An Epidemic of Military Imposters
By
"The name and regiment of the person with the action so certified
are to be entered in the 'Book of Merit,' which will be kept at the orderly
office. Should any who are not entitled to these honors have the insolence to
assume the badges of them, they shall be severely punished."
So wrote General George Washington in his
As this article is written there is a veritable epidemic of military imposters loose in our nation; respect and admiration for our armed forces personnel are at a level not seen since the days of World War Two. Military personnel are seen as laudable and commendable, and are praised and honored at public gatherings. Hardly a day passes without mention of “our heroes in uniform” in the print and broadcast media. While most military veterans are loath to be called a “hero” themselves, most will readily suggest that they have met or served with some bona fide heroes. There are some members of our society, however, who covet the title of “military hero” and intentionally seek the spotlight, despite never having served in the nation’s armed forces. There are some legitimate military veterans who are not satisfied with their record of achievements and duties and who embellish their military records, claiming duties, skills, awards and commendations which they never actually earned.
False claims of military service are offered by charlatans for a plethora of reasons. Lecherous Lotharios attempt to impress potential female companions with their false claims of military prowess. Chest-thumping barroom braggarts attempt to impress and intimidate their drinking buddies with false claims of ‘secret missions’. Jail cell braggarts attempt to intimidate inmates and guards with false claims of deadly military hand-to-hand training. Office personnel offer false claims in an attempt to gain an advantage in the battle for promotions where preferences are given to military veterans. Corporate executives use false military credentials in an attempt to gain an edge in corporate marketing directed at military clients. Members of military and fraternal organizations attempt to gain undeserved praise and unearned recognition with false claims of extraordinary valor and wear medals which reflect their false claims. One of the largest contingents of military imposters involves those who falsely claim to be military veterans for the purpose of obtaining VA medical benefits, tax benefits, and monetary compensation.
The majority of Americans are trusting individuals who readily accept personal credentials when they are offered. Most wouldn’t think of claiming deeds or honors which they didn’t earn. Military imposters thrive in this trusting atmosphere.
The Stolen Valor Act
of 2005
When informed about the growing epidemic of military
imposters in our nation, many people ask “why bother with them?”
Inquirers often suggest that military imposters are more to be pitied for their
lack of self-esteem and self-worth than prosecuted, and that the making of
false claims of military service is a ‘victimless crime’. On the
contrary, it is not victimless, and it should be strongly stressed that it is a
crime; a violation of federal law. Title 18 of the United States Code, Sections
702 and 704, the original laws which pertained to this sort of thing, had some sizeable
loopholes which allowed imposters to get away with making false claims so long
as they didn’t actually wear the specific awards, medals, or insignias.
Those loopholes were closed by the STOLEN VALOR ACT OF 2005 which amended the
original Title 18 USC sections. It was signed into law by President G.W. Bush
on
The applicable laws refer to “the uniform, or a distinctive part thereof or anything similar to a distinctive part of the uniform of any of the armed services of the United States…” as well as “any decoration or medal authorized by Congress for the armed forces of the United States, or any of the service medals or badges awarded to the members of such forces, or the ribbon, button, or rosette of any such badge, decoration, or medal, or any colorable imitation thereof, except when authorized under regulations made pursuant to law…”
The amended law specifically includes doubly harsh penalties for those who make false claims of being awarded the highest medals for valor such as the Congressional Medal of Honor, the three Service Crosses, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart, or of being awarded the POW Medal.
Federal law enforcement agents are currently engaged in Operation Stolen Valor, a nationwide effort to bring the most egregious offenders to justice and demonstrate to the American public that our government will not tolerate those in our society who make false military claims for any reason, whether it is to gain employment or promotion under false pretenses, obtain unearned government benefits, or for purposes of self-aggrandizement of an over-inflated ego.
There are victims aplenty when false military claims are made. In addition to those individuals who are personally defrauded of goods, services and cash by multitudes of military imposters, the American taxpayers often bear the burden and costs of fraudulently obtained benefits which annually runs into the billions of dollars. That’s “Billions” with a capital “B”.
James O’Neill is assistant Inspector General for the VA, and it is O’Neill’s office which is responsible for rooting out those who defraud the VA.
“We take it seriously because this money is meant for veterans, not for fakers. Every dollar that’s lost to a faker is one more dollar that can’t be spent on a veteran,” stated O’Neill in a recent interview with Military Times.
Fraudulent Claims for
Profit
On Friday 21 September of this year Christopher Lee Proe was
arrested in
Proe has admitted to police that he was never in
In this instance it was the private business – the nightclub – which was defrauded after having made a good-faith effort to extend a courtesy to a man they thought to be a legitimate American military veteran.
A recent article in the Air Force Times described the case
of Mr. Larry Porter of
All of Porter’s claims were subsequently found to be false, and he is currently serving a three-year jail sentence and must repay all of the money which he took from the VA and the Social Security Administration.
In this instance it was the American tax payers, the Veterans Administration, and the Social Security Administration who were defrauded. All too often such fraud is not discovered and both the VA and the SSA are bilked out of billions of dollars each year by those who are not legitimately eligible to receive benefits from either administration.
And then there is the case of Jesse MacBeth, a former
soldier who served in the US Army only 44 days and who didn’t even finish
basic training at
MacBeth’s claim for VA benefits was denied, but that
didn’t stop his charade. According to Friedman, MacBeth produced anti-war
videos claiming he committed atrocities while serving as a Ranger in
The truth is that MacBeth was never a corporal, never
received a Purple Heart for wounds received in combat, and neither saw nor
participated in war crimes in
On Friday 21 September MacBeth was sentenced to five months in jail, three months in a halfway house, and three years' probation for falsifying a Department of Veterans Affairs claim and an Army discharge record. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik also ordered MacBeth to seek help for mental health problems, especially as they related to committing domestic violence.
The videos he made were translated into Arabic for Middle Eastern audiences and MacBeth became a ‘poster boy’ for the anti-war movement. He fooled peace groups, those with a political axe to grind in contention with the current administration and its foreign policies, and with alternative news media, becoming something of an anti-war star over the past several years.
The videos proclaimed his concocted stories of war atrocities, including MacBeth’s claims that "We would burn their bodies ... hang their bodies from the rafters in the mosque". These videos have been widely distributed in areas of the world where they will do the greatest possible harm to American efforts. It is likely that any details which are disseminated in the Middle East regarding MacBeth’s conviction and jail sentence for falsifying this information will only be interpreted by America’s enemies as evidence of a conspiracy to ‘cover up’ the fictional atrocities which he fabricated for his own fraudulent ends.
In this instance the VA saw through the false claims and denied MacBeth’s application for benefits to which he had no legal right. It is the American public, and the American reputation abroad, however, which has suffered terribly as a result of his fraud and self-aggrandizement. Doubtless his widely-distributed claims of war atrocities will incite renewed violence against our own military forces and greatly embolden those who seek to counter US efforts at home and abroad.
According to federal prosecutors, in
Formal charges have been filed against James Anthony Alleva, 54, the Commandant
of the Marine Corps League’s General Smedley D. Butler Detachment 741. Mr.
Alleva was ordered to surrender his passport and subsequently released on
$10,000 bail pending disposition of the case which was filed by U.S. Attorney
According to the charges, Alleva allegedly “altered his
military discharge certificate, wore unauthorized military medals or
decorations, and falsely represented himself as an award recipient of
commendations achieved in action”.
In a news article recently published online by the Delco Times (Delaware
County, PA) detailing the matter, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose R. Arteaga
stated that Alleva was cited Aug. 7 for allegedly altering his military
discharge certificate and on Feb. 5 and Aug. 7 for illegally wearing the Silver
Star medal, the Bronze Star medal, two Purple Heart medals, awards only
authorized by Congress, and Parachute Jump Wings and a SCUBA Badge for
completing diver school.
If convicted of all charges, Mr. Alleva faces a maximum sentence of two years
imprisonment, one year supervised release and a
$110,000 fine.
In this instance it was the American public in general, and members of the Marine Corps League in particular, who were defrauded. In fact it appears that the initial queries regarding Mr. Alleva’s claimed commendations and awards were prompted by suspicious members of the Marine Corps League.
Those who are serving or have served in the military forces highly value selflessness by their fellows. That selflessness – the placing of a higher value on the safety and lives of one’s fellows above one’s own safety and life – is respected, acknowledged and honored by the award of medals and commendations. Falsely claiming to have been granted such awards, military imposters seek to mislead others into believing that they belong in the company of those who have selflessly put themselves at risk for their brothers-in-arms. The dishonor which such deception does to those who truly earned the awards discredits the contributions of the real heroes and devalues the sacrifices of those who gave their lives in service to the nation while observing those ideals.
Devaluation of
History
World War Two veterans are reportedly dying at the rate of approximately 1,000 persons a day, and many of them have never shared the details of their military experiences outside the limits of their own families. Korean War veterans are aging rapidly and their history is likewise being lost at an alarming rate. The decade-long televised accounts of the Vietnam War made it possibly the most widely documented conflict of the 20th Century and yet many of the men and women involved in that unpopular conflict returned home and resumed their lives without telling others the details of their service.
While military actions in
Seven years ago, in an effort to preserve the oral histories of individual military participants, the Library of Congress began its Veterans History Project. They invited military veterans or their families to compile written, oral, or video histories of the military events of their lives. Sadly, those who feel comfortable with exaggerating their personal contributions related to military service have had a veritable heyday at the expense of accuracy in the Veterans History Project.
Recently a reporter for the Marine Corps Times looked into
the actual credentials of a number of individuals who had contributed to the
Veterans History Project. The findings were truly alarming. More than half of
those listed as having received the Congressional Medal of Honor had not
actually been granted that award. That reporter also found 30 false claims of
receiving the Army’s Distinguished Service Cross, and 14 false claims
related to the Navy Cross. And this was only a cursory examination. Further
examinations are ongoing related to claims of membership and service in various
elite units such as the Army SF, Army Rangers, Navy
Initial responses from the Library of Congress indicated that there had been some errors found but blamed them on clerical transcription errors. In the work-a-day business world clerical errors of this magnitude would certainly justify some serious changes in clerical staff. However, given the fact that veterans making contributions to the Veterans History Project must complete a written statement as well as a verbal interview, it seems clear that despite the initial response from the LOC, “simple clerical errors” cannot begin to explain away all of the ‘erroneous’ claims.
The Library of Congress subsequently
issued a statement defending the Veterans History Project as a congressionally
mandated effort that isn't a historical archive and thus doesn’t have to
verify the accuracy of the accounts submitted to it. Library of Congress
officials, however, confirmed that they would remove false medal claims when they
were discovered.
“When you put the Library of
Congress stamp on the project, people will take it as factual history. If they
are not going to care about the facts, then they should rename the project
‘War Stories, Including Some That Are True,” said Mr. Doug Sterner,
who with his wife, Pam, originated and championed the Stolen Valor Act of 2005
in order to strengthen federal laws regarding military imposters.
Mr. Sterner, who operates the Home
of Heroes web site which includes information about Congressional Medal of
Honor recipients, has proposed that Congress order a national database be
compiled on all those service members who have been awarded the nation’s
top medals for valor, including the Congressional Medal of Honor and the three
service crosses, among others. Mr. Sterner firmly believes it is the
government’s job to maintain a definitive database for all valor awards
and he is seeking congressional support for the “MILITARY VALOR ROLL OF
HONOR ACT” which would create such a database.
Mr. Sterner, who is himself an
Army veteran of the Vietnam War and a holder of the Bronze Star, believes
public access to this important information would be a tremendous service to
veterans and their families, and would serve to make quick work of the
imposters who pretend to be heroes. The database, which Mr. Sterner guesses
would cost about $8 million to create, would quickly pay for itself by ending
much of the fraud rampant in claims made to the Veterans Administration. Mr. Sterner
pointed to recent arrests in the
On
“Medals
recognize the best American qualities – courage, honor, and
sacrifice,” said Salazar.
“These honors are reserved for those who willingly risked their lives for
our country. The Medal of Honor is our nation’s highest military
honor. It is our job to protect the honor and integrity of our veterans,
to make sure the memory of their heroism is not tarnished.
“Having a
readily accessible and public database will not only give the tools to law
enforcement to prosecute fraudulent claims, but will properly recognize those
who have been honored with these citations,” Rep. Salazar
added. “I’m proud to
work with Congressman
Readers wishing to express their support for the MILITARY VALOR ROLL OF HONOR ACT of 2007
may contact Congressman John T. Salazar or Congressman
(Rep. John T.
Salazar (CO-03) is a veteran of the
Rep. John T. Salazar Rep.
1531 Longworth HOB 1007
Longworth HOB
(202) 225-4761 (202)
225-4276
(202) 226-9669 (fax) (202)
225-9511 (fax)
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Author
Robinson currently volunteers his
services as a member of the Advisory Board for the POW Network (www.pownetwork.org), and as an SOF Analyst and Contributing Journalist for the
Naval Special Warfare Archives (www.navyfrogmen.com).
He is the author of the book “NO GUTS, NO GLORY – Unmasking Navy