Category: Phony soldiers

Stephen Woods’ dog, Mimi, attacked an 84-year-old man, so Woods defends his dog by telling the Fort Worth court that Mimi is a therapy dog to help treat Woods’ PTSD from the Gulf War. Except that the Department of veterans’ Affairs claims Woods never left the Continental United States while serving in the Arkansas National Guard. From the Star-Telegram;

With help from an attorney, Woods quickly raised more than $17,000 through appeals on the Internet, claiming that the animal was a therapy dog helping Woods overcome injuries suffered in Iraq.

But WFAA/Channel 8 reported Monday that Woods served in the Arkansas National Guard and that Veterans Affairs has no record of him having served overseas.

Woods did not respond to phone calls seeking comment Tuesday, though he has previously denied that he told anyone the dog was his.

His former attorney, Randy Turner, declined to comment other than to say that as of Tuesday morning his firm no longer represents Woods.

Thanks to Robert for the link.

This info per Military Fakers and POW network.

An Arizona man who faced criminal charges under the nation’s Stolen Valor Act pleaded guilty to lesser crimes Thursday afternoon, just one day after a federal appeals panel ruled that lying about military awards is protected free speech.

Kurt A. Bishop, 42, of Queen Creek, was indicted in April on 34 counts related to fraudulent claims that he was decorated in the Army with a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Ranger Tab and numerous other honors.

This is has been going on for the past few months and it is nice to see that this guy having to answer for what he has done. Except that his excuse if first rate.

“We took into account the 9th Circuit ruling, but the defendant’s guilty pleas speak for themselves,” said Wyn Hornbuckle, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Paladini said questions about the Stolen Valor Act played a role in negotiations leading to the plea agreement because a Colorado court already had ruled the statute unconstitutional, and the 9th Circuit decision was pending.

Paladini said his client comes from a military family and served two decades in the Army, but yielded to “youthful indiscretion” as he tried to impress relatives and colleagues after completing his first tour of duty in 1991. Paladini said the false awards were somehow entered in Bishop’s military personnel file, causing the lie to be repeated over the years.

“It was never done for pecuniary gain,” the attorney said. “Kurt is a man of God who selflessly served his country for more than 20 years. He’s certainly not some seasoned criminal. . . . He was simply looking for acceptance and, unfortunately, it snowballed out of control.”

Except that is not our problem. You started the lies when it was convenient and benefited you. But once you had to face your peers, and answer questions that you did not like you folded. Also I do not care about if you a “Man of God” or what you did in the Military. What I am concerned what you did not do in the military service.

C’mon, man, make it hard for us to spot you. Paul found these pictures on Facebook and folks are trying to ID this peawit. Paul thought that maybe you can help.

Not only are Butt Nugget’s badges on the wrong side, they’re out of order, too.

Added: We now know that the name of the bar is called Brigett’s Last Laugh in Phoenix.

We now have him on POW.network under the “Can anyone ID these impostors” section.

When you steal other soldiers’ valor, it’s a good idea to know what you’re stealing;

“This is the Expert Infantry badge, the highest peacetime award,” said Jason Nash, 44, pointing to an image of a rifle surrounded by a wreath. “You had to pass (several dozen) tactical tests and you can only fail two; I was the only one in my company to get it.”

Post-military life has been tough for Nash. After serving in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and a lung condition caused by the emissions from mortar cannons.

The above picture and story was sent by my old buddy 1AirCav69 in an article from SFGate. Anyone see an Expert Infantry badge in the picture? I see a Combat Infantry Badge. A CIB doesn’t require a test and it’s not a peacetime award. And although it’s true that you have to pass a few dozen tests to get an EIB, you can’t get the badge if you fail two of the tests.

Someone tell me what a mortar cannon is. Carolyn Said should have done some research before she wrote the article…from someone who had more than two days in the infantry…maybe someone who really had an EIB.

ADDED Sporkmaster:

The reply from the author.

Thanks for your input. I just spoke at length with Mr. Nash and he is faxing me his papers proving that he received both the CIB and EIB. He explained that the EIB is not on his uniform because one cannot display both, but in our original interview he discussed the EIB with me at length because he was more proud of having received it, since he was the only one in his unit to pass the qualifications, he received it in his first year in the military as a private, and he got five days’ leave as a reward, which was a huge deal to him. I misunderstood that the badge on the uniform was not what he was talking about.

After I see the papers, I will run a correction explaining the confusion about the two badges.

Kind regards,
–Carolyn

Well, the folks at POW Network have been at it again. While I got several tips on this guy, Mary and Chuck were already doing the detective work on David Baille. Someone sent me the FOIA on him last night;

So it looks like he missed the Korean War by three years and one Good Conduct Medal was his only award. According to the unit history of the 9th Cav, they returned from Korea with the rest of the First Cav Division about the time he got there and were reactivated at Fort Knox. However, the APO address was assigned to the 24th Infantry Division and he admits that he was in the 24th at his website.

I can find some history of a Specialist 3rd Class rank before the Second World War – it was an E-2 with extra pay – but none afterward, so I don’t know what’s going on there. I’m pretty sure that they didn’t wear Sergeant Major rank, though.

Thanks to ROS, 1stCavRVN11B, Sporkmaster and Stingerwooten for keeping me up to date.

If this guy isn’t a phony, he sure looks like one. 1stCavRVN11B sent us this photo of what appears to be a leprechaun guarding his pot of gold.

Pick a branch, dude. He’s wearing armored cav branch insignia and a CIB and an EIB – you don’t wear the CIB and EIB at the same time. And do those ropes hold his head on his shoulders? And don’t get me started on those ribbons – almost every one of them are out of order.

And since when do you sew a unit patch on blues? Some Sergeant Major this guy must’ve been.

David M. Perelman, who accidentally shot himself in 1991 nearly twenty years after he was discharged from his 9-month Air Force stint, applied for and received a Purple Heart for his self-inflicted injury. Wednesday he was sentenced to a year in prison for his malfeasance, yet his lawyer plans on appealing the sentence based on that specious First Amendment violation defense (LV Review Journal link);

Assistant Federal Public Defender Rene Valladares said he plans to pursue the appeal.

In court on Wednesday, Valladares argued that Perelman deserved a sentence of probation.

The lawyer said Perelman is the son of a career serviceman who died in 2000. He described Perelman’s father as a strict disciplinarian who subjected his son to physical and psychological abuse.

“His father always thought that he was basically a wimp,” Valladares said. “His father always thought that he was basically a coward.”

So that’s a reason to let him get away with fraud? Oh, did I mention that he defrauded the VA out of $180k? Money that could have helped a real wounded veteran that the tax payers will never get back. But, yeah, a year on probation will make us even.

At the beginning of the article Perelman says he’s remorseful and deserves to be punished…so take your medicine, get pounded in the ass 365 times and then start over.