ronniephew
09-18-2004, 09:18 PM
Its a shame that DC government doesnt operate more like the US Marines...
I might be sitting in Levanworth for the rest of my life for the iddy biddy lies I told.
Ex-Marine pleads guilty in Phila. to wearing medals he never earned
By DAVID B. CARUSO
Associated Press
09/18/2004
PHILADELPHIA -- A former Marine who served on an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War was fined and sentenced to probation Friday for wearing military medals he had never earned.
Marvin E. Potter Jr., 52, pleaded guilty to altering his discharge certificate to falsely indicate that he had won a slew of decorations, including a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and the Navy Cross, one of the highest military awards for valor.
Investigators said he also wore false medals in public on special occasions.
Both actions are federal crimes.
U.S. District Judge Charles B. Smith sentenced Potter to six months of probation and ordered him to pay a $500 fine. As part of his plea bargain, Potter also wrote a letter of apology to the president of the Vietnam Veterans of America.
"He is so ashamed," said his attorney, Catherine Henry. "He is a good family man. ... He is a very proud man, and his service is a big part of his identity. You hate to see someone convicted in a federal court on a charge like this at this point in his life."
Potter, a former resident of Toughkenamon, Pa., who now lives in Mountain City, Tenn., served in the Marines from 1969 to 1975 and earned several commendations for good conduct and achievement as a jet engine mechanic.
In recent years, though, he began telling people that he had received higher honors.
Prosecutors said some of the heroic exploits claimed by Potter were actually performed by Raymond M. Clausen, a Marine who won the Medal of Honor for his actions in Vietnam in 1970.
Clausen was honored for repeatedly dashing across a minefield to help carry wounded and trapped Marines to a rescue helicopter. He died in June.
I might be sitting in Levanworth for the rest of my life for the iddy biddy lies I told.
Ex-Marine pleads guilty in Phila. to wearing medals he never earned
By DAVID B. CARUSO
Associated Press
09/18/2004
PHILADELPHIA -- A former Marine who served on an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War was fined and sentenced to probation Friday for wearing military medals he had never earned.
Marvin E. Potter Jr., 52, pleaded guilty to altering his discharge certificate to falsely indicate that he had won a slew of decorations, including a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and the Navy Cross, one of the highest military awards for valor.
Investigators said he also wore false medals in public on special occasions.
Both actions are federal crimes.
U.S. District Judge Charles B. Smith sentenced Potter to six months of probation and ordered him to pay a $500 fine. As part of his plea bargain, Potter also wrote a letter of apology to the president of the Vietnam Veterans of America.
"He is so ashamed," said his attorney, Catherine Henry. "He is a good family man. ... He is a very proud man, and his service is a big part of his identity. You hate to see someone convicted in a federal court on a charge like this at this point in his life."
Potter, a former resident of Toughkenamon, Pa., who now lives in Mountain City, Tenn., served in the Marines from 1969 to 1975 and earned several commendations for good conduct and achievement as a jet engine mechanic.
In recent years, though, he began telling people that he had received higher honors.
Prosecutors said some of the heroic exploits claimed by Potter were actually performed by Raymond M. Clausen, a Marine who won the Medal of Honor for his actions in Vietnam in 1970.
Clausen was honored for repeatedly dashing across a minefield to help carry wounded and trapped Marines to a rescue helicopter. He died in June.