Fake Vet Charged With 'Stolen Valor'
Oct. 12) -- Richard Strandlof said he survived the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon. He said he survived again when a roadside bomb went off in Iraq, killing four fellow Marines. He'd point to his head and tell people he had a metal plate, collateral damage from the explosion.
None of it was true. On Friday, the FBI arrested him on the rare charge of "stolen valor."
Strandlof, 32, was held "fo
More..r false claims about receipt of military decorations or medals," an FBI news release said. Charges had been filed in Denver, Colorado, the week before, the bureau said.
"The penalty for his crime is up to one year incarceration and a $100,000 fine," it said.
Before his deception was revealed, crowds ate up his story. He canvassed Colorado appearing at the sides of politicians. Inspiring and seemingly authentic, he spoke on behalf of veterans at the state Capitol.
He wasn't at the Pentagon. He was never a Marine. He never served his country. He never graduated from the Naval Academy. He claimed his real name was Rick Duncan.
Where was he on 9/11, the day he said he witnessed heroism firsthand?
"I was in San Jose, California, watching it in horror on TV with a few other people," Strandlof told CNN.
He was at a homeless shelter at the time.
Strandlof denies being a pathological liar. He says he suffered from "some severely underdiagnosed mental illness" and he got caught up in the moment around "people who are passionate and loved what they did."
He told CNN he had put on a "production, which I'm sorry for."
"Hopefully the people that I hurt can in some way gain closure from that, and I myself don't know what I can do, short of leaving them alone and not being in their lives, to make that happen," Strandlof said.
He said he's not sure exactly how he's hurt people. "It's not for me to say, and time will tell," he said.
Hal Bidlack, a former Air Force lieutenant colonel, is one of those people. He ran for Congress as a Democrat and had Strandlof appear with him. Bidlack -- who lost to incumbent Republican Doug Lamborn -- isn't too happy.
"Once one lie fell apart, the whole series of things ... just cascaded into an ocean of lies," he said.
Bidlack was at the Pentagon when it came under attack on September 11, 2001. He now realizes that Strandlof stole portions of his own story.
"Now that we know he's a lying fraud," Bidlack said, "I think he was just parroting my own story back to me."
"There are an awful lot of things that he kept straight to try to fool an awful lot of people for an awful long time."
Doug Sterner has catalogued hundreds of people claiming to be military veterans who never served in the military. He says it's typical for those perpetuating the hoaxes to claim mental illness.
"I don't buy that," Sterner said. "What he was doing was looking for a cause to promote himself. I see this repeatedly. I've had a hundred cases just this year like Rick Strandlof's. ... What they're doing is building a kingdom of self and feeding their own ego."
Sterner has pushed for a federal database listing the names and citations of all decorated military veterans to help put an end to such cases. He said Strandlof has robbed true veterans of their veracity.
"Doing good does not take away from the bad that he did," he said. "Because of Rick Strandlof, the next global war on terrorism veteran that speaks in a school or talks to the media or gets involved in politics is going to be questioned."
Ryan Gallucci, a spokesman for AMVETS, agreed.
"Strandlof's actions dishonor the actual sacrifices of veterans," he told CNN Monday.
"Second, by commissioning his own advocacy group, Strandlof diverted philanthropy dollars for legitimate causes within the veterans community," Gallucci said.
"Personally, it just sickens me," Gallucci added. "As a veteran of the war in Iraq, it's unfathomable that someone would propagate such a lie at a time when American men and women are actually putting their lives on the line, and American families are coping with the loss of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice."
According to the Denver Post, Strandlof came to authorities' attention first in 1997, when he was sentenced to five years on forgery and bad-check charges.
The FBI was investigating him for fraud when he spoke to CNN -- a charge he denied.
"We did not take money to use on non-veterans projects. I did not enrich myself on this. I did not gain any money from this," he said.
He has not been charged with fraud.
That's not the point, said Sterner. "The one thing he robbed from every veteran that comes out now is credibility."
Gallucci called Strandlof a "con man" and the case "morally repugnant."
"Strandlof's actions are exploitation plain and simple, and AMVETS is eager to see justice served," Gallucci said.
http://news.aol.com/article/fake-veteran-richard-strandlof-charged/714373 Less..
Added: Oct 13 2009 In: news_politics
Recorded on: Oct 13 2009
By: Dat1111 
- Tags:
- Fake Veteran,
- Anti-war,
- Iraq,
- war on terror,
- con man,
- interview,
- Far left,
- 911,
- pentagon,
- FBI,
- exposed,
- truth movement,
- grass roots,
- Bush,
- False claim,
- IED,
- Shrapnel,
- metal plate
- Views: 1022 |
- Votes: 2 |
- Recommendations: 0 |
- Comments: 23
Comments - sort by newest to oldest
For once i agree with the feds. Loose cannons like him, demean every position of authority and every claim to legitimacy. These people have inadequate personality disorder and need treatment, and help with finding their own identities.
Posted Oct-13-2009 by "Beinrich_Bimmler" (R)
I'm glad he's being charged. I wonder if he'll get treatment for his "severely undiagnosed mental illness".
Posted Oct-13-2009 by "l8rm8e" (R)
Jail. 5 years MINIMUM. Nothing less will do. Fu_cking douchebag.
Posted Oct-13-2009 by "femdyke25" (R)
Lol at this guy. Atleast he came on to face the audience. Great find.
Posted Oct-13-2009 by "EXCONservative" (R)
agreed but he still did something that will damage legite soldiers who want to speak there own views if they are against something
Posted Oct-13-2009 by "Dat1111" (R)
Vets have exactly the same rights as everyone else. No more, no less. When I see some vet trading on his past service as though his opinion is now more important than non veterans, it really irks me.
Posted Oct-13-2009 by "sclaus4" (B)
nice avatar man.
Posted Oct-13-2009 by "stripy" (R)
The IVAW dudes don't post their propaganda on LL anymore since Obama's been elected.I wonder why that is?
I guess they didn't care about the war dead and wounded after-all.
Posted Oct-13-2009 by "Songun" (R)
I guess they didn't care about the war dead and wounded after-all.
what's up, Hypnojive2?
why do you ban so many people from being able to write in your uploads on your Songun account over political reasons rather than for trolling?
and why do you have so many other accounts on this site? is it too difficult to put just one account forward and show your real face and present your real location like i have? tell me, Songun/Hypnojive2/etc./etc./etc.
Posted Oct-13-2009 by "lasrever" Premium
How's your psychotherapy going Willy?
Still trolling I see.
Posted Oct-13-2009 by "Songun" (R)
I guess they didn't care about the war dead and wounded after-all.
what's up, Hypnojive2?
why do you ban so many people from being able to write in your uploads on your Songun account over political reasons rather than for trolling?
and why do you have so many other accounts on this site? is it too difficult to put just one account forward and show your real face and present your real location like i have? tell me, Songun/Hypnojive2/etc./etc./etc.
How's your psychotherapy going Willy?
Still trolling I see.
Posted Oct-13-2009 by "Songun" (R)
I guess they didn't care about the war dead and wounded after-all.
what's up, Hypnojive2?
why do you ban so many people from being able to write in your uploads on your Songun account over political reasons rather than for trolling?
and why do you have so many other accounts on this site? is it too difficult to put just one account forward and show your real face and present your real location like i have? tell me, Songun/Hypnojive2/etc./etc./etc.
How's your psychotherapy going Willy?
Still trolling I see.
WillyWillKill is his own person and i am my own person -- i have 4 Your_Says if you want to watch them:
http://tinyurl.com/nt85cx
unlike you i come to this site to represent who i am and where i am -- some people know me personally (i met Zwanjuul here in Holland, for example, and i have a video on that too http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=382_1218509512)
but you? you are whatever account you log into, Hypnojive2. lol
i caught you as Hypnojive2, that one day, because you idiotically went and continued the same argument he started, on my profile page, without realizing you were on your Songun account. you were saying "that's why I" this or that, defending yourself in the argument as if you were him, and when i pointed out your blatant fumbling both of you immediately stopped debating me on my profile page
the second reason why i know is because your activities aren't always unspoken. people talk. YOU talk. you can't always hide -- whether it's your Songun account, your Hypnojive2 account, Kiwiiboy, or any of the other multitude of accounts that you or Daniel_Epstein/SouthParkIndie use (he's a little more articulate than you, though he's still a troll and an American right-wing partisan like you, of course)
so lol@you, again, for not being able to present your REAL self yet be so sensitive as to ban people from your uploads just for criticizing the information in them. grow a spine and show your real face in your avatar or in a Your_Say before attacking other people behind a sea of anonymous accounts
Posted Oct-13-2009 by "lasrever" Premium
I guess they didn't care about the war dead and wounded after-all.
what's up, Hypnojive2?
why do you ban so many people from being able to write in your uploads on your Songun account over political reasons rather than for trolling?
and why do you have so many other accounts on this site? is it too difficult to put just one account forward and show your real face and present your real location like i have? tell me, Songun/Hypnojive2/etc./etc./etc.
How's your psychotherapy going Willy?
Still trolling I see.
WillyWillKill is his own person and i am my own person -- i have 4 Your_Says if you want to watch them:
http://tinyurl.com/nt85cx
unlike you i come to this site to represent who i am and where i am -- some people know me personally (i met Zwanjuul here in Holland, for example, and i have a video on that too http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=382_1218509512)
but you? you are whatever account you log into, Hypnojive2. lol
i caught you as Hypnojive2, that one day, because you idiotically went and continued the same argument he started, on my profile page, without realizing you were on your Songun account. you were saying "that's why I" this or that, defending yourself in the argument as if you were him, and when i pointed out your blatant fumbling both of you immediately stopped debating me on my profile page
the second reason why i know is because your activities aren't always unspoken. people talk. YOU talk. you can't always hide -- whether it's your Songun account, your Hypnojive2 account, Kiwiiboy, or any of the other multitude of accounts that you or Daniel_Epstein/SouthParkIndie use (he's a little more articulate than you, though he's still a troll and an American right-wing partisan like you, of course)
so lol@you, again, for not being able to present your REAL self yet be so sensitive as to ban people from your uploads just for criticizing the information in them. grow a spine and show your real face in your avatar or in a Your_Say before attacking other people behind a sea of anonymous accounts
I have a question Lasrever/Willy ( and don't take this the wrong way) but do you have a history of mental disorders and extensive mental therapy?
I have a reason for asking.I'm not condemning you if you do because it's probably not your fault.
I have friends who are mental health care professionals who explained some things that I hadn't thought of before like how you fixate on people who ignore you. I block and ignore you and you flame my comments with accusations.And how you feel a need to say all kinds of things about yourself all the time.You tell personal details.They explained that long term mental therapy patients are like that because the don't have any boundaries and they don't know what's appropriate to share about themselves .Because that's all they know?Anyway,it was a long night and it was fun.
The one thing that came out of it is that I have a little bit of sympathy for you because I think that you have some complicated issues to deal with.I still don't want you commenting on the things I post because I care about the things I post and I refuse to allow it being cluttered with attention-seeking comments and the inevitable replies that they generate.
Posted Oct-13-2009 by "Songun" (R)
Good upload Dat1111 .
My apologies for the petty distractions.
voted.
Posted Oct-13-2009 by "Songun" (R)
I guess they didn't care about the war dead and wounded after-all.
what's up, Hypnojive2?
why do you ban so many people from being able to write in your uploads on your Songun account over political reasons rather than for trolling?
and why do you have so many other accounts on this site? is it too difficult to put just one account forward and show your real face and present your real location like i have? tell me, Songun/Hypnojive2/etc./etc./etc.
How's your psychotherapy going Willy?
Still trolling I see.
WillyWillKill is his own person and i am my own person -- i have 4 Your_Says if you want to watch them:
http://tinyurl.com/nt85cx
unlike you i come to this site to represent who i am and where i am -- some people know me personally (i met Zwanjuul here in Holland, for example, and i have a video on that too http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=382_1218509512)
but you? you are whatever account you log into, Hypnojive2. lol
i caught you as Hypnojive2, that one day, because you idiotically went and continued the same argument he started, on my profile page, without realizing you were on your Songun account. you were saying "that's why I" this or that, defending yourself in the argument as if you were him, and when i pointed out your blatant fumbling both of you immediately stopped debating me on my profile page
the second reason why i know is because your activities aren't always unspoken. people talk. YOU talk. you can't always hide -- whether it's your Songun account, your Hypnojive2 account, Kiwiiboy, or any of the other multitude of accounts that you or Daniel_Epstein/SouthParkIndie use (he's a little more articulate than you, though he's still a troll and an American right-wing partisan like you, of course)
so lol@you, again, for not being able to present your REAL self yet be so sensitive as to ban people from your uploads just for criticizing the information in them. grow a spine and show your real face in your avatar or in a Your_Say before attacking other people behind a sea of anonymous accounts
I have a question Lasrever/Willy ( and don't take this the wrong way) but do you have a history of mental disorders and extensive mental therapy?
I have a reason for asking.I'm not condemning you if you do because it's probably not your fault.
I have friends who are mental health care professionals who explained some things that I hadn't thought of before like how you fixate on people who ignore you. I block and ignore you and you flame my comments with accusations.And how you feel a need to say all kinds of things about yourself all the time.You tell personal details.They explained that long term mental therapy patients are like that because the don't have any boundaries and they don't know what's appropriate to share about themselves .Because that's all they know?Anyway,it was a long night and it was fun.
The one thing that came out of it is that I have a little bit of sympathy for you because I think that you have some complicated issues to deal with.I still don't want you commenting on the things I post because I care about the things I post and I refuse to allow it being cluttered with attention-seeking comments and the inevitable replies that they generate.
bottom line: you're the one that can't show his face or where he's from. and you're the one using more than one account here, Hypnojive2
Posted Oct-13-2009 by "lasrever" Premium