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We’ve heard about a few cases – some prominent – of anti-war protesters who claimed to be in the armed services. Today we learn one impostor, Rick Strandlof, may not be charged federally under the Stolen Valor Act.

NH’s Ray Buckley; Astroturfing phony soldier October 26th, 2008 Last night I got an email from Debbie Lee, the mother of Marc Alan Lee, the first SEAL killed in the war against terror, forwarded by Bev Perlson of the Band of Mothers. Now, I met Debbie Lee last year at the ANSWER/IVAW protest in DC and a sweeter woman doesn’t exist. But anyway, she was camapigning in New Hampshire the other day and she confronted one of the candidates who had neglected to return the call of a Gold Star mother who was calling the Congressional office seeking assistance. While...

This morning, as I began reading the Washington Times, my eyes were assaulted by this image; This is an Obama supporter going into an Obama rally in Fayetteville, NC over this caption; PHOTOGRAPHS BY J.M. EDDINS JR./THE WASHINGTON TIMES Charlie W. Williams of Raeford, N.C., a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars and supporter of Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama, lines up early to get into a rally at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville on Oct. 19. “He’s going to get a lot of white votes,� he said of his candidate I get real suspicious of veterans who wear...

The lead dog on the Troopergate smear campaign has a little explaining to do himself. On his official State of Alaska website he claims to have been in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1977-78 as a private. There is also a reference to (PLC). As a former Marine, this smells fishy. In another story French claims he spent six weeks at Quantico, VA. As every Marine knows, Quantico is where Marine officer training occurs. For French to have been a Marine private he would have had to complete basic training at either Parris Island or San Diego, which takes about...

Biden revises claim he was ‘shot at’ in Iraq By Susan Crabtree Posted: 08/08/07 06:57 PM [ET] Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) — whose garrulous ways have led to a number of verbal gaffes over the years — has revised a dramatic comment that he was “shot at” in the Green Zone during a trip to Iraq. Biden made the brief comment during the CNN/YouTube Democratic debate two weeks ago, as he was emphasizing how difficult it would be to redeploy U.S. citizens and troops out of Iraq if the U.S. decided to withdraw in six months. “Let’s start telling the...

LOS ANGELES - Local water director Xavier Alvarez was sentenced to three years' probation and fined $5,000 in federal court Monday morning for falsely claiming he was awarded the Medal of Honor. MP3 Audio: Alvarez Medal of Honor claimBefore he was sentenced, Alvarez told Judge R. Gary Klausner that he was "very remorseful" for his false claims of military valor. "I'd like to apologize to everyone in this whole nation," said Alvarez, who represents south Pomona Xavier Alvarez. (Staff photo) on the Three Valleys Municipal Water District board. As part of Alvarez's terms of probation, the court recommended he perform...

Deploy? Is he going to report for duty? Barack Obama campaign manager Steve Hildebrand sent out this quote in a mass e-mail to supporters Monday: “Today, I am proud to announce that our presidential campaign will be the first in a generation to deploy and maintain staff in every single state.”

Water official claims right to lie Court case touches on Medal of Honor Will Bigham, Staff Writer Article Launched: 01/03/2008 09:00:00 PM PST The water board member charged with falsely claiming he won the Medal of Honor has filed a motion to dismiss the federal case against him, saying the statute is unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment. Xavier Alvarez, south Pomona's elected representative to the Three Valleys Municipal Water District, is the first person to be charged with violating the Stolen Valor Act of 2005. The act criminalizes false claims of military decorations or medals, including the Medal...

AMARILLO, Texas — A man who wildly exaggerated his record to include a presidential nomination for the military's highest honor and more Silver Stars than World War II hero Audie Murphy has been sentenced to 34 months in prison. Richard David McClanahan, who had inflated his history using medals purchased on eBay, was sentenced Thursday for lying about his record and for making false statements to get financing for a car. He was also given five years' probation on each count. "It was wrong, and I knew it was wrong when I did it," he told U.S. District Judge Mary...

FIRST THREAD by BLUE TURTLE : Rush Limbaugh to auction off Harry Reid's letter to CLEAR CHANNEL on EBAY Earlier on Drudge: FLASH: Rush Limbaugh to auction off Harry Reid's letter to CLEAR CHANNEL on EBAY; Money goes to Marine Charity.... Developing... And.... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1910874/posts Rush Limbaugh Auctions Off Harry Reid Letter On E Bay By SKIMASK....Hey FReepers Rush is auctioning off the letter Dingy Harry sent to Clear Channel denouncing Rush's "Phony Soldier" remark

How mayor of A.C. was exposed as impostor Increased national scrutiny led Bob Levy to admit he was no Green Beret. By Edward ColimoreInquirer Staff WriterJames Simmons was suspicious.The Vietnam veteran had read a newspaper article referring to Atlantic City Mayor Bob Levy as a former Green Beret and wanted to recruit him for a veterans' group.But when Simmons sent the mayor a letter more than a year ago seeking proof of his service in the Army's Special Forces during the Vietnam War, he received no reply and began checking for himself.He used Internet military databases such as homeofheroes.com, enlisted...

GREENBELT, Md. -- A man who impersonated a U.S. Navy officer to gain access to patient records at Bethesda Naval Medical Center has pleaded guilty to federal charges. The U.S. attorney's office says Thomas A. Minto, 39, of Germantown, admitted in U.S. District Court on Thursday to impersonating a federal officer or employee of the U.S. Navy. He was sentenced to one year of probation. Court documents state that Minto went into the Bethesda Naval Medical Center wearing a naval uniform in October and November 2006 and falsely claimed to be a chief or senior chief of the U.S. Navy....

Okay. He pissed me off. My Father served honorably through almost 23 years of service in the United States Navy. Started fixing Corsairs on a straight deck carrier off the coast of Korea. Ended up as a Leading Chief Petty Officer when he retired. Did Viet Nam. My wife did 10 years of honorable service and got out as a Major in the United States Army. Neither one of them ever felt the need to claim honors that didn't belong to them. This is one of Tom's First posts at the DUmp in 2005:

Fraud busters on rise against fake veterans Web, federal law help to expose military charlatans By Russell Working, Tribune staff reporter Freelancer Matt Baron contributed to this report October 8, 2007 When Douglas E. Robinson showed up in Yorkville saying he was a homeless Vietnam veteran who had lost everything in Hurricane Katrina, the American Legion post took pity on a former comrade in arms, giving him nearly $400 and paying for a few nights' lodging. But Robinson and his wife's aggressive demands for money and slip-ups in his story led Kendall County sheriff's deputies to investigate. It turned out...

Talker Rush Limbaugh is under fire for being falsely accused of saying that any U.S. soldier who comes out against the war is a “phony soldier.” He did not, of course, say such a thing. Rush was actually talking about a man named Jesse Macbeth who was touted by anti-war activists as a soldier who came out against the war, but it turned out later that Macbeth never served in the military at all. Still, despite that Rush is utterly innocent of these scurrilous charges, members of the Democrat Party and assorted extreme leftists like Media Matters, a far left...

Under federal investigation for embellishing his Army service in Vietnam, a groggy-sounding Mayor Robert Levy called in sick at City Hall, climbed into his city-issued Dodge Durango and seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth. A spokesman issued a 36-word statement saying the mayor was going on indefinite medical leave. That was a week and a half ago. Aides say he is in a hospital, but they won't say where, why or for how long. The mystery and the gathering scandal over Levy's military record have worried civic leaders in this seaside casino resort, which has a long history...

The way he told it, David McClanahan, of Fort Worth, Texas, had been wounded in combat three times in Iraq, awarded three Silver Stars and even nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor. Today, McClanahan, a nursing student at West Texas A&M, appeared in federal court in Amarillo, Texas, on charges he made up his hero's tale. McClanahan did not enter a plea and was released on bond after being advised of the charges against him. The arraignment is now scheduled for June 13. His lawyer, Brooks Barfield, says McClanahan will enter a plea of not guilty. A federal...

It's an avalanche of Democrats and their supporters who are turning out to be liars about their military service, lately. This time it's the late M. Larry Lawrence, a long time Bill Clinton donor who was such a heavy contributor that Clinton paid him off with the ambassadorship to Switzerland (1993 to 1996). Even The New York Times can't hide this one because now that his false service has been confirmed, his body has been removed from Arlington Cemetery, an honor that Clinton had strings pulled to bestow upon him after his passing from cancer in 1996 -- an Arlington...

December 12, 1997 At 10:30 on Thursday morning at Arlington National Cemetery, a team of gravediggers quietly dug up the remains of Larry Lawrence and carted away his granite tombstone, which was engraved with lies. Chiseled in stone were claims that Lawrence, the late millionaire businessman who became an ambassador, had served in the U.S. merchant marine and had earned the designation of “S1C,” the Navy abbreviation for seaman, first class, which would not have been given to a merchant mariner anyway. Neither claim was true. During his 69-year lifetime, Lawrence fabricated his World War II heroics, his education, how...

(CNSNews.com) -The federal government is currently conducting more than 60 "stolen valor" investigations of individuals suspected of making false claims about their military records, according to the Department of Veteran's Affairs, and about 30 people nationwide have been arrested in the past year for crimes related to falsifying a military record. Stolen valor typically occurs when someone falsifies documents or produces medals and awards from the military they didn't earn in order to qualify for veterans benefits. Jeffrey Sullivan, the U.S. attorney in the Western District of Washington, prosecuted Jesse Macbeth of Tacoma, Wash., in the past year as well...

We certainly are hearing a lot about phony soldiers right now, and I agree -- there are some. They are the phony political soldiers of the left, who seem determined to seize defeat from the jaws of victory, or at the very least, seize insignificance from the jaws of consequence. How else to explain the current lease the Excellence In Broadcasting Network has with the Democratic majority in the Senate, for publicity. Tell syndicator Premiere Radio to slash their advertising budget. The Democrats will do it pro bono, or pro Rushbo. Maybe, in fairness, Rush should give the DNC a...

Hillary's phony soldiers The "phony soldier" story won't go away. It's splattered everywhere – on TV, in newspapers, talk radio, and it's all over the Internet. In my business, they say the controversy has "legs." The attack by anti-war liberals against Rush Limbaugh is being fueled by the media elites who despise Rush and have tried ceaselessly for years to get him thrown off the air. The same left-wing activists who have denounced the missions of our troops, and who venomously call our military personnel rapists and brutal thugs, now have the audacity to attack a titan of talk radio...

This whole "phony soldiers" thing is not just about Rush Limbaugh or Media Matters or Democrats or Republicans or troop/mission supporters or anti-war types. It's always been about phony soldiers like Jesse Macbeth and the liberals who really, really wanted what he said to be true. One YouTube poster wrote, "This 20 minute interview will change how you view the U.S. occupation of Iraq forever. I cannot possibly recommend this more highly. An Iraq war veteran tells of atrocities he and other fellow-soldiers committed reguarly while in Iraq. I have never seen this level of honesty from a U.S. soldier...

Since when did it become a bad thing to call a phony a “phony?” Well, since Rush Limbaugh referred to a phony soldier as a “phony soldier” and the antiwar crowd thought it could make hay with it. The idea that Rush Limbaugh would denigrate U.S. troops on the air for millions to hear, and in such an egregious way that it deserved congressional condemnation, is absurd on its face. What’s perplexing is how they ever thought they could get away with something so blatantly ludicrous. Ask yourself a simple question. If you are a soldier fighting in Iraq and...

One of the nation’s top military researchers is angry that CBS News anchorman Dan Rather continues to exaggerate and make misleading statements about his military record. The researcher, B.G. Burkett, says that Rather’s inaccaurate statements about his military service can be found in the new hit book "Bias,” written by veteran CBS reporter Bernard Goldberg. Burkett, co-author of the book "Stolen Valor,” a history of the media’s portrayal of the Vietnam conflict, says he’s tired of Rather’s double-talk and hypocrisy.

Last month the Senate voted on the Cornyn Amendment which not only condemned the "Betray Us" ad, but it also condemned any personal attack on the honor and integrity of our troops. The text of the amendment is as follows: To express the sense of the Senate that General David H. Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, deserves the full support of the Senate and strongly condemn personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all members of the United States Armed Forces. Several Senate Democrats refused to strongly condemn personal attacks on the honor and integrity of...

I want to alert everyone here to save the page and associated images from this poser's profile, just to document the poser's real identity.Warning: There is quite a bit of profanity written on it. Here's what I caught as descrepencies: 1.It is so obvious this DD-214 has been edited, probably with MS Paint. 2.The wording in some altered sections is obviously nothing like what would actually be printed in those parts of the document. 3. This is probably part of his actual separation, for failure to complete basic training. Note the phrase "Member has not completed first full term of...

Meet "Jessie MacBeth." He's the latest cause celebre of the anti-war Left -- a "former Army Ranger and Iraq war veteran" who accuses his fellow troops of committing a litany of atrocities against innocent civilians. Anti-Vietnam War veteran John Kerry and the Winter Soldiers cast a long shadow. In his 20-minute Internet video interview at peacefilms.org, which promises that watching the video "will change your life," MacBeth (who also claims to have served in Special Forces) says: --Superiors told him "our job over there is to strike fear in the hearts of the Iraqis . . . to be brutal...

Perhaps this will finally put this sad chapter to bed once and for all. I, through some old connections, have managed to come up with the unaltered DD214 of Jesse MacBeth. This isn't a joke or some funny little photoshop gig. It is the actual, real DD214 of one Jesse Adam Macbeth.

Here’s a “column” Jesse MacBeth wrote for the Arizona State University's student online paper, the Web Devil. It is a response to an earlier ASU article which can be found here.Anyone who has seen his video interviews, heard his (probably paid) anti-war speeches or read his anti-war screeds, maybe surprised at his earlier attitude towards US soldiers:Guest Column: I never wanted to protestby Jesse MacbethSpecial to The State PressFriday, April 23, 2004There are several things I would like to mention that Lucia Bill and Brian Clapp of The State Press failed to mention or distorted to fit their opinions.But before...

From a Pima County Arizona Superior Court record search:   CASE INFORMATION Case No. Caption Case Date C234837   07/09/86 PARTY INFORMATION Party Group 1 (Plaintiff/Petitioner/Groom) Party Group 2 (Defendant/Respondent/Bride) PARTY GROUP NAME PARTY 1 MACBETH, JESSE ADAM PARTY 1 AL-ZAID, JESSE ADAM DOCKET INFORMATION FULL DOCUMENT DOCUMENT TYPE DOCUMENT TITLE FILE STAMP DATE ARCHIVED CASE DOCUMENTS ARCHIVED CASE DOCUMENTS Archived Case Documents - Vol 001 5/6/2003 12:31:20 PM NAME CHANGE ORDERED ORDER NAME CHANGE ORDERED (Judge - 76530 Court - 10401 Judgement - 0) 7/10/1986 NEW CASE FILING NEW FILING NEW CASE FILING - 803 Converted Docket 7/9/1986 If...

You have perhaps heard of the charges against the US troops in Iraq made by the self-proclaimed "Army Ranger" Jesse MacBeth. If not, click here for a video presenting his ludicrous claims: Jesse MacBeth It would seem that before Mr. MacBeth began to decry the Genghis Khan-like atrocities of our soldiers, he busied himself with other weighty issues, such as protesting the service at the local coffee shop.From the Arizona State University's campus paper, the Devil:Jesse MacBeth, right, protests near the Mill Avenue Coffee Plantation on Saturday night. The Free to Camp Coalition organized the protest because it alleges that...

Blackfive already has a good start on this and Protein Wisdom is all over it as well, but any help Freepers can give in outing this wannabe would be much appreciated.

He is facing questions about his service in Vietnam and hasn't been seen for a week. ATLANTIC CITY - Where's the mayor? Not since "Where's Waldo?" and "Where's the Beef?" has such a query caused such a stir. In this resort, where the streets are literally paved by gambling revenues, they're taking bets on what might have become of Mayor Bob Levy and whether his disappearance signals another impending scandal involving the city's top job. Amid reports of a federal probe into false claims that Levy admits he made regarding his Vietnam military service, the mayor drove off last Wednesday...

House Republicans are threatening to launch a discharge petition on legislation that would ensure the future prosperity of conservative radio talk-show hosts but is expected to face opposition from Democratic leaders. On Monday evening, Republicans filed a rule with the House Rules Committee laying the groundwork for a petition that would force action on protecting radio from government regulation later this fall. The move comes at a time when Democrats have launched a coordinated attack on conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, accusing him of disparaging American troops critical of the Iraq war as “phony soldiers.” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin...

MICAH WRIGHT: "I WAS NEVER AN ARMY RANGER"On his Delphi forum, Micah Wright has posted a confession – he never was an Army Ranger, something he had claimed since shortly after his debut as a comics writer, as well as the author of remixed Propaganda, a book which lampooned World War II-era American propaganda posters. A version of statement had been on Wright's website since April 25th apparently, however, he opted to post it on his Delphi forum Saturday. Wright began his statement (which has since been edited) with a recap of what he used to tout as his...

MICAH WRIGHT: "I WAS NEVER AN ARMY RANGER" On his Delphi forum, Micah Wright has posted a confession – he never was an Army Ranger, something he had claimed since his debut as a comics writer, as well as the author of remixed Propaganda, a book which lampooned World War II-era American propaganda posters. Wright began his statement with a recap of what he used to tout as his credentials, and then added: “Except that I was never an Army Ranger. I never served a day in a Ranger Regiment. I never went to Ranger School. The closest I ever...

MICAH WRIGHT COMES CLEAN, RANGER STORY A HOAX by Jonah Weiland, Executive Producer Posted: May 2, 2004 Micah Wright at a convention in March of 2004. In a story that broke late yesterday, the writer of the recently cancelled "Stormwatch: Team Achilles," Micah Ian Wright, revealed that he never served as a member of the Army Rangers, a claim he's made since he first came on the comics scene in March of 2002.. Apparently Wright had posted a revised bio to his Web site with the revelation on April 25th, reposting that information to his forum Saturday. The full text...