Exposed, the 'weekend warrior' who was no hero

[T_i_B]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/04/09/wlies09.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/04/09/ixworld.html

The leafy, serene university campus of the all-women Meredith College seems as far removed from the war zone of Iraq as it is possible to get. Yet for almost three years, one student apparently was a part of these two very different worlds.

Lisa Jane Phillips was not just a prize-winning honours student. She was also a captain and heroic United States Air Force pilot. In her honour, the college waived $42,178 (£24,000) of tuition fees and invited her into tutorials to talk to other students about "what it's really like over there".

There was a prize for her "interest in solving the problems of humankind" and "attitude to life that demonstrates the virtues of courage and self-giving". The young woman shone out as the very definition of the best an American woman could be.

Except that she wasn't. In fact, "Captain" Phillips's tales of derring-do were an elaborate fraud. Far from being an American hero, she was a military fake, one of a growing band in America who stand accused of dishonouring the sacrifice of genuine veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

[pretzel4gore]

1. oh she's a hero all right!

sylvester the cat taking on the mouse (who's really a kangaroo, a boxing kangaroo!) while his kid looks on in amazement...hahaha

[LizW]

2. That is just psychotic

and yet, I can fully understand why military impersonation is becomming rampant. After all, our psycho-in-chief has the very same impulse described in the article. His motives for appearing at military events dressed in uniform are exactly the same.

[tsuki]

7. It has been going on a long time.

http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/news/story158445.html

[OKNancy]

3. If anyone is interested, here is the story from 2005

dated April 21, 2005
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/20/national/main689701.shtml

[HereSince1628]

4. I find it interesting that the story is picked up again.

Is there any significance to it running now or is it just a slow news day?

[T_i_B]

5. Maybe I just posted the wrong part of the article

as the article alleges that this problem is widespread.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/04/09/wlies09.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/04/09/ixworld.html

More than four years after the "war on terror" began, America is having to deal with a group that many consider more contemptible than fifth columnists: the fake war heroes who, whether through inadequacy or avarice, seek the kudos and benefits afforded to those who have seen action.

The problem has become so acute that an FBI unit has been tasked with studying the phenomenon and tracking down the culprits. In Washington, a law that will widen the scope of military impersonation offences and toughen up sentences is working its way through Congress.

Thomas Cottone, the agent who heads the FBI unit, learns of at least one new case a week. He has no truck with those who argue that military impersonation is a victimless crime. "The imposters are literally stealing the valour of genuine soldiers," he said.

Oh, and did I forget to mention this part?

Andrew Thomas is an ITN correspondent. His and producer Iain Overton's report on the new generation of bogus war veterans will be shown on More4 News tomorrow at 8pm.

It's not uncommon to find this kind of story in the run-up to a TV programme such as "Panorama".

[UpInArms]

11. here's the Walter Carlson story

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/wkcarlson-imposter.htm

Wearing a full-dress Marine uniform festooned with two dozen medals is proper attire for a military funeral - unless you never served in the military.

A New Jersey bus driver who hasn't spent a day in the armed services but loved to dress up as a Marine hero - even at a funeral Mass for an Iraq war vet - was released after a Newark court hearing Friday on $10,000 bond.

Walter Carlson, 58, of Summit, New Jersey, was arrested Wednesday at services for Marine Lieutenant John Wroblewski, 25, of Jefferson Township, New Jersey.

<snip>

Afterward, he asked Carlson where he'd earned the medals, but the stories came apart. Carlson confessed he was a wanna-be who borrowed ID to buy the Marine clothes and medals at a military store.

"People who wear these medals falsely do a disservice to those who earned them," Cottone said. "If you want to be in the military, visit your nearest recruiter."

...more at link...

[TexasProgresive]

6. She is getting a lot of milage out of her fraud

Veterans with combat experience seldom talk of it except maybe with other combat vets. Whenever someone tells great stories of their combat valor they have, to a man, turned out to be fakes. They may be vets but saw no action and are using the stories of others to raise their cache.

[vickitulsa]

9. Generally I agree with you Texas, but we must be careful

whom we accuse as I pointed out in my reply to the OP. I did meet a scant few of the Vietnam vets -- and one of them was my daughter's dad -- who had, as he put it himself, "never STOPPED talking about it!" The war, that is. And he hadn't, I learned as we got re-acquainted 30 years later due to our bio-child's bringing us back together.

My own G.I. Joe had been a ravishingly handsome and brave 26-year-old in 1968 when he volunteered to go to Vietnam, and he had more than a bit of arrogance about him even then. But when I met him again in 1998 I was surprised at how much he willingly talked about his combat experiences, though he did it mostly among other vets.

I learned when the VA had to verify his "stressors" in combat through the sworn testimonies of other vets who had witnessed his deeds as a doorgunner near Cu Chi and then Tay Ninh that he was genuine, all right. Oh yeah, and there's that other thing, the reliving of such traumatic events by detailed retelling of them when the VA is considering giving a vet disability rating due to PTSD ... a practice which continues and no doubt will be even harder for current soldiers to meet. Already we've had stories posted here about how the VA is rating Iraq vets who are re-deployed as something less than PTSD patients when in fact they should NEVER be sent back to Iraq....

And yes, George W. Bush DOES display the same impulse of the fake vets, disgustingly and blatantly and without a bit of shame! I've never checked, but did Rummy ever even serve in combat either? I know Darth Cheney didn't... these men ought to be having the nightmares they are causing in others far more courageous than they are.....

[vickitulsa]

8. Vietnam vets and those close to them have been aware

of this sort of problem for a long time, though it has largely stayed under the radar of most civilians, I think. There was a book that came out in the 90's called Stolen Valor purporting to report on this impersonation problem and reveal the deep hurt and betrayal frauds can wreak, particularly upon real veterans and their families. But then there were questions about the author's research accuracy in some of the cases he "exposed" -- very telling of just how difficult it can be to sort the genuine from the fraudulent when it comes to military service or "heroism."

I have always loved and supported the Vietnam vets who paid perhaps the highest price of any American vets in one key sense, because of the way they were treated by most civilians -- particularly upon their return home after serving incountry. They had a double whammy because the enmity vented upon them here by those they were told they were fighting FOR made adjustment after service in war that much harder.

So when I first went online from a home PC in 1997, I sought out and found literally thousands of Nam vets, and participated in several of the many chat groups they formed ... groups which often served a support function for men and women who had had little support over the years. My only child's biodad was a doorgunner, and I had to give up my daughter for adoption and have not seen her since she was six weeks old due to the intense public feeling against the soldiers then. I've been diagnosed with PTSD from childhood abuse and that experience of loss of my daughter, so I feel a lot in common with those veterans and was generally welcomed among them.

The sorting out of who is for real and who is a phony when it comes to military service can be so very difficult and therefore many real vets who finally spoke about their experiences have been falsely accused by careless or even fraudulent, self-appointed "fraud busters" -- adding yet more to the burden some real vets carry, believe it or not! I know of several who really were combat vets yet who were wrongly accused as fakes by their fellow vets in online groups.

I guess the only way to handle this problem for most people is to "be careful whom you accuse but also be careful whom you believe" when it comes to encounters with vets who talk about their service and sacrifices. Befriend the vets and encourage them to talk about their duty because it helps them to adjust and cope with the trauma of war; but be a little wary and wise so that frauds don't fool you, is my advice to others.

[DELUSIONAL]

10. Yes there are lots of the frauds -- wannabe Vets of both sexes

This is the first case of a female Vet wannabe I've heard about.

The male wannabe Vets almost always have uber macho exploits to brag about.

There is always something not quite right about their stories -- one guy was far too young to have been involved in the "secret" missions he claims to have been on. The reasons why no one could find any record of his service (he claimed) was because he went on highly classified missions.

He was also a wannabe Rez Indian -- I think that perhaps these frauds invent a whole exciting persona and keep building the sandcastle of their lives until the truth washes away their elaborate lies.

[acmejack]

12. It's a lot easier now with the internet

Most units have an online page I know both of mine do & and we are all listed there. All of the surviving members have their e mails and other contact information listed, so it makes it very easy to verify any claims. Most Units have the same type of thing, we're all getting old and sentimental, doing those reunion things. It makes it a lot easier to check bogus claims from that era.

People who lie about military service and especially military decorations for valor should be taken to task in some manner, jail may be somewhat extreme however.

[sarge43]

13. What I've never able to understand

is that if you're going to employ someone, pay them big bucks or even medium size bucks and a certain qualification is required, such as military service, shouldn't you ask for documentation?

Potential employers, pick up this clue phone: Since the Korean War, every warm body who put in more than 24 hours in either the Regular or Reserve component of any branch of the US Armed Forces are issued a DD Form 214 whenever they say bubye, even when they transfer from one component to another or discharge and immedially reenlist. It's one of the very few guarantees about taking the Queen's shilling.

I hope the college sues Phillips for every penny she stole from it.

And yeah, real combat vets seldom run their mouths about the experience. As former POW said, "If you been there, you understand. If not, you can't understand."

"The young woman shone out as the very definition of the best an American woman could be."

One other thing and I say this as 21 year vet, military service confers no special virtue in itself. Yes, most of us do our duty as it is given to us to do and we do it with honor, but not all. We are not automatically superior to the school teacher, the firefighter or anyone else who gives something of themselves to the whole. We are, in the end, individuals and we come in all flavors.

[Wcross]

14. I work with a woman who claimed to be a "Navy seal"........

I just laughed in her face when she told me that. She is semi-delusional and she may actually believe it though.