The Record
Bergen County
Friday, February 9, 2001
By SHANNON D.
HARRINGTON
Staff Writer
A Lyndhurst commissioner charged with embellishing his military
record agreed Thursday to
resign and to turn over a handful of medals and a Green Beret that
prosecutors say -- and official records indicate -- he never earned.
In return, the felony charge against him will be dropped if he complies
with all the stipulations of the agreement, which was reached during a
pretrial hearing in Superior Court in Hackensack.
Albert Opacity, who was finishing his first term as a township
commissioner, had said he served as a Green Beret in Vietnam, retired as
a captain, and received a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and several
combat awards. ...
Staff Writer Shannon D. Harrington's e-mail address is
harrington@northjersey.com
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Although Opacity's actions under the court order indicate an admission
that his military claims were a lie, the commissioner was adamant
moments before the hearing that the claims were legitimate.
Outside the courtroom, Opacity was with his wife, Ida, and a Lyndhurst
friend who served in the Special Forces during the Vietnam War. He
insisted that he has told the truth and that the charges against him
were politically motivated.
Opacity said he performed special operations in Asia as a member of the
Special Forces, although he said he cannot elaborate.
"I can't say too much about it now, because it's still not
declassified," he said Thursday.
He said he was awarded a Purple Heart after being shot in combat.
"I've got two bullet holes in my leg," he said.
And he said his military records do not reflect that service because the
operations are still secret.
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Subject: alfred p.
opacity
Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 13:51:08 EST
To: letterstotheeditor@northjersey.com
The former Lyndhurst
commissioner, Alfred P. Opacity is a disgrace. The man isn't
even decent enough to admit he was wrong and made a mistake, and
apologize for it. He shows no contrition. He keeps trying to
make believe he was something that he clearly was not. It's an
insult to all that served with Special Forces, they earned their
title with sweat, blood and sacrifice. He's a disgrace to all
that served in Vietnam. Phonies don't go over big in the veteran
community. The one's I feel sorry for are his wife and children.
He ran for office wearing a green beret, what gall ! I feel he
got off too easy. He has nothing to back up his claims. Show me
an honorable discharge with your rank on it, he can't do it
because it's all a lie. The DD214 says it all. If he was a clerk
typist in the army, what's
wrong with that? He went into the Army when there was no draft,
why isn't his service good enough? I'll never understand why
guys make these phony claims, they'll all be found out
eventually. Didn't he realize that someone would know that in
order for him to have earned the Vietnam campaign medal
that he'd have had to been in Vietnam by Jan. 28, 1973. He was
in the Army 1975-77, who's kidding who?
Kevin O'Neil
1st Marine Division
Vietnam 7/68 - 8/69
Lyndhurst, N.J. |
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