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ARTICLES - PHONIES EXPOSED or related Articles

[some - NOT all - the articles available]

click on the link for full article - 
others will link from names on the "list" of names
Marine Corps Times has obtained records on Ben Chapman, Hollywood Star and former Marine whose medals I questioned after the February 22 obit was
widely published. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and a tragedy the database called for by HR 3769 and S 2610 would have prevented. Watch for
more along this line in coming weeks.
 

Doug Sterner, Home of Heroes
http://www.lewrockwell.com/huff/huff9.html

QUOTE
... Recently a friend of mine with PTSD was qualified to receive disability payments after all his years of suffering since the Vietnam "police action." The high-ranking military doctors who interviewed him said they couldn’t believe he had made it until now without committing suicide or going on a killing spree [like so many others in their files]. He had been decorated for a Rambo-like episode where he escaped and returned to kill his captors while rescuing his comrades. In addition he had no idea of how many more Vietnamese he had dispatched during that tour of duty. There can be a heavy price to pay when you wake up from your delusions. His entire life has been ruined and wasted. How many more of these wretched souls will slip through the cracks to become ticking time bombs that our military hospitals will only be able to treat after something horrific and very preventable happens – and only if they are still alive? ...

The account above of a friend of mine has been challenged by a researcher of the period. Therefore I have checked two on-line lists he provided regarding Vietnam Veterans' stories and claims. My friend's name does not appear on either the list of known frauds or the list of documented heroes. His story was included to highlight the ineffective treatment of our veterans and the willingness of our government to use them as cannon fodder and then neglect or ignore them. Documentation of the noted events may not be possible because of privacy issues. I would not hesitate to withdraw the segment if it is proves to be inaccurate. General Butler's Unquestioned Indictment of the Military Industrial Complex is probably adequate proof for anyone who wishes to substantiate the main focus of the article. The best we can do for our military personnel is Not to send them to unlawful, unconstitutional wars.

March 3, 2008

ENDQUOTE
HISTORICALLY INACCURATE NO MATTER WHAT THE NAME IS
military imposters

LA Times Cover-Up?
FrontPage magazine.com - Los Angeles,CA,USA
Recently discovered US Army documents offer a much clearer picture of the military’s investigations of the VVAW’s lurid allegations. ...

LA Times Cover-Up? 
By Scott Swett
FrontPageMagazine.com | Thursday, March 13, 2008

Members of the radical group Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) are busy preparing to host a new “war crimes” conference next month in Washington. The event, billed as Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan, takes its title from the IVAW’s namesake and mentor, the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). However, information has now come to light that profoundly undermines the VVAW’s original atrocity claims.

Recently discovered US Army documents offer a much clearer picture of the military’s investigations of the VVAW’s lurid allegations. Of 76 Army witnesses who appeared at the group’s 1971 “Winter Soldier” conference, summary reports of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) investigations are available for 48. Three witnesses were not identified. The rest failed to allege criminal acts and were apparently not interviewed.

The Los Angeles Times had access to these records more than a year ago. In a long 2006 article on war crimes in Vietnam, reporters Nick Turse and Deborah Nelson reported:

The Times examined most of the [Vietnam War Crimes Working Group] files and obtained copies of about 3,000 pages – about a third of the total – before government officials removed them from the public shelves, saying they contained personal information that was exempt [sic] from the Freedom of Information Act.
After the high-profile national debate during the 2004 campaign over John Kerry’s 1971 recital of the VVAW’s atrocity allegations before a Senate committee, it is difficult to imagine that the LA Times failed to carefully examine the Army’s VVAW case reports. They must not have pleased the paper’s editors, for the only report concerning a Winter Soldier allegation the article cited was that for James Henry – the one and only VVAW witness whose charges were found to merit additional investigation by the CID.

Instead, the LA Times merely noted:
In 1971, Henry joined more than 100 other veterans at the Winter Soldier Investigation, a forum on war crimes sponsored by Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
The FBI put the three-day gathering at a Detroit hotel under surveillance, records show, and Nixon administration officials worked behind the scenes to discredit the speakers as impostors and fabricators.
Co-author Turse was clearly well aware of the contents of the CID reports. In a 2004 Village Voice article in which he attacked the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, he wrote:
The [National Archives] have hundreds of files of official U.S. military investigations of such atrocities committed by American soldiers. I've pored over those records­which were classified for decades­for my Columbia University dissertation and, now, this Voice article.
Turse provided details of the CID investigations into the Winter Soldier allegations:
Moreover, according to official records, CID investigators attempted to contact 41 people who testified at the Detroit session, which occurred between January 31 and February 2, 1971. Five couldn't be located, according to records. Of the remaining 36, 31 submitted to interviews...
Later in the article, Turse observed:
…some veterans told investigators after the WSI that they would not offer any further testimony or would only speak before Congress or a congressional committee.
However, Turse omitted the most basic fact about the CID’s VVAW investigations – the fact that all but one case was closed as unsubstantiated, demonstrably untrue, or for lack of evidence.

Instead, he listed examples of other crimes that were similar to those alleged at WSI for which the CID had filed charges, implying that therefore the VVAW’s claims must also be valid. What this little exercise in innuendo really demonstrated was that military judicial authorities took such allegations seriously and generally obtained indictments when the evidence warranted – just the opposite of Turse’s conclusion:
But in fact – and despite later claims to the contrary by their pro-war critics – most of the Winter Soldier participants had publicly given accounts with their own names, unit identifications, dates of service, and sometimes rather detailed descriptions of locations – namely, all the information needed to proceed with investigations. In practically all the specific Winter Soldier cases, such probes were never done.
The Army summary reports clearly show that this is untrue. When information was available, the CID conducted investigations. However, the most damning indictment of Turse’s reporting is his complete failure to mention that at least ten VVAW activists repudiated some or all of their testimony when interviewed by military authorities.

Turse and the LA Times had good reason to believe that this information would remain hidden. The War Crimes Working Group records at the National Archives are no longer available to the public. Freedom of Information requests made several years ago have not been filled, due to an immense backlog in the process of redacting personal information.

Accurately reporting the results of the Army’s VVAW investigations would significantly damage the longstanding leftist myth that we were the bad guys in Vietnam: that the Americans, rather than the Vietnamese communists, employed terror tactics against civilians as a standard policy – a myth to which Turse and the LA Times are profoundly committed. They evidently did not foresee the possibility that other researchers lacking their bias might have also copied these documents while they were publicly available.

The LA Times article also makes full use of another tactic favored by anti-military writers: dwelling at length upon a small number of crimes without providing any statistical context, to leave the impression that such events are widespread and routine:
In addition to the 320 substantiated incidents, the records contain material related to more than 500 alleged atrocities that Army investigators could not prove or that they discounted.
In reality, significant numbers of crimes occur in every group with a large population. For example, Detroit, population 1.5 million, recorded more than 700 murders in 1971, the year the Winter Soldiers gathered there to make their unsubstantiated atrocity claims.

In January of this year, the New York Times published a long article detailing violent crimes that veterans committed after returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the Times carefully avoided pointing out that civilians actually commit such crimes at a significantly higher rate. In 2004, the newspaper treated its readers to more than 50 front page stories on a minor prison abuse scandal in Iraq that military officials had uncovered and were already handling. The purpose of such slanted reporting is obvious: to persuade the public to view the US military with distrust and contempt.

As the LA Times prepares for its next round of layoffs, polls indicate that the number of news consumers who do not trust the old media is still rising. One reason for this is the a steady increase in public awareness of how these news organizations systematically distort and conceal any information that contradicts their political agenda.

NOTES:

[1] In fact, the collection is not exempt from the FOIA but subject to its provisions, which is why the raw documents were removed from public access once the National Archives realized its mistake in having previously made them available.
Scott Swett is the primary author of a new book on the 2004 presidential campaign, To Set The Record Straight: How Swift Boat Veterans, POWs and the New Media Defeated John Kerry. He is also the primary webmaster of WinterSoldier.com and SwiftVets.com.

     VFW Magazine  October 2007 and March 2008    

Wikipedia shows all these awards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Walkabout ) as did the USA Today Article.  At the time of the obits the AP and numerous other articles published the same list of awards.

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=39015

Are War Heroes Passé

Ken Hughes
October 1, 2007
Deception, past and present phony soldiers


Mary Mostert



September 28th Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wrote a letter to the CEO of Clear Channel Communications, Inc., in an effort to get Rush Limbaugh off the air by falsely stating that "Rush Limbaugh's recent characterization of troops who oppose the war as 'phony soldiers' is an outrage."

On October 1, Senator Tom Harkin on the floor of the senate, said, "The very thought of Rush Limbaugh sitting in his air-conditioned broadcast studio and ranting about 'phony soldiers' in Iraq who dare to speak their mind is just shameful. Perhaps in Mr. Limbaugh's case the correct word is 'shameless.'

Rush Limbaugh did mention "phony soldiers." But why would that be an "outrage" or "shameful?" Phony soldiers do exist. And, in fact, many "anti-war activists" who have been given considerable publicity by claiming to be soldiers who witnessed atrocities were never actually soldiers and were never ON the battlefield. Others were at some point soldiers, but never were where they claimed to be nor could they have seen what they claimed to have seen.

During Rush Limbaugh's broadcast that Sen. Reid referred to, he was talking about a man named Jesse MacBeth, who WAS a phony soldier and who had just been the subject of an ABC broadcast on September 21st which stated, in part that "Jesse Adam Macbeth, 23, pleaded guilty to charges he faked his war record."

In other words, Macbeth pleaded guilty of BEING a "phony soldier" when he pleaded guilty, just a week ago! He claimed to be a U.S. Army Ranger in Iraq who killed men and women as they left a Baghdad mosque and had receiving the Purple Heart for injuries he falsely claimed he suffered in combat.

His deceptive interview was translated into Arabic and distributed throughout the Middle East where it was read by millions, and created hostility towards US Servicemen both in Iraq and at home.

In May of 2007 ABC ran another story about another "phony war hero" named David McClanahan, of Fort Worth, Texas, who claimed he had been wounded in combat three times in Iraq, awarded three Silver Stars and even nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor. It was all lies. Douglas Carver, a special agent in charge of the Veterans Administration Inspector General operation, noted in the McClanahan case: "The phony war hero phenomenon plagues the American landscape and tarnishes the service of thousands of veterans who have served honorable. "

In fact, "phony soldiers" have been such a serious problem that last year the US Congress passed a bill called "Stolen Valor " which was introduced by Rep. John Salazar's (Democrat-Colorado) making it a felony to BE a phony soldier. During the Congressional debate on the Stolen Valor bill, Rep. Salazar said: "In addition to diminishing the meaning, on several occasions phonies have used their stature as a decorated war hero to gain credibility that allows them to commit more serious frauds.

"B.G. Burkett's award winning book, 'Stolen Valor' , first exposed the problems of these medals fraud. The authors show that killers have fooled the most astute prosecutors and gotten away with murder. They show phony heroes who have become the object of national award-winning documentaries on national network television. They show liars and fabricators who have flooded major publishing houses with false tales of heroism which have become best-selling biographies."

President Bush signed the Stolen Valor bill into law in December of 2006 and a number of arrests have taken place as a result. Now we have Democrat leaders in Congress telling us that ENFORCING a law introduced by a Democrat and which they voted for is "shameful" or "an outrage?"

Other "phony soldiers" have been caught officiating at the weddings and funerals of Marines, participating in opening ceremonies for a State Senate, getting treatment from VA hospitals and being quoted in testimony given by John Kerry 36 years ago to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Kerry stated in that testimony that he was "representing all those veterans" as a member of an organization called Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) who had told him "their experiences" some months before in a Detroit meeting: "We had an investigation at which over 150 honorably discharged and many very highly decorated veterans testified to war crimes committed in Southeast Asia, not isolated incidents but crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command....

"They told the stories at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war, and the normal and very particular ravaging which is done by the applied bombing power of this country."

Who, exactly WERE those "honorably discharged and highly decorated veterans" who claimed they had committed those crimes? It has taken years and some research into actual military records, but we now know that in the course of trying to raise money for a Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial, B.G. Burkett, author of Stolen Valor — How the Vietnam Generation was Robbed of Its Heroes and History, MOST of those "soldiers" John Kerry claims told those stories were phony soldiers!

Burkett did something that any reporter could have done: he used the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to check the actual records of the "image makers" used by reporters to flesh out their stories. What he found was astounding. More often than not, the showcase "veteran" who cried on camera about his dead buddies, about committing or witnessing atrocities, or about some heroic action in combat that led him to the current dead end in his life, was an impostor — in other words — a "phony soldier."

Indeed, Burkett discovered that 1,700 individuals, including some of the most prominent examples of the Vietnam veteran as dysfunctional loser, had fabricated their war stories. Many had never even been in the service. Others, had been the services, but had never been in Vietnam.

Burkett's book, Stolen Valor, which was published in 1998, made it clear why and how John Kerry's testimony in 1971 slandered an entire generation of soldiers. Now, the Stolen Valor law is allowing honest people to actually DO something about phony soldiers who tell lies about real soldiers and real heroes. Only, now honest people who do something about phony soldiers are being attacked!"

It appears that Rush Limbaugh or any other talk show host or reporter looking for the facts about the phonies will be attacked. Obviously, the truth about phony soldiers could change the way people vote in 2008.

What we are dealing with here is massive deception that has been going on and has been very successful in confusing a lot of people for many years. And, of course, other people in the anti-war movement, politics and the media now have a vested interest in keeping that deception going in order to preserve their reputations — and their incomes.

Mary Mostert is a nationally-respected political writer. She was one of the first female political commentators to be published in a major metropolitan newspaper in the 1960s. After working in President Lyndon Johnson's failed War on Poverty programs in New York state, she became a Republican. She ran, unsuccessfully, for the New York State Senate and became campaign manager for a number of candidates. She once served as the secretary of "Positive Action NOW!"--a South African women's group that sought to reduce the hostility among South Africa's various racial, religious, and political groups.

In recent years, Mary has researched, written, and edited articles for national talk show host Michael Reagan's Information Interchange on the Internet, and for The REAGAN MONITOR, a monthly newsletter that provides in-depth information on key issues. Her book, COMING HOME - Families Can Stop the Unraveling of America," was published in 1996 by Gold Leaf Press. Mary maintains a political media site, Banner of Liberty. She can be contacted at mary@ bannerofliberty.com. Click here for more information.

© Copyright 2007 by Mary Mostert
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/mostert/071003
KSAT.com
Military Families Targeted By Red Cross Imposters
POSTED: 9:56 am CDT October 17, 2007
UPDATED: 10:26 am CDT October 17, 2007
SAN ANTONIO -- Imposters claiming to be members of the American Red Cross are targeting families of the military in an attempt to steal their identity, officials said.

Con artists are calling families on the telephone and telling them their loved has been injured in battle but can't be helped, said Michael Bennett of the San Antonio chapter of the American Red Cross.

Bennett said the caller identifies themself as a member of the Red Cross and says in order to get the GI treatment, they need personal information, like a Social Security number and a date of birth.

Bennett said that the Red Cross does not make those type of phone calls.

"The Red Cross does not notify families of an injury to a service member, the military makes those notifications," Bennett said.

He added that the Red Cross does inform service members about emergency situations taking place at home, not the other way.

Bennett urged relatives if they don't know if the call is legitimate, to hang up and call the Red Cross at 210-224-5151 to verify if the phone call. Relatives are also urged to call police to report the call.

Impersonating a Red Cross member is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Veteran's Powwow still on this weekend

Rebecca Long
Staff Writer, Daily Tribune
Published October 18, 2007 11:28 PM CDT

The Fifth Annual Veteran's Powwow scheduled for this weekend is still on, according to Euharlee City Council members. Rumors of the possible cancellation of the event brought out a near-capacity crowd Wednesday to the work session and called meeting where police officers used handheld metal detectors to guarantee public safety.

"There have been four [powwows]," Councilman Joe Turner said, adding that the events had always gone peacefully. "This would be the fifth."

The organizers of the Powwow were asked to attend the night's meetings to respond to concerns about safety after allegations surfaced about five men and women who helped to organize the event. Subsequent threats to the representative of the group making the allegations, David Schultz, and rumors of retaliation were also raised as concerns.

"We have no intention of disrupting anything," Schultz said, adding that the group only planned to hand out leaflets of information about the allegations. "If we do anything, we will do it quietly."

When asked by Mayor Kathy Foulk about the possibility of litter from the handouts, Schultz responded that his group would only hand one to each interested person and would do what they could to avoid a problem from discarded paper.

"If that happens, I'll come back Sunday night myself and pick them up," Schultz said.

Schultz, who represents the Commission to Restore Honor to Our Veterans, used his five minutes before the council to allege that the four men and one woman had lied about their service in the military. The allegations also include claims that some of the five have worn military medals and awards they have not earned, a federal offense since last year. The group, which he described as a "loose confederation," has researched the military records of the individuals through the government and Internet channels.

Originally, Schultz requested the five be removed from the commission. However, the city council has no authority to regulate commission members, as the event is not city sanctioned or sponsored. The only official capacity of the city was to agree to allow the event to take place in a city park by a vote Feb. 6.

"The city would have no function to remove anyone," City Attorney Boyd Pettit said.

The event's co-chair, Sam Hinson, that the actual commission only consists of two people. The commission, which is not incorporated or sponsored by the government, relies on volunteers, including several against whom allegations were made.

For the full story, please read The Daily Tribune News. Call 770-382-4545 to subscribe.

See Wihuna "Fire" Joyner, Gerald Smith, Keith Smith, Joey Pierce in the "Heroes or Villains" lists

Prosecutors: Faked military records cost VA, tarnished medals

If you missed the ABC Evening NEWS on Stolen Valor and information on 09/21/07  bust in Seattle, it is now out there at several locations including U-Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UUJJoFaiVI

Phony veterans try to cash in on VA benefits

By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Sep 24, 2007 11:16:48 EDT

Written in the former sailor’s cursive handwriting on his claim for mental health benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs is an elaborate story about how Larry Porter supposedly was tossed into 18 feet of water at boot camp when it was known he couldn’t swim.

“I was … told to swim or die,” wrote Porter, of Seattle. “When they pulled me out, I thought I was dead.”

He went on to tell of how he watched a civilian worker die after falling from the side of a ship in a California shipyard.

Based on these claims, Porter, who served in the Navy for 15 months in the 1970s, obtained $134,000 in VA disability benefits and $40,000 from the Social Security Administration from 1999 to 2006.

It all turned out to be false. Porter is in a jail cell serving a three-year sentence, and was forced to repay all money he accepted from VA and Social Security.

Justice Department officials in Washington state detailed Porter’s story, along with seven other people accused of — or already convicted of — being military frauds, during a news conference Friday on VA fakers.

“We take it seriously because this money is meant for veterans, not for fakers,” James O’Neill, assistant inspector general for the VA’s office of investigations, told Military Times.

“Every dollar that’s lost to a faker is one more dollar that can’t be spent on a veteran,” said O’Neill, whose office is responsible for rooting out those who defraud VA.

The news conference was held the same day that Jesse MacBeth, a former soldier who served in the Army only 44 days and didn’t finish basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., pleaded guilty to making false statements about his service and was expected to be sentenced.

MacBeth filed discharge documents with VA stating that he served three years and separated as a corporal after deploying to Afghanistan and Iraq, said Ronald Friedman, assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington state. He also claimed to have earned a Purple Heart and a Ranger tab, VA officials said.

MacBeth’s VA claim was denied, but his storytelling didn’t stop there. He produced anti-war videos claiming he killed innocent Iraqis after being ordered to do so, Friedman said. The videos were translated into Arabic for Middle East audiences, Friedman said.

An alleged phony from the list, Merrick Hersey, is a fugitive after a warrant for his arrest was issued in Washington, Friedman said. Hersey is accused of filing a false military discharge document stating that he served in the Marine Corps in 1967 and 1968 to obtain VA benefits, according to VA officials.

He claimed to have earned two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star as a rifleman based at Camp Pendleton, Calif., before receiving an honorable discharge, according to the DD-214, a military discharge document, that he submitted.

There are no official records to show that Hersey ever served in the military, Friedman said.

The case against a former political official who claimed to be a prisoner of war was also spotlighted Friday.

Former Army Spc. Michael Heit, a former chairman of the Constitution Party of Montana who ran for a seat in the state legislature, pleaded guilty to two counts of filing false DD-214s to VA and the Military Order of the Purple Heart in 2005.

The forged discharge documents claimed Heit was a decorated Vietnam veteran who earned a Bronze Star with combat “V” and three Purple Hearts. He also claimed he was held prisoner by North Vietnam from 1969 to 1972.

One poser outed Friday never served a day in the military and isn’t even a U.S. citizen, said Dennis Shen, deputy district attorney for Multnomah County in Oregon.

Carlos Valle Rios, a resident alien from Peru, pleaded guilty in January to “attempted aggravated theft in the first degree by deception” for submitting a false claim to VA and discharge documents, according to court papers.

Valle Rios claimed he earned a Purple Heart from his time as a World War II pilot. He wrote in his claim that he was a member of the famed Flying Tigers who secretly flew in China against Japanese forces before the U.S. officially entered World War II.

Valle Rios, a registered sex offender, also was convicted of illegally obtaining subsidized housing in Oregon. His sentence for defrauding VA was two years’ probation, Shen said, adding that he is in the custody of Immigration Customs Enforcement and is being considered for deportation.

 

Related reading:

The rise & fall of fakers

5 newly exposed fakers

False Marine chaplain spun web of deceit

Posters from the Department of Veterans Affairs

Carlos Riosvalle

Elven Joseph Swisher

Roy John Scott

Larry Lewis Porter

Jesse Adam Macbeth

Merrick Kelly Hersey

ABC NEWS AND THE OPERATION STOLEN VALOR REPORT
WA man pleads guilty to unlawfully collecting Veterans benefits

Sep 19, 6:39 PM EDT

SEATTLE (AP) -- A 75-year-old man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to unlawfully collecting Veterans Affairs benefits that totaled $120,452.

Stephen C. Bates, of Seattle, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18 by Judge Marsha J. Pechman.

According to the plea agreement, from 1996 through 2005, Bates cashed monthly Veterans Affairs benefit checks from the U.S. Department of Treasury that were intended solely for the benefit of his mother, who had died. Bates' mother was the widow of a deceased veteran and was entitled to the checks until her death.

The offense is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison.

(Contact: Emily Langlie, U.S. attorney's office in Seattle, 206-553-4110)

Sept 19, 2007

Former Police Officer Gets 90 Days in Jail for Faking Military Call-Up
Saturday, August 25, 2007

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.  —  A former police officer was sentenced to 90 days in jail for defrauding his department by claiming he had been called to active duty in Iraq. He actually had taken a civilian job in Tampa and was getting two paychecks.

Delray Beach Police officer Vincent Balestrieri, 37, was sentenced Friday by Broward County Circuit Judge William Berger for defrauding the department out of $8,700.

In addition to lying about being called to Navy duty, Balestrieri also received bereavement pay because he had claimed that his mother had died. He acknowledged Friday that his mother was still alive.

Balestrieri blamed his actions on pressure from a Delray Beach police captain to buy a home he couldn't afford from the captain's wife. He also said his wife had medical bills he could not pay.

Instead of going to Iraq, Balestrieri was actually working for defense contractor Lockheed Martin in Tampa. While there, Balestrieri and his wife bought a $220,000 home.

Lockheed Martin fired Balestrieri last September.

Balestrieri joined the Navy Reserve in 1998, and previously served for 13 years with the New York Police Department.

August 25, 2007
Military license fraud bill now law
By KEVIN P. CRAVER - kcraver@nwherald.com
 Comments (1 comment(s))
Starting next year, falsely acquiring Illinois military license plates will become an expensive and potentially embarrassing crime, to say nothing of possible jail time.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed House Bill 362 into law this week, which makes fraudulently acquiring military license plates punishable by a fine between $1,000 and $2,500, and up to a year in jail.

The law was inspired by a Northwest Herald investigation in late 2005 into the military record of former Marengo alderman Werner “Jack” Genot. The alderman acquired two sets of specialty license plates through forged discharge papers to back his fabricated war record.

“I think the men and women who have served this country so honorably would really appreciate this,” said Dave Druker, spokesman for Secretary of State Jesse White. “We commend the governor for signing it.”

White, an Army veteran, asked for the law after Chicago 11th Ward Alderman James Balcer, a decorated Vietnam veteran, alerted him to the newspaper’s story.

The new law takes effect Jan. 1. Ninety-nine percent of each fine will be donated to the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund.

The law is the latest in a string of legislation meant to crack down on phony war heroes. The new federal Stolen Valor Act makes falsely claiming military decorations punishable by six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. A similar state law makes such an act punishable by a $200 fine.

Genot acquired ex-prisoner of war and Purple Heart license plates in 1992 to back his stories of serving in the Korean War as a Marine. In reality, he never served a day in combat. Genot confessed he served in Europe in the Army after the Korean War ended, where he received a less-than-honorable discharge.

In 1992, a Kane County judge’s attempt to falsely acquire Medal of Honor license plates cost him his job. White’s office in 2005 rescinded the Silver Star plates of a longtime Springfield political adviser after a weekly newspaper revealed that his discharge papers did not list the award.

Genot’s term expired earlier this year, and he did not run for re-election. 		August 22, 2007
Daily Record http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/news/tm_headline=another-fake-war-hero&method=full&objectid=19622707&siteid=66633-name_page.html
14 August 2007
ANOTHER FAKE WAR HERO
EXCLUSIVE: Fake War Hero exposed by Daily Record
By Keith Mcleod

A FORMER soldier has gone from hero to zero after his tales of heroism were exposed as fantasy.

Fake war hero John Bartley invented an Army record and took his story to the national media in a bid to win a better ex-serviceman's pension.

Bartley, 38, did actually serve in the Army from 1989 to 1995.

But rather than being proud of his actual service, he bought medals on the black market and created a new past.

He thought nothing of wearing the Paras wings, which he never earned, and posing with a breast full of medals while real heroes and their families pay a daily price in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He claimed he was shot in the leg by a Kalashnikov rifle, blown up by a landmine which put him in a coma for seven months and survived a helicopter crash that saw two soldiers beheaded.

He also said he was a pathfinder behind enemy lines in Bosnia, claimed he made 20 jumps from planes while in the Paras and served in the Gulf.

He tops off his catalogue of lies by claiming his courage earned him medals for bravery and left him crippled.

But the Record can reveal Bartley served in the Paras for only a few weeks before leaving to join another regiment.

Not only did he not earn his wings, the Army say he probably never even completed one parachute jump.

Yet that has not stopped him using the media to tell tales of his heroics in the Gulf, Bosnia and Northern Ireland.

Bartley has also claimed he suffered severe injuries when a wall collapsed on him in Ulster in a mortar attack.

But, in fact, he was treated at the scene by a medic and was off work for just a day.

Bartley's real military record shows tours in Northern Ireland, Canada, Cyprus and Germany between 1989 and 1995.

His time in the Parachute Regiment was only from January to April, 1989.

He was not shot by a Kalashnikov nor in a helicopter crash that left two dead.

The Army describe the chopper incident as a "rough landing" - a common hazard for soldiers serving in Northern Ireland - but no one died.

He claims the landmine incident in Bosnia, which left him in a coma, happened in 1999 when he was a pathfinder.

But by 1999, he had already been discharged from the Army for four years.

Similarly, Bartley, originally from Northern Ireland, but now living in Hamilton, never served in the first or second Gulf Wars.

An Army source said: "The Bosnia claims about the landmine and the coma are comical. UK forces did not engage in undercover ops in Bosnia.

"The claim about being shot by a Kalashnikov is also total nonsense."

As for his claims on the 20 jumps in the Paras, an official document states: "Mr Bartley only did three months in the Parachute Regiment and is unlikely to have done any drops."

Bartley is rarely seen in public out of the wheelchair he now uses.

He claimed recently in a national newspaper he woke in 2003 to find he could not move his legs.

He stated: "Everything was numb. I was taken to hospital and two discs were removed from my back.

"I was in absolute agony. Everything has gone downhill since.

"The pain in my back has increased and I have to wear plastic casing around my legs to support them."

Bartley won the sympathy of some newspapers, who took up his case for a full war pension. He currently draws a 50 per cent pension, which Army sources say is "very generous".

His real record also qualified him to be allocated a veteran's house.

One veteran said: "The very fact he is an ex-soldier in receipt of an Army pension means he would qualify for a veteran's house.

"There is no need to make up these ludicrous claims, other than for self-gratification or to get the media onside for a better pension.

"He's happy to talk to the press about his 'heroics' but with real soldiers, he clams up in case he is rumbled."

Bartley also recently posed with a real hero, Benny Gough, 91, of Hamilton. Benny, a Burma Star medal holder, was a prisoner of war during Word War II.

When Benny and Bartley presented a cheque for £100 to a local school earlier this year, Benny would have had no way of knowing he was a fake.

An Army spokeswoman confirmed Bartley had never earned his Paras wings and said the only medal he would have qualified for was the Northern Ireland Service Medal.

She said: "We find this kind of thing thoroughly distasteful.

"No soldier should claim medals or military honours which he has not earned.

"And he should certainly not be making these claims in schools or in public."

When the Record put the facts to Bartley, he was unrepentant.

He insisted: "I haven't put myself forward for anything. Those dates you have are wrong.

"I've been fighting the Ministry of Defence for quite a while. People have come and spoken to me and I've just explained things to them.

"I've been fighting a case with the Army for the last two years. Two of the medals are not recognised officially."

Bartley also posed for photos with a case full of medals.

Yesterday, one source who has seen Bartley's medals up close, said: "Genuine medals have inscriptions on the rim. I know his do not. They were most likely bought on the internet."

 August 14, 2007
August 7, 2007
News

Cook sponsors Stolen Valor Act

by MICHAEL QUIGLEY
Staff Reporter

State Assemblyman Paul Cook, who represents the 65th Assembly District, has announced that eight bills he has sponsored have been approved by the assembly. These bills now move to the state senate chambers for consideration.....

Finally, Cook has sponsored two bills related to morals. The Adult Materials in Stores bill, AB 1067, would require store owners to shield even the covers of adult materials from the sight of children.

The Stolen Valor Act, AB 282, would make it a misdemeanor to display or otherwise pretend to possess a military medal or decoration not actually earned.

Cook, a decorated United States Marine Corps officer, now retired from the service, did not indicate why he believes this kind of misrepresentation warrants a criminal sanction other than that the misrepresentation dishonors those who have earned the medals and decorations.

“I am especially proud that the legislation I've sponsored has sailed through the assembly, most of it with strong, bi-partisan support,” Cook said.

“My staff and I have worked very hard on this legislation,” he added.

“I intend to continue to promote each one of these bills as it passes through the senate and on to the governor's desk for his signature.”

If you have any questions about these bills, you can reach either Cook or his legislative aide, John Sobel, at the state capitol at (916) 329-2065.

You can also call the number of the local office in Yucaipa at 790-4196.

July 5, 2007
Update: Alleged soldier imposters skip court hearing
14 NEWS

May 30, 2007 07:47 AM EDT

Reporter: Drew Speier
New Media Producer: Amanda Lents

Update, Wed. 6:30 am: A no show in court for two men accused of posing as soldiers and scamming victims for money and gasoline.

Police released surveillance video of one of the suspects last week at an Evansville business where they say he scammed the owner for more than $60 in gasoline.

Police believe the suspect in the video is 25-year-old Anthony Sartore. He's charged with felony theft. While 19-year-old Andrew Thomas is charged with attempted theft.

After being arrested Sunday night, both men were released on their own recognizance and were supposed to appear before an Evansville judge Tuesday morning.

Now the men, accused of dressing up as soldiers to scam their victims, could be in more trouble, not only for failing to appear but because more apparent victims are coming forward.

Robert D. Tiemann III is one of the victims to come forward on Tuesday, "I found out this morning on the news, I saw his picture and I knew immediately, the second I saw it, I said that guy stole $20 from me last week."

While volunteering at his church, Tiemann says the men confronted him in the church parking lot, "He starts telling me about how he was coming down from Indianapolis to go to Fort Campbell and how he had gotten lost and his car started sputtering on him because it had started to break down on him because he was out of gas he said.

The same story the owner of Mr. Fence in Evansville heard last Tuesday. And his surveillance video shows 25-year old Anthony Sartore, shaved head and with a military shirt on, in his office asking for gas.

His scam worked, on owner Shawn King, because he got a full tank, over 60 dollars worth, "I think at this point in the game they need to be taught a lesson."

The two men also came stopped at Wolf's barbecue last Sunday night with a familiar story. Wolf's Manager Ken Griffin didn't believe the men's story, "A gentleman came in said he had gotten lost wanted to know if there was money available to get back to Fort Campbell."

But Griffin didn't give in to the scam and did not offer any cash to the two men and hopes they get the punishment they deserve, "I don't know what the law is on that but I think it ought to be maximum."

Police, the victims and others now know the scam works and hope to prevent others from becoming victims.

King says he's learned a little something about trust, "In our society we need to be able to trust people to a certain degree and be able to help out our fellow citizens when they need help. Lesson learned absolutely."

Evansville police say warrants for Sartore and Thomas were being processed Tuesday afternoon but have not been issued.  As of  Tuesday night they still face felony theft charges, but the investigation continues.

UPDATE, 5PM TUE: Both men charged in the case, 25-year-old Anthony Sartore and 19-year-old Andrew Thomas of Evansville, were released from jail on their own recognizance.

Evansville police tell 14 News they failed to appear at a scheduled court hearing Tuesday morning, despite the fact that their charges had been reduced to misdemeanors.

Arrest warrants have been issued for the pair, and more potential victims have come forward. The manager of Wolf's Barbecue on North First Avenue says one of the men came to the restaurant asking for money just before his arrest Sunday evening.

Tune to 14 News at 10 Tuesday for video surveillance tapes of the alleged scammers in action at another Evansville business.

Reporter: Drew Speier

A disturbing story came to light this Memorial Day. Two Evansville men are accused of scamming victims out of money and gasoline while pretending to be soldiers.  

The two men shaved their heads, wore dog tags and fatigues and asked victims to give them money or gas or both so they could get back to Fort Campbell. They were very convincing, but thanks to an alert Evansville firefighter, both men are behind bars.  

In the Vanderburgh County Jail are 25-year-old Anthony Sartore of Evansville, who has been charged with theft, and 19-year-old Andrew Thomas, also of Evansville, who has been charged with attempted theft.  

Police say Sartore went to a business, Mr. Fence, last week and asked for money for gas. He convinced the owner to fill-up his gas tank at a cost of about $50.

But Sartore was recognized when he tried the same thing at the Evansville fire station on Mill Road. A part time employee at Mr. Fence is also a firefighter. He immediately recognized Sartore when he came to Hose House 17 and knew something was up.   

Evansville police were called and the arrests were made Sunday night. Evansville Police Department spokesman Sgt. Scott Hurt says, "They are representing themselves as military soldiers. Mr. Sartore wore an Operation Iraqi Freedom t-shirt with airborne on it, telling people he was military, and that's wrong."      

 		May 30, 2007

FBI on the Lookout for Phony Heroes This Memorial Day Weekend
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/05/fbi_on_the_look.html#comment-70729376

May 25, 2007 10:24 AM
Vic Walter Reports:
 
Photos: Phony Military Heroes: Medals of Dishonor

FBI agents and veterans will be on the lookout this Memorial Day weekend for phony military heroes, a disquieting trend that officials say has grown substantially in the years of the war with Iraq.
"I probably get three to five calls a day about someone spotted with suspicious decorations," said Doug Sterner, who passes along the tips to veterans groups and the FBI.
Sterner operates the Web site Home of Heroes, which is dedicated to honoring true military heroes.
"I'll be damned if I sit idly by while some wannabe phony wears awards that real heroes gave their lives for," Sterner said.
Among the most recent examples is Louis Lowell McGuinn of New York City.
He claimed to be a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, often appearing at military events wearing an impressive array of decorations, including a Purple Heart, Silver Star and the Distinguished Service Cross.
But law enforcement officials say it was a ruse and that McGuinn was discharged from the Army in 1968 as a private, with none of the decorations he claimed.
Last month, FBI agents arrested McGuinn and charged him with wearing unearned medals and badges in violation of federal law. They say he posed as a highly decorated military officer in order to get a job with an underwater marine security company.
McGuinn pleaded not guilty and was released on $5,000 bail with his travel restricted. When contacted by ABC News, he declined to comment on the case. 
The FBI and veterans groups say there are more and more decorated phonies turning up every day, and when they are caught, the punishment varies.
In one recent case in St. Louis, businessman Gerald Weilbacher received only two years probation and a $3,000 fine after pleading guilty to federal charges of wearing Marine Corps medals he did not earn, including the Navy Cross, the Corps' second highest medal.
The 400-pound Weilbacher never served in the Marines and was spotted at one Marine Corps veterans event as a phony because "he was too fat to be a Marine,"  according to one veteran.
In contrast, Michael Bramlett of Springfield, Mo., was sentenced to six months in federal prison without parole for claiming to be a Marine Captain and wearing unauthorized medals that included a Silver Star, Navy Cross and a Purple Heart for combat in Iraq.
At his sentencing on April 3, U.S. Attorney Bradley Schlozman said, "This impostor received the maximum penalty for his dishonorable conduct. Such disrespect for the brave men and women serving in our nation's forces won't be tolerated."
FBI Agent Michael Sandborn works to track down and expose phony military heroes. 
"In cemeteries overseas, there are 124,913 Americans who paid for their Purple Hearts with their lives, and these impostors purchase theirs over the Internet and at surplus stores," he told ABC News. 
Recent passage of the Stolen Valor Act now makes any misrepresentation of military decorations punishable by up to a year in jail.
Watchdogs like Doug Sterner think that even with the tougher law, military phonies will still be out there tarnishing the image of the true military heroes.
Sterner says, "It's so prevalent that you're never going to catch and prosecute all of them."
May 25, 2007
http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2007/05/25/news/local/doc465546f946a6b318880623.txt

Vet plates bill almost law

By KEVIN P. CRAVER - kcraver@nwherald.com
A proposal cracking down on military license-plate fraud, inspired in great part by a former Marengo alderman, is headed for the governor’s desk after clearing the state Senate.

The Senate on Wednesday voted, 55-0, to approve House Bill 362, which makes fraudulently obtaining military plates a crime punishable by a fine between $1,000 and $2,500, and up to a year in jail. Ninety-nine percent of each fine will be donated to the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund.

Secretary of State Jesse White, a veteran of the Illinois Army National Guard and the 101st Airborne Division, asked for the law in December 2005, after learning that former Marengo Alderman Werner “Jack” Genot acquired ex-prisoner-of-war and Purple Heart license plates in 1992 with forged discharge papers.

A Northwest Herald investigation in November 2005 revealed that Genot fabricated his well-known military record and used the bogus discharge papers to back it up. The House approved the bill, 116-0, on April 19.

“This puts individuals on notice that if by chance they want to falsify [military] documents in order to get specialty license plates from the Secretary of State’s Office, it just won’t happen, and if by chance they’re successful, there’s a penalty they must pay,” White said.

Spokesmen for Gov. Rod Blagojevich said they did not yet reviewed the bill, but they do not anticipate the governor opposing it, given its unanimous backing by both houses. Blagojevich signed similar legislation last year that made it a crime punishable by a $200 fine to wear or claim valor medals that were not earned legitimately.

Genot’s case was the latest of several high-profile incidents in which officials illegally tried to obtain military license plates. Illinois offers 18 military specialty plates, all but two of which require documentation to verify status.

A Kane County judge’s attempt to acquire Medal of Honor license plates in 1992 eventually cost him his job. He had claimed to be a two-time winner of the nation’s highest award for valor – only 19 soldiers in U.S. history ever received the medal twice, and the government stopped the practice after World War I.

In 2005, White’s office rescinded the Silver Star license plates – the first ones ever issued – of a longtime Springfield political adviser after a weekly newspaper revealed his discharge papers did not list the award.

A new federal law also tightens penalties on phony war heroes.

President Bush signed the Stolen Valor Act into law last December, which makes falsely claiming or wearing military decorations punishable by six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. The penalties are double for falsely claiming medals for heroism.

Falsely claiming the Medal of Honor is already a federal crime punishable by up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine.

A first attempt at a license law in the previous General Assembly passed the House but died in the Senate Transportation Committee because of concerns that it conflicted with existing vehicle fraud codes.

What?

The state Senate voted, 55-0, on Wednesday to approve House Bill 362, which makes fraudulently acquiring military specialty license plates punishable by a minimum fine of $1,000. The House approved the bill 116-0 last month.

Secretary of State Jesse White asked for such a law in December 2005, after learning of former Marengo alderman Werner “Jack” Genot, who acquired such plates with forged discharge papers.
 		May 25, 2007
 12-27-2006

From the Editor:
Blue Shame

I’ve been embarrassed by the Air Force before but, until this little story broke, never ashamed. I’ve been embarrassed by enlisted troops on their first tour that wear three rows of ribbons. I’m embarrassed by officers who wear a flight suit, sit behind a Predator console and put themselves in for Air Medals. I’m embarrassed by a bloated bureaucracy that would rather wear blues and work from eight to four thirty every day than serve in combat. Most of all, I’ve been embarrassed by the Air Force’s notion that combat can be fought from forty thousand feet or from an air conditioned van in the Nevada desert.
 
But I knew there were others. Men and, yes, even a few women, who would strap on a jet and bring it to the enemy. Even if that meant breaking the ‘rules’ and going in at 100 feet and 500 knots to get the job done with a cannon because all the smart weapons weren’t actually that smart. I knew that there were unarmed tanker crews who would fly into surface to air missile rings to bring me gas because I wouldn’t make it out otherwise. I knew that there was a long, sweaty unheralded line of dedicated logisticians, crew chiefs and maintenance folks that always made it possible for me to do my job.

This was my Air Force.

Not the bozos who dry cleaned their BDU’s, shined their boots and conducted sock checks. My Air Force was the Dirty Shirt Air Force. They smelled of hot metal, oil and body odor. But they are the tiny minority that permits the rest to exist.

I’ve even been ashamed of people I’ve served with. Men who fake injury like Maury Forsythe and Tim Collins so they can wear that little Purple Heart ribbon on their narrow chests. Chameleon cowards like Jimmy Clarke who sell out brother officers to curry favor with generals. The list is long and, unfortunately, not only confined to me. Every tactical officer I know has their own Hall of Shame.

These things are to be expected in any large organization. Especially a Paper Tiger like the modern Air Force. But this last episode is so shameful, so crushingly abhorrent that it must be exposed. And it must be stopped.

Outsourcing the human remains of American fighting soldiers?

Outsourcing?

Outsourcing is what you do with trash collection and grounds maintenance. You do not put a price on the bodies of our fighting soldiers. If you have one shred of decency, one tiny glimmer of the respect due to the dead you do not do this. If you do then you are without a soul.

I am appalled and deeply ashamed.

Deeply ashamed that I belonged to such a service for twenty years. I fought in both Gulf Wars and always believed that if I’d been killed my service would have at least done me the honor due someone who has given the ultimate sacrifice.

It never occurred to me that my remains would be ‘outsourced’. That my military would think so little of me that they would mail my body bag home in Third Class mail courtesy of the lowest bidder. It never occurred to me that my country would permit it.

Until now.

Who thinks this up? Who is the empty hearted, penny pinching money grubber who proposes something this shameful? More to the point, who puts it into a nauseating, standard Air Force PowerPoint presentation and which perfumed, pampered general officer signs off on it? A coffee sipping, desk bound Pretender who can only think of another star to match his expanding waistline? Or simply a faceless, non thinking drone stealing oxygen at the Pentagon.

Contemptible.

Who are they? I don’t know yet. But I will make a promise...I’m going to find out.

In the meantime I urge all of you to contact your congressional representatives and let them know how utterly offensive this course of action is. And we, as Americans, regardless of the myriad differences, opinions and politics that divide us, can not allow this deplorable course of action to proceed. They were our sons and our daughters; our brothers and our sisters. Our comrades.

Surely they deserve better than this so let’s make sure they get it. 

Thank you and keep the faith.

Dan Hampton
Editor, DefenseWatch

==========================================================================================

11-20-2006

Son of the Pretender

By Nelson Kane

The grass looks calm, no sign of danger. All is well.

But, before you realize it, before you can react or defend yourself the fangs sink into your back and you’re bitten. A coward, the snake slinks back into its hiding place and disappears. But it’s too late for you...the poison is already at work.

A snake in the grass. Much worse than one lying in the middle of the road. At least you can see the one in the road. You know it’s a snake. You can see the snake. You can run the snake over and crush it back to the stone age.

But a snake in the grass is different. It can’t be seen and you don’t know what it’s doing. Worse still, you probably don’t even know it’s a snake. You don’t even know you’re a target.

Until it slithers out into the light long enough to bite you.
 
Unfortunately the Air Force is chock full of such snakes. Officers who believe the end, meaning their ‘success’, justifies whatever means are required to get them there. They pay lip service to the old dead code of honor but they could really care less. They would change their colors to suit whatever situation, whatever boss and, worst of all, whatever politics dominate the moment. They’re the ones who thought up the much abused platitudes of Service Before Self, Integrity First and Excellence In All We Do. Platitudes that are plastered on every wall of every building in the Air Force. But they’re just words. Some of us can remember an Air Force that had no use for inane verbalization because we knew what we were all about. It was, in many ways, a better Air Force. Certainly one with fewer snakes.

Colonel James W. Hyatt [Bio]

Colonel Bill “Hoss” Hyatt is just such a snake.
 
The commander of the 20 Fighter Wing looks and acts like such a great guy. Full of smiles and good cheer...back slapping and a self depreciating little chuckle that initially wins most people over. He’s practiced it for years. Just another simple ‘ol country boy doing the best he can.

Right.

Here are a few little known facts about Bill Hyatt.
 
He wears a gray Fighter Weapons School patch on his left shoulder. Bill Hyatt washed out of the program back in his days as a not so bright captain. That’s correct...he washed out.

Okay, it can happen. It was a tough school back in the days before it morphed into the androgynous, watered down, politically correct version that lumbers along now. However, for some reason, Hyatt, or ‘Turd’, as he used to be called, got another chance.

Another chance!

How does that work? A Fighter Weapons School slot used to be the most coveted assignment for a fighter pilot. It was the toughest of any Air Force program, bar none. It certainly was ‘old school’ back when Hyatt attended and failed miserably. And if you screwed the pooch you were done. You got sent back to your unit in silent shame with your tail between your legs. No one got a second chance at something most guys never got one chance for. So much for Excellence In All We Do.

But Turd got another shot at it. Hmmm...how did that work? What more qualified guy did he bump out of the way when his sponsor pulled the requisite strings for him to be readmitted?
 
So life goes on. A little later in his career, after a staff tour, he was stationed at Shaw AFB in South Carolina. He briefly worked under the ‘command’ of one of the worst officers the Air Force has ever spawned. Tim Collins…also called the Alphabet Man because it was forbidden among company grade officers to mention his name. He was that despised. But rather than deal with it and actually take care of his boys, Hyatt got himself transferred away from T.C. Collins to another squadron and became the Operations Officer.

Khobar Towers blew up in June of 1996. The 79th Fighter Squadron, under the heinous direction of Tim Collins, was deployed there at the time. Following the blast, Collins and his Operations Officer both agreed to fall down on a knee and write themselves up for Purple Hearts. They never had a scratch. In fact, Collins himself was seen sprinting across the compound away from the rubble. The rank and file captains, the line mission commander and instructor pilot types, couldn’t stomach this. When they returned to Shaw, several of them went to the one guy they thought they could trust.
Turd Hyatt.

They told him the story. They asked him for help. What should they do and who should tell about this cowardly, incompetent pair and their disgrace to the uniform? Hyatt knew that Collins and his Ops O, another sack of douche named Maury Forsyth (now a general) had no substantiating medical records and, in fact, not a scar on their pasty pudgy bodies. And what did Bill Hyatt do about it?

Nada. Zilch.

He did what he does best. Act concerned, nod and ‘work’ on it. And, for fear of the own implications to his career he did absolutely nothing.

You see, Tim Collins had a sponsor too. And his general officer was apparently bigger than Hyatt’s general officer. Hyatt was afraid to rock the boat. He had his future to think about after all and this was no time to live up to an officer’s oath or any type of honor code. Entirely too much was at stake to risk doing the right thing.
So much for Integrity.

The real damage to that disgusting incident was the damage done to the company grade officers involved. Men who believed, up to that point, that honor was honor. Men who believed that we, as combat officers, did live by a different code than the ‘others’. Three of those men resigned their commissions and left the Air Force entirely. Four others eventually threw up their hands and transferred to the Air National Guard. The few that stayed were forever scarred by the Air Forces failure to clean up its own act and by Bill Hyatt’s cowardice in the face of careerism.
 
So much for Service Before Self.

Bill Hyatt, of course, continued on unscathed. Maintaining the status quo and not rocking the boat. He flitted about from obligatory flying jobs and mandatory staff tours and, eventually, wound up again crouched at his master’s feet in the Pentagon. And which shiny black shoes was he licking? Fellow Aggie and consummate Polyester Pretender...T. Michael Moseley.

What a surprise.

What a surprise that careerism, superficial honor and ethics of convenience should breed. And this is the real point. T. Michael Moseley’s beget Bill Hyatt’s and Bill Hyatt’s beget others who beget others who....you get the drift. And the ugly, spreading cancer that has probably gone too far for anything but a major, protracted war to stop. Wars, real wars, have a way of winnowing out the weak, stupid and useless. Moseley and his cronies would be gone in a flash because, when the chips are truly down, they cannot produce combat results. 

So if the Turd Hyatts were gone and the men and women in these positions were truly the best we have then the situation would be different.

But most of these people are decidedly not the best we have. There are exceptions but Turd Hyatt isn’t one of them. And the real damage they do, the incalculable damage they do, is twofold. First, they disillusion competent, dedicated officers who should be the future Air Force’s greatest asset. These men and women resign, leave at 20 years or transfer away in disgust. Forever changed.

Second, they people bring along others like themselves. They sponsor others who become Sons of the Pretenders. Politicians and sycophants that are killing the service. These in turn, bring along others and it never ends. A giant self licking ice cream cone.
 
Some of these officers are visible pricks and we’ll get to them eventually. They’re the easy ones. At least they can be spotted and you know where they’re coming from. Bill Hyatt, and those like him, are the real danger. Hyatt will laugh with you, drink with you, play crud with you and even act like he’s looking out for you. He can make you believe he’s one of you.

But he is definitely not. He looks out for Bill Hyatt and he covers T. Michael’s wide, soft butt because without Moseley, Hyatt has no top cover. He’d have to stand alone and wouldn’t that be a shock?

So be warned of the snake in the grass. 

Bill Hyatt is a Pretender’s Son on his way up. And you are his ladder.

12/27/2006

http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=15&RecNum=5616
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 28, 2006
Gov. Blagojevich reminds public about new laws that takes effect January 1st
New laws will protect seniors and homeowners, strengthen monitoring of sex offenders, help children and benefit hardworking citizens all around the state
SPRINGFIELD – As the new year approaches, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today promoted a number of important new laws that he signed earlier this year and will take effect January 1, 2007.

“2006 was a very productive year for state government. We worked hard to pass new laws to help our seniors, children, and the hardworking citizens of our state. A number of those new laws will go into effect on Monday, so now is the time for the public to learn about new protections and programs we enacted,” Gov. Blagojevich said.

• House Bill 4121 punishes individuals who falsely claim to be decorated war heroes. The new law creates criminal charges and imposes penalties on individuals falsely representing themselves as recipients of various military honors.

Full text:

09400HB4121sam001         LRB094 14139 RLC 57150 a

1AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4121
2AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4121 on page 1, by
3 replacing lines 25 through 28 with the following:
4 "(a-6) A person commits a false personation when he or she
5 falsely represents himself or herself to be a recipient of, or
6 wears on his or her person, any of the following medals if that
7 medal was not awarded to that person by the United States
8 government, irrespective of branch of service: the
9 Congressional Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross,
10 the Navy Cross, the Air Force Cross, the Silver Star, the
11 Bronze Star, or the Purple Heart.
12 It is a defense to a prosecution under this subsection
13 (a-6) that the medal is used, or is intended to be used,
14 exclusively:
15 (1) for a dramatic presentation, such as a theatrical,
16 film, or television production, or a historical
17 re-enactment; or
18 (2) for a costume worn, or intended to be worn, by a
19 person under 18 years of age.".



 

Dec 28, 2006
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2106055

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/player05.html?062206/062206_ff_medals&FNL&Dishonoring%20American%20Heroes&acc&National&-1&exp

June 2006
Man ordered to wear sandwich board for lying to probation officer about being a Marine

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A man who lied to his probation officer about having served in the military was ordered to stand outside the courthouse wearing a sandwich board that says: "I am a liar. I am not a Marine."

William C. Horvath, 35, of Whitefish, pleaded guilty to making false statements, a felony.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy sentenced him Thursday to four months of house arrest and four years of probation. He also ordered him to stand outside the courthouse for 50 hours wearing the sandwich board with the message.

On the back, it must read: "I have never served my country. I have dishonored veterans of all wars."

Molloy, a veteran himself, also ordered Horvath to write letters of apology to newspapers, the U.S. Marine Corps, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion in Kalispell. The judge said Horvath must admit in the letters that he lied repeatedly about serving and being wounded.

According to a news release from the U.S. attorney's office, Horvath claimed during an interview with a probation officer on Aug. 9, 2001, that he had served in the Marine Corps. The officer was gathering information on Horvath on a prior charge of being a fugitive in possession of firearms or ammunition.

The probation officer then attempted to verify Horvath's military service, but was told by the Marine Corps that there was no record of Horvath ever having served.

Horvath then presented the probation officer with evidence of his time in the military, including photographs and decorations. However, Marine Corps representatives told the probation officer that the evidence contained a variety of inconsistencies.

One of the problems: He was wearing his uniform improperly.

July 7, 2006
Posted on Tue, May. 09, 2006

Alleged swindle unravels at Fort Snelling cemetery
Worker accused of faking Naval Reserve service to get paid leave

BY DAVID HAWLEY
Pioneer Press

For more than three years, officials at Fort Snelling National Cemetery understood when Adrian Crump requested paid leave to serve as a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve.

He worked, after all, at a place dedicated to honor those who had served their country.

So it came as a shock when officials learned that Crump's record of active military duty was more than a little exaggerated. In fact, Hennepin County prosecutors said, it was fabricated.

Crump, 36, of Apple Valley, was charged Monday with five counts of theft by swindle for receiving more than $7,000 in military leave pay and benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which is in charge of the cemetery where he was employed.

Attempts to reach Crump at his home were unsuccessful.

According to a complaint filed in Hennepin County, the thefts began several months after the war in Iraq started in 2003 and continued through January 2005. Crump claimed to be a naval officer shortly after going to work at the cemetery in 2002, the complaint said.

"He would take time off ­ four days or a week at a time ­ and come back claiming he had finished his official duties," said Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar.

"What's so disturbing about this case is that he not only ripped off taxpayers and the government, but he did something that was an insult to people in uniform. While they are serving our country, he came up with a scheme to get benefits he didn't deserve."

Crump served in the Navy, but he was discharged from active duty in 2001, said Lynn Masoney, an investigator with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Crump worked as an aviation machinist and reached an enlisted rank equivalent to a private first class in the Army.

But when he started work at the cemetery, Crump gave himself a big promotion ­ to lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve, Klobuchar said.

The complaint says Crump forged documents that looked like military orders when he took time off with pay. As a result, the Veterans Administration gave Crump $6,695 in cash and military leave pay, plus $891 in health insurance premiums.

It is unclear how the scheme was discovered, though the lead investigation was done by the VA's office of inspector general. Randy Rupp, a regional investigator in Denver, declined to comment.

The Minnesota Financial Crimes Task Force also worked on the case. The head of the task force, Cmdr. Chris Abbas, said it might be the first fraud case of its kind in this area.

"It's amazing he was able to get away with it as long as he did," Abbas said. "He must have had some idea of what official military orders look like when he made the forgeries."

Don Emond, assistant director at the cemetery, also declined to comment, though he said Crump is no longer an employee.

Each of the five counts of theft by swindle detailed a specific month when Crump allegedly received pay for military leave, starting in October 2003 and ending in January 2005.

Klobuchar said Crump was charged in a summons and was not arrested. A date for a first court appearance has not been set. "But we will pursue jail time in this case," she said.

David Hawley can be reached at dhawley@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5257.

May 9, 2006
http://www.pjstar.com/stories/052506/TRI_B9TNB6HT.063.shtml

Military honors are easy to fake
Both medals and uniforms readily available for sale

Thursday, May 25, 2006

By DAVE HANEY  OF THE JOURNAL STAR

PEORIA - For a few hundred bucks or less, you too can be outfitted in authentic military dress blues and a rack full of shiny medals to boot.

Order them by Internet, over the phone or drop by the local pawn shop or military surplus.

"Most of the time, what we see is a vet trying to replace an original they lost, or a collector" looking for a nice find, says Dave Barth, owner of Pekin Gun and Sporting Goods. "We could order all new medals, but they're just not in that high of demand."

Barth said most of the medals they come across and turn around and sell are from auctions or estate sales. On Wednesday, the military surplus shop had a handful of dusty medals lining the bottom of a display case, including two Distinguished Flying Crosses and a World War II Marine Corps good conduct medal. Prices range from $20 to $50.....

May 25, 2006

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/052406/TRI_B9TDASL4.063.shtml

Dunlap man's medals questioned
No military service records can be found for him

By DAVE HANEY  OF THE JOURNAL STAR

DUNLAP - With only five other men in U.S. history being awarded the Purple Heart eight times over, Theodore C. Bantis of Dunlap would be the only Marine known to have earned such distinction.

He would be one of only 362 Marines to receive the rare and coveted Navy Cross during what he lists as three full combat tours in Vietnam before retiring after 30 years as a colonel.

Impressive and honorable as it may appear, the medals and the rank Bantis claims all appear to be lies. He never spent a day as a Marine in his life.

"It really denigrates the whole idea for the awards," said Tom Maher, a local Marine who served in Vietnam around the same time Bantis claims.

Maher said he first approached Bantis about three years ago during a Memorial Day event in Peoria.

"I told him, 'You do realize you're wearing your awards incorrectly?' He just turned and walked away," Maher said Monday. "I never could find out if he was telling the truth or not."

Others also now wonder.....

May 24, 2006
May 23, 2006

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The (GA)

May 20, 2006
Section: News
Edition: Main; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Page: A1

Fake Marine wove a web of lies
The Navy Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor, is worn by distinguished military heroes. Richard Thibodeau claimed he was in their ranks.
   STEVE VISSER

Marine Corps veteran Stephen Walker was honored to meet Richard Thibodeau, especially when he read about the heroism that earned his fellow Gwinnett Marine the Navy Cross in Vietnam.
"When I got his biography, I took it over to my dad's house, I was that impressed," said Walker, a Gulf War veteran. "I thought 'How can I be in the same room with this guy?' It made me feel small."
The Navy Cross brought Thibodeau, 64, a seat of honor at the Marine Corps League's Georgia banquet May 13 at the American Legion Post 251 in Duluth. The Navy Cross citation, outlining acts of uncommon valor, hung in the Gwinnett County Veterans Memorial Museum in Lawrenceville. Thibodeau claimed in the paperwork he supplied the museum to have retired as a sergeant major, the highest enlisted rank in the Marines.
But the citation, the medal and the rank all were lies.
Thibodeau now admits he never served in Vietnam, never earned the Navy Cross, never saw combat. He never was a Marine.
The Lawrenceville resident, a medical technologist, is one of the latest of a growing number of military frauds....

=====================

Mr. Visser, an Atlanta Journal Reporter, talked today to Mr. Thibodeau and has an appointment to meet with him tomorrow. Mr. Thibodeau cites this incident all as a prank gone awry, admitting to the reporter he faked the Navy Cross. He further told Mr. Visser that he DID indeed serve in Vietnam in 1964-65. Mr. Visser so advised me in a phone call about 4:30 P.M.

About 5 PM Mr Thibodeau called me, wanting my email address in order to send me a copy of the Apology listed below. He did an excellent job of playing on my sympathy, explaining again that this was all a joke gone awry. I asked him about his service in Vietnam. He told me he did serve in Vietnam in 1964-65. I questioned his DD-214 showing he got out in 1963, and he advised that he re-enlisted but had proffered an earlier DD-214 since it would not make a subsequent Navy Cross earned in 1968 look suspicious for lack of being on it, and that he no longer had a copy of a DD-214 showing subsequent service.

About the time he had me feeling sorry for him, and a little guilty about going after him so hard, I asked him again if indeed he served in Vietnam. He said yes, whereupon I told him:

“Mr. Thibodeau, you need to be absolutely honest with me. We are getting your records from NPRC, and if we catch you in another lie, you are toast. So I’ll ask you one more time, did you serve in Vietnam?”

He said “No.”

Upshot of this is, when caught and given the opportunity to come completely clean earlier in his conversations with me, the reporter, and others, he continued to lie about his service. (And this is all without consideration of a phony citation f