Taking Stolen Valor to the grave
AverageNCO sent these two obituaries to Mary a few weeks ago and she sends us their records today. The first is Leslie Bernhardt of Oregon. The obit says;
Les Bernhardt passed away March 27, 2013.
He graduated in 1969 from Mapleton High School, and then enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he eventually became a door gunner. He fought through two tours in Vietnam and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for bravery in action.
He was also the recipient of the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and a Vietnamese Ranger Ribbon.
His FOIA says that, yes he made ONE tour of Vietnam and another to Germany, no Silver Star, no Bronze Star, no Purple Heart;
The second obituary is about Howard J. Brinkerhoff in Upstate, New York. The obit says;
Howard J. Brinkerhoff, 65, passed away on Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at the Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany after a long illness. Born in Oceanside on April 14, 1947, he was son of the late Howard T. and Catherine Schaffer Brinkerhoff. Howard was raised and educated there, and enlisted in the Marines at age 17. He served in combat in Vietnam and was a Prisoner of War, receiving the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart. Howard was a life member of the VFW. He resided in Greene and Schoharie counties since discharge from the Marines. Howard was a man of honor and distinction, and he will be greatly missed.
His FOIA says that he deployed to the Dominican Republic in 1965 before going to Vietnam, but no indication that he was ever a POW, no Navy Cross, but there is a Purple Heart and an Air Medal;
I really hate these because the only people we can cause pain are the bereaved families, however, it reminds the phonies who have been bragging all their lives about their phony service to come clean while they’re alive so that the last memory families have of their departed is not that they were bald faced liars.
Category: Phony soldiers
And, as you often say, they served honorably but that wasn’t good enough for them.
Yeah, stolen valor is certainly a victimless crime – isn’t it?
Revealing their deceit post-mortem may have one good result. I might convince current “posers” to stop the BS when they realize that they will be exposed even after death.
Sergeant Bernhardt doesn’t belong here. There is nothing that suggests he wasn’t 100% rock solid. It’s the foolishness of whoever, in his family, embellished his otherwise excellent record. There really ought to be a separate category for this. Sgt. Bernhardt is derserving of our gratitude and remembrance.
#2 You’re a complete idiot with that moronic statement
He may be a complete idiot (don’t thank me, Hondo) but it would have nothing whatsoever to do with his statement. Victims of Stolen Valor abound. Military victims aside, you should take a minute to imagine how friends and relatives feel when they learn that someone they admired and respected for years has duped them for years. It isn’t pretty.
Both of these men had perfectly legitimate records to be proud of in their own right, why embelish them? Hell, just serving in the Vietnam conflict is something to be proud of. A lot of young men at that time period took extreme measures to avoid serving altogether.
@5: apply the words “facetious” or “sarcasm” (or both) to Hondo’s post, and you’ll understand it.
@8. It’s one line and we have two views of what anonymous means by calling it a moronic statement. You see it as a misunderstanding of the reader, that he or she is unaware that Hondo is actually saying that SV has real victims. I see the anonymous comment as effectively saying, “Screw you. SV doesn’t have victims, idiot!” I hope your view is the correct one.
Thanks, guys. But I don’t really get too worked up about the foolish rantings of those who are still wet-behind-the-ears, like Anonymous (5) above. They’re too young to really comprehend the concept of satire, or to “get” a sardonic statement.
Perhaps Anonymous will “get it” in a decade or so – if he/she makes it that far.
And if you actually comprehended the fact that I was being sardonic and posted that comment anyway, Anonymous – please take this opportunity to go fornicate yourself. Preferably with a 18″ or so segment of ocotillo stalk, complete with thorns.
I’m not ready to put all the blame on the deceased guys here, since they’re not here to defend themselves. But I forwarded the info to Jonn and Mary because it’s a repeat issue that needs to be addressed. Whatever the source of the bogus information, I’m sick of funeral homes and newspapers printing the info without doing an inch of verification. It takes less than five minutes to verify if someone earned a service cross or was a POW. For goodness sakes, Jonn had one obituary last year that claimed a guy was MOH recipient and the paper still refused to pull the obituary. Just because a family may be grieving the loss of a loved one, the funeral home can’t just put “anything” in the obituary. And it’s a complete lack of journalism standards to reprint the claims without verifying them.
@11. Yeah, I get all of that. My father’s obit mentioned nothing of his WW II service in North Africa and Italy, let alone the stuff he earned. A reader either knew he was a Veteran or guessed it by where he was buried. BUT, if, for some silly reason, one of my older brothers had said “Oh, put in that he saved General Mark Clark’s life 22 times” that would not be my father’s fault–though it would reflect on him through his idiot son. I loathe SV as much as the next decent fellow but unless there is a connection between what the deceased Veteran said when living about his service and those claims were false, I really can’t see this at all.
It’s a shit sandwich of a situation anyway it’s sliced. Could be the deceased as lying, the Family lied, or a combination. The only thing a newspaper can do is hold the info until a legit DD214 is obtained through a reliable source. By then the deceased has been in the ground for weeks.
The newspapers claim to sidestep reponsibility because, by and large, they merely print what is furnished by the funeral home. There is no reporter, per se. To them, it’s akin to running an ad. They don’t write it but they do get to choose whether or not to run it.
Well, there are somethings they can check on the internet like many of the valor medals and POW status. Then there’s always asking the family for a DD214.
2/17 Air Cav: the problem I have with giving these guys a pass and blaming their surviving families is that the families didn’t just make it up out of thin air – they got the info for the obit from somewhere. You and I both know the most likely source for that info.
One or two errors I could accept. But when a guy with no higher US decoration than a GCM ends up credited with the DSC, SS, and BSM, well . . . .
This is another category of stolen valor all on its own. It needs to be separate from the other TAH annual awards. “Obituary Commando of the Year Award”
Need a media award for the douchenozzle media outlets that refuse to remedy their errors or even answer queries. The “Ostrich Media Award”.
What will end up happening is newspapers and funeral homes will adopt a policy of name, dates of birth and death, and DTG for viewing and funeral, whether it’s a genuine MOH earner, or an anti-American hippie.
@15: Jonn, what is the turnaround time on a DD214 request? I’ve worked at a newspaper’s classified section and I’ve seen them post obituaries before. Is there a way they can get the information quickly?
Pax–not that quickly. Even our local podunk newspaper has the obit printed within a week of passing. Not enough turnaround for a FOIA.
It takes about a month, sometimes more, sometimes lees. But it seems to me that someone can ask the family before they post an obit. Like I said, most of the valor medal recipients are on line. Same with POWs.
Thanks, Sparky and Jonn. I figured that the request would move at the speed of bureaucracy. And I can’t imagine what it must be like for a family to learn that their relative was dishonest about things like that.
NRPax: there are allegedly procedures (fax the request and ID that it’s for a funeral/obit/hot news story, get the result via fax “sooner”) where NPRC will move faster. Haven’t had the need to try that, so I don’t know what “sooner” means in that context.
But the normal FOIA process via mail? Yeah, that’s way too slow for an obit to be published before a funeral.
However, asking for a copy of the deceased’s DD214/other military records from the family and having those looked at by someone who knows what “right looks like” shouldn’t be too hard.
It seems to me one thing being overlooked is the fact that DD214’s and even FOIA’s are not always accurate. Besides that awards listed on the DD214 stop when there is no room. I am 3 tour Viet Nam veteran. What I have stated was true in my case. While applying for VA benefits I even ordered my military record (jacket). Line after line was blacked out for some “security” reasons. My point here is you cannot get real statistics or accurate military service information with any degree of certainty. It took me 3 years to clean up my record and get my benefits. You know how? I had to get affidavits from eyewitness’ as to the accuracy of my claim. Men who were then 70 years old. Most of my shipmates were dead. It was extremely difficult to find anyone who knew me and my record. I got lucky. There is no doubt that many embellished their military record but I do not believe anything can be proved from government records. Look at what scandal has risen about VA Health records. “Eyes Front” my brothers and sisters.
And if things are embellished, they can just say “served in the military in this time frame.”
A couple of problems with all this. First, most obits are not written by the deceased, so whatever is in them is just not their responsibility, even if they have planted a fraudulent seed or two somewhere along the line.
There are plenty of variations among the states/communities, but generally, what is written in the obit is the responsibulity of the family. They furnish it to the funeral home who provides it to the newspaper where only basic info is printed free of charge with a fee for anything beyond that. So, yes, it is pretty much an “ad.” Unless the deceased is a public figure, in which case the newspaper would have an already composed story to print for which it would be their responsibility to be accurate.
Anyone who has actually had to write an obit for a family member knows that it is difficult under the best of circumstances. I can see that it would be very easy for a grieving family with little military experience to be completely confused about what dad or grandpa had or had not done with any sort of accuracy. Yes, it would also be a great time to pad the resume intentionally, but in the midst of raw grief, would it be a significant amount of the time?
I dunno.
OWB: I’d guess the vast majority of obits are written from surviving family members’ memories of the deceased. Unfortunately, the original source of that info generally is oral history previously provided by the deceased. Few go through the deceased’s military and other records to write the obit.
Errors can and often are made when people are grieving. But converting an approx 7-year military career including a single tour of duty in Vietnam, an Air Medal, and a GCM into one of a hero who did two tours in ‘Nam and was awarded the DSC, SS, BSM, and Purple Heart (see above), plus the “Vietnamese Ranger Ribbon”? Seems to me that would have required quite a bit more than an honest mistake or two on the part of the obit writer. They’d have to have gotten all that info somewhere, and I believe I know what the most likely original source would have been.
True story. Female family member used to say one of my uncles retired as “Sergeant Major of the Army.” Did he? No. He retired as a First Sergeant. When I asked the female family member about it, she said, “Well, I knew he was some kind of Sergeant!”
That, in a family where most of the male members were in the military at one time or other. I’d proceed with caution on this type of story, simply because of possible ignorance on the part of the family, who probably wrote th obituary.
Oh, I understand exactly what you are saying, Hondo. And cannot disagree completely either.
But, I have also worked with families who did not know MOH from expert marksman because dad or grandpa had never educated them on the topic. And neither had any intention of deceiving.
Lots of reasons for it and not all are nefarious. Not saying that we should accept embellishers at all, but we need to perhaps be more careful when the veteran is not around to defend himself. We owe them that much.
It can be kind of tricky getting the obit right in some cases: when my beloved grandfather died I tried to help write his obit with my uncle (a Vietnam artillerist). My granddad was an infantryman in WWII and earned a CIB, I told my uncle that that entitled him to a BSM, but the only record we had was his old jacket (he was discharged in 1946, before congress decided that all WWII CIB and CMB recipients deserved a BSM) with his CIB, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal and campaign medals and my uncle decided to err on the side of caution.
I let it go, because-while I knew what my grandfather was entitled to-I understood what my uncle intended, and this was with two veterans writing the obit bear in mind. I don’t think the old man ever knew that he was entitled to that particular decoration, but I distinctly remember knowing that I was right while we were writing his obit. Anyway, I guess the point I am trying to make is that in the absence of some sort of written record it is little wonder that family members fail to get it right.
Actually, with obits like these written by family members, very few people take the time to go into details like that. What I usually see in the paper is the obit with the Flag next to it, and so-and-so served in WWII or the Korean War, then came home and married (whoever) and they had XX children, XX grandchildren and maybe even XXX great-grandchildren.
The editors at newspapers aren’t going to go to great lengths to check them out, either.
My uncle les bernhardt recieved every medal that was in his obituary. I’ve seen them. He was shot down 20 miles behind enemy lines and carried his friend out. This website is a disgrace to our fallen heros. Vietnam was a long time ago. Not all medals were recorded when so many men were lost or injured there. If any of you served then you should understand..
First of all, my Father Les Bernhardt certainly DID receive all of those medals. I thoroughly researched with a lot of help from the VA every single one of them. I am proud of my Father and have no reason to embellish. You should be ashamed of yourselves. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Our Dad was a hero, and we have no reason to make anything up about him at all.
First of all, my Father Les Bernhardt certainly DID receive all of those medals. I thoroughly researched with a lot of help from the VA every single one of them. I am proud of my Father and have no reason to embellish. You should be ashamed of yourselves. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Our Dad was a hero, and we have no reason to make anything up about him at all.
Bernhart, Tiera: I have no doubt hat your uncle/father received all of those medals from some source. But since some of them are not in his official records, the source for those not in his records apparently wasn’t the US Army. I’d guess Medals of America or another commercial vendor was he source of those medals he possessed which are not in his official records.
I’m sorry you both had to find out the the truth the hard way. Lies from a loved one are indeed sometimes hard to understand – or accept.
(Edited to correct errors due to lack of coffee at time of original posting.)
@ 33. None of the contributors here are ashamed. The official records of the US Army trump your version of your father’s legacy. It is tragic that a seemingly honorable service record was imbellished. I might recommend that you do what we do here, first develop the skills and experience that we have and then conduct the proper research. If you do that, you will find his awards are properly outlined above in the FOIA information.
Till then, don’t come here flapping your yap and attempting to dress anyone down or trying to SHAME us!
KMRIA!
@33. Your father was a Marine whose service was indeed distinguished. The existing records well support that conclusion. If he met or heard about someone who claimed to have been a Marine who served with his unit in Vietnam and who claimed to have been a Purple Heart recipient as a result of wounds received in combat there, but your father knew the man’s claims were false, I wonder what he would say. Would he just shrug it off? Perhaps he would. The thing is that not everyone would and not everyone does. It is precisely to preserve the integrity of the military service of men like your father that the Stolen Valor Act exists and false claims of combat heroics are scrutinized. Your father was a hero and it could well be that his actions deserved all of the awards claimed in his obituary–but the records support only some of them. And records are all that we have, like it or not. Good luck.
CORRECTION: I am sorry. Your father was a soldier, not a Marine.
To the daughter posting here, if as you say you researched each of these awards with the “VA”, you should e-mail your research to Jonn the site owner so that he can review it and if what you say is true I am certain he would issue an apology.
Hell, he issued an apology to a Whore who was posted on here for embellishing her Air Force Career for crying out loud. I am sure he would have no problem making amends on your fathers account if all you say is proven true.
In response to rb325th’s comment, I’d like to provide a bit of additional info and advice, “Tiera”. The VA only has documents relating to a person’s military decorations which were provided to them by the veteran. Unless the VA has started doing so very recently, those documents submitted to the VA by a veteran are not validated against the individual’s official military records. It’s one of my primary “beefs” with the VA – they make little independent effort to validate a person’s claims of service, receipt of awards, service in combat, etc . . . . Documents provided by a veteran to the VA are almost always accepted at face value and are not questioned or cross-checked against existing official records pertaining to the same individual. Only if someone submits stuff that is obviously and grossly fraudulent and the individual employed by the VA reviewing them has the expertise to recognize the obvious fraud are such fraudulent documents rejected. From what I’ve seen, that only happens rarely. Most folks reviewing claims for the VA these days simply don’t seem to have the expertise to recognize anything other than the most blatantly obvious cases of fraud. There are a huge number of documented cases where the VA has gotten “burned” by fraud. Specifically, they got hoodwinked by people who claimed to have served and didn’t, or who claimed to have served in combat and never did, or who grossly exaggerated their injuries, or . . . well, I think you can get the point. Fraud is IMO widespread among those receiving VA benefits. Many times that’s accompanied by the submission of fabricated or altered documents. Bottom line: if the VA provided you a DD214 or other document stating your father has those awards, Tiera – your father was the one who gave that document to the VA. It did not come directly from his official records, nor was it cross-checked against his official records at any point in time. It came from him and was accepted at face value without significant scrutiny or validation – and probably with no attempt at… Read more »
Tiera,
If in fact your father was awarded the medals indicated in his obituary, there is a very simple way to correct all of us.
Visit the National Archives site at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/#evetrecs
There you will see a bulleted section titled “OMPF Federal (non-archival) record – discharge date of 1952 or after” and see that, as the daughter of the deceased veteran, you are able to receive an unredacted copy of your father’s official military personnel files (OPMF) by filing an SF-180. You will get far more information than the synopsis and 2-1 that is posted here.
Once you receive your father’s OMPF, take it to someone who is impartial and has some experience looking at military records. I’d suggest going to a local VFW or American Legion. Have them go through the record and see what awards your father earned. There might even be records of awards that he was recommended for but weren’t processed, or some other surprises.
After the records have been reviewed, send the records and results of the review to the blog. Again, I’m sure that id the admins were wrong, there will be an apology. If they weren’t wrong, well then it is what it is. Either way, letting someone here know the results would be the honorable thing to do.
Good luck, and I honestly hope that there is an apology coming your way. Unfortunately, I’m guessing that the negative behavior highlighted here will be upheld.
The FOIA releases and the DD214 and OMPF information regularly do not add up. I’m sure if you looked up my FOIA information (if the site host really wants it they can contact me for my information) there would be a lot of discrepancies.
Les served 2 tours in Vietnam. Let me clear up some confusion. He was unable to finish his first tour due to injury (gunshot wound) and due to the policies then, he basically wasn’t credited with the time served overseas. Once healed, he was sent back for another tour. Where he earned the majority of his medals that are in question on this site.
If you would like to point out people who have truly stolen valor, please start targeting those who had never served and claim to be war hero’s, not those who actually have served. Your shotty “journalism” shows your incredible lack of military history and research. Reading this is incredibly disheartening, as you are accusing both my father (Les Bernhardt) and my other relatives of dishonesty.
I would ask you, as a relative and also as a prior service member, to please take down this wanton attack based on your ignorance. All that you have achieved with this article, is to promote incomplete research, ignorance, and to provoke families who still grieve for their lost ones.
For all of you in support of this article, I must ask, where and when did you serve, what have you accomplished in your military career?
“Stu”: no one with the last name of “Bernhardt” is listed on any of three different databases of DSC recipients. That would be the (1) DoD valor database, (2) the Military Times database, and (3) database at Home of Heroes. Since only somewhat over 13,000 DSCs have ever been awarded in its nearly 100-year history, it’s not likely a legitimate award would miss ALL THREE OF THESE DATABASES. (In point of fact, less than 1,100 DSCs were awarded in Vietnam.)
Since the DSC is so rarely awarded, it’s also EXTREMELY unlikely that the award would have been omitted from a soldier’s OMPF. Personnel folks have a damn good idea just how rare such awards are, and tend to handle them carefully.
Nevertheless, if you want to send the site admin copies of any documentation you possess regarding your father’s DSC and other awards, I’m sure he’ll be happy to ask a few of the regulars here to look them over.
Be sure whatever you send has either a copy of the award orders or cites the order number and issuing HQ. If the award is legitimate, orders for it will exist.
Stu,
I’m going through the Section VII of the 2-1 and I’m trying to find a place for 2 trips to Vietnam. This is what I see:
Reported to basic training at Ft. Lewis 10 Aug 1970
PCS to AIT at Ft. Eustis, VA 3 Oct 1970 (holding company)
Begins AIT at Ft. Eustis, VA 5 Nov 1970
PCS to Vietnam 31 May 1971
PCS to A/101 Avn BN at Ft. Campbell, KY 9 Apr 1972 (return from Vietnam)
Transferred to C/101 Avn BN at Ft. Campbell 1 May 1972
PCS to Germany from Ft. Campbell on 1 Aug 1974
PCS to 507th Med Co. at Ft. Sill, OK on 9 Oct 1976 (return from Germany)
From 31 May 1971 until 9 Apr 1972, it is obvious that he is in Vietnam. From Vietnam he went to the 101st Aviation battalion at Ft. Campbell and was there from 9 Apr 1972 until 1 Aug 1974. When he reported to A/101 Avn BN on 9 Apr 1972, the company had been back from Vietnam for 2 months, so he wasn’t in Vietnam with them. It also doesn’t look like C/101 Avn BN was in Vietnam in 1972. So, he wasn’t in Vietnam with the 101st. Please let me know where in this timeline he would have gone to Vietnam, been wounded, recovered, and was sent back to Vietnam.
Again, as I told Tiera, you are eligible to get a complete copy of your father’s OPMF. Please get it. I’d love for you to be able to rub in all of our faces how ignorant we are. If there is someone out there with a DSC and a PH who isn’t being properly recognized, I am certain that all of us would do whatever is necessary to rectify the situation.
I’m wondering when that second tour in Vietnam occurred as well, Bobo. Per this source, the last US ground combat unit – 3/21st Infantry – left Vietnam on 11 August 1972. Their mission was ground security for Da Nang AB.
After that date, we had no US Army combat units in Vietnam – only advisors. Those advisors would have not been assigned to a combat division. And ALL remaining US forces were pulled out of Vietnam in March 1973.
Maybe I’m blind, but I’m just not seeing an opportunity for any second Vietnam tour.
And I agree – if this is that one-in-a-million shot where someone legitimately “slipped through the cracks” and failed to get proper recognition, they deserve it. But, frankly, based on what I’ve seen so far I’m not holding my breath.
After viewing Bernhardt’s info, it appears from his records, he was prob. A crew chief. Which in fact is the same as a door gunner. Only difference, he flew on the left side and was responsible for day to day maintenance.
I see by his schooling shows Huey maintenance, and was awarded crewmember wings. Perfectly honorable tour of Vietnam. I hope his records are incomplete, but I have my doubts.
@44
Stu, this crowd if familiar with records. We know sometimes things get left out. If you can provide a contact point to a military site than can independently verify your fathers awards I am sure the site will completely take down this post and apologize. What isn’t going to be accepted is any certificate or medal you have laying around. We learned the hard way that these can be easily forged. Their are several pages of this blog that have posers or embellishers standing with fake medals and forged certificates. GySgt Larry Gugle altered his service record when he was active duty to reflect he served years more than he did, and fought in Vietnam. He was actually reduced from 1st Sgt and forced to retire. Guess what? Ten years later he pulled the same thing with a veteran’s organization, this time adding Desert Storm and the rank of Sgt Major to his resume. His official records had none of that, but he had perfectly forged citations and photoshopped images to back his claim. He was outed because of actual veterans and unit rosters proved he was BSing.
Also Stu, this isn’t our first barn dance with a family member. They come on this blog screetching and screaming about law suits and threatening. Some are a part of the crap, many are just mistaken about their assumptions of their fathers service and some have been tricked. It has to hurt to find this out, but it is what it is.
As for service, pretty much everyone who contributes here has served. I did 20 years USMC 1980-2000. retired
Can’t argue a bit, 3/17 Air Cav. AM, ARCOM, NDSM, VSM, GCM, and VCM pretty much says he served honorably in Vietnam; air crew wings say he flew quite a bit. Might have been only a PFC or SP4 while in Vietnam, though (well under 2 yrs TIS when he came back to CONUS), so if he was a crew chief it might have been at Ft Campbell or in Europe.
These types are the ones that really get to me – perfectly honorable combat service that isn’t “heroic enough” and is then embellished to the point of being . . . sad. And it’s often the family that gets hurt when the lies are eventually discovered.
I hope this mans son and daughter understand that should they prove their case they will get an apology. Should they find that the records above are accurate and that there were no other awards as have been claimed … well that would suck for them to find out.
Shame of it is, the man did serve honorably and admirably. In a way I hope they are owed an apology, as I am just so tired of seeing fakes and embellishers.
Hondo….. Most of the crew chiefs I flew with were SP-5. Rank at that time in Vietnam, could come pretty fast if you were squared away. Case in point, I made Sgt. E-5 after 15 months. In saying that, I was no war hero.
As for flying, as a door gunner, they usually took a 11B guy like me and made them a door gunner. If you were Huey wrencher, but not a Crewchief. Usually spent your time in the maintence shed.
Just saying, anyway, that was my experience
3/17 air cav: OK. Knew rank was fast during Vietnam, just didn’t realize it was quite that fast to E5. He left Vietnam at around 20 mo TIS, so your timeline could work for him to have been a crew chief the last few months he was in-country.