Media Coverage
October /
November 2008
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The Associated Press
LOUISVILLE — A Veterans Administration employee and 13 other
people have been charged with conspiring to steal nearly $2 million in
disability claims........
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At 09:30 AM 11/21/2008, you wrote:
The Louisville Courier-Journal has a new story out on the VA Fraud
cases out there that is pretty revealing. See: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20081121/NEWS01/811210771
I took quick notice of: "(U.S. Attorney) Huber said it was
easy to understand how VA officials allegedly were taken -- "When
you handle records in an office, you expect them to be
authentic." That is EXACTLY what Mary, I, and others have been
harping on for so long—failure to "trust but verify." The
question begs to be asked, how many millions of dollars are being
spent on OTHER cases where the VA trusted the records to be authentic…I
can show you a ton of bogus DD-214s.
ALSO of interest in that story: "All but one of the defendants
is a veteran." Does this mean that someone who was NOT a veteran…never
served in the military…was receiving VA $$s? If you recall the
similar case from last year in Seattle involving $1.4 million in
fraud, TWO of the EIGHT men who were fraudulently getting VA $$$ based
upon the documents they provided, had actually never even served.
Again the question becomes, how many other non veterans are getting
money from the VA that they don’t deserve?
S incerely,
Doug
C. Douglas Sterner
3111 Thatcher Ave.
Pueblo, CO 81005
(719) 564-1755
homeofheroes.com
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THIS IS A CHICAGO TRIBUNE
ONGOING SERIES
- Top
excuses for unverified medals of valor By
John Crewdson ,Tribune correspondent
-
...captain in Vietnam. He acknowledged he did not
have the Silver Star listed in his Who's Who profile,
but had no idea how...annual update forms to Who's Who but never
noticed the Silver Star. On Sept. 16, Wadlington asked
that it be removed...
October 26, 2008
|story
-
- False
courage By John Crewdson ,Tribune
correspondent
-
...five Air Force Crosses and 96 Silver
Stars. Such numbers infuriate Sanborn...Florida
physician, included a Silver Star in his profile
out of pique at...Another man claimed to have earned a Silver
Star during the 1968 Tet Offensive...
October 25, 2008
|story
-
- Claims
of medals amount to stolen valor By
John Crewdson ,Tribune correspondent
...five Air Force Crosses and 96 Silver
Stars. Such numbers infuriate Sanborn...Florida physician
Who's Who to vet U.S. vets
after Tribune report - How the investigation was conducted
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http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/nov/08/guarding-the-valorous/
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| http://www.wsoctv.com/seenon9/17876609/detail.html
Critics Concerned About How Paramilitary Group
Presents Itself
Monday, November 3, 2008
– updated: 6:38 pm EST November 3, 2008
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The North
Carolina State Guard Association has a name that sounds official,
and its Web site shows pictures of men and women in military uniform
in front of military aircraft.....
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Hundreds lie about receiving military medals
KOAA - Pueblo,CO,USA
A robbery Sterner says will continue unless more is done to expose imposters.
Sterner says the Roll of Honor Act hasn't gotten as much support from ... |
Traveling Wall Honors Vietnam Vets
Ozarks First -
Springfield,MO,USA
"This is a way to make sure that these men are not
forgotten, a way to pay tribute, a remembrance," Schantag
says. "I saw the main wall and I saw the ... |
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These
are our sisters stations versions
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'Fake' vets of Vietnam need dose of reality
By Mike Seate
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, November 13, 2008
...Last week, NBC affiliate WPXI ran
a well-executed news piece about several local men who have been
impersonating Vietnam-era veterans.
In classic deer-in-the-headlights TV journalism, the men in question
were goofy enough to answer their doors when confronted by a TV
camera, and stammered through weak explanations for their actions.....
Mike Seate can be reached at mseate@tribweb.com or 724-320-7845.
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Phony War Heroes Under Investigation
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=6231452&page=1
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http://www.whiotv.com/news/17957427/detail.html
POW Network Uncovers Fake War Heroes
Tuesday, November 11, 2008 – updated: 5:49 pm EST November 11,
2008
DAYTON, Ohio -- During the Vietman War, hundreds of Americans
serving in the military were taken prisoner. The most famous, Sen.
John McCain, spent five and half years in captivity.
Now, some people believe that McCain’s celebrity has brought out
more fake POWs out of the woodwork....
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http://www.wsoctv.com/video/index.html
PREVIEW: Investigating False Claims Of Service & Honor
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http://www.wsoctv.com/news/17957870/detail.html
Lenoir Veteran Accused Of Lying About His
Service Record
A veteran in a blue shirt, Daniel Laws of Lenoir, is
pictured carrying a flag during a ceremony in Florida where he was
honored for his service in the war.
But some veterans have a problem with the picture
because they say he’s lying.
...
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Attention reveals lie
about WWII record
Post office legislation
exposes veteran's fabrication
Nov. 09,
2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
By KEITH ROGERS and STEVE
TETREAULT
© 2008 REVIEW-JOURNAL
Irving Joseph Schwartz had a glorious Army career in
World War II based on the achievements he listed with the
Military Order of the Purple Heart....
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I
wanted to share with you the POSITIVE side of what the national
database will do.
You
simply MUST read the story that was the front page feature in
Sunday’s Kansas City newspaper. See: http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/881662.html
Jan
Girando contacted me for help getting her father, a Navy Cross
recipient memorialized at Arlington. Despite the fact that fewer than
7000 people in history have earned the Navy Cross, the Navy had no
record he had even served on active duty. .... she sent to Congressman
Ike Skelton earlier this year that notes her frustrated efforts.
You’ll see by the chronology that after four months of fruitless
effort, thanks to my own database, I confirmed her father’s award
and Arlington accepted my findings and got this done in FIVE DAYS.
(Take time to watch the video the Star also included with the story.
After the story ran on Sunday, I got an email from a family that
read the story and wanted help with a similar situation for their
father. After a YEAR of fruitless efforts from St. Louis, in minutes I
emailed them back with info on how to get their father’s Silver Star
citation. See the follow up story in Today’s KC Star at: http://www.kansascity.com/703/story/886351.html
This is the side of the need for a National database largely
overlooked amid the need to out phonies. I’ve got plenty of
additional such examples, including one I think may be coming out in
the San Diego newspaper yet this week.
For more information on the legislation calling for a database
of all military awards see: www.homeofheroes.com/rollofvalor
Sincerely,
Doug
C.
Douglas Sterner
3111
Thatcher Ave.
Pueblo,
CO 81005
(719)
564-1755
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'We never forget them'
Veterans saluted during Oak Grove tradition
November 11, 2008
GREEN OAKS -- Nearly 100 veterans were given a special Veterans Day
tribute Monday by the students of Oak Grove Elementary School with
music, posters, speeches, poems and a flag-raising ceremony.
"This is one of the nicest events ever. They do a wonderful
job here," said Jim Fillinger, a Navy veteran from McHenry who
has been coming to the school event for years. His wife, Karla, works
at the school....
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'Viet vet' fakes POW story
Waukegan man never served in military
November 12, 2008
A Waukegan man who has been telling school children in Green Oaks
that he was a Vietnam War veteran and POW admitted on Veterans Day
that he lied about his Army exploits.
Ron Naden was featured in a News-Sun story on a large veterans'
observance held at Oak Grove School in Green Oaks on Monday where he
was once a custodian. A former custodian at the school, he had been
talking to the school's students each spring and was at the
celebration each year it was held since 1991....
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http://www.newsnet5.com/news/17974575/detail.html
Local Vets Pose As Former POWs
POSTED: 4:19 pm EST November 13, 2008
UPDATED: 7:56 pm EST November 13, 2008
CLEVELAND -- America is the "home of
the brave." But not all who claim to be our nation's heroes
are.
....Anderson's been pictured with some impressive medals, including
one given only to members of the Elite Team of Navy SEALs.
...
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http://www.wkyc.com/news/regional/akron_article.aspx?storyid=100314&catid=6
Former Akron teacher seeks to keep Channel 3 News story out of trial
Nov 6, 2008
AKRON -- Benjamin Terril is asking a judge to keep findings
from a Channel 3 News investigation away from potential jurors who
will decide his fate.
Terril faces felony drug and weapons charges after being
arrested at his Iona Avenue home on Labor Day. Police say
Terril pointed a loaded gun at another man's head during an
argument. ....
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November 14, 2008
- Seattle, Washington
Kent man pleads guilty for false military service
Story Updated: Nov 13, 2008 at
10:10 PM PST
By Associated Press
SEATTLE (AP) - ....21-year-old Brandon Perkins
.......presented fake military documents to the Veterans
Affairs Medical Center in Seattle in which he
claimed he was awarded the Purple Heart medal for
being injured while deployed in Iraq. Perkins also
said he had killed 13 people in Iraq and had served
two years abroad. He received more than $2,500 in
medical benefits he was not entitled to....
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CBS NEWS
How A Phony Fed Fooled A
Small Town
GERALD, Missouri, Nov. 2, 2008
(CBS) Like many small towns across the
country, Gerald, Mo. was struggling with a tiny police force and a
big drug problem. Then a man, known as "Sgt. Bill," showed
up.
Bill Jakob flashed a badge and announced his credentials: an
undercover federal agent sent to clean up the town in a county with
one of the highest number of methamphetamine labs in the country......
Produced by Kyra Darnton
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http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20081117-9999-1m17records.html
Scattered records tell long-lost stories of valor
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By Steve Liewer
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
November 17, 2008
ESCONDIDO – Kathy Herbert of Escondido knows that her
father shed his blood defending his country and returned
from World War II a hero.
What bothers her is how the U.S.
government seems to have forgotten.
.....
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http://www.wpxi.com/target11/18033879/detail.html
Target 11 Exclusive: West Mifflin Murder Victim's Family Speaks Out
Killer Is Fake Navy SEAL
Jobeth Olson of West Mifflin was a freshman at Pitt
when she was swept off her feet by James Nalls, who convinced her he
was a Navy SEAL. The couple had a child together. Jobeth's mother,
Amy, said Nalls pretended to be a war hero and Jobeth respected that
because the Olsons have a relative who was a Navy SEAL and lost his
leg in combat. ....
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Phony From United Kingdom!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3479508/War-hero-who-attended-Remembrance-parades-exposed-as-a-fake.html
'War hero' who attended Remembrance parades
exposed as a fake
A man who posed as a war hero at Remembrance Day parades across the
UK has been exposed as a fake and could be banned from the British
Legion.
By Chris Irvine
Last Updated: 7:10PM GMT 18 Nov 2008
Retired chef Tom Cattell took part in parades across the country for
nearly a decade dressed in the uniform and medals of the Parachute
Regiment and SAS.
The 74-year-old from St Blazey, Cornwall, bragged that he was one of
the youngest servicemen to have fought in the 1950s Korean War and
one of the oldest to fight in the Falklands. .....
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N.J. official accused of faking combat record
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Nov 26, 2008 18:45:54 EST
TRENTON, N.J. — An official in the state
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs ......William Devereaux, the department’s director of
veterans programs, was arrested Monday, issued a summons and released.
A court hearing has not yet been scheduled.
In announcing the arrest on Wednesday, the Camden
County Prosecutor’s Office said the 63-year-old Laurel Springs
resident invented a false history of combat heroism in the Vietnam
War.....
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