Raymond Aucker under
federal indictment for posing as a SEAL.
Aucker hit by charge of altering his record
U.S. prosecutor says former Panther Valley
superintendent changed
military certificates.
By CHRIS PARKER
Of The Morning Call
Former Panther Valley School District Superintendent Raymond E.
Aucker was charged Thursday in federal court with falsifying his military records to
show he had received a Vietnam Campaign Medal and Service Ribbon, a Purple Heart and
a Navy SEAL medal that doesn't exist.
Aucker, who moved to Iowa in February after his claims of being a
SEAL were exposed as lies, faces a $100,000 fine and up to a year in prison if found
guilty of altering his discharge papers, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Malachy
Mannion.
Aucker "did use, unlawfully possess and exhibit military and
naval discharge certificates, knowing the same to be forged, counterfeited or
falsely altered," according to a document filed in U.S. District Court in
Scranton.
"That doesn't surprise me in the least," said Thomas
Sopko, adjutant of the American Legion post in Coaldale, where Aucker was commander.
The Morning Call reported a year ago that retired SEALs determined Aucker had not belonged
to the elite Sea, Air and Land fighting unit.
Aucker, who was fired in June from his superintendent job, soon
will be mailed a summons to appear for an arraignment on the misdemeanor charge,
Mannion said.
"Then I assume he will hire an attorney and make arrangements
to take care of that," Mannion said. "If not, there are other
avenues we could take to ensure his appearance."
He did not elaborate, but said, "This type of charge typically
doesn't warrant arrest."
Mannion did not say what prompted the investigation by the Office
of the Inspector General of the National Archives.
Aucker could not be reached for comment at his home in Gardner,
Iowa.
His inflated military claims stretch back several years.
As commander of the American Legion post, which he joined in 1995
when he moved to Coaldale from Iowa, Aucker routinely introduced himself as a SEAL,
showed off the Navy SEAL emblem he wore on his veteran's cap and often spoke of his
experiences in the SEALs.
Aucker, 46, served in the Navy but was not a SEAL, said Lt. Cmdr.
W. Jeffrey Alderson of the Navy Special Warfare Command in San Diego. Aucker was in
the Navy 1971-75 and said he served one tour of duty in Vietnam. He also said he
served in the Army Reserve from 1975 through 1994.
Because military records are private, Aucker's role in the Navy was
not made public.
His SEAL deception began to unravel in November 1998, when he
bragged of his exploits to an Air Force veteran whose work brings him into contact
with SEAL members.
The Air Force veteran asked around, and Aucker's name was matched
with a list kept by the Navy Special Warfare Archives.
The archives are administered by a small band of retired SEALs who
keep a database, released by the Navy, of every man who graduated from Basic Underwater
Demolition/SEALs training.
The records did not include Aucker's name.
Falsely claiming SEAL status carries no penalty, said Alderson.
By last January, Aucker, who was hired as superintendent in 1995,
had his share of problems.
In 1996, school officials discovered his doctoral degree was from a
nonaccredited California company.
Two years later, the board suspended Aucker without pay for failing
to do his $69,000-a-year job. He didn't show up at meetings, failed to work the
hours he promised and abused his sick day benefits, school officials said.
Last January, Aucker was accused of mailing an obscene letter to
school board President Ron Slivka.
In February, Aucker abruptly packed up his family and headed for
Iowa, leaving his tax bills unpaid. In June, the school board fired him in absentia.
The federal charge didn't surprise Slivka.
"The lies finally caught up with him," he said.
"It's a closed book at Panther Valley as far as I'm concerned."
Steven Waterman, a former Navy underwater photographer who worked
with retired SEALs to expose Aucker, summed up his satisfaction in two words.
"Pay dirt," he said.
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