Yorktown sailor charged with falsely wearing medals

Any conservatives besides Doug who would approve Clinton accepting a Purple Heart for 'emotional wounds'? I think it cheapens and demeans the idea of the Purple Heart for anyone to accept it under such conditions, whether it be Clinton or Bush. Bush accepted it as a personal award, not as a generic gift. The Purple Heart means too much for those who really earned it.

If some veteran wishes to make a personal gift to Mr. William Jefferson Clinton, for whatever reason, then I have no problem with it. Unlike frothing at the mouths people from either side of the isle, I am more of a constitutionalist, and really dont care. I dont hate Clinton, I dont hate Bush, I don't even dislike them. I disagree with some decisions each have made, and that's my perogotive, as well as every other citizen of these United States. I disagree with socialist programs such as universal health care, thats part of the Karl Marx playbook. I am against gun Control, because the only guns that will be controlled are those belonging to honest citizens.

You're just so sweet doug. Tell us that the right wing would approve Bill Clinton accepting a Purple Heart for 'emotional wounds'.

It was a PERSONAL gift given to him by the Veteran who legitimately earned it. Bush CANNOT wear it as a part of his Uniform. No matter the reason Bush accepted it, it was done as a personal gift from the Veteran to bush. It was NOT a Militarily earned medal that Bush can wear as a prt of his uniform.

There is a HUGE differance between being given something as a gift, and the illegal wearing of a medal as a part of the uniform.

Bush accepted it for his 'emotional wounds'. That's what it was given to him for.

Read the article you posted. Bush wasnt given a purple heart by the military, and Veteran gave one of the purple hearts he personally earned to Bush. Bush cannot wear it as a part of his uniform, it was a personal gift.

Yes, I hope he gets the Max. Good order and discipline means just that. If you dont like it, then you should not volunteer for the Military.

I HAVE know sailors who were in for 10 years and had only 1 ribbon. It does happen. I was in for 10 years and only have 2. Battle "E" and Sea Service, along with my Dolphins.

Get over yourselves, it's a piece of tin! Five years for each offense? You've got to be kidding! Confine this sailor to quarters for a Saturday night. Have his commander, and his Chief lecture him. Lets keep this in perspective. The Navy has far worse problems.

his picture should have been included so everyone will know exactly who this liar is.

You bet. A Purple Heart qualifies the awardee for several benefits. They get darn near head of the line at VA Hospitals, with no co-pays. Government jobs give them a 10 point preference over other applicants. Many states offer free college tuition. And that's just a short list of potential avenues of financial fraud this loser would have been able to take advantage of had he not been caught.

http://adserver1.harvestadsdepot.com/kleendaylee/ss/062066/ .... Bush accepted a Purple Heart for his 'emotional wounds'.

There are rules for retired personnel wearing uniforms and medals.

Navy Uniform Regulations, Chapter 6 Section 10 Paragraph 2 Subparagraph 1- "Retired officers and enlisted personnel, who are not on active duty, may wear the uniform, insignia, and qualifications corresponding to the rank or rating indicated on the retired list."

In other words, the E6 wearing a Chief's uniform is most definitely in violation of the regulations.

However, in Chapter 6 Section 10 Paragraph 2 Subparagraph 5 - "Retired personnel must comply with the grooming standards in these regulations, but uniforms and equipment may either be those prescribed here or those authorized at the time of their retirement."

When did he retire? During the Zumwalt Era there was a brief span where E1 to E6 personnel wore double-breasted Service Dress Blues (with pewter buttons) vice the "CrackerJack" uniform. If he retired when that uniform was authorized, he's still authorized to wear it as long as he wears the appropriate rating badge on it. However, if he retired wearing Crackerjacks, he's in the wrong.

For those of you out there who think little of the offense this poor excuse for a corspman made, think about this:

1.) The Purple Heart he falsified and wore is awarded only to those wounded in combat, Alot of those resting in Arlingtron were earned postumsely, and the pictures of the corpsman who earned them line the walls on most military hospitals and were killed in the line of duty.

2.) The Bronze Star is one of the highest honors you can earn in the service are are awarded only to military members engaged in an action against an enemy.

I take something like this seriously. I served our country proudly as have those who have gone before me. Again just take a walk through Arlington, or any national cemetery and you will not be so fast to talk about who he harmed or what harm he did. Have the decency to honor those who have rightfully earned their way, to recognize those who have not and the wisdom to tell the difference.

1) Get bent. The military is about discipline, self control, and self accountability. Don't like it? Tough.
2) "is an offense against your delicate sensibilities worth 5 years in jail for every medal?" Answer: Yes. He knew the penalties before doing it. Tough for him. So sad, too bad.
3) "Writing as someone who's been there" So you have forged govt documents? Please explain that further, and feel free to post under your real name.
In a nut shell? I could care less about this lying dirtbag. He deserves whatever he gets. And he will not do the max, I would be willing to lay my next paycheck on that. He will be slapped in rank, booted out, maybe fined some pay. I doubt those wusses on the board will do a thing about it. You sign up for the military, you learn to follow rules, which is a sorely lacking ability in some of you.

Coming from someone that actually knows the truth, according to the Navy this sailor has no ribbons whatsoever which is absolutely absurd for someone who has been in the military almost ten years. So I tell all of you that are so quick to make judgement DO NOT BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ.

Body bags coming home daily, and this is all the Pilot can come up with? This crap, actually made headlines in this pathetic excuse for a paper?
What a boring way to fill space in this paper that is now being sold. Good riddance to a lame, excuse for news. I think the whole paper should be turned over to Rupert Murdock and the Bush sycophants at Fox News.

To those commenters who live to be offended by anyone who exposes military hubris: wearing an unearned medal does not equate to falsifying nuclear reactor logbooks or to faking proficiency for some dangerous evolution. Get a grip on reality please. Liars should be punished if there was a potential for harming others. Who did the corpsman harm materially, and is an offense against your delicate sensibilities worth 5 years in jail for every medal? I'll ask again; what did he have to gain from the lie and why was it so important? Writing as someone who's been there, it's an antiquated and dysfunctional system. The Idol's feet are made of clay.

If he is wearing medals that he has not earned, guilt is already established.

Thats kinda like wearing a stolen watch out of the jewelers@!

Maybe he is trying to get an EP eval? Did anyone give that any thought? Todays Navy is all about your service record not good old fashion leadership and instilling team work and team accomplishments....

So much for innocent until proven guilty. Everyone who gave their $0.02 should'nt be so quick to make judgement because you do not know the entire story. This is far from a done deal.

Earned my DOLPHINS in 1981, one of the proudest moments I had. I was now a real part of something. I had earned the RIGHT to wear my Dolphins. It is a special moment for every Submarine Sailor, just like the earning of each and every medal that others wear is special to them and their units. The comment that "In these petty situations, a military liar is no worse than a civilian liar." is untrue.

1. It could cost someone their life. Beliving that someone is trained in something they are pretending to have been trained at, could be a lethal mistake.

2. The earning of a medal for someone in the Military in most cases is not just another pretty ribon, it's an accomplishment, achievment, or a commendation for something they did, or went through. To be blunt, if you were not a member of the Military, Police Force, Fire Department, Emergency responder, or some other simialr unit, you cannot understand.

I hope they throw the book at this guy, he has attempted to cheapen and demean every person who legitimately earned and wears those medals. Whether or not that is what he sought to accomplish, it is what he ended up doing.

I wouldn't give this sailor a courtmartial or even NJP. I would ensure he had a chance to gain those medals honestly. The Marines and Army need corpsmen. Send his rear to an IA billet where he can serve the troops whose honor he slighted.

A decorated military man sexually harasses a couple woman before pulling Pfc. Hannah Gunterman McKinney off guard duty, gets the underaged woman drunk, has sex with her, accidentally runs her over while drunk on liquor he smuggled in and then knowingly drives away leaving her to die.

His penalty in the military? 1/3 the time he'd spend in jail for wearing a medal he didn't earn and he was bumped down in rank for the remainder of his paid career.

If he was civilian? The authorities would fully investigate the crime, lock him up and toss away the key, and her family would sues him for everything he's worth.

I'm glad he was caught; I'm glad he'll be tried. It's pathetic - the medals he earned aren't good enough for him? He felt he deserved them, even if he wasn't awarded them? It's disgraceful, dishonorable, just plain wrong.

Slight on/off topic: What about someone who wears a uniform he's not entitled to wear? Specifically, someone who retired as an E6 but wore an E7 uniform - with extra ribbons and medals, even - to his son's wedding? Yes, pathetic, but I can't find a "rule" on it; not for a retiree, anyway.

To wear a military medal you didn't earn. Every one of those medals - bronze star, purple heart, medal of honor has a number on the back of it as it's registered to a certain person, all you have to do is to check to see if that number goes to that person. Or check the data base to see if that person actually earned the medal. It's people like that who give the military a bad name for wearing something that wasn't earned. He just needs to go.

The person that thinks this is "...petty..." Needs to spend half a day walking around Arlington Cemetery and realize that not all those who earned these medals ever got to actually have them pinned on their chest. Men and women get wounded or die to earn a purple heart, it's not like they completed some course or something, they bled and often died. This is not petty. This is sickening.

To further comment on 'A Case of False Idol Worship', illegal actions while in the military are distinctly different then a civilian. Say someone makes a false claim that they did, in fact, check a ship’s nuclear reactor, when they didn’t. Say someone claims to have certifications in electronics repair and that gear goes into fighter aircraft. Say someone claims to be affiliated with an elite group and is linked to violent crimes. You get the drift. What is said and done in the military have a far different impact than what can happen in the civilian world.

Quote: "In these petty situations, a military liar is no worse than a civilian liar." You obviously have not read the UCMJ which every member of the armed forces swears to live by and uphold. There is no such thing as a petty crime. Crime is crime and he knewhe should not have been doing it and if caught what punishment is spelled out letter by letter.

Do NOT believe everything you read Deipnosophist,debi, mrfingr, and anyone else who is so quick to make judgement. So much for innocent until proven guilty. Just because it's written in the newspaper does NOT make it true. There's lots of information missing including the latest developments but you're not going to see that written anywhere because this newspaper has to do something to sell papers.

Obviously he thought wearing combat awards would benefit him somehow, but why? Could it be the pathological obsession with branding everyone who wears any kind of uniform a "Hero?" Being a hero means that the person has done something heroic, a deep concept for people around here, I know. "Stolen valor" is a ridiculous notion and putting someone in jail for 5 years for a victimless "crime" is nuts. Getting a job by falsely claiming to have a college degree is more serious for example but those people never have to spend time in jail. In these petty situations, a military liar is no worse than a civilian liar.

Somehow I don't think a dishonorable discharge would bother this guy. I don't think ANY type of punishment would bother him. This is another useless human in our midst and we can thank those who didn't bother to raise him the right way or teach him about morals and ethics.