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Student refused; was held down for vaccination. It took the strength of two sheriff's deputies to keep a middle schooler still enough to receive a shot of the swine flu, or H1N1, vaccine at a recent clinic. During a regular Wheeling-Ohio County Health Board meeting Tuesday, health department Administrator Howard Gamble told board members about the student's attempt to flee Wheeling Middle School during a vaccination clinic held there last Friday. He noted the boy's mother could not bear to watch the scene and left the gymnasium. "He tried to run. I looked over and saw two sheriff's deputies holding...

MARTINEZ -- A Martinez high school graduate will appear in federal court today on charges that he masqueraded as a decorated military veteran after being photographed wearing a host of fake medals, including the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart, authorities said. Steven Douglas Burton, 39, of Palm Springs was charged last week in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles with unauthorized wearing of military medals or decorations, a misdemeanor. Burton has never served in the military, authorities say. They say he works at a bank in Palm Springs. He is expected to enter a not-guilty plea today in a...

Steven Douglas Burton was a member of the marching band at Alhambra High School in Martinez, where he struggled to fit in and wasn't known for being athletic. So when he showed up at his 20-year reunion with a buzz cut and dressed in a crisp Marine Corps uniform, fellow members of the class of 1988 were more than a bit surprised. ~snip

A Palm Springs man who allegedly wore a Marine uniform with medals to his high school reunion, even though he never served in the military, is expected to surrender tomorrow, a U.S. Attorney said. Steven Burton, 39, of Palm Springs, allegedly wore military uniforms and various medals on several occasions, said Thom Mrozek of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The FBI began investigating Burton when a Navy commander reported she had seen Burton wearing a Marine Corps uniform decorated with Navy Cross, Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals at her high school reunion, even though he had never been in the...

If this works, I finally figured it out). I am so not good with computers.

A Marine Corps sergeant was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months confinement and fined $25,000 for pretending to be an injured war hero to get free seats at rock concerts and professional sporting events. Sgt. David W. Budwah also will be reduced in rank to private and dishonorably discharged after any appeals. He must forfeit all pay and benefits during his confinement and is subject to up to 3 1/2 years of additional prison time if he re-offends within two years. Navy Capt. Bruce W. MacKenzie, chief judge for the Navy and Marine Corps, gave the sentence after Budwah pleaded guilty...

A Marine sergeant charged with faking battle injuries to get freebies intended for wounded warriors will plead guilty, a Marine Corps spokeswoman said Monday. Sgt. David W. Budwah, 34, of Springhill, La., will enter the plea at a court-martial hearing Wednesday at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va., 1st Lt. Joy Crabaugh wrote in an e-mail.

(CNN) -- Richard Strandlof said he survived the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon. He said he survived again when a roadside bomb went off in Iraq, killing four fellow Marines. He'd point to his head and tell people he had a metal plate, collateral damage from the explosion. None of it was true. On Friday, the FBI arrested him on the rare charge of "stolen valor." Strandlof, 32, was held "for false claims about receipt of military decorations or medals," an FBI news release said. Charges had been filed in Denver, Colorado, the week before, the bureau. "The penalty for...

Rick Glen Strandlof, a former mental patient who posed as a wounded Marine captain to found a statewide veterans group and campaign for political candidates, is being prosecuted under the Stolen Valor Act for making claims he received a Purple Heart.

http://lcso.leonfl.org/news/092209ProPatriaAward.pdf Leon County Sheriff’s Office Receives Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve “Pro Patria Award” The Leon County Sheriff Office has been awarded the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) “Pro Patria Award”. The “Pro Patria Award” is presented annually by each ESGR Committee to the one employer in their state who has provided the most exceptional support of our national defense through leadership practices and personnel policies that support their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve. “Pro Patria” is derived from the Latin word “for one's country”. To receive this prestigious award an...

On a sultry day in July 2008, Marine Sgt. David W. Budwah strode in his battle fatigues to the front of a picnic pavilion to tell three dozen young boys what he did during the war. With his clear gaze, rigid posture and muscled, tattooed arms, Budwah looked every inch the hero he claimed to be. He said he was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan when a homemade grenade exploded, wounding his face and arm when he dove to shield a buddy from the blast.

The Democrats, whose presidential administration previously condemned as "potential terrorists" those who oppose same-sex marriage and are offended by restrictions on firearms, all based on Internet chatter, has suggested blasting those who oppose Obamacare as "right-wing domestic terrorists" on 9/11 of this year. According to an "Organizing for America" campaign document unveiled by the Heritage Foundation the plan involves having activists telephone their "State Senators" on Sept. 11, 2009, to demand a "public option" which essentially would involve a government-funded and government-run monopoly on health care.

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Is twelve hours of wallowing in DU/Kos/HuffPo style posting about Ted Kennedy enough to get it out of your system? Or do you want to permanently shame this forum?I'm not saying to not speak the truth about the man, but many of the comments here are downright shameful.

MEXICO'S volatile border city of Ciudad Juarez has the world's highest murder rate, followed by Caracas, Venezuela and the US city of New Orleans. Ciudad Juarez - the scene of regular and brutal score-settling between rival drug gangs - has 130 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, the Citizen's Council for Public Security said. Caracas has 96 murders per 100,000 inhabitants and New Orleans registers 95, the Mexican non-governmental organisation said, basing its figures on media and FBI reports. Caracas was listed as the murder capital of the world in the September 2008 Foreign Policy magazine, quoting official figures of 130 murders...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A 57-year-old man was treated for a serious hand wound Tuesday after Charleston Police say he tried to drill through a live round to make a keychain ornament. It happened at about 1 p.m. at the man's home on the city's west side. Sgt. Eric Hodges with the Charleston Police Department says the man was drilling through a .30-06 deer rifle round when he saw a spark and the ammunition exploded, causing serious injuries to his left hand. Hodges says the powder charge inside the round had not been removed -- and the round was still...

Al Qaeda front group the Islamic State in Iraq has claimed responsibility for last week's deadly truck bombings in Baghdad. The bombings, which targeted Iraqi's foreign and finance ministries, killed more than 100 Iraqis and wounded hundreds more. The bombings took place less than two months after the Iraqi security forces took control of security in the cities, and US forces withdrew to bases. The Iraqi government was also beginning to remove the concrete barriers that line the city streets. Al Qaeda in Iraq said its "sons launched a new blessed attack at the heart of wounded Baghdad," designed to...

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Five dark-suited FBI agents showed up at Patriots Point on Friday with two Civil War-era Medals of Honor. And while the agents had few details about the investigation it took to bring the medals to their new home, they didn't mince words when it came to describing the kind of people involved in the theft of the nation's highest military honor. "I can't imagine anything more despicable than taking away the honor of those people who earned those medals," said David Thomas, South Carolina special agent in charge. The FBI investigates stolen and counterfeit Medals of Honor...

The Crowley County veterans affairs officer is disputing claims by military historians that he lied about being a prisoner of war. In a telephone interview Wednesday, Ronald Crumley said he is a former POW and that he will prove it at a meeting next week. "All of the allegations will be answered by two people. One is a four-star Marine general and the other is a former assistant U.S. attorney general," Crumley said. "I see how this has happened to other people and I want to take care of it now," Crumley said. Military historian Doug Sterner of Pueblo and...

HOUSTON — Charles Bass had told the story about how he survived a deadly snakebite in Vietnam so many times it seemed natural to tell it again, this time in front of a TV camera on the Fourth of July. He pointed at scars on his hand and the crook of his elbow, explaining how he'd stuck a hollow bamboo in the vein to stop the venom from reaching his heart. The camera panned a display case full of his medals at the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum on Southmore Boulevard. A placard explained that Sgt. Major Bass had earned the...

Houston native Charles Bass had told the story about how he survived a deadly snake bite in Vietnam so many times it seemed natural to tell it again, this time in front of a TV camera on the Fourth of July. He pointed at scars on his hand and the crook of his elbow, explaining how he'd stuck a hollow bamboo in the vein to stop the venom from reaching his heart. The camera panned a display case full of his medals at the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum on Southmore Boulevard. A placard explained that Sgt. Maj. Bass had earned...

For more than six decades, Howard Manoian revelled in his heroic reputation as one of the legendary ‘Screaming Eagles’ who landed in Nazi-occupied France on D-Day. The World War Two U.S paratrooper said he was wounded in action twice after initially coming down on Sainte-Mère-Eglise – scene of the ferocious battle on June 6th 1944 depicted in the epic film ‘The Longest Day’, starring John Wayne. But after 84-year-old Mr Manoian came to receive yet another decoration at last month’s 65th anniversary of the Normandy landings – this time the Legion d'Honneur, France’s highest award for bravery – his true...

Video at the link.

The thick-muscled man with close-cropped hair who called himself Rick Duncan seemed right out of central casting as a prop for a Democratic candidate running against Bush administration policies last fall. A former Marine Corps captain who suffered brain trauma from a roadside bomb in Iraq and was at the Pentagon during the Sept. 11 attacks. An advocate for veterans rights who opposed the war. An Annapolis graduate who was proudly gay. With his gold-plated credentials, he commanded the respect and attention of not just politicians, but also police chiefs, reporters and veterans advocates for the better part of two...

A Denver-based veterans organization has voted to disband after accusing its founder of fabricating an identity as a former Marine captain who served three tours in Iraq and was at the Pentagon on 9/11. Thirty-two-year-old Richard Glen Strandlof, who used the name Rick Duncan, founded the organization, the Colorado Veterans Alliance, about two years ago. Major Carl Redding, spokesman for the U.S. Marines, said there is no record of Richard Glen Strandlof or Rick Duncan serving in the Marines. Strandolf appeared several times as a campaign spokesperson attacking Republicans in 2008 on national security issues. Colorado Republican State Chairman Dick...

Dems red-faced over veteran imposterDemocrats are incensed over how a man duped the party and veterans during the '08 campaign. By Michael RileyThe Denver Post WASHINGTON — Rick Strandlof, executive director of the Colorado Veterans Alliance and the man most colleagues knew as Rick Duncan, was front and center during the 2008 political campaigns in Colorado. He spoke at a Barack Obama veterans rally in front of the Capitol in July, co-hosted several events with then- congressional candidate Jared Polis and attacked Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer in a TV ad paid for by the national group Votevets.org. And the...

A Cal Expo police officer was arrested by the FBI Friday on charges of falsely claiming he earned a Silver Star for gallantry in combat 18 years ago during Operation Desert Storm and then lying to FBI agents when confronted eight weeks ago. Eric Gene Piotrowski, who is charged under the so-called Stolen Valor Act, made an initial appearance Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dale A. Drozd, who ordered him released on a $10,000 unsecured bond. Piotrowski, 41, bought the medal and certificate via the Internet in 2007, and created a citation on a personal computer, according to a sworn...

A British Army officer decorated for bravery in Afghanistan has been arrested and questioned by military police over claims that reports of his courage were exaggerated. Major Robert Michael Armstrong was awarded the Military Cross for his 'calm leadership under fire' when a British and Afghan convoy was ambushed by Taliban gunmen in Helmand last year. But in an unprecedented move the Royal Military Police arrested and interviewed him last week after a fellow officer alleged his medal citation was 'factually incorrect', and that Major Armstrong had been credited with actions actually performed by other soldiers. Ministry of Defence insiders...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKAo9qgkz3Y In the above video's comment section, I was confronted by "romeomoon2", who claims 29 years of military service, yet when I asked for his MOS (mine is 19E), he did not do so, and in fact posted a FAKE mos "1369". I was unsure who to contact, so I sent this to you. If this is not in your perview, plz forward to the appropriate department. Thanks in advance, James Paul vonHelton aka Irvin Eugene Helton Jr 1/7th CAV, 1CD Ft Hood, Tx (inactive)

One Democratic operative suggests keeping track of Barack Obama’s cabinet selections with a March Madness-type tournament chart. While no official announcements have been made, a controlled series of leaks have given a good sense of who's still in contention, and which big names have been bounced from the bracket. The new administration still has some major posts to fill, including heads for the departments of Defense, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Labor, and Energy, not to mention the Environmental Protection Agency. But a number of the biggest prizes seem to have already been won, and a handful of serious contenders...

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...

Today, 02:33 PM Sandy in PA Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 5,450 Poster Rank: #7 (10/12/08) "Top Investigator In Palin Troopergate Smear Campaign Is Phony Soldier" (Gateway Pundit) Obama Supporter Hollis Lied & Claimed He was a Marine Quote: Democratic state Senator Hollis French, the lead investigator in the smear campaign against Governor Palin, promised his party that the results of the Troopergate probe would be an "October surprise" that would "likely be damaging to the administration." French is one of the 20%'ers in Alaska who does not approve of Governor Sarah Palin. He also is a staunch Obama...

A New Orleans federal judge has sentenced a Slidell man in connection with a case where the man illegally wore a Navy uniform, complete with medals, at a wedding, according to U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.

A Clayton man convicted of lying to the government about his military service and submitting more than $18,000 in false disability claims was sentenced to 3 years in prison in a federal court in Virginia this afternoon. Randall A. Moneymaker will also serve 36 months of supervised release after his prison term and must pay $18,449 in restitution and a “special assessment” of $600 to the court. Moneymaker was convicted in March in Roanoke, Va., where he has also said he lives. Prosecutors refuted Moneymaker’s claims that he had seen combat in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Panama and Grenada by producing...

John Smith said he was a Navy SEAL who was imprisoned in Vietnam after his helicopter was shot down. Troy Brodrick spoke in schools about his 30-year military career in which he earned three Purple Hearts and flew President Eisenhower as an Air Force One pilot. William Whitely, a former University of Oklahoma professor, told stories of his career as a Navy SEAL while he served as a mentor to Naval ROTC students who wanted to follow in his footsteps. Trouble is, they were lying. Smith, Brodrick and Whitely are among a growing nest of military imposters, people who make...

Ed Sorace, a wounded Vietnam veteran and retired Pittsburgh police sergeant, knew immediately that something wasn't right. At the June 29 rededication ceremony of the Boulevard of the Allies, Downtown, he watched as a short, elderly man sporting a fancy blue uniform and a chest full of medals maneuvered through the crowd "like a dignitary." T. Rafael Lee wore the Air Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and some other decorations, including the Navy SEAL trident commonly called the "Budweiser." "That's the one that got my attention," said Mr. Sorace, 60, of Brookline. "I thought, 'Wait a second....

Former Atlantic City Mayor Robert Levy today was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine by a judge who said Levy continues to exaggerate his military service in Vietnam. Levy, 61, had pleaded guilty in federal court in Camden in November to one count of falsifying his service record when he applied for increased veterans benefits in January 2003. During today's hearing, Judge Jerome B. Simandle asked Levy to explain more about the dangerous missions behind enemy lines he told probation officers he participated in. "I just picked up my M-16 and my radio and...

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...

Three Valleys Municipal Water District Director Javier Alvarez was asked to resign by Director Brian Bowcock Wednesday May 21, 2008 during the boards monthly meeting. ((Will Lester/Staff Photographer) ) • Photo Gallery: Alvarez asked to resign• PDF: Alleged lies told by AlvarezCLAREMONT - A local water representative Wednesday called for the resignation of Director Xavier Alvarez, who has pleaded guilty to falsely claiming he won the Medal of Honor.At a meeting of the Three Valleys Municipal Water District, Director Brian Bowcock called Alvarez a "disgrace," read from a lengthy list of what he called Alvarez's lies and urged him...

Sacramento, CA (AP) -- An Oroville man has pleaded guilty to falsely representing himself as a decorated military hero from the Vietnam War. Michael Allan Fraser, 62, claimed in an interview with the Oroville Mercury-Register last year that he was awarded two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars for combat in Vietnam. He also traveled to Vietnam with war veterans on a mission to "bury the ghosts of the past." But a Colorado man who helped write the Stolen Valor Act, which was signed into law by President Bush in 2006, noticed problems with Fraser's daring tale of valor.

I have an co-worker who is older, and completely full of crap. His birthday is May 02, 1937, making him 14-17 at the time of the Korean War.He has told stories that are unbelievable to clients who, if they find out, could hurt our business. My boss approached me since I am military and asked me to find out how I can get documentation that we can print up in the coffee room to "out him" as a "stolen valor" type of guy. The latest news is that he won the Navy Cross in 1952 (when he was 15-16) when...

NEW YORK (AFP) - A New Yorker who for 40 years passed himself off as Vietnam war hero who had been decorated for extreme gallantry was sentenced to community service Wednesday after being outed as a fraud. According to prosecutors, Louis Lowell McGuinn claimed to have been a lieutenant colonel in the US special forces and had used his fake military history since 1968 to get work or to win kudos at social functions. His military records showed that McGuinn had indeed been in the US Army and served in Vietnam, but was discharged as a private without being decorated....

I'm indebted to Hillary Clinton for the revelation that my global wanderings when my dad was president qualify me to run for the presidency myself. Mrs. Clinton has been insisting that her global junkets as first lady, and her meetings with foreign leaders, qualify her to be president of these United States. I never thought of it that way, but if she is correct then I am eminently qualified to follow my father's footsteps and take up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., not merely as a member of the president's family, but as president in my own right. Hillary, who...

You'll recall Hillary Clinton's recent speech in which she attempted to play up her foreign policy experience by recounting her "harrowing" 1996 trip to Bosnia. "I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base." Well, mainstream media has discounted that account, and such luminaries as comedian Sinbad have chimed in as well. It appears, however, that Clinton caved in too soon when she admitted overstating the dangers, as Barely Political...

A disabled Biloxi Air Force veteran was one of two men arrested Tuesday on charges of lying about receiving military medals, including the Purple Heart. The Department of Veterans Affairs filed criminal complaints against Christopher Billeaud, 52, of Biloxi and John Wayne Lebo, 57, of Tylertown. Both men were released on unsecured bonds of $25,000 and $5,000, respectively. Both face a year in prison and $100,000 fines for each violation. Billeaud is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm and the Gulf Coast chapter president of the National Defense Transportation Association. He is accused of altering his discharge papers to indicate...

NEW CASTLE, Colo.—A Colorado man is accused of stealing an Army veteran's identity and using it for 24 years to get married, obtain free medical treatment and even serve as president of a VFW post. Mark Mulcahy, 46, faces felony charges of identity theft, forgery and criminal impersonation. He was being held in the Garfield County jail Friday in lieu of $45,000 bail. It wasn't known whether he had an attorney. Mulcahy obtained a military retirement document in 1984 in the name of David Keith Anderson of Modesto, Calif., according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Anderson, also known as David...

Can post link only

"He adamantly denies the charges against him."

Federal prosecutors say an additional charge is being filed against a Pomona water board member who allegedly lied about being a Medal of Honor recipient. Xavier Alvarez, one of seven elected members on the Claremont-based Three Valleys Municipal Water District board, allegedly made the claim during a public meeting last summer. The 49-year-old Alvarez, who now admits he never served in the military, was charged with a misdemeanor in September for violating the Stolen Valor Act of 2005. Federal prosecutor Craig Missakian says records of a second meeting show Alvarez making the medal claim while soliciting an endorsement when he...

At least 121 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have committed a killing or been charged in one in the United States after returning from combat, The New York Times reported Sunday. The newspaper said it also logged 349 homicides involving all active-duty military personnel and new veterans in the six years since military action began in Afghanistan, and later Iraq. That represents an 89-percent increase over the previous six-year period, the newspaper said. About three-quarters of those homicides involved Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, the newspaper said. The report did not illuminate the exact relationship between those cases and the...