Fake Marine General could face charges

[airborneskins]

I didn't see this posted anywhere else. Sorry if it already posted.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8893129/

Fake retired Marine general may face charges

Man wore rows of unearned medals, insignia, eyepatch to military events

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Updated: 7:53 a.m. ET Aug. 10, 2005

SHREVEPORT, La. - William Lawson looked every bit the retired Marine general this summer as he stood before a crowd of 200 people, demanding that a cemetery properly dispose of the American flags placed at the graves of veterans.

He had on khakis, the Marines’ summer service uniform, complete with a general’s stars and row after row of medals, including the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Good Conduct Medal. He even wore an eyepatch.

It turns out, however, that Lawson wasn’t a general at all — or even a World War II combat veteran. His 19 months in the Marines were all spent stateside — he ended boot camp after Iwo Jima — and he never rose above the rank of private first class.

'Something that snowballed'

Lawson, 78, admitted the charade after being confronted with his records in interviews with The Marine Corps Times and The (Shreveport, La.) Times. The media checks came about after Lawson appeared at the flag rally in late June.

“It’s something that snowballed,” he said in stories that appeared in both newspapers this week.

Lawson did not answer his home telephone Monday when called by The Associated Press.

The Marine Corps Times said Lawson could face federal charges for wearing unearned medals and false rank insignia, and the Marine Corps inspector general is investigating.

According to the published reports, Lawson said he lived in Florida most of his adult life after his discharge in August 1946 and that he worked in the insurance, plastics and manufacturing fields until he retired and moved to Louisiana in the 1990s to be closer to his wife’s family.

He said he transferred his American Legion membership and somebody at the Shreveport post thought he was a retired general — he said he doesn’t know why. He went along with it, eventually agreeing to make public appearances at various Shreveport-area veterans’ events.

'Heartbreaking' deception

For Elmo Norton, a Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War and the new commander of the American Legion Post, the news was crushing.

“It just tears me up,” Norton said. “It’s heartbreaking.”

Lawson had passed out coins — the kind of metal tokens generals and some senior enlisted give out in a long-followed military tradition. He even passed out coins at a recent post event to Marines from Bravo Company who just returned from a yearlong mobilization in Iraq.

“I’m shocked,” said Shayne McGinty, a captain with Bravo Company. “It’s not right, when there are Marines over there getting killed. It angers me and shocks me that he would do this.”

[Westbrook36]

Cover story in the Marine Times last week. His selfish actions lessen men and women who really earned their stripes. I hope they throw the book at him.

[iheartskins]

Pretty shameful. These days, as soon as you emerge in the public eye, not only does the media do it's homework on who they are reporting on but any skeletons are out of the closet. And I don't necessarily think that that's a bad thing.

[Sarge]

Burn this guy

[NoCalMike]

Kind of reminds me of Bush playing dress-up on the aircraft carrier, and the crowd at the RNC handing out fake purple heart stickers to mock someone elses legit service in the vietnam war.

[Sarge]

Kind of reminds me of Bush playing dress-up on the aircraft carrier, and the crowd at the RNC handing out fake purple heart stickers to mock someone elses legit service in the vietnam war.

Reminds me of someone that got 3 Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star with six months in theater:rolleyes:

[iheartskins]

Sarge, you and I know that Westmoreland was all about handing out medals. I'm no Kerry defender, but at least he was in actual combat.

[NoCalMike]

Reminds me of someone that got 3 Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star with six months in theater:rolleyes:

And that children, is what you call "straight down the party line"

[Sarge]

Sarge, you and I know that Westmoreland was all about handing out medals. I'm no Kerry defender, but at least he was in actual combat.

And no where have you ever seen me dog him for it. What I do dog him for is putting himself in for, or having someone else put him in for a Purple Heart for a cut that required a Band Aid to close.

But I think any of these bums that go around wearing medals they didn't earn should be publically humiliated at the very least

[iheartskins]

And no where have you ever seen me dog him for it. What I do dog him for is putting himself in for, or having someone else put him in for a Purple Heart for a cut that required a Band Aid to close.

But I think any of these bums that go around wearing medals they didn't earn should be publically humiliated at the very least

That's fair Sarge--that's definitely fair.

To wit, I think the way medals were thrown out in Vietnam kind of cheats and diminishes the people who have served that actually earned them (as this article points out.)

[Sarge]

That's fair Sarge--that's definitely fair.

To wit, I think the way medals were thrown out in Vietnam kind of cheats and diminishes the people who have served that actually earned them (as this article points out.)

Yep

[BlueTalon]

Hmmm.... if I impersonate a high ranking officer, I'd better not make it too high of a rank... or, not do anything too public..."

:jk: