Phony Marine wins Vegas trip and two Glocks for his fairy tale
They’re every-**cking-where;
After being struck in the face and head by shrapnel while on patrol in Iraq in 2005, Aaron Joshua Lawless performed first aid on a fellow injured soldier and returned fire to the enemy from a damaged gun before being struck by an improvised explosive device, later winning a Purple Heart and Silver Star for his bravery.
At least, that’s how Lawless recounted his time in Iraq to his employer, a Maryland gun store, and the Glock gun company, which decided to honor Lawless as their 2008 “Glock Hero,” awarding the 25-year-old and his wife a paid trip to Las Vegas, two Glock guns and a crystal glass trophy, a package worth $3,505.91.
Lawless did serve in the Marines, according to his military records — but for 35 days, discharged in June 2003 for not disclosing an injury to his right knee before joining the force, the affidavit said.
It didn’t end with the tale, Lawless went on to claim that he earned four Purple Hearts, a Silver Star and two Bronze Star Medals and the VFW recommended him to his employer, Atlantic Guns in Silver Spring, MD.
Category: Phony soldiers
Has anybody contacted Glock about this??
Another one bites the dust.
A name that suits.
Did the VFW not check his DD-214 (or Marine equivalent)? I have been a member of three different veterans organizations and all three wanted my DD-214 up front.
TY sir! *salute* 😀
W—–T——BLOODY——F!!!!!!!
I hope his employer AND Glock press charges for fraud and throw him UNDER the jail.
You know, talking with some of the old timers in my VFW post tonight, one guy was surprised that a transfer application from another post still needed to show his DD-214. I replied that while the number of guys that are fake vets is incredibly small, still there are guys who will lie about anything and everything.
I am happy to say that my post has strict rules; even the former post commander had to show paperwork for his grandson who is currently in Afghanistan. Every member of the post would have taken him at his word, but he still had to prove it. That is the way it needs to be to keep phony soldiers out of the system.
Dave, I look at it this way–in the unlikely event I ever move from here and need to transfer my membership post, I have no problem showing the new post that I am in fact qualified per the VFW requirements. Next to my birth certificate, my 214 is probably the most important personal piece of paperwork I have.
While Commander of our MOPH Chapter I decided to join the local AMVETS. One of my buddies, SGTMAJ(ret) was the Post Commander. We worked together on MCAS Beaufort. When I applied for Life Membership I still had to furnish my 214. I didn’t mind at all.
The weight of the law…should pound this prick into the ground. Oh, wait…maybe he has PTSD from a few days on Parris Island.
Honor and Courage
i miss my VFW post who asked for my paperwork even though I showed up in uniform after work to transfer my membership. Of course, I won’t renew my membership until after the summer conference to ensure they hold good on their promise to dissolve the PAC. THEN, I’ll start giving them my money again.
Here’s another Vietnam vet who must have been 16 yrs old when he served in Vietnam. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12187409
You wingers and your stifling of free speech. It’s his first amendment right to embellish whatever he wants. It’s not as if he’s profiting financially from these little tales…
oh…
he is, you say…
look at the time. Wow! Gotta go.
Wow he made it 35 days? I hope they charge him with fraud and make him pay back the guns and the trip…then put a tattoo on his forehead that says:”FAKE”
This turd didn’t even make it through boot camp, so he hadn’t even earned the right to be called a Marine, never mind earning the Silver Star.
I’m currently the Quartermaster and Adjutant at my post. I make damn certain each application has a DD-214 or suporting documents with it. Had one guy try to apply and when I checked his docs he had 0 in the days foreign service block and his duty station was listed as a transport company at the AF academy.
Amen CJ. I think we need to organize a wave of Iraq and Afghan vets to attend the annual conference to make sure that nonsense goes away for good.
Nice pick up Toni….unless he was born in Nam…he couldn’t have served there. May be one of the reasons they sent him off for a psyc consult.
Honor and Courage
@ nucsnipe, et al:
While I was Quartermaster at my local Post, with rare exception (and I mean very rare), a DD214 was required. Those that didn’t bring forth a DD214 were personally known by a member and known to have been qualified. Per the by laws, ALL of the Officers were required to hand over a copy of their DD214.
Maybe the VFW should consider filing charges for fraud, etc…. There has to be a litigous lawyer out there who could find a loophole to exploit. If everyone of these phonies had to pay $2,000, there would be a lot fewer of them.
Maybe they could make it part of application process. “If I am discovered to be a fraud, then I agree to pay 2,000 to the VFW for the Wounded Warrior Fund…..” Something like that.
[…] last week; A Maryland judge, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas DiGirolamo, dismissed charges against Aaron Lawless when he agreed with Lawless’ lawyers that the Stolen Valor Act was too broad, according to […]
About 12 years ago, I received an invitation from the main VFW in Washington,D.C. to become a member (I felt honored) but knew that I wasn’t qualified as I was not a veteran of any foreign war. Vietnam ended while I was at my 1st base (1973).
Now for VFW, you are required to have days in the Foreign Service block? I do not know any of these places, probably because Im brand new to the Army (1.5 yrs of service so far, 4.5 to go unless I re re), but is there any place that we can go while we are still serving as long as we have a valid DD214/CaC?