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Eric Nelson; Stolen Valor in Colorado politics

by Jonn Lilyea••99

Eric Nelson

Eric Nelson, a member of the Aurora, Colorado school board and running for office in Colorado’s 42d District has been accused of stolen valor by U.S. Representative Mike Coffman who is calling for the US Attorney’s office to investigate Nelson’s claims. If Mr Coffman is successful in that regard, I have list of a few hundred that he can send to the US Attorney’s office.

Nelson posted the above photo on his Facebook page last month which touched off a furor among local veterans. The Air Force claims that Nelson’s military career lasted a few weeks and it was all at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas where all airmen attend initial entry training.

Brent Spahn, a retired Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps and transportation director for [Aurora Public Schools], first took issue with Nelson’s medals and decorations during the public comment portion of an APS board meeting in June. Spahn, who is also a graduate of the esteemed U.S. Naval War College, was skeptical that Nelson had earned many of the decorations he is seen wearing in the previously referenced photo.

“His ribbons are totally out of order … He’s wearing at least two ribbons that are medals that I would be shocked if he is authorized to wear those,” Spahn said. “I typically only see (the medals) on general officers and admirals — flag officers. Never in my 27 years in the Marine Corps have I seen a Major wearing a defense superior service medal.”

There have also been questions about Nelson academic credentials – because stolen valor doesn’t happen in a vacuum. This is what his bio looked like on the School Board’s website back in May;

Eric Nelson Bio

It’s been whittled down a little lately;

Eric Nelson bio2

This is probably why that editing happened;

In an updated story at the Colorado Statesman, reporter Ernest Luning confirms with at least one of the schools Nelson claims to have graduated from, Northwest Nazarene University, that the diploma he presented is an (obvious) fake:

Edwin H. Robinson, Ph.D., the vice president for academic affairs at the university, told The Statesman he had never seen a Northwest Nazarene diploma that looked anything like the one furnished by Nelson, and he’s seen plenty of the real ones.

“Thank you for your inquiry concerning the fraudulent diploma from Northwest Nazarene University,” Robinson wrote in an email. “Obviously, the diploma is not one officially granted by our University. The misspelled name on the seal, the mention of ‘Glassboro College,’ the wrong nomenclature for university trustees and officers, and the forged signatures reflect a very poor job of trying to duplicate a diploma.”

Nelson stands by his claims, of course;

“The photograph of me in uniform is from my past. My service record speaks for itself. At no time have I posed in uniform inappropriately during my campaign for the school board nor for house district 42,” said Nelson.

He identifies as an Air Force Major, so who are you to question him and his patriotism?

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99 thoughts on “Eric Nelson; Stolen Valor in Colorado politics”

  1. Judging from the first bio, he took a lot of pride in being a community organizer, accomplished many things and claimed credentials he never earned.

    Sounds familiar.

    Shitbag.

      1. Never needed to. He was ALWAYS full of shit. Couldn’t take the risk of his shit gauge reading anything other than FULL.

  2. He looks retarded, exactly the type of fellow who belongs on a school board in 2016.

    1. Kind of resembles a Special Ed type who licks the windows. Wonder if he has been trained to not urinate on tires?

    2. I don’t normally involve myself once an individual is “outted,”however in this instance I felt compelled to say something…to him…American politics is real crappy right now, at the rate things are going, we could be in store for an American Cold War within ourselves…the gall of this individual to have alleged to have fabricated or embellished his military service and then to run for a Congressional seat???? I could give a shit less about the civie side, I figure the good people of Aurora will sort that out to their satisfaction in due time…he owes veterans a public apology…nbcguy, thank you for posting that link, I used it to contact him and let him know how I felt….nuff said…Al

  4. This asswipe reminds me of ‘ole Flemron Dickey, but at least Flemron actually completed basic and AIT. This POS couldn’t even do that, and wears a phony clown suit to boot…

  5. Totally legit./sarc.

    Graduated from the Bobbie Glen Davis school of MSU.(Making Shit Up)

    Outstanding credentials, especially the part about enjoying various “sports” and watching lots of action, drama and horror movies.

    Those types of movies are the backbone of Colorado politics and are a must if you’re going to succeed on your way up the political ladder.

    Dumbass.

  7. 10 ribbon AF starter rack – Check.

    Discharged after eight weeks as a E-2 – Check.

    Refuses to show copy of DD214 – Check.

    Diploma mill issues document with misspellings and forged signatures – Check.

    So much more to list, I’ll let the AF types take over.

    1. I was a friggen’ E-1 Airman basic green sleeve for 6 months before I was promoted to mosquito wing E-2 for another 6 months before I was promoted to E-3 A1C forever it seemed before going thru 2 grades of E-4 (Sra to Sgt) in the 70’s, he was a fast burner to be an E-2 in 8 weeks back in my time.

      1. I had (in 1984) some college and my contract allowed me to get a stripe right out of Basic. Probably this was it. I think it’s like 40+ hours you can even get E-3 out of basic.

        1. Did the Air Force have a referral program? I know I’m the Marine Corps that if you got the credit for two enlistments, you were a PFC at graduation with back pay and Time In Grade from active duty date.

          1. They have two. one for the USAF Reserve is called Get1Now and you get one of these nifty prizes up to 4 a year. (Gift Bag, Speakers, Shirt Jacket small electronics (Oh WOW!! /sarc) http://get1now.us/awards.php

            Air National Guard has the same thing with gift prize incentives….
            The first tier (one recruit) has choices of a backpack, duffel bag, tool or executive leather kit. All the items are customized with the Air National Guard logo.

            If two recruits are brought in, the member moves to the second tier. Choices on the second tier include a custom fitness kit for men or women or a tailgate package.

            The third tier, for bringing three recruits, includes custom luggage or a stainless appliance kitchen set.

            If four recruits sign up, the choices are custom grill and knife kitchen kit or a golf kit that includes a golf bag, golf balls and a GPS for golf courses.

            The fifth tier, or five recruits, rewards the member with a 3D 40 inch Blue-Ray home theatre system or two different gaming kits that include a game system and 40 inch high definition television.

            I don’t know that the Active Duty recruiters get any bonuses but if you remember, there were HUGE scandals for recruiting fraud in the Army last year.

            http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-backlash-from-army-largest-criminal-investigation/

          2. The AF had a referral program in 1976. One of my brothers enlisted as an E-2 because he convinced a friend to join with him.

            1. The Army still hsd that in the early 90’s, our Drill Sergeants referred to it as “Fuck-your-buddy Rank”.

  8. He is stupider than a bag of rocks, he had great potential, he should’ve kept his records sealed , like some other community organizer that was elected to political office, who knows this guy could’ve been POTUS material someday???, if the cat didn’t get out of the bag or his ego’s bold side didn’t get the best of him and couldn’t help but brag about his fantasy.
    strange times we live in

  9. I was acquainted with Colonel Spahn out in the FMF. Let’s just say that Eric Nelson has gone and pissed off the wrong Marine here, and Spahn won’t let go of this. This could get really ugly, really fast for Nelson.

    BTW, it looks like Nelson is also wearing an Air Medal in his rack of Stolen Valor finery in his photo. And that, kids, really pisses me off on a personal level.

    1. Believe the top center ribbon is for the Air Force Commendation Medal, Mick – not the Air Medal.

      1. Hondo,

        Roger that re: the top center ribbon. But please check two ribbons down directly under that Air Force Commendation Medal; that looks like an Air Medal.

        Also, the linked article above states that he’s wearing a bogus Air Medal:

        ‘In a widely circulated photo, Nelson is seen wearing the following decorations in the following order: an Air Force Commendation Medal, an Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, a Defense Superior Service Medal, an Air Force Recognition Ribbon, an Air Force Overseas Ribbon – Short Tour, an Air Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, a Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, a USAF Basic Military Training Honor Graduate Ribbon, and an Air Force Training Ribbon.’

        1. As I said below to ChipNASA, Mick – missed that one. My bad.

          I also missed the DSSM – I misread it as having a frame and being the JMUA. That would have been a plausible claim for someone posing as a USAF Major; the DSSM isn’t.

        2. Spot on. But you know Black Lives Matter right? So they can do anything they want. Including being an azzhat wearing poser m-fer. I got some 7.62mm for this douchbag

        3. The USAF training ribbon is a tricky one. If someone gets a commission after enlisted service; one wears an oak leaf cluster on the training ribbon. Oh now I get it; his political enemies photo-shopped his ribbons.

      4. Damn. That’s a slam dunk.

        Have the local TV stations in Denver been made aware of that?

  10. Well E-2 FUCKTARD Eric Nelson, 23 year Senior Master Sergeant says, FUCK YOU and I hope you enjoy your Google Fame and I hope they bring the HAMMER down on you. Lying Cheating sack of shit.

    /pauses for Red Horse SMSgt CE to pipefit this MFer

    1. SMSgt x2 concurs. Not RED HORSE but I was CE. Anyway as for this dipshit; go fuck yourself and never disgrace that blue, or any other uniform. Chip can you tell if that’s a PA or Band badge he’s wearing.

      1. Huh, I thought you were in CE mobility unit so I assumed Red Horse.
        Yeah, if you look at the link I posted above, they folks at Buckley who were part of the investigation couldn’t tell either.
        Not enough clarity in the photo.

        1. I may have confused it with PRIME BEEF.
          It’s been a while since I’ve worked with either and I’m old. LOL

          1. Yep, that was my unit, we had the beef. I was a Disaster Preparedness/Emergency Management type though so the rank and file CE didn’t associate with us much. Unless there was a chemical threat and then we couldn’t keep people away from us.

      1. He has, what shall we say, a rather colorful background. I particularly like the bigamy charge, it shows that he cares about women.

      2. Kind of reminder me of a certain recently DISBARRED lawer that we all know…

  12. Ok, so this guy is a valor-stealing douche, I’ll agree with that. But is anyone else irritated that there are awards which are pretty much limited to generals and admirals? Yeah, Joes can get a GCM, but that’s subordinate to a freaking AAM. The Defense Superior Service Medal is directly below the Silver Star (above the Distinguished Flying Cross) and the Distinguished Service Medal (another medal seemingly for top officers alone) is subordinate only to the Medal of Honor and the service crosses.

    Maybe I’m off base on this one, but I think that’s fucked up.

    1. The DSSM and DSM aren’t “for top officers alone, but it does require a level of responsibility far beyond what PVT Dufflebag or even SFC Rock would hold. Not to say they couldn’t be awarded such medals, it would be highly unlikely though.

    2. You would think that the considerable pay, benefits and tangible perks of holding that office would be reward enough, wouldn’t you?

      It’s not like flag officers aren’t treated like medieval princes anyway, for God’s sake.

      1. Continuing my thought – maybe these awards were invented in peacetime so the high ranking flag officers would have enough fruit salad to impress others?

        Gen. Douglas McArthur had an ego the size of the sun and his awards would have made a Soviet Field Marshal blush (including an MOH and I want to say at least 4 or 5 silver stars from WW1) but during his later years (and particularly during WWII) look at the photos of him: Nothing, not one ribbon, medal or device. Just five stars on his collar, aviator shades and a corncob pipe.

        And contrasting “Ol’ Blood and Guts” Patton himself, who is often pictured wearing his steel pot and carrying a brace of pistols, in pretty much every WWII photo of Doug he’s wearing his “50 mission crush” cap and carrying nothing more lethal than a swagger stick.

        1. Not really. Most of our current awards were initially wartime awards.

          The DSM was created during World War I; the LOM, during World War II. The DSSM was created much later (1970s), but it’s in effect simply the Joint/Defense decoration that’s the equivalent of the LOM. The 5 existing DoD/Joint decorations (DDSM, DSSM, DMSM, JSCM, and JAM) are the rough equivalent of the corresponding service decorations – e.g., the DDSM is the Defense/Joint equivalent of the service DSMs, the DSSM is the equivalent of the LOM, and so on. Since they’re from “DoD”, however, they come before any of the equivalent service decorations in precedence.

          Best I can tell, within the Army receipt of the LOM de facto seems to require successful command or being the senior enlisted advisor for an organization of brigade size, or a staff assignment deemed to be of equivalent responsibility. The DSM seems to require a similar successful assignment at the next-higher command level – e.g., division/other GO-level command, or perhaps a Corps or higher primary staff assignment. A few very highly placed SEAs may also on occasion receive it as an EOT award.

          I put it down more as the “nature of the beast” than “reservation for high grades”. Holding a position deemed as being of “sufficient responsibility” to merit being considered for the LOM or DSSM pretty much requires that the recipient to be an O6/O7 or E9 already; whether they’re successful or not determines whether they’re awarded that, something else, or nothing. For the DSM, a flag command or Corps/higher-level primary staff assignment (or holding 4-star SEA position) seems to be required – and again, success determines whether or not the award is granted.

          You might also see both as retirement awards – and there, more latitude appears to be given. Rule of thumb I’ve seen is O6/E9 might possibly receive a LOM or DSSM on retirement, but DSM as a retirement award would be quite rare for either. Flag officers and 4-star CSMs retiring could well receive a DSM on retirement, barring screwing up in their final assignment (or p!ssing off the wrong senior official). Not sure about 3-star CSMs.

          From my perspective, this is the same process – albeit scaled – as de facto governs award of the MSM. You don’t see too many LTs, junior soldiers, or NCOs below the grade of E7 awarded the MSM. I don’t see that as the result of some “conspiracy” against junior soldiers; rather, I see it as being due to the fact that those more junior (rank-wise) soldiers don’t tend to hold positions of sufficiently broad responsibility and impact to justify the MSM as an EOT award. It can happen – I’ve personally seen an E6 awarded a non-impact MSM – but in my experience it’s fairly rare.

          Anyway: that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. (smile)

          The above is my observation regarding the Army. I might well be out to lunch, and other services may be different.

  14. An Air Medal but no Glider Badge?

    I am SO disappointed in this twig.

    SO VERY disappointed!

    1. Ex-PH2: the USAF doesn’t much like anything associated with the term “glider” these days. A modern-day USAF aircraft gliding typically means there’s been a bigtime “oopsie” somewhere along the way.

        1. Or “Heavy” Dennis Chevalier type oopsies..

      1. The USAF does NOT like to be reminded of its screw-ups, Ex-PH2. Especially when it comes to gliding aircraft.

        During the Cold War, a U-2 on a polar sampling mission ended up taking the “wrong south” heading from the vicinity of the North Pole – and ended up over Siberia. The pilot eventually headed east, but he ended up running short of fuel and had to make a “dead stick” landing at an Alaskan Arctic radar station’s landing strip after gliding a substantial distance.

        This occurred on a day you might remember: “Black Saturday” – or October 27, 1962. That’s the Saturday Maj. Rudolph Anderson was shot down over Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The US was at DEFCON 2.

        At the time, that accidental Siberian overflight was the longest U-2 flight on record. However, let’s just say that I don’t think the pilot who made it received much positive recognition for his feat. Reputedly he was banned from ever flying north of Southern Alaska again.

        http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/06/missile_crisis_excerpt200806

    3. EX, a Air Force Officer with a Air Medal and no Pilot Wings. Does the Air Force give FOR BEING MOBILE CARGO? H/T Chip

  15. What? I’m not the only one who missed out on getting an Air Medal for surviving the heat of San Antonio??

    What an idiot. Looks like a long line already, but count me in if we need to make even more noise about this clown claiming unearned accolades.

    1. No. It merely makes him an “unintelligent fornicator” (or perhaps a “mute fornicator”).

  17. How did anyone let that shit slide when he claimed to be a major?

    Holy shit he’s such a bad phony.

  18. He can always pack up his shit and relocate to Merritt Island Florida. This guy is definitely All Points Logistics material.

  19. His biography left out the part where every evening he goes to the local homeless shelter and volunteers to check the bums for hernias.

    1. Dr Chevy says he matriculated with this guy at the same prestigious institute of higher learning.

        2. The guy in GA was complaining about the sandwich having too much cheese. That obviously wasn’t Cheddar-boi.

          1. It’s not clear in The Smoking Gun article whether the cheese sandwich was for him or his lovely bride.

    3. This is what showed up (basically what Bobo reported) when I Googled Southeastern University Washington, D. C.

      There has been minor confusion in recent years regarding our accreditation because of the unfortunate closing of another Southeastern University located in Washington, D.C. That school lost its accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and last offered classes in September 2009. Its situation has no bearing on our accreditation, as that university had no affiliation or relationship with Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida, has been and continues to be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

      So is this dude merely a confused minor?

  21. I’m waiting for him to say he was just wearing that uniform to a costume party. Or as a “tribute” to some relative who served.

  24. Good minority hire for All-Points Logistics.

    Plus he is in Colorado. Maybe they buddy-up with the VA out there and get in on the “hospital” gravy train.

    Turd.

  27. I live in the Denver Area. His party, the Democrats, have asked him to drop out. Of course he has refused. He is going to ride this pony right off the cliff.

      1. Raw numbers 2,298 to 955. Once again proving that being a poverty pimp, dressing up and promising uneducated voters that they will get “free money” will get some votes, even if your own party calls you out.

    2. Bobo….thanks for sharing that piece of news. It brings a new word to T A H when we get a new chew toy. Fibber. What a description!

  29. So, that means only some 30% of the voters who cast votes in this particular race are absolute, 100% retards. Not bad.

  31. 17 of my 21 years in the Air Force were spent working in the Dental Corps. I’ve never seen a FGO with a full gold crown on a lateral incisor. I’m not saying it’s never happened, but it’s highly suspect. That crappy work + Fkd up ribbon rack = 100% phony.

  32. This cat probably works on the
    STAR GATE Program(super classified). He puts Colonel Jack O’Neil down as a reference.

  33. well at least he didn’t say he was a sniper or a SEAL, also no jump wings so im thinking he is legit….

    1. No jump wings because he’s wearing a Senior Band Badge.

      Rumor has it he plays a mean skin flute.

  34. I haven’t seen yet that he has played the race card. That will be his salvation. He’ll whip out that sucker and all will be well.

  35. I see he enjoys horror movies. He’s gonna just love what happens to his life after this fiasco.

    1. I bet it’s gonna get even better for him as time goes by, heheheheheheheh..?

  38. He’s wearing an Air Medal in the third row. The AM would be above the AFCOM. He looks like he is impersonating an Intel
    Officer or Comm officer by the badge. Hard to say.

    Being a Major most likely he would have at least two if not three AFCOMs we get those every time we PCS.

    He is a fuck up. What a piece of shit.

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