff to drink and be ought of diapers before you go claimin veteran status.And concerning the numbers to me if you grew up in a period of war you could consider yourself a veteran even if you were not in the military i grew up during the vietnam conflict i was too young to serve but i can tell you there was a lot of fighting going on here stateside also it got pretty close to a civil war at times,there was pretty much a war over the draft.And the people who opposed the draft won that war not the military so i guess you could consider the opposer of the draft veterans as well.Now i dont want no awards or recognition or anything i just want to share my experiences of how i have seen the war go down over the last 20 yrs.Like i stated vietnam was a failed experiment and the protesors won or so they thought.The militants had to repel the draft and bring the troops home,but the hardcore militants were pod,and the potesters let their guard down thinking the war was over.Many protesters had problems with drugs and everyone loved the music of the era but heay its peace time now we can finally relax.In 1974 Nixon started the Drug War the protesters who had repelled the draft didnt see it comin,The hardline militants who had suffered embarrasment in vietnam now pursued the protestors with a vengence.I myself never served there was a so called period of peace from about 74-90,but dont tell me i aint seen combat.We really thought the war was over it took me about 20 yrs to finally figure out these guys were actually pursuing us just because we oppossed them,I mean when you are constantly hounded and arrested all the time for stupid stuff the lightbulb finally goes off ding whats going on here.Now im not a big time marijuana smoker or anything I recreationally smoked some back in high school but i never inhaled,but you got to remember up until 74 it was legal.I have witnessed firsthand how the militants have taken away and restricted every right in the bill of rights,i have witnessed how they have systemactically dismantled americas freedom.It was little things hardly anyone would notice but they are laws that are for your own good.There used to not be a law against drinking and drivin then all the sudden there was you had to swerve though for them to have the right to pull you over but they couldnt search the car without a warrant.Im tellin you this cause many of you veterans are not old enuff to remeber.Up until around 76 or 78 there was not a speed limit for your car on the highway if your car could do a 100 mph you could.They changed that so now you think if i drive 55 and dont swerve im ok,but if i swerve or do over 55 and now if they smell anything they have the right to search under this new probable cause law.Even that wasnt good enuff sometime in the 80s they started the seatbelt law, i could go on and on.But basically nowits totally excepted that you can be pulled over at anytime and searched for no reason.I dont want to even start on the patriot act under the patriot act law enforcement can come into your home or place of business while you are not present while you are at walmart or work and search just like they do the prisons.How did we get to this point in america.When did the cops start showing up at the schools brainwashin the children to tell on their parents,When did i lose the right for a cop to know who i even am by just running my tag on my vehicle.Ill tell you a combat story at the start of the 1st gulf war i was just a regular workin joe opossed to war not to bright though my father had some land veteran land of course hes a veteran well times were tuff he said why dont you come stay with me for awhile i dont know why i fell for it we had never gotten along.With in a matter of days the sherrif attacked and i fought and i fought hard to no avail as i was over outnumbered i fought cause i didnt no why they were after me.Well they beat me up pretty good hog tied me i went through torture cells eletroshock,sedative medications interrogations hypnosis and staightjackets leg shackles you name it they really rewired me.I was finally released but i was shellshocked.Now ill skip over all the stuff in between cause there were many battles and skirmishes between the fisrt gulf war when i was 22 yrs old and the second which occured in my 30s i was 34 or something.I want to fast foward to 2001 and you tell me if you thank or suppose coincidence or not.I was gettin by ok and had been pretty much avoiding my family out of the blue my father starts callin me and hes turned his life over to god and wants to get to know me better like i said i struggle financially but i was getting by but he starts offering to put my own trailer on the land,I had not seen my mother in 10 yrs I fell for it again.Yeah i was a little concerned about 911 but i figure im in my mid 30s im to old for service ill probably be out of this one.With in a matter of days the sherrif laid siege once again except one of the deputies i knew was a texas national guard cause he was dating my sister,well it was a battle royal and they won again and i went through the whole rewiring procees again,coincidence?Finally it all added up it all clicked what i had unbeknownst finally became aparent,these militants have and are and will continue to be at war with me who woulda thought i mean this was my own family.Well presently things changed a little i finally met a wife who believe it or not has went through similar situations although left sterile and infertile purposely or not by the systematic tortures we live a pretty good life,if you could witness how god provides for us it would make you a believer how he provides for us,I mean the militants are always shutin my income downin the workplace but ive had relitively little money and been shut off in the workplace and then god multiplies an investment 10 times or somethin its somethin only god could have done i mean i bought a lota gold at 400 anoz yrs ago and silver i dabble in the currency markets,my wife did this one investment that just multiplyed 100 times over and we are pretty much set for life if we play it close to the hilt.I mean the militants just got to be plum frusterated when they see these financial happenings right in their face the only way for them to stop it is to shut the free markets down but heayh that could be their next move.No one would sell us a house until this one guy offered us one,i suspected he was a militant but i guess they need money too and lisa wanted the house,a couple of days latter the neighbor the nicest friendliest man you ever meet if i can help you in any way just let me know an older veteran 50s or so,well i didnt realize you know how they put the noose around you,but every day can i help you in anyway good neighbor by the way im a veteran da da da,i mean just bein a smart alec,across the way a guy sits a younger 20s or so guy with a militant haircut never says anything which is good cause i told the old vet not to even step in my yard cause thats my american right right?Well we are all dressed in civliann clothes rightbut the young vet who never says anything has too huge german shepard dope or bomb sniffin dogs he keeps pinned up and then runs them throgh my yard at night or when im not here,i seen their tracks,i ve came home on several ocassions or awoken from sleep with my doors wide open nuthin in the house missin but as if somone has a key or somethin and theres the old vet in my yard wavin at me and smilin at me and i can see right through it you can see him thinkin i got you now sucker but he say heayh good neighbor you need any help today.Its like livin under martial law and they are sayin they fought for our freedom.A 100 years from now history will be retold america used to be a free country but the militants took it over a turned it into a prison nation,maybe democracy will spring up in a new nation and the story of the american pow will be told.Until then me and my wife continue to dig in a few more financial blessings from god and a little more time and we hope will have the resources and means to maybe seek out a new land of democracy freedom you never know maybe god will lead us.To sum it up i care more about freedom than someones veteran status if you aint free your better off on the pow side.
@aaron,Mr. Aaron,
Thank you for the comedic story that had NOTHING to do with the discussion or article. I can tell you that we (the US militants over here in Iraq) truly appreciate the time you took to brighten our day.
Increase your current medication!
1SG in Iraq
P.S. Oh yeah, “WE ARE WATCHING YOU!!!!”…
@1SG in Iraq, and thank YOU for brightening my day with your response, Sarg! Especially the “WE ARE WATCHING” But now you’ve gone and let the cat out of the bag, and now Mr. Aaron will know for certain that his place is being watched and regularly/systematically searched for contraband. He’s liable to get all paranoid, and stay up nights peeking through the curtains to see who might be sneaking around his place.
Again… thanks for brightening my day, mate. Happy New Year! Stay low, go slow, and always hold a tight front-sight picture!
@Steve Robinson, One Word.
PARAGRAPHS!!!
@aaron,
Huh?
Ill tell you a story Mr. Robinson of one of my first expriences with hand to hand combat,its a story that needs to be told.I can see by your years of service in the 70s you would be familiar with the times i speak of but some of the younger vets that are soon to return need to know if not for their sake but for the sake of their children.I name this epic postvietnam battle epic “The Smoker Rings”.As i have grown older some of the events I did not understand through the eyes of a child growing up in the 70s have become more apparent as I gathered insight on some of the events that took place of in my life at which time i wasnt old enough to understand what was going on in the minds of others.Do you Mr. Robinson remember the Muhhamed Ali vs. George Fraizer fights.It was quite an event at the time.I saw these fights through the eyes of a child not understanding all of the political implications to them,this fight was much more than just a boxing match.I didnt know what a draft was, i didnt know where vietnam, didnt know who malcom x was, the black panthers. I didnt understand the thought process of my drunk veteran fathers political standings.All i knew was Ali was the greatest boxer i had ever seen.Ali was flamboyant when he talked at the interviews everyone laughed, Frazier was dull,Ali would taunt frazier.And when Ali was in the ring he just floated like he was walkin on air he just moved like poetry and his punches were like lightning and precise it was something to watch.George Frazier was a dull fighter to watch.And from what i saw Muhammed Ali was the greatest boxer of all time.Now Frazier and Ali fought 2 or 3 times And i cant remember who won 2 outa 3 and frazier even broke Ali’s jaw onetime.But on the night of the Battle of The Smoker Rings Ali won the fight.Some of the things i now understand which i didnt at the time i want to shed some light on.Muhammed Ali was a conscietious objector to the vietnam war and .George Frazier was a army veteran and there was a lot of military pride ridin on this fight.My father a veteran with a tendency to drink he never paid me much attention.However on the night of The Battle of The Smoker Rings he says come on son we are going to watch a boxing match on T.V. the whole world was watchin this fight you have to remember back then there were only 3 channels.The fights back then were 15 rounds and a good boxin match would last a couple of hours which you could imagine would give my father enough time to consume quite a lot of alcoholic beverages i think i ran to the refridgerator 15 times that night between each round to get him a beer.My father was pretty calm during most of the boxing match but you could feel the anger rising in him as the fight continued on.He would ask me who are you for of course I said Ali he was exciting to watch he was the better fighter it was hard not to get excited watchin ali and i would holler out with a childs excitement get him ali get him ,and he was just pickin fraizer apart he was doin the shuffle and the round about and frazier would just keep walkin foward into it real dull like.My father just remained calm and would say just you wait frazier is going to get him.Well ali won the fight my father full of rage and his judgement impaired by the amount of alcohol,which i also latter came to understand, decides its time to teach me to box.What I latter came to realize he wasnt only angry cause the fighter he chose lost most of the anger he had was fomented by the whole war protest in general and he took it out on me that night.I can remember my mother hollerin leave him alone jerry hes just a boy but he had and an excuse he was teachin me to fight the boy needs to learn how to fight,hell i wasnt old enuff to tie my own shoe.He was drunk he would stand me up and say now you look me in the eye and dont you ever take your eye off of mine that way you can see everything.You see all this fancy stuff over here with my right hand like ali does of course i would look then he would smack me and say i told you not to look keep your eyes on mine and then pick me up i was pretty confused tramatized i couldnt keep up with what he was tryin to show me or even understand why he was tryin to show me.I was dealin with a drunk veteran father in full rage you want to pin a medal on him for that victory go ahead.Why i tittled this epic The Smoker Rings all culminates in a drunken vet who just after beatin the crap out of his son pulls out his navy yearbook its a book the navy puts out like a high school yearbook memorabilia with all the pictures of the guys who servrd during that time the title on that book is The smoker rings .He also hit me with that book several times that night hollerin you see this you see these pictures i did not serve my country for some draft dodgin objector to come in an change his name to a muslim and hell he was so drunk and incoherent you couldnt make know sense of what he was trying to say.All i know is a was traumatized of that book as it sat on the shelf next to the encyclopedias i used to just steer away from it in fear i really never comprehended anything about that night until some 20 or 30 years latter.But even now the thought of the sight of that book rekindles fear in me.I cried myself to sleep that night and the one thing that confided me through that night was that Muhammed Ali did win that fight and he was the greatest fighter ever whether he was a draft dodger or not.
Next i would like to tell you the story of my involvement in the offensive Operation Beat A Flower Child 1 and Operation Beat A Flower Child 2,although im am not proud of my involvement and am disgusted with my parcipitation in the mission,you guys might find it amusing and reccomend me for a meddle for it,however i would have to refuse.Im telling you the events of Operations Beat A Flower Child 1 and Operation Beat A Child 2 because I want to shed some light to the different cultures of militants and opposers of the draft,to enlighten people of the mindset of the times and the battles that were fought back here during so called peace time after the repulsion of the draft and the end of the vietnam war.I grew up in a suburban neighborhood all the kids on the block played together.Like i told you earlier my father was a hardcore drunk veteran and i was scared of him i did what he told me or i would get beat.There was this kid who lived across the street and his family were i guess you would say hippies probably war protesters.The father had long hair and played guitar in a band and there were always people comin and goin men with long hair and stuff,these were some wild lookin people.And dad strictly forbid me from goin over to that house i could go over other kids house but not this kids.I think the kids mom was probably pretty attractive though i didnt pay much attention to that though cause i was just a kid you know.But knowin my father i can figure it out now yeah she was probably good lookin i remember she had long blond hair.I remember my father tellin my mother why dont you see what tammy i think her name was doin see if she can come over.But my father would never allow mother to go across the street either but anyway due to the friendship of my mother and this kids mother i was allowed to play with this kid but only in our yard now i could go to other kids houses and so could he but we were not allowed to go to his house.Now this kid was a little different he had a little bit longer hair you might say he was a little effemenin,he was a good kid but the kind of kid we would all of called a woos back then.Well I want to try to explain to you some of the difference in cultures back then especially the language.The hippies used lots of phrases that were not familar to my dads generation or he could not comprehend,like far out man,or way cool man,or im hip to that man,or heayh dude.And this kid grew up with these words and as i hung out with him i began to pick them up.And the one word that just triggered of my father one day was neato.Well my father was an insane drunk at times and this was like a saturday or sunday and he had been drinkin most the day,and at somepoint during the day as me and him were talkin the phrase neato dude slipped out,well my father just went ballistic yellin at were did you learn that word and i dont want you speakin that jibberish in my house and what does it mean.Well i tried to explain neato means like nice or somethin and dude means like guy.And my father was pretty paranoid to all this hippie free love stuff he thought they was all gay or somethin plus he was pretty drunk and irrationally out of his mind.Well my father took it as the kid was gay and was tryin to pick up on me.Lookin back though i dont think the kid was gay we was only 9 or 10 at the time,the kid was just a little you know wimpy.But my father was convinced in his drunken mind that somethin had to be done and i had to obey my father or he would beat me.Well my father forced me to call this kid over and as he watched and supervised he commanded me to pummell this kid i didnt want to but i feared if i didnt my father would beat me.Well this kid being a peace child he just took it and i wooped him pretty hard i had to my father was watchin me.I felt a lot of guilt but i was pretty much a confused child influenced by my drunk veterans rationale.I start with that to lay the ground work to Operation Beat A Flower Child 2.A mission though im not proud of now in which i rose to a rank of a commanding officer maybe a 1st sarge or something.There was a kid at the end of the street and he was a year younger than us,but i was allowed to go down there cause his dad was deemed respectable by my father i dont know if he had any military experience but he had a job he was more like a cowboy or somethin he had a lot of cattle out in the country and often he would take me with his son to work the cattle,he was probably about the only real good male influence i ever had growin up i never seen this guy yell at his son or drunk although i seen him drink a beer or 2 every now and then.Anyhow gettin back to the mission i dont know what my rationale was concerning Operation Beat A Flower Child 2 was i think it was motivated by guilt and that if i could get someone else to join in on the endeavor it might make it more exceptable and relieve some of the guilt i had.I now conspired with my younger friend down the street that he had to beat this kid cause he was a homo and if he did not i would beat him.Hence we headed up the street and Operation Beat A Flower Chid 2 set in motion as my younger friend began the beating the other child as i watched and gave commands and the kid once again just laid there and took it.I have to admit i did feel powerful at the time,but the final result of Operation Beat A Flower Chid 2 did not relieve my guilt as i had thought it would. The End
@aaron, Exactly HOW does your endless word-spew (lacking both punctuation and paragraph breaks), written about drunkards, flower children, and boxing matches, have ANYTHING WHATSOEVER to do with the subject of MILITARY IMPOSTERS? How do these offerings contribute to the discussion of why people undertake to impersonate military veterans? How do these rambling diatribes contribute to an understanding of their motivation, or a possible solution to the problem?
What you’re offering here is nothing more than a random drive-by WORD SHOOTING… on full automatic… without any concern for the citizenry in the area!
@Steve Robinson,
Methinks Aaron has diarrhea of the mouuth!