Posted on 12/27/2007 7:44:51 AM PST by SmithL
The new director of the Three Valleys Municipal Water District in Claremont introduced himself with tales so harrowing, so seemingly courageous, that people took notice.
Fellow board member Dan Horan said Xavier Alvarez told him he saved a U.S. ambassador – and the American flag – while wounded by gunfire during a daring rooftop helicopter rescue in Lebanon.
Horan said he was puzzled when Alvarez, a board member elected in 2006, later changed his story to say it happened in Iran. And he was skeptical when his colleague also bragged of rescuing Marines pinned down by Viet Cong gunfire in Vietnam.
On Sept. 26, authorities charged Alvarez, 49, with violating a 2005 federal "Stolen Valor Act" by standing up at a gathering of water officials in July and announcing he was a wounded veteran, 25-year Marine and a recipient of the fabled Congressional Medal of Honor. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian, who is prosecuting the case, said Alvarez never served in the military.
To state Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley, the case represents just one of many – far too many – episodes of people impersonating veterans, embellishing service records or claiming medals they never earned.
Cook, a Marine Corps veteran and a Purple Heart recipient in the Vietnam War, this year pushed through a California version of the Stolen Valor Act.
The law, which takes effect Tuesday, adds another tier of enforcement to the federal act by allowing state and local law enforcement to cite anyone who falsely dons or claims a military medal or decoration the person didn't earn.
Expanding upon an existing state statute allowing misdemeanor citations against people who falsely claim to be active service members or veterans, the law makes it an infraction to lie about military awards...
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Tom Gentile, a retired Army sergeant major who investigates allegations of military impostors and reports his results to authorities, wanted California to pass an even stronger law. With 42 years of military service, he runs the Legion of Valor Museum in Fresno.
Medals are displayed inside the Legion of Valor Museum in Fresno. A new state law makes it a crime in Caifornia to wear or claim such decorations that weren't earned. Veterans say deception defames the true service of honorable veterans.
Does this mean that John Kerry won’t be campaigning for anyone in California?
In these days of instant fact-checking on the internet, foolish liars can be exposed more quickly.
He was 6 when he did this.
Here is a link I’ve found to be helpful when checking on some Wannabe’s “exploits”.
http://www.pownetwork.org/phonies/phonies1050.htm
Excuse me. He was 12.
In these days of instant fact-checking on the internet, foolish liars can be exposed more quickly.
Well, don’t count on “instant facts checks” to be accurate on military records. Mine aren’t even right. I spent 14 years active duty, and my records reflect 26 years of service. 12 of them were Reserves. My DD214 ONLY shows my ACTIVE duty time, and medals I received on active duty.
I do NOT have a DD214 for my Reserve time and was recently told that “You do not get one, unless part of that time served was ‘active duty’.”
/shrug
While on RESERVE status I received at least two more medals than my DD214 shows... and I don’t think you’re going to find my military records on the internet.
My ACTIVE 214 DOES NOT show certain things either and never will. My records don’t have copies of the “classified information” in them EITHER. :) So, rest assured that “internet fact checking” is as inaccurate today, as it will be in 20 more years.
By the way I’m 50, and I ‘missed’ the Vietnam war... I went in the service in 1976. The last of the troops were pretty much out of there by ‘74 if I recall correctly. So, someone a year younger than myself couldn’t have been in Nam.
No apology needed. This wannabe deserves the shame that comes with claiming false fame.
This is nothing new. I remember watching an even then, old Perry Mason as a kid, that a situation came out “on the stand”, regarding the reliability of a witness, because of a medal claim.
i think hes watched “rules of engagement” one too many times”
Certain information should still remain in them, though. If you claim to have been a Ranger, there should still be records that you went to that training.
Very true. Yet your awards would not be classified. Thank you for your service.
I have (2) DD 214s and I also have an NGB 23 (or is it NGB 22?) for my reserve time in the National Guard. Not sure if I can lay my hands on the National Guard form but I know there are a couple of mistakes on my second DD 214. I had to get them to issue a correction. Of course the NGB form has medals on it that are not on either 214.
HEY ! It’s his story, let him tell it.......in prison !
That’s still pretty good for a 12 year old.
Oh, absolutely. I agree. I’m just saying that not everything appears in your military records. There are several items of note that won’t ever appear in mine, for good reason. On the other hand, I don’t go around “bragging” about it either. lol
As for training and such, some certainly does appear, some doesn’t, depending on what it was, but things like being a Ranger or Seal would appear - though if I remember my friend’s stuff, it doesn’t actually say “SEAL”, but it has some information about the training program that he went through. I’d have to ask him — but he’s another that wouldn’t brag about it, and probably wouldn’t tell you if you asked him directly, he might even lie to you about it :)
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