Protect the warriors; go after the phonies.
Rick Duncan was a Marine with a compelling story to tell, and tell it he did, to anyone who would listen. A graduate of the Naval Academy, Rick had been in the Pentagon when the plane hit on September 11, 2001. Volunteering for duty in Iraq, Duncan rose to the rank of Captain, and although openly gay, was assigned to lead a Marine Battalion in the battle of Fallujah. During the house to house battles there he had a finger shot off and suffered a severe head injury that required a plate be put in his head. He returned to the states disillusioned with the war and became executive director of the Colorado Veterans Alliance.
Partisan, MoveOn.com-ally VoteVets asked Duncan to be a blogger for them where he wrote under the handle of “USMCinCO.” The radical anti-war group “Iraq Veterans Against the War” (which does not require service in Iraq) asked Capt. Duncan to appear at several of their events to talk about his experiences. Various candidates for state and Federal offices in Colorado during the last election cycle asked Duncan to appear in their political commercials.
But Rick Duncan never existed. He was in fact Rick Strandlof, a man wanted on an outstanding warrant. In March and April of this year his story started to fall apart, with military bloggers chronicling every facet of his downfall. VoteVets and IVAW quickly scrubbed the internet of his presence, and the campaign ads featuring him speaking were removed from YouTube. Anderson Cooper of CNN delivered the coup de grace…
In July of 2005, Representative John Salazar, Democrat from Colorado introduced the “Stolen Valor Act.” Briefly summarized, the act provides that (among other things):
Whoever falsely represents himself or herself, verbally or in writing, to have been awarded 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 shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
The bill passed both the House and the Senate (in a version sponsored by Kent Conrad of North Dakota) and was signed into law by the President on December 20, 2006. The Denver Post reported on the bill after it was signed into law:
Salazar, a Vietnam War [era] veteran, authored a bill he called the Stolen Valor Act at the urging of Colorado State University at Pueblo student Pam Sterner. She wrote a school paper about the lack of a law prohibiting anything other than the false wearing of a war medal.
Under the new law, anyone who falsely claims to be a decorated military veteran can be punished with up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. The penalties are double for a claim involving the Distinguished Service Cross, Air Force Cross, Navy Cross, Silver Star or Purple Heart.
Last week I began to hear rumors from people I knew in Colorado that the United States Attorney for the District of Colorado, David M. Gaouette, had decided against prosecuting Duncan/Strandlof. Perplexed by this, I contacted his office by email:
I know of a few relatively high profile instances of violations of the Stolen Valor Act in Colorado, most notably that of Rick Duncan/Strandlof. I have been informed by individuals I know that the US Attorney there in Colorado is not going to pursue those charges. I was wondering if you could let me know if that was in fact an accurate reflection of the situation, or if you would care to provide some context for that?
The response was a rather terse “Please contact FBI Special Agent [redacted] at 303-629-xxxx” And so I did.
I spoke with the Special Agent, who happens to be a former Marine. Now, let me interject that the FBI in Denver is a top notch outfit, as proven just this weekend by them arresting 3 men on terrorism related charges. The Agent that I spoke with knew exactly what I was calling about, and every minute reference I dropped about the Duncan Affair he knew off the top of his head. Now, I will not relate the entire conversation, since I am sure he would rather not be dragged into this, but he made it abundantly clear that it was the US Attorney’s decision alone to drop the case (which he seemed to disagree with) and that he was not authorized to tell me much more than that. He did inform me that the process is that the office of the US Attorney will send a letter to the FBI declining to prosecute on the charge, and generally contain the reasoning such a decision was made. He said he had not as yet received that letter, nor would he be at liberty to release it to me even if he had.
I once again contacted the US Attorney’s office, and the PR guy who had initially responded to my email replied to neither my follow up emails, nor to my phone message. I next contacted the office of Representative Salazar, however two voice messages have not been returned as of the time of publishing this post. If either the US Attorney or Representative Salazar responds, I will post that response in full.
Outing phony veterans has been a bit of a cottage industry for Military Bloggers. The most notorious was probably Jesse MacBeth, a man who claimed to have served in Iraq with the Rangers and having killed “hundreds” of Iraqis, some while they took refuge in a mosque. His story was debunked fairly easily, what with wearing his beret backwards, his sleeves rolled the wrong way, wearing the wrong color T-Shirt, and the fact his stories couldn’t pass even a rudimentary laugh test.
Earlier VoteVets had been burned by a guy named Josh Lansdale, whose tales of the horrors of war were debunked by his own first sergeant, and numerous members of the media who had embedded with his unit. Television Ads for VoteVets featuring Josh as well as one for a Senate candidate were quietly retired.
No case has been as abundantly clear as that of “General Baxter.”
Jonn Lilyea of This Ain’t Hell requested the military records of “General Baxter” through a Freedom of Information Act request to the National Personnel Records Center who confirmed that Baxter had been discharged as a PFC. The Baltimore office of the FBI declined to investigate, despite a picture of him wearing a Combat Infantryman’s Badge and a Silver Star (among other unearned awards.)
I truly don’t understand the logic of the US Attorney for Colorado and the FBI office in Baltimore. To those of us who served in combat, each of these phonies robs a little bit of the honor we earned through our military experiences. Duncan, MacBeth and Lansdale all used their phony war records to push a radical point of view, one which The American Legion and other veterans organizations spend a great deal of energy trying to refute. The service-member as blood-thirsty villain meme is one we actively must refute, whether it appears in a New York Times article using skewed statistics to show that service-members are more prone to violent criminal acts, or the now discredited DHS report that returning men and women are ripe for recruitment by radical fringe groups.
We will continue to debunk these individuals who do harm to the legacy of the warriors of today and yesterday, but it would be nice if we could count on the US Attorneys and FBI agents to uphold the law in order to help us.
After all, isn’t that why these laws are passed?
This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 0831 and is filed under Uncategorized, the burner. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
I think the best part of the call to the Baltimore FBI office was when the agent told me that I must have too much time on my hands if I assembled such an airtight case against Baxter.
[...] This from some guy named MOTHAX at The Burn Pit; [...]
what gets me all worked up are these organizations ready to put these fakers at the front of their political agenda and do damage to the overall effort to support our veterans…
I think he should be dragged to the Ranger Rendezvous, and his picture passed around.
After that, a Federal Judge should sentence him to cleaning bedpans at Walter Reed for the next ten years.
I thank the American Legion for sending me this link. These kind of acts should be punishable with a larger fine. In alot of cases it is about money. Raise the penalty to $250,000 and you will see alot more of these individuals be prosecuted.
As a Viet Nam veteran I have seen a number of phony vets claiming to have been in Viet Nam. It usually only takes a few minutes to find out they were lying. Every war has it’s phonies. The real vets can spot them. Phonies need to be exposed for the liars they are.
Bag ‘em and drag ‘em! Enough is enough.
I’m a Kernal in the Navy Green Berays. I served in the Mexican American War as well as the Kenyan American war. I’m appalled that they won’t prosecute this scumbag!
Seriously though, if we all wrote letters to the A.G. do you think he’ll drop his liberal attitute and prosecute this guy?
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/09/21/2009-09-21_marine_sgt_david_budwah_court.html
[...] criminal who could have been charged by the Colorado United States Attorney’s office, but it does not look like that will happen. Here is some background. Rick Duncan was a Marine with a compelling story to tell, and tell it he [...]
if this is a test, and no one is there to see the results, then does it still constitute as a test?
It is indeed the question of that ages isn’t it Jack?
Have to agree that it’s probably politically-driven – afraid of the antiwar crowd, the Attorney General has chosen expediency over principal. What a telling characteristic for someone responsible for enforcing the rule of law.
With Eric Holder in charge the DoJ is more politicized than ever in our history. If one of these fake vets claimed to have participated in CIA interrogations I bet they’d get more attention.
Looking at the photo of “General Baxter,” I believe that he is not wearing the Combat Infantryman Badge but the Expert Infantryman Badge. You would think that these “phoney soldiers” could at least do some research. The first “phoney soldier” I met claimed to be a WWI veteran and General Pershing’s driver. A number of veteran’s groups believed him and brought him to see my partner and myself because our job ws helping veterans. He claimed that his military records were completely destroyed in the St. Louis fire and, because he had no proof of military service he could not get a pension. For several years, local veteran’s organizations and individual veteran’s had been providing him with food, clothing, housing and other necessities. Turned out that he had never been in the service but had started calling himself a veteran when he was panhandling in the 1930’s. He said people gave more to veterans. Over the years, he perfected his spiel until he almost believed it himself. This was in the early 1970’s and when we told the veteran’s groups that the guy was not a veteran, they refused to believe us.
John Salazar is still in Congress, his brother Ken the former Senator is in the President’s Cabinet. Can these two not pressure the local AG or even the idiot Holder?
That’s what I am hoping for Natty. Rep Salazar has been real good on veterans issues, and this is a bill he made happen, so he has a vested interest in seeing it upheld. Hopefully enough people will express interest to his staff that this will raise to the level that he really goes to bat. I’m cautiously optimistic.
It’s entirely likely that no one knows that the US Attorney isn’t prosecuting. I only knew because I have been hounding folks to find out what is the story with Strandlof. He’s the worst kind of human, who persists in claiming that his lies were an effort to aid vets.
I intend to contact both Representative Salazar and David Gaouette as they are in my district and they are both up for re-election next year. I hope a little political maneuvering and a threat that they may not retain their seat will light a fire to get some of the Stolen Valor cases prosecuted as they should rightfully be. The best way to get anything done is to vote the SOB’s out and put a competent person in their postion.
While visiting Six Flags in Gurnee this summer I noticed the security guards were wearing military issue ribbons on their Great America uniforms. Decorations I saw included the ribbons for the National Defense Medal, Marine Good Conduct Medal and I recognized a sea service deployment ribbon. One rent-a cop had three rows of ribbons. I e-mailed them asking if these people were veterans that were awarded those decorations for service and someone called me and said no. Some could be veterans but the ribbons they were wearing are for their work at Six Flags…what ya think of that?
Good question. Take photos and names of these creeps and publicize them in the web. How can the government proseccute these phonies when they have enough phonies within their own ranks.
Should the Commander-in-Chief be leading this charge?
I thought the Anderson Cooper interview should win an Emmy — asking a liar if he is a liar is crackerjack reporting! However, Rick Duncan/Strandlof/Goofball’s answer validated the question. Ronnie Reagan’s decision to deinstitutional wackos may need judicial review and serious reevaluation.
Yo VoteVets — thanks for helping expose these phonies! Got any more in your motormouth pool?
I just sent an email to David M. Gaouette email address/office
Dear Sir,
This is a disgrace.. someone makes such visible and yet false claims and there are no consequences for him. We are rewarding bad behavior. I urge you to reconsider and set the record straight, failure to do so insults those who have served honorably and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom.
Thank you for your time.
Steve Orleski
I also posted this on twitter urging others to contact his office..
Cop-in-Charge said:
“Ronnie Reagan’s decision to deinstitutional [sic] wackos may need judicial review and serious reevaluation.”
Where did you come up with this?
States closed their psychiatric facilities based mostly on media pressure over events at Willowbrook and other facilities.
It was liberal pressure that closed the nut houses, not President Reagan.
Put the blame where it belongs.
Here I am a 25 year retired Chief and I’m embarrassed to claim Vietnam Veterans status even though I qualify, since I never served in country. I only qualify because I was in boot camp during in April 1975. It disgusts me to think that people would claim anything they didn’t actually earn. Why no prosecution for this egregious fraudulent behavior? Politcally motivated?
I’m a real retired Marine LtCol who having served in Vietnam as a sergeant and with broken time for college, retired at my present rank in early 98, the oldest of my bunch. This sort of thing really pisses me off. I have long believed all this “we support the troops” crap is just that and is nothing more than over compensation for the insane treatment we vets endured during Vietnam. This opinion seems to be proven by the A.G.’s failure to pursue these maggots for something that may not seem like a big deal to them, but means everything to us. You couple this b.s. with Homeland’s describing me and my kind as potential terrorist and you can virtually see smoke coming from my ears. When I look about me, over the land I fought so often to protect and weigh the losses of so many friends in real battles and training mishaps, I sometimes wonder just what the heck we all did it for in the first place.
Can someone publish the address of the Colorado AG. Maybe with enough pressure he would change his mind.
Hey Windwalker- If you click his name above there is a contact page with email, phone and mailing address. If you get a response, please share it with us here.
We need to quit wasting our time with jackasses like these fakes. They’re obviously mentally challenged and need to be slapped on the wrist then forgotten…. we shouldn’t waste our resources. The real vet’s need our help and that’s where we need to focus.
Americans Doing What Americans Do Best – Support your veterans.
Mike
Do you really think putting pressure on anyone in the current administration would really help? I don’t! These are the are the same type of individuals who got this group elected to start with. Anti America and anti military.
Veterans that are used by organizations in high profile public positions-pardon the pun–should, absolutely, be vetted.
Doesn’t this guy look like Slingblade? Maybe he likes French Fried Taters.. UMMhh UMMhh
I think we all agree that the act is deplorable. I served 26 years in the military, including two tours in Vietnam, so i take this very seriously. However, at the end of AC’s interview, it states that the FBI gets 50 of these type cases every week. That is more than 2500 every year. I have a couple of friends who are FBI Field Agents and they will tell you that their counter terrorism workload keeps them from being able to devote the time they need for major criminal cases. When the U.S. Attorney takes his/her case before a Judge, they must have the evidence to support a conviction. Without all the investigative evidence, the Judge is going to throw the case out before trial. I don’t think it would be too difficult for a good defense attorney to make a case for mental defect for this a-hole. As much as I would like to see this guy prosecuted, if the U.S. Attorney can’t get a conviction, it will just make it more difficult down the road. Regardless of whether they can get this to trial, Strandlof will get his judgement from a much higher authority when he finds himself rotting in hell.
If
Whoever falsely represents himself or herself, verbally or in writing, to have been awarded 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 shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
or
Under the new law, anyone who falsely claims to be a decorated military veteran can be punished with up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. The penalties are double for a claim involving the Distinguished Service Cross, Air Force Cross, Navy Cross, Silver Star or Purple Heart.
REQUIRE the wearing of or claim of earning an award but make no penalty for claiming to be a member of the military, (there is a different law that covers impersonation), then it is no wonder that the US Attorney refused to prosecute. Based on the information above, he did not claim to be a “DECORATED” veteran.
“Rick Duncan was a Marine with a compelling story to tell, and tell it he did, to anyone who would listen. A graduate of the Naval Academy, Rick had been in the Pentagon when the plane hit on September 11, 2001. Volunteering for duty in Iraq, Duncan rose to the rank of Captain, and although openly gay, was assigned to lead a Marine Battalion in the battle of Fallujah. During the house to house battles there he had a finger shot off and suffered a severe head injury that required a plate be put in his head. He returned to the states disillusioned with the war and became executive director of the Colorado Veterans Alliance.”
Now we NEED to work on getting the law to cover people like him that claimed to be VETERANS, or other UNIFORMED SERVICES PERSONNEL when they never have been.
Regarding Baxter, he SHOULD be prosecuted for wearing Decorations / Medals which he never earned. He clearly falls under the Stolen Valor Act.
Maybe LOCAL LAW Enforcement in Baltimore can charge him if the FBI won’t or can’t for some reason take on the case. Most States incorporate Federal Laws as enforceable by their Law Enforcement Officers.
Just a thought.
Gary- The FBI Agent told me he had already completed the investigation, and it was a slam dunk.
If we don’t uphold this law, should we just repeal it? I just worry if there are no consequences for this, that more and more phony veterans will show up. This guy wasn’t just making up stories to get a few free beers, he was using his “service” to elect certain candidates, to push a political agenda, to accuse our troops of atrocities. I fear what allowing them to continue to do stuff like this without repercussions would mean.
Martin, if you go to some of the links, you will see that he did in fact claim to be decorated. I had it on youtube videos as well, but IVAW took the videos down.
Mothax, remember what they say ” once it’s on the internet it will always be on the internet.” You can never completely get rid of a posting or a video. Someone will have it or it’s still out there on a server and I’m the FBI would definitley have a copy of the videos and claims this idiot made.
I also feel that you don’t walk away from a justified fight just because you “might” get beat. Take a stand don’t be like this country was back during Vietnam. Left friends there that this type of persons actions only mock what they gave.
As a US Navy vet who served during the Vietnam Era, though not anywhere near Vietnam, I cannot imagine claiming that I did. Anyone who does falsely claim he or she did deserves prosecution to the fullest extent of the law, and I agree with Rjay about a mandatory vetting process.
If Mr. Salazar will not return calls and/or do something about the US Attorney who refuses to prosecute the case, then the American Legion should do two things: First, send a letter to all members of Congress who are members of the Armed Services Committee and ask for their indulgence. I would especially pray upon Sen McCain for his indulgence.
Secondly, the American Legion should rent a bill board that is closest to the US Attorney’s Office with the following message: US Attorney refuses to abide by the Stolen Valor Act and prosecute fake war veteran. Disgraceful & dishonorable behavior should not be rewarded. Contact Us Attorney “Mr X” at XXX-555-1212.
Sometimes when the community is advised of the gravity of the situation, they band together and force things to get done. Coloradians may just need a booster shot in the arm to get started.
In addition to passing around emails and such, has anyone looked to see where the actual office is in Denver for Attorney General Dumbass? Sometimes a few people at a time standing around with banners and such gets media attention. Get with the local VFW, Legion, and other groups and try to keep a few people in front of the office every day during business hours for a few weeks. The longer it gos, the better chance you have of it becoming National News.
I’d love to help, but I’m in Afghanistan. . . no really I am. . . I’m being serious.
Amen Joe. Now that’s something that these people understand. Political pressure
Todd- Yep you are, or atleast your computer is! :) Thanks for your service bud.
And James- The FBI kept the videos as well. I screwed up and should have saved them when it went down, I know better now and screen cap everything.
Joe- Hoping the US Attorney will reconsider. The big thing I want right now is the letter of declination to find out what their thinking was on not prosecuting, however I have now sent 3 emails to the Attorney’s office, including a link to this post, and thus far….radio silence.
As an Army veteran who served during the Vietnam era, 1967-70. I find imposters despecable! They should have their collective butts shot off! If only one was made an example of, then the nonsense would end! If you do not hear from Salazar let us know. I’d be happy to rattle his cage!
What a shock. We’re wasting time and energy even talking to this administration. In fact, there isn’t a leader in the whole of DC.
I bet if he was impersonating an FBI agent they’d be all over him.
Perhaps we need Congress to pass a law, that makes it against the law, to break the law.
These weasels should not only be exposed but should be prosecuted to the full extent of the (new) law. However, it now appears that nobody in government cares enough to do that.
As a retired Sergeant First Class who served proudly for 20 years in Personnel Administrative positions, I will gladly help prepare Enlistment and Permenant Change of Station orders for this “jarhead” to fulfill his dreams of serving his country. I am very proud of my youngest son who is currently deployed in Afganistan with Co B 2/121 Inf, Georgia National Guard. When I think of the brave young men and women who are serving in all branches of the military, I would volunteer for the firing squad in the execution of such low lifes. But that would be a totgal waste of taxpayer’s money; therefore have him pack a bag and head overseas. Not as an American but a man with no country.
I just sent an email to the US Attorneys office here in Colorado. If I get a response I will post it here.
I just got off the phone with one of the local television stations here in Denver. They have an investigative division that looks in to stories like this. They were interested in this story and are going to look into it. They said they will will call me and let me know why the AG is refusing to prosecute this scumbag. When they get back to me I will post the response here.
Awesome.
I just sent you an email with my cell number if you hear anything, call me if you would Jeff.
We had a case in Tucson Arizona a few years ago where an individual claimed to have been a Major General (retired). We uncovered him and discovered that he had never even been in the service. We were told that the law against impersonating an officer was “only enforced during war-time.” The local base commander continued to associate with the man publicly, even after helping uncover him! Not long after we forced him to stop making his claims, the man died – and his wife tried to get the American Legion to give him a military funeral (which we stopped from happening) and listed him as a major general in his obituary in the local newspaper.
I am not a veteran, nor will I ever claim to be. As a member of the Sons of the American Legion, I find these acts despicible. However, if and when an issue such as this reaches the Supreme Court of the United States, I believe it will be thrown out on First Amendment grounds. These (expletive deleted) could very easily be sucessfully prosecuted under existing fraud statutes, for raising funds under false pretenses.
I am not afraid to sign my name to this.
Glen (Belch) Koepke
American Legion Riders, Post 27, Apache Junction, Arizona
Glen- You have nothing to fear from posting a name here, dissent is good with us. And thanks for commenting.
I disagree with your jurisprudence on this one though. There are limitations to free speech that the Supremes have noted in the past, and I suspect this would be one as well. (Impersonating an officer for instance.) We won’t know of course until (if) they looked at it. But either way, the Constitutionality of a law is decided by the Judiciary, not the executive (which the DoJ falls under) so they should be prosecuting the laws passed by the legislative, and if they are defective, the proper venue would be the courts to state that. It’s not unlike the various laws passed regarding protesting at funerals by the Fred Phelps folks. The prosecutors should prosecute, and if the court decides against the law itself than the law becomes moot.
Either way, just not comfortable with ignoring laws when you are charged with upholding them. The precedent is frightening to me, not unlike the situation of Sanctuary Cities that don’t go after illegal aliens.
Go to http://www.govit.com/email_congress/default.aspx and that will allow you to type one letter and email it to your Reps. Senators and the President. Let these people know that if they are not going to enforce the laws that we already have, stop wasting money and going through the process of making more of them. These people should be sent to jail for trying to get respect and benefits for something they didn’t have the balls to do themselves. I also agree with Glen that maybe he should be charged for receiving donations under false pretenses.
VALOR? This administration doesn’t know the meaning of the word HONOR. The concepts are beyond them. Now CORRUPTION is something they understand.
Major G
Its great that law enforcement agencies go after those who impersonate military personnel or those who embellish their military record. But how far do we go? The FBI has used the Stolen Valor Act to raid collector’s homes and stores, not because they are falsifying a military record, but to just be over zealous. I have asked the Federal Attorney’s office and that of the FBI for a copy of the Stolen Valor Act and they refused. We had a collector that shown medals at the schools and libraries for all to see and he would have a disclaimer saying he never were awarded these medals, but the FBI raided his house and confiscated them under the SVA. We even told the FBI he never said those were his awards, but don’t get the FBI mad. So how far do we go with this law? I was a guest speaker with others at a Middle School about veterans and a student told everyone that his dad received the Medal of Honor. Should we have called the FBI then and had the kid pulled out of school? I had an old veteran at my post get mixed up on his awards in front of the news crew at a parade, should he go to prison? I have members at my post that still go by their military rank, never saying retired at all, are they impersonating something they’re not? I think the Federal Government has altered a needed law for their own purposes and though its great that they get some of those violators off the street, they also twist the law to suppress those that need the protection of the law.
Fellas, I’ve got another case much like this one going on in Las Cruces, NM. The man here was flying the American Flag upside down at his house w/ a swastika flying over it. When the news crew showed up, he told them he was an E-5, Special Forces Sgt who served 3 yrs in Iraq. Then changed his story to he was w/ Blackwater selling weapons to the Iraqis. The whole time he was telling all that he was willing to go to Washington w/ bombs strapped to himself and guess what. Flags are still flying and he’s still saying all of this crap running around free as a bird. So, this is no surprise w/ this wingnut!
Hi Mothax; I agree with a lot of what you said. The difference between impersonating a Police Officer and impersonating a Veteran is quite different however. Impersonating a Veteran does not really create a possible hazard to public safety or public order, while impersonating a Police Officer does. I would say that due to this distinction, the Government would not have a “compelling interest” in restricting this type of behaviour, unless it is used to defraud people. We may have to agree to disagree, but I still think the money for prosecution should go to fraud. Lots less appeals that way.
Respectfully,
Glen
THE MAN NEEDS HELP. AND GOOD ASS KICKING. PLEASE COME BY THE HOUSE…………… PERRY AIRBORNE ALL THE WAY
Heavy, you can find it here:
http://www.homeofheroes.com/herobill/hr3352.html
I can send you the official language as it ended up in the PL, but you can find it online.
As for your hypotheticals, the kid would be guilty of nothing. The old veteran made a mistake, not a violation of law as it regards this. Saying retired or not had nothing to do with awards so it also wouldn’t violate the law.
I would like to hear more about the collector though because that sounds rather bizarre.
And Gary, agreed they are different, I was using to illustrate some limitations, but the compelling gov’t interest you make I do find somewhat compelling. Nonetheless, I still believe if we have a law on the books that our US Attorney’s should charge and let the Judges figure it out.
It appears the First Amendment defense was tried, but didn’t succeed.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/248415
Found references to him losing, but haven’t found any ruling yet. When I find, will let you know.
Someone made a reply about Ronnie Reagon closing Mental Hospitals during his presidency. Anyone remember his first official act as Governor of California was to close 25% of the states Mental Hospitals? My wife was an attendant at Olive View before the “budget cuts”. Incidentally the homeless and crime rate in California rose exponentially in the following months. Another typical case of one politician shifting the costs to another section of government, law enforcement and jails.
I also am a Vietnam Era vet. Had orders three times to go to Vietnam and every time they were rescinded at the last minute and those who had actually come in to replace me were sent instead. I do not and never will call myself a Vietnam Vet because I never got there. Ended up spending three years on active duty, 66-69, and another 24 in the guard and reserve, Retired as an 06 COL. I share the anger against those who try to make like they have served their country or served at levels and in places where they have not.
Now, the question is, what can be done about it beyond all of us saying what we will here on this website. Start by writing your Federal congressmen and Senators. Be specific and repeat these stories of the violators. Include who you have contacted by name, means of communication, and date, at Justice and at the FBI. Now here is the kicker, send courtesy copies, by name, to the Attorney General Holder, FBI Director Mueller, Secretary of Defense Gates, and President Obama as Commander in Chief. With that done, send a copy to your local newspaper as a ‘letter to the editor’ showing who you have written to including the courtesy copy addressees. When enough letters to the editor are published and enough courtesy copies are received then some of these people will start to squirm because they do know how to count potential votes lost in future elections and your congressmen and senators will remember one thing. The squeaking wheel eventually gets the grease.
Obvious solution for these egotistical rat bassethounds if the US Attorney’s Office won’t enforce the law = a serious “blanket party” for the perps, with maybe the Fed desrves a lttle too.
Could anyone provide a point of contact for Atty.Gaouette? Would really like to share my opinion on this issue with him.Would also like to voice my opinion to that FBI agent who thinks we “have too much time on our hands.” Sounds like a lazy smartaleck!
[...] Valor Why won?t the US Attorney for CO prosecute Stolen Valor Act cases? BurnPit __________________ ~No matter how responsible she seems, never give a monkey your gun.~ Now yer as [...]
I SERVED IN THE UNDERGROUND BALOON CORPS, WE WO USE HOT AIR BALOONS TO FLY AROUND IN THE UNDER GROUND TUNNELS IN NAM HUNTING VIET CONG!
Fellows like this are often delusional and are severely mentally ill when you dig below the surface. Others are just conmen. But laws like the Stolen Valor Act really help no one, are a cost overun for an already overburdened system. Do you really want to give some scammer 35 Grand worth of food shelter and clothing, medical care, and free cable TV, for being a liar? The best response to this is to expose them and publically humiliate them, and then sue them for the return of goods and services taken by false pretenses. Then they really have to pay. I remember a patient of mine who alleged he was a Navy Seal who was awarded a “secret” medal of honor. A simple call to the navy showed him up. And he had a lot of people believing him ( Mostly non-veterans) who were allowing him to scam the system. These are the ones who need to be charged with felony counts of fraud. My .02.
As an OIF veteran, and soon to be OEF veteran as well, stories like these make me sick to my stomach. It is disgusting to claim that you have done something that not many men and women will ever truly experience. More importantly, it completely dishonors those of us that have been there, and done that. Especially the true heroes that paid the ultimate price. The veterans that have participated in combat, and for those that simply deployed, it’s pretty easy to spot these “heroes”. The men and women that truly have participated in those types of situations do not speak about it. That’s a tell-tale sign. I think that all of these so-called “heroes” need to be prosecuted and sent to Ft. Leavenworth, let them be heroes there. Lastly, to all veterans, past, present and future, thanks for your service!
This government doesn’t enforce laws that it disagrees with. Look at the anti-trust laws where lack of enforcement got us banks and insurance companies trhat are “too big to fail” (so we give billions to bail them out) and the laws against illegal immigrants where the secretary of homeland security called enforcing the law as “unAmerican” but apparently breaking the law is not! Whatever happened to the oath to “see that the laws be faithfully executed”? Let the revolution begin!~
Although I did not serve in combat, I served my country for six (6) years, (1954-1960) 2 in the Army National Guard of Missouri and 4 in the US Air Force. It is a disgrace that our government will not prosecute those who make false claims of their military records.
I can not count the number of men I have met in the civilian sector that claim to be what they aren’t, and have never been. One guy I’ve known most of my life claimed to be a POW in VN. My own brother claimed to be Special Forces in VN, he was actually a REMF hitching a ride to the PX on an SF Huey when it was shot down, he came home with a back injury & 40% disability…once I finally got the truth from him, I haven’t spoken to him since, except to tell him what I thought of those guilty of stolen valor. That has been several years. And the number of Green Berets, Seals, Force Recon….apparently they lack some quality in the nether region (under ther kilt) so to speak…
This makes me sick to think people actually do this. For many of you who may know, serving in Iraq isn’t exactly all that glorious. It sucks. It really sucks. Its hot sandy and dangerous. To this day i can not understand why people think its such a great thing to lie and tell stories of things that never happened, especially relating to the military. If someone can come to you and say “Well let me tell you how i got my silver star…” Its bull crap. No self respecting military man (or woman) WOULD EVER come straight out to a complete stranger, or publicize all the f**ked up things they may have had to do or how many people they killed or what body parts they lost. It just doesn’t work like that. Usually it takes an act of god for somebody who went through some sh*t to tell there story. TO open up and cry about how terrible they feel for some of the things they did. To even tell there wife or husband what happened. In personal opinion, if you want to lie and make up crap about what a great hero he or she may have been and to disgrace any uniform (especially the usmc) of the armed forces in which men and woman have fought and died to wear, the medals and ribbons men an women fought and died to earn, then they deserve to be sent to the brigg for the rest of the pathetic lives.
I can believe that the District Attorney will not prosecute. I work in law enforcement (no as an officer) and I see how the law works. When it is convenient, a law is enforced. This is an outrageous act that is being committed. Our men an women who put their lives on the line every day to defend this country are basically being slapped in the face. They have enough hardships to face. Come on United States…show some backbone and stand up for our soldiers!!! I personally have never served. However my father was a veteran, and my Uncle was a Mstr Sgt 101st Green Beret Paratrooper. I also have a nephew and a grandson serving now. My firstborn grandson is leaving for Afghanistan on the 1st of January (he’s only 19). I just don’t understand how the people with the administrative power can let this go unpunished. Especially when there are laws against it. Just like anything though…the law is only as good as the enforcement it has.
I am not sure what disgusts me more: one who pretends to be something he is not or those fringe organizations who hate America so much that they rush to prop up these false giants. I am a vet, proud of my humble place among great men. It appears that the scales of justice fall short for those who pretend to serve as it does for those who actually served.
I believe he shoud be brought up on the charges. There is a law for a reason and he blatenly borke it and got caught. If he would have robbed someone then he would have been punished due to it being the law. he broke this one and he is gettign away with it. I am in the Army and went to both Iraq and Afghanistan and I have earned what I got on my uniform. If he gets away with this I mide as well become what we call a “PX Ranger” appearently we the hings are changig and you dont have to earn what you are wearing and you can get away with it and all the deceiving that comes along with it. Good job guys now you just took another things away from the vets because anyone can pretend they are one. what the hell are we even fighting for anymore?
I am an ex British Army veteran have served just just over 10 years, I think of myself as fortunate that I never saw combat and humbled by those that have. Here in the UK we do not have a Stolen Valor Act as you do in the USA. I am disappointed to find that this guy could be let off the charge by this attorney. Would it not set a precedence for others committing the same offence?
Myself and a small band of fellow ex service members are in the process of raising a petition to bring in a similar act to yours here in the UK.
For those who are interested there is now a stolen valour act video compilation posted on you-tube I don’t know if links work on here so just do a quick google.
I wish you luck in bringing this low-life to justice, as I hope you will wish us the same in succeeding to bringing our military fraudsters to justice here.
Although it is sad state of affairs the heavy case loads by FBI and many other agencies has created a tier system of priorities. Many cases are declined everyday by US Attorney Offices across the country because they know that they will not get a conviction in federal court, and it is not worth spending what little money, they have to convict criminals in high crime cases. It is a shame but bringing them out and white washing them in BLOGS is having great results.
If I pretended to be a police officer, a firefighter, a lawyer, or a judge, I would be guilty of a felony. I am a Desert Shield/Storm War veteran who served in Iraq, but I have no right to claim I am part of the same thing as my son or any other service member serving now or my father who served before me in WWII. If I cannot do this, I cannot understand why somebody else can or why it isn’t a felony that is enforced like the occupations I mentioned.
I am quite sure the REAL veterans will handle this situation.
Disgusting! I believe this story should be given to FOX NEWS so that all can read the story and put pressure on the AG to do something. We have many real heros in past and present service. They are being dishonered. I served in the Korean conflict, but would never have thought for one moment to claim an award I did not legitimately receive. Throw the bum in jail/
I also am amazed at our governments’ lack of respect for “real” vets! I served in Veit Nam in ‘69-70″ and I have a dd 214 to prove it! Before any “claimed” vet is allowed to represent anything publically he should be required to “prove” it . I am a commander of an american legion post and we check dd214 paperwork before granting membership.. No if’s and’s or but’s!!
It is clear that the government does not care to protect real veterans from real flakes! Shame on the government
I pursued a a “Stolen Valor” incident all the way to the Fraud Investigators, Inspector General , Dept Of Veterans Affairs, Because a member of our organization was pursuing a cash settlement for “agent Orange exposure in Viet Nam” when in fact he never was in Viet Nam. He had been exposed as a fraud thru an investigation by an FBI agent who was able to obtain a copy of his orginal DD214 which proved him to be a member of the USAF spending one year in Spain and not a Marine Sniper, Decorated with the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart, as he claimed. I presented pictures of this individual wearing a Marine Corp Uniform with the afore mentioned metals, I even got to an assistant US Atorney General who told me that thier office had bigger fish to fry, an could not pursue this issue. The FBI Agent called me an threatened me and our VFW Post with Repurcussions of unspecified detailif I contiued to pursue this issue. I also contacted my Local US REP Fred Upton with a full file of the info my self and another member compiled during our research, I agreed to halt my pursute because the FBI Agent Illegally obtained the DD214 and his favor to us could have effected his job. I have not to this day recieved a reply from the Veterans Affairs Dept concerning the fraudelent claim. This Legislation was passed to make us Vets feel good but is meaningless drivel like so many othere laws passed by our reps.
I am sickened that this county picks and chooses what laws they will enforce. Please be mindful that if you speak out, you could be labeled a “Disgruntled Veteran” and be investigated by Homeland Security.
I talked to the AG (Gauoette) yesterday (24 Sept.). He told me he was busy. I told him I didn’t like his answer. I also told him that I have worked with US Attorneys before, and all they have to do is give the FBI the “green light” and they will investigate. He then said “call the FBI.” I did and no return call. I then called today (25 Sept.) and was given the “brush off” by the SAC’s secretary. I did giver her information and my phone number. Keep the heat on them and call. If I don’t hear from the FBI.. I’m going to my US reps and have them investigated for NOT DOING THEIR JOBS. This is sickening. The FBI will jump all over a hate crime or a bad police shooting, but we vets are pawns for the country.
No need to call the FBI, they have already done the investigation, and thought that this should be prosecuted. It is the US Attorney, and the US Attorney alone, that we need to get to do his job. The FBI did outstanding on this and still has all the evidence they need.
As an Airborne Veteran of Desert Storm, I was discharged as a PFC in 1991. I wear the Medals I was awarded and no others. People like this should be airdropped on the frontlines of Afghanistan with a bayonet and canteen, since he is supposed to be all that let him prove it.
The only reason hee was Dissallusioned with the war was he didn’t do anything. He came home cried to Mama and wanted all the attention. Lets Give him the Attention he Deserves. Walk around 24 hours a day 7 Days a Week with a sign that says I lied and Claimed to be this Hero Marine when all I am is a Liar and Thief. I Stole someone elses Valor and Honor.
I called the FBI Office in Baltimore. The (female duty agent -refused to give name/policy) said that the US Attorney are the ones that make the calls for them to investigate the case. A call has been put into the US Attorney’s Office.
The one thing you are not considering is what it would cost to prosecute these false veterans! Remember times are tough and the money and time it takes to make a case for what I am sure many non-veterans are simple not worth it. I was recently taken for $72.00 buy a man claiming he would pay me back. He is in the VA system as our Department Service officer’s office did determine. I am out the money not my Post.but if we can not help those in need once in a while then there is a problem with the whole system.
It’s a disgrace in every way that as a nation we don’t put a stop to this. It goes further than the disgraceful act of being an imposter of truly brave veterans who actually put their lives on the line for all of us. Does the Attorney Gereral, FBI investigate how these imposters forged documents, employment records, et al to advance their career over someone else. How many of these imposters used their lies to be appointed to government office holding positions. Why isn’t that criminal?
So many of these imposters do this for other than ego reasons. They are taking position nad money belonging to deserving veterans.
Many politicians are great for putting new laws on the books but there are many laws on the books that are simply hard or to costly to enforce. The politicians do not have to pay for this enforcement.
[...] at The Burn Pit there is an interesting article on Stolen Valor. As you may or may not know, Stolen Valor is the [...]
I had the same instances occur down here in Ocala, Florida earlier this year. There is a wheel-chair bound man named Raymond L. Pettersen claiming to be the youngest crew chief in the USMC, with three tours of duty in Vietnam with over 1000 hours flying in CSAR missions; pretty good for someone born in 1956, right? He also claimed to have been an Instructor at the US Naval Academy, as well as an Army Captain, and would wear Aircrew Wings and a Army Combat Medic badge. Upon getting his information under the FOIA, he’d never even finished Boot Camp, and was only in for 8 weeks. When I turned him into the FBI in Ocala, the DA refused to prosecute him. Feel free to contact me if you’d like further details.
This is an outrage.
Our gov’t has gone to hell in a handbasket.
Having served for a little over twenty years in the Navy, I, like my uncles and dad, who served in WWII and Korea, do not like to boast or even talk about our service, even though we all have served and left honorably. Having previously encountered fraudulent impersonators during my active duty service in the Navy, the UCMJ is quite eloquent in dealing with such offenses. The cost to pursue such cases in the civilian sector is quite enormous. Even though I don’t agree with Colorado’s Attornery General, I understand the thinking (or reasoning) behind his/her decision not to prosecute. I wonder if this decision would be different if it were election year?!? If these individuals continue to claim such veteran status, and wear medals, ribbons and other decorations they are not authorized to wear, or have earned through service, to support their claim, let the respective department under the Department of Defense, issue warrants for their arrest and send their cases to Courts-Martial. After all, they are claiming a connection with that particular department. I think an introduction to the military justice system for these individuals by convening a courts-martial would be an effective deterent. Charges? At a minimum, Article 121, UCMJ, Article 134, UCMJ, and maybe something to do with Espionage, after all, they are undermining National Security by impersonating veterans, retirees, and military officers.
Might we be looking at the next John Kerry?? Just sayin’
Stop blogging and do something- Denver US Attorney General- David Gauoette (303) 454-0100. Ask him his stance on the case. Baltimore U.S. Attorney Office- (410) 209-4800. By the way… the FBI in Denver were/are ready to pounce on the clown… Gauoette is the problem!
The FBI in Baltimore are CLUELESS. The girly FBI duty agent who answered the phone and my questions was worthless. This country is in a deep hurt with agents like her in charge! I call it as I see it. Again… GREAT JOB FBI DENVER… BAD JOB US ATTORNEY-DENVER.
BAD JOB FBI BALTIMORE… US ATTORNEY BALTIMORE…out to lunch for now… stay tuned!
De Oppresso Liber!