David “Doc” Shrum; phony wounded veteran

| August 25, 2015

Doc Shrum

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;

Doc Shrum DD214

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

Doc Shrum HS diploma

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;

David Shrum Assignments 1

David Shrum Assignments 2

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;

Shrum FOIA

Category: Phony soldiers, Valor Vultures

62 Comments
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nbcguy54ACTUAL

Splash. Out.

GDContractor

Dude’s a PhD! Who’d a thunk it?

http://www.yelp.com/biz/premier-dentures-blanco

GDContractor

From the above link:

David E. Shrum, PHD, CDT began his dental training in 1965. He continued with advanced training in 1968. From 1966-1968 “Doc”, as he is affectionately referred to, was assigned to the 271st med/dent detachment in Okinawa. While there he trained with the USAF lab in framework design, wax and finish and doing several TDY trips to Vietnam, Japan and Thailand on medical airlift evacs. Upon returning to the US Doc completed advanced dental tech school earning his CDT. From 1970 to 1972 Doc returned to Vietnam the 56th med/dent detachment assigned to the 85th evac hospital in Phu Bai where we rotated, by need, between being combat medics and lab techs. Doc was medivaced himself in February of 1972. From 1974-1976 Doc attended a prosthodontic fellowship under renowned prosthodontist Dr. Mark Connelly in Germany, after which Doc was returned stateside and medically retired from the military. Doc received his PhD in 2001 in theology and is an ordained minister.

OldSarge57

PhD in Theology? Ordained minister at Church of what? The DD-214 was obviously edited (poorly) and used to obtain VA benefits.

A huge issue is that these documents are NOT screened and most VA and especially C&P examiners do not know how to read them or recognize fraud. Besides, with everyone screaming about the backlog of claims, guess what the easiest way to clear then up other than discarding or “losing” them is?

A letter just went out to all VA employees yesterday congratulating them on clearing up the backlog and to only disapprove claims in the most extreme circumstances.

AverageNCO

17 of my 21 years were spent as a dental tech. We had lots of colorful nicknames for each other, but I can never remember calling an enlisted dental guy “Doc”. I know Corpsman get that title, but a dental lab guy? They’re not on the front line tending to wounded. They’re working on a bench with other lab techs. I’m sure he affectionately started calling himself Doc when he left the service.

William Shrum

He is my brother, any idiot with $35 and be a PHD on the internet. We called it Pilled Higher and Deeper! Thank you for your service! I am so happy to see this scum bag exposed. I promised my folks I wouldn’t do this until they had passed away. I lost my mother last November.

Ex-PH2

He’s been getting $3,000 a month for a fraudulent claim, for a very long time?

Does this claim reek of rotting sewage?

Guard Bum

How in the world is he getting 3K? And with a Gen disch to boot?

I didnt know disability payments were that high.

Hondo

At 100% disability, VA comp for vet alone is $2906 and change per month. With spouse, it’s a touch under $3069 per month.

http://www.benefits.va.gov/COMPENSATION/resources_comp01.asp

Skippy

Hondo. with a General Discharge you still qualify for VA Benefits?????

Hondo

In general (no pun intended), yes. Very few VA benefits actually by law require an honorable discharge. The VA has broad discretion to award benefits to people with General (under honorable or other than honorable conditions) and even BCDs. Only a DD and/or conviction by GCM for a few specified offenses trigger a statutory bar to receipt of all VA bennies. That’s one major thing that’s wrong with the VA today.

http://www.benefits.va.gov/BENEFITS/docs/COD_Factsheet.pdf.

Skippy

Roger. Thank You for the Info, 🙂

Guard Bum

Wow I had no idea it was so much, thats as much as my retirement.

Green Thumb

I just read the article.

What a scumbag.

General Discharge, no less.

I can only imagine this maggot is making his way to Merritt Island, Florida as we speak.

HMCS (FMF) ret.

Maybe “Dickless” Dan Bernastypants can defend him in court if he starts getting negative reviews on Yelp!?

Oh, that’s right… Dan’s currently “preoccupied” with the CA State Bar…

MCPO NYC USN Ret.

This story just gave me a big smile!

Lurker Curt

WTF is a “spontaneous pneumothorax”? Did he just all at once blow a lung from all that blustering? I mean, I did CLS over 20 years ago, but that kind of thing normally happens from, fuck, I don’t know, something penetrating the chest cavity?

Dumbass…

Hondo

Spontaneous pneumothorax is a collapsed lung w/o penetrating injury. It’s rare, but does on occasion happen.

http://www.wehealny.org/services/Thoracic_Surgery/pneumothorax.html

ChipNASA

He saw that on M*A*S*H.

Lurker Curt

Sweet, I learned something today!

I still think he’s a dumbass…

Hondo

In anyone else surprised that he was a “local veterans’ rights advocate”?

Skippy

so this is how he learned how to Game the system…

Hondo

I’m thinking more like “used his local status for cover”. But you could well be right also.

Skippy

Yeh I have a feeling your right on the first.
its so sad to see this kind of crap going on
I wonder if he actually helped any Vets while being a VSO

ChipNASA

I think after the Federal investigators find that he’s been stealing from the Government for a LOOOONNGG time, the only award he’s gonna get is THE Purple Starfish.
/government hates when people steal from THEM. They don’t like anyone intruding on *their* racket.

Daisy Cutter

Get Shrum!

Green Thumb

This dude polishes schrum.

Silentium Est Aureum

That part of NM is pretty conservative, and they do love their veterans.

They also have just as much hatred towards bullshitters.

A Proud Infidel®™

THIS puffy ‘lil giblet-necked scrotum-ogling connoisseur of smegma has a nice long track record of con games and fraud, I’m sure he’ll be Bubba & Thor’s little piggy again real soon! His own brothers have come out corroborating reports of his past fraud, and I’m sure he’s made plenty of friends with his latest antics, I wonder if he’ll “Lawer up” with the Dutch Rudder Gang?

Jarhead

Sitting there wearing a bakery hat, I can imagine the war stories parading through this asshole’s imaginary mind.
The air medals were for flying a B 52 every day in some patient’s mouth. Of course these were miniatures to fit in a mouth, but it was still dangerous; especially when landing while being spit on. The DFC was earned when I encountered bad breath, which was often. Now the silver star was awarded for my bravery in carrying a cavity nearly ten feet under intense fire from my dental assistant who had just farted! Imagine for yourself having to dodge other really bad-ass teeth, all demanding to be pulled out immediately! Man it was hell trying to decide which was in worse shape. Finally, the purple heart was for wounds received when a patient damned near bit my finger off when I gave him too little novacain. I’m just thankful it wasn’t one of my female patients with whom I did some “exploratory surgery” with my penile camera. I eventually figured out if you gave them enough nitrous oxide, I could bang the hell out of them and tell them when they came to that I had spilled a cup of buttermilk by accident on their lap. Damn, how I long for those days!

Ex-PH2

Good thing I swallowed before reading that, Jarhead.

William Shrum

I am his brother and I loved your comment. I am so happy this scum bag has been outed at last! When the FBI is finished with him the only medal he will have is some silver bracelets! Thank you for your service.

A Proud Infidel®™

I hope the Feebies get a good solid case against him. How long has he been playing this con game?

William Shrum

He has been running this scam for over 40 years, I hope his sentence is at least that long!

Green Thumb

Word.

3/17 Air Cav

Gotta give the Army credit for wanting to take care of the troops in the field. They took a dental tech. Sent him to jungle warfare school, then to Airborne school, make him a combat medic, just so he can make house calls in the bush to clean teeth!

Smile

Hack Stone

Be sure to slit.

Hack Stone

Spit! Be sure to spit!

Stupid IPhone.

ChipNASA

I wouldn’t even let this craptastic mess tongue my bung.
/He can do that later in Prison, Mr Tossed Salad Guy.

Combat Historian

A toothfairyfucker…

A Proud Infidel®™

A Unicorn Molester!

Hondo

I’m guessing “tooth fairy” will be his nickname if he ends up in prison.

Skippy

Supper doper Trurd & SH&: BAG !!!!!!

3/17 Air Cav

Claw…..it appears this guy was around Phu Bai about the same time as you! Is it possible his AO was in the vicinity of your mouth? Smile!

CLAW131

3/17, Nope, the 85th Evac was across the active airfield from us on the REMF side of things.

Sure am glad I never had to visit the dentist while I was there. This POS would have probably stolen the gold from my fillings while I was knocked out from the laughing gas.

Anyway, you know his shit was flaky from the get go when his own brothers called him out for being a scammer and all around con artist.

Probably about the correct things on that forged up DD214 are his name and the SPN code 46A.

46A is defined as: Unsuitability,apathy,defective attitudes & inability to extend effort constructively. That describes him to a “T”.

He’s most assuredly is a Turd with a capital T.

CLAW131

Another thing I don’t believe about that forged DD214 is that he was a SSG E-6. There’s no way the Army would have allowed that pathetic POS to be a hard stripe NCO in charge of troops or a Clinic NCOIC. At best he would have been a Spec6 with no leadership responsibilities at all.

I’m betting with an Unsuitable General Discharge he was no more than a Spec4 upon separation.

CLAW131

And that’s backed up by his second period of service 2-1.

Duty MOS always listed as 42D20 (E-5 or below), never as 42D30 for an E-6.

Hondo

Believe that it’s ##X20 for E5 and ##X10 for E4 and below.

CLAW131

Not necessarily, Hondo.

Back then (Vietnam timeframe) most of the technical MOS’s earned from AIT carried a 20 level from E-1 to E-5.

I graduated from AIT as a PFC 67N20 and if I had stayed on as a Huey Mechanic, that would have been my MOS all the way up until I made E-6.

Hondo

Yeah, you’d think he’d change the SPN code and the type discharge issued (DD257A is the general discharge cert).

Not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, is he?

OC

Whenever I read about these shitbags I get out a copy of my 214, look at box 13a, read “HONORABLE” and smile.
There but for a really phuqed up idea, go I.

OC

Daisy Cutter

Anybody that runs is a BCD. Anybody that stands still is well-disciplined BCD.

Get Shrum!

charles w

I went to the same High School. I must be a secret agent dental tech too.

Jarhead

What’s up Doc? Other than the price of the family size jar of Vaseline! Forget the market, it’s buy, buy, buy while you can afford it! Thinkus anus.

11B-Mailclerk

Could his MOS be the reason that getting his complete 214 is like pulling teeth?

Hack Stone

If you need some dental laughs, please enjoy.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9uL1Ll6lRoM

CLAW131

Yep, good ole “Doc” Shrum. The only 42D Denture Repairman in the world with a Distinquished (not a misspeller, that’s the way it’s listed on his “valid” DD214) Flying Cross.

Talk about giving a man a million dollar education and then getting nothing in return for the investment.

And now he’s been scamming the VA for 3K plus a month for 40 years. Jesus, what I draw combined for both retired GI pay (20 plus) and Social Security (45 year work history) doesn’t even come to that much.

Hope the Feds break it off in him when he’s brought to trial.

Showa

According to Federal Bureau of Prisons website- BOP.GOV it says David E Shrum inmate#20445-013 was released on 06.09 1997

Lee Beswick

I read an article many years ago concerning the concept of “fantasy ideology” and the psychological pathology behind it. I refer to if often as it can aid in understanding why individuals (and sometimes groups) do as they do. In the case of these military phonies, they have created for themselves a fantasy life/persona and have ascribed to the rest of us the part of bit players in their little psycho-drama. Others are not regarded as individuals with their own ideas and motivations. In the poser’s mind, they have assigned a role to us as the fawning admirer to be impressed/frightened by the phony’s supposed level of bad-assery. They will of course lash out in anger or attempt to gain our sympathy by more falsehoods if we fail to adhere to the role we have been relegated to in their mind. In any case, they should (in my opinion)be prosecuted for their falsehoods. Impersonating a police officer or federal agent is a criminal offense. Since military persons are federal “employees”, falsely claiming to be when you are not, should be prosecutable.

William Shrum

One more thing, he claimed to have half of his right arm blown off along with the broken back and neck, but yet he has no scars at all on his body! It really makes you wonder what goes on in his tiny little brain?

Johnny Cash

When is all this suppose to go down with the feds busting him. A friend if mine just got hired by him as a aprintist. Making teeth and such. My goodness I got to let them know.

Bill Shrum

Just an update for you guys, the VA or the FBI has still done nothing to this assbite, he is still getting his 3K a month for his phony PTSD and I doubt they will ever do anything to him. I wish he was doing time in the barbed wire hotel instead of lounging on his property in NM!