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Phony Marine due for arrest

Discussion in 'Military' started by HBMurphy, Oct 4, 2009.

  1. Oct 4, 2009 at 8:21 AM
    #1
    HBMurphy

    HBMurphy [OP] Ban Pending

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    Phony Marine due for arrest
    Coloradan who posed as wounded Iraq veteran being prosecuted under Stolen Valor Act

    I guess I should stop telling my Vietnamese GF the stories of "When I was in Nam.." ;)

    [​IMG]
    Rick Glen Strandlof, using the alias Rick Duncan, campaigned for several political candidates. (Denver Post file photo)

    Rick Glen Strandlof, a former mental patient who posed as a wounded Marine captain to found a statewide veterans group and campaign for political candidates, is being prosecuted under the Stolen Valor Act for making claims he received a Purple Heart.

    A federal arrest warrant was issued Thursday evening for Strandlof, who used the alias Rick Duncan when he was acting as a spokesman for veterans issues.

    Strandlof will be charged with one count of making false claims about receipt of military decorations or medals, a misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail and a $250,000 fine.

    Strandlof, 32, had not been arrested as of Friday evening.

    Jeffrey Dorschner, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Colorado, would not say whether authorities know his whereabouts. Dorschner said only that Strandlof will be brought to Denver to appear before a federal magistrate after he is arrested.

    Strandlof is the first person to be charged in Colorado under the Stolen Valor Act. The act, passed in 2006, made it possible to prosecute military fakers who make only verbal claims about earning military medals. Prior to the act, phony veterans had to be caught wearing the medals to be prosecuted.

    "A lot of people wonder about the seriousness of this," said Pam Sterner, the Pueblo woman who wrote the Stolen Valor Act for a political science class. "What they don't understand is that to misrepresent yourself as someone who has earned a Purple Heart and to claim you are in the same league as someone who has sacrificed their life or lost a limb or something, that is uncalled for."

    Suspicions aroused

    Strandlof was exposed in May after members of the group he founded, the Colorado Veterans Alliance, became suspicious of claims that he had served three tours in Iraq, survived the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the Pentagon, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and suffered a brain injury during the battle for the city of

    [​IMG]
    Rick Glen Strandlof founded a veterans group in Colorado.

    Fallujah.

    They searched military records and contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation after determining he had never served in the military. The FBI began investigating Strandlof and arrested him in May on an outstanding El Paso County traffic warrant.

    In interviews with the FBI and local and national media outlets, Strandlof admitted making up the stories. He said he suffered from mental illness. He had previously been hospitalized in a mental institution in Nevada.

    People "deeply hurt"

    "I think he probably is a real con artist. It's tragic. His ideas were to do good and help the vets, but people were deeply hurt by what he did," said his grandfather Richard Strandlof, a veteran who lives in Montana and said he hasn't seen his grandson in 15 years.

    The investigation of the phony veteran took five months because the FBI also was investigating whether Strandlof used any of the money he collected on behalf of the Colorado Veterans Alliance for personal gain. Dorschner would not comment on what the FBI found. But there are no charges relating to the fundraising.

    The Stolen Valor case against Strandlof was helped by the Internet. Portions of speeches he gave as Rick Duncan are posted on YouTube videos. In one, he claims he was wounded and lost four Marines under his command. He also claimed to have a metal plate in his head from that injury and to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder.

    The affidavit noted that a month before his arrest, Strandlof had agreed to appear at a veterans event wearing his medals, but he showed up without them.

    When asked why, he said he did not wear them because "it would appear egotistical."

    Nancy Lofholm: 970-256-1957 or nlofholm@denverpost.com
     
  2. Oct 4, 2009 at 8:38 AM
    #2
    Brunes

    Brunes abides.

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    What a douchebag. I hope they nail him!!
     
  3. Oct 4, 2009 at 8:46 AM
    #3
    NumNutz

    NumNutz One of the original 7928

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    Never heard of the Stolen Valor Act. I great idea though to me.

    What a jackass for doing something like that! Give him it all. Year in jail and the fine.
     
  4. Oct 4, 2009 at 8:53 AM
    #4
    dhurley

    dhurley Well-Known Member

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    x 1,000,000
     
  5. Oct 4, 2009 at 9:08 AM
    #5
    HBMurphy

    HBMurphy [OP] Ban Pending

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    The ones I REALLY HATE are the guys that say they are vets for anti-war protest value. What schmucks!
     
  6. Oct 4, 2009 at 9:19 AM
    #6
    rick

    rick `

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    reminds me of danusa
     
  7. Oct 4, 2009 at 9:19 AM
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    Incognito

    Incognito No better friend, no worse enemy

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    X100! Agree completely!
     
  8. Oct 4, 2009 at 9:34 AM
    #8
    Afwrestler1986

    Afwrestler1986 Well-Known Member

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    Better idea: Make him account for his words. Make him enlist and go over and get shot.
     
  9. Oct 4, 2009 at 9:36 AM
    #9
    JM76

    JM76 Ride On

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    not so much, since he jumped on the bannedwagon:D
     
  10. Oct 4, 2009 at 9:55 AM
    #10
    dwzild

    dwzild Well-Known Member

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    X1000. Never heard of the "Act" before, but have heard of several instances of people pulling this type of crap and impersonating military personnel. There are even people in the military that pull this sh*t. IIRC, Marine Corps Times posted an article about someone who had been posing as a retired General for years with un-earned medals, only to find out that he got out as a Captain. WTF?
    I am glad to see this new Act is being enforced.
     
  11. Oct 4, 2009 at 10:00 AM
    #11
    Johnny72381

    Johnny72381 Active Member

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    What a POS. I know Myself and all the other Devildogs in here have earned the right to where the Eagle Globe and Anchor. I hope they make an example of this guy so it might deter others from doing this.
     
  12. Oct 7, 2009 at 6:59 AM
    #12
    cakmakli

    cakmakli Finally made it - U.S. Army Retired

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  13. Oct 16, 2009 at 1:25 PM
    #13
    cakmakli

    cakmakli Finally made it - U.S. Army Retired

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    Here's a picture of another hero..I mean loser.

    It's called AR 670-1 buddy. Get a copy.

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Oct 16, 2009 at 8:28 PM
    #14
    mpgnc64

    mpgnc64 Well-Known Member

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    I know after I retire I will be on the look out for wannabes. I do like when I get asked why I wear 2 Army medals when Im in the Air Force.
     
  15. Oct 16, 2009 at 8:36 PM
    #15
    JJ Customs

    JJ Customs Supreme Leader!

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  16. Oct 16, 2009 at 8:46 PM
    #16
    topgun155

    topgun155 Well-Known Member

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    Let him rot in jail.
     
  17. Oct 16, 2009 at 8:47 PM
    #17
    topgun155

    topgun155 Well-Known Member

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    Haha props to you.
     
  18. Oct 16, 2009 at 9:02 PM
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    rick

    rick `

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    thank you all very much for your service
     
  19. Oct 22, 2009 at 1:49 PM
    #19
    NCTacoma09

    NCTacoma09 Stand for Nothing or Die for Something

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    I hope he sits in Jail for a long time. Or mabey send him overseas and make him earn all the shit he has been claiming.
     
  20. Oct 22, 2009 at 2:00 PM
    #20
    jlvhrse

    jlvhrse Well-Known Member

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    Did anyone look into his "mental illness"? I only saw one thing in the article about it.. He may need treatment..
     

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