Author: Jonn Lilyea

Our partners at Military Phonies send us their work on this fellow Jesus Medrano who claims to be a former Special Forces sniper and fitness instructor;

Well, he was a drill sergeant for about nine months at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, but the rest of his time in the Army was spent repairing generators. He was a nasty leg even while he was stationed at Fort Bragg, home of the Airborne;

It looks like he took up the Clinton Administration on their offer of an early retirement in 1994. I don’t see any time he spent as a Master Fitness Trainer, in either the school or in his units. I’m pretty sure there are no special forces qualified generator mechanics who are also snipers.

The Times of San Diego lays out the case against Randy Voepel’s claims that he earned a Combat Action Ribbon while stationed off the shores of Viet Nam;

In a phone interview Monday afternoon, Hoey said he suspects that the copy of Voepel’s discharge form — called a DD214 — is from the National Archives and may have been altered. He called on Voepel to release his own personal copy of the form.

“We counted no less than 15 errors on that DD214 — significant errors — including redactions and corrections in the areas where they are not permitted,” Hoey said. ‘We need to find the original. … Now it’s up to the press to look into that. My job is done here.”

(Herron did not respond to a request for Voepel’s version of the DD214.)

A Freedom of Information Act request by Hoey led to a document that lists Voepel as receiving the “Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device” but not the “Vietnam Campaign Medal Combat Action Ribbon.” In that DD214, COMBAT ACTION RIBBON is typed above a series of X’s, which might originally have stood for WITH DEVICE (an addendum badge).

I have never seen a legitimate DD214 that had a strike-through like the DD214 above. A clerk would be forced to start typing a new one to compensate for an error on the form.

Anyway, NBC7 consider the stolen valor allegations false;

In an email, Voepel’s Chief of Staff sent us this statement on behalf of the Assemblyman, “I am proud of my military service and my advocacy in Sacramento on behalf of veterans. Hollow political attacks are typical during campaign season. They won’t distract me from continuing to serve my constituents.”

As further proof, Voepel’s office released to NBC 7 Investigates a copy of the Assemblyman’s service discharge paperwork, called a DD-214.

Hoey and Wilske responded to the document by insisting it is phony since it is poorly typed and has several sections crossed out. Both told us they sent the DD-214 to other experts from stolen valor cases and those experts agreed with their findings. NBC 7 Investigates asked for the names of those experts but we haven’t received them yet.

I’ve also never seen a legitimate awardee of the Combat Action Ribbon wear it upside down. I’ve seen plenty of phonies wear it upside down, though;

Someone sent us their work on this Shaun Kindrew fellow who claims to be an Army Sergeant Major with 30 years of service in a local media venue;

Here in Dansville, most may not know, but a 30 year, retired Army Command Sgt. Major, named Shawn Kindrew works the line at the TravelCenters of America’s kitchen. A man who once had approximately 1,800 Soldiers under his command, now makes sure to greet you with a smile and make sure your meal is to your liking.

The article includes a “boot camp” photo of Shaun, but he’s in an Air Force uniform, not Army (the same picture is in his Facebook Photos);

That’s because Kindrew was in the Air Force for less than two years, twenty months not thirty years. He was discharged as an Airman Basic (E-1) not a sergeant major (E-9). The Air Force senior enlisted rank isn’t sergeant major, anyway, it’s Command Chief Master Sergeant;

Added: in that video on his Facebook page, the camera glides by a hat in his truck;