Phony Iraq Vet

[Berta]

a local vet almost slipped running up my deck to give me the Army Times- July 30, 2007

On the cover is a picture of Richard McClanahan in full uniform and highly decorated- after 2 tours in Iraq- and one tour in Afganistan.

The US Distrcit Court in Norther District of Texas has charges against McClanahan of bank fraud, felony,

and two misdemeanor counts of falsely claiming military honors he did not receive-

he claimed receipt of 3 Silver Stars, 3 Purple Hearts, and also the MOH (Medal of Honor)

I guess the full story is at Army Times on line-

The article- "Chest of Lies" brings up other instances of deceit by wannabees caught by the FBI-

it pays to check into the vets we help if we feel something isnt right-

This guy took a less than honorable discharge-in lieu of a court martial-

Read those DD 214s- and if you get a widows claim-

make sure you check them out good too-

I had 3 widow wannabees in the past year or so- no one here of course- but referred via other sources. One I reported to the VA recently -has committed potential fraud.

and wanna bee vets- had some of them too---

these people are an utter disgrace.

A Red flag for me is anyone who wants service connection yet will produce excuse after excuse for why they cannot obtain the evidence that VA needs.

Yet will repeat over and over again their "story" without being willing to prove it has any merit.

Edited August 3, 2007 by Berta

[Testvet]

I don't help anyone without documentation I don't care who they are, the only thing iff they don't have paperwork is I will give them the addresses for the different places their records might be until then I am deaf and blind

[Guest Dataman]

MOH winner hugh? Most of those are 6 feet under. I caught one of these in 1976 at Travis AFB Aeroport. Army guy in Dress Uniform. Pvt with MOH Ribbon (Lots others too). Needless to say he missed his flight (I was cop then). If he had not had so many ribbons I would have missed it. But an E2 with 8 rows of ribbons screams (SOmething Wrong here!).

That can only happen in the USAF (We got ribbons for showing up).

Just kidding.

[sixthscents]

Recently, at the VA I ran into a guy who overheard me and another Vet chatting. He started to ask some questions and seemed pretty much "all there", but I was called in for my appointment. I told him that we could discuss his claim afterward if he wanted to wait.

Well he waited, and it went downhill from there. He claimed that he was on "secret" missions with SOG - he was a Cav Scout. He claimed the he was experimented on... etc etc etc.

The point of this being people often are different from what they may seem with a first impression.... or the guy was telling the truth.... nah.

[Jay Johnson]

Why is it that every time the VA "finds" a phony veteran, it's huge news, yet there are literally tens of thousands of veterans who the VA is low-balling every day and we hear nothing about it even though the "fake veterans" comprise probably less than 0.00000001% of the cases the VA sees?

Honestly, I really get upset when these things are posted because it feeds into the propaganda the VA is selling and the illusion that veterans don't deserve their benefits......

No offense intended at all Berta, but you know as well as I that this almost NEVER happens in the VA system and anyone who is faking their SC is almost always caught, yet by highlighting it we lend credence to the idea that vets are lying to steal money from the government.

On the other hand, I cannot stand censorship of any kind, so I understand the need to post things like this, but I can't help shake the feeling that we're doing the dirty work for the VA in the process either.....

[Pete53]

The MOH is the easiest of all to check. I knew the late Roy Benavides casually who even though was awarded the Medal of Honor and survived he actually had problems dealing with the VA. These phonies you mentioned are always around and even our local Chapter of the VVA had a phony who came in and was elected President until he was outted.

The only reason that I am posting is that even so I think every Veteran deserves a chance to prove them self and not be treated like they are liars cause they have an incredible story. The VVA now requires a copy of DD 214 now which is the best way to verify service and awards in my opinion.

[Berta]

I think the phony widows should be national news too.

I am still angry at the time I wasted on one of them recently.

These phonys take up not only VA's time but also the time of veterans advocates.

Everyone who helps a vet or widow with their claim should check out their story Real good.

We had two major phonys here in the past but they are long gone and are probably trying to sell their baloney to other vet sites.

These phonys are the reason why I NEVER give out my phone number to anyone who has claims questions anymore.