David “Doc” Shrum; phony wounded veteran

Several months ago, the New Mexico department of the Military Order of the Purple Heart told us about this guy that they had booted by the name of David Shrum. Shrum had been the state commander in the early part of this century and folks started wondering about some of his claims. From the Daily Times;

Shrum claims on the DD 214, provided to The Daily Times by the military order, that he received the bronze star, a Distinguished Flying Cross and a Silver Star, prestigious medals given to soldiers for heroism or gallantry in military action.

However, according to Shrum’s military records, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request sent to the federal National Archives and Records Administration, Shrum received no awards for heroism.

Here’s that DD214;

Notice the DD214 says that he joined the Army in 1964. Well, that’s easy to disprove;

Yep, he was still in High School when the DD214 says he was in the Army on active duty. And all of those medals “with clusters”. No one in the Army says “with clusters”. Except newbies.

[David’s brothers] Ken and Bill Shrum claimed in interviews that their brother has a long history as a con artist and has served time in federal prison for fraud.

It looks like David did serve according to the Daily Times;

The records indicate that David Shrum graduated in November 1965 from basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri and then received training as a dental lab specialist in San Antonio, Texas.

[…]

David Shrum was stationed in Okinawa beginning in June 1966 and remained there until the completion of active duty, federal records state.

[…]

David Shrum finished active duty in September 1968 and reenlisted in February 1971, according to federal records.

David Shrum served in Vietnam with the 56th Dental Detachment from April 14, 1971, to Feb. 21, 1972, according to federal records.

He received additional dental training upon his return to the United States and was redeployed to Germany in December 1973.

We submitted for a FOIA on Shrum back in September but for some reason they didn’t include his awards and the standard FOIA form that we normally get. All they sent was his assignments. Mary has resubmitted four more times. But here are his assignments;

You can see that he does have a tour of Vietnam as a dental technician from April 1971 – February 1972. Not usually a type of assignment that would earn him 17 Air Medals, 5 Bronze Star Medals, 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and 3 Silver Star Medals. Nor would it require the Basic Airborne Course, and the Jungle Operations Training Course.

After he was booted from the Army with a General Discharge after a drunk-driving accident on a US base in Germany, he spent two tours in prison for defrauding investors in a couple of schemes he tried to perpetrate on the public.

The upshot is that the MOPH has suspended the chapter in Farmington, NM and some of the members have reported Shrum’s lies to the VA and to the Feds.

Pete Comstock, another former commander of the order…said a federal investigator told him David Shrum is currently under investigation by the office for fraudulently claiming 100 percent disability.

“He claims 100 percent disability, because of (post-traumatic stress disorder), and it’s a lie,” Comstock said. “He has been receiving $3,000 a month for a long, long time and he shouldn’t have been.”

The federal investigator was reached by telephone but declined to comment on Shrum.

The lesson here is; if you enlist to be a dental technician, be a dental technician.

We’re still waiting for the rest of Shrum’s real records from the NPRC.

And here it is on Oct. 27, 2015, finally;

Category: Phony soldiers, Valor Vultures