More phony soldier BS
They seem to be coming out of the woodwork this week. Terry Richard Calandra, 59, of Forks Township, Pa. wasn’t happy with forging documents for a Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star and a Bronze Star with a “V” device, and FOUR Purple Hearts he decided to get Arlen Specter involved in getting him a Congressional Medal of Honor for his six months in Vietnam and set off alarms in the Army Department;
The Army most recently began reviewing Calandra’s file in August after U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., forwarded an inquiry from Calandra about his Medal of Honor nomination.
“Mr. Terry Calandra has contacted my Allentown office inquiring on the status of his nomination for the Congressional Medal of Honor,” Specter wrote in a July 18 letter to the Military Awards Branch. “Since the request falls under your jurisdiction, I have forwarded you a copy of his request.”
Specter later told a local newspaper editorial board that Calandra should be considered for the military’s top award.
In an e-mail to Army Times, spokesperson Kate Kelly said, “Sen. Specter’s office has been briefed by the Army concerning the questions surrounding Mr. Calandra’s service.” She declined further comment.
You can read the whole story at the link – the story about how his order numbers don’t match the National Archives records. I don’t understand this stuff at all. If you’re ashamed of what you accomplished in the military, do a better job of picking your career field.
And then the cum bubble has the unmitigated gall to say “If the Army wants to change their mind, that’s their business. I’ll send my medals back. I don’t need them.” If you don’t need them, why’d you bother to start harranging your Senator about your Congressional Medal of Honor?
Be proud of your service, no matter what it was. I knew a guy who has passed now whose entire service was as a meat cutter in Buffalo, New York during World War II. He never tried to make himself anything else and he was proud of his service just the way it was. Someone needed to it and he’d done his part contributing to the effort.
Hat tip to 1stCAVRVN11B.
Category: Politics
Where’s Bob now? The evidence is mounting and I’m not the one that’s gonna grill these two guys…..but I’d love to.
Winter Soldier,
And IVAW is nothing but deserters,screw ups, traitors and liars.
HUNTSMAN, Charles Ray, Sep 24, 1948 – Jun 20, 2001, Sp4 US Army Vietnam, Purple Heart}
Could this have been the same guy noted in this article? From cemetary records in Westmoreland, TN. Pine Grove Cemetary
http://www.pownetwork.org/pownet.secure/calandra1.pdf
If so, I’ve never seen a Sp4 CO before.
Now, Mr. Faro, Read all the info I’ve gathered in the previous posts. You requested our own research and there it is. You spent 9 months “researching” and ended up woth bogus documents. That’s not research. I spent a couple hours on the internet and got more info than you did to prove the documents are phoney. Now you have to find out what Mr. Calandra knows. I’m sure if he read the citations he would have known they were incorrect. Thus, he’s living a lie. Prove me wrong.
It’s not nice to make your lawmakers look like fools!
To all my brothers out there this F@#kin guy has been left
alone for to long I think there is enought evidence out there to arrest his dum ass.I got this copy from a news paper my wife gave me yesterday titled A HERO FORGOTTEN IS NONETHELESS A HERO-A VIETNAM VETERAN`S STORY. Mother of God
this guy makes Johne Wayne look like pussy. Preety so I guess he will want the P-38 name after him. Yes I`am pissed
I have read about him for awhile I truly believe he wants to cheppen the meaning of the CMH . Tell me how in what 6mouths do you get to the rank of sgt. plus 5 hearts and SS plus a DSC sorry two SS and now you want to up grade ? It does not work that way. If he did what he claims he did he would have been written then. not so 30 plus years later.
this is truly a case of stolen Valor and that is against the LAW. Lets get his ass locked up.
jUST REREADING SOME OF THE PAPER WORK i HAVE COLLECTED ON THIS PIECE OF SHIT.JUST LET ME START WITH I SERVIED IN THE
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS IN NAM WITH HOTEL CO. 2nd Battalion 9th Marines 3rd Marine Div.66-67 DID A SECOND TOUR WITH L 3/5 FRIST MARINE DIV. NOW THIS MIGHT ONLY DEAL WITH THE CORPS BUT WHEN WE GOT 3 PURPLE HEARTS YOU WENT BACK TO THE WORLD. THIS CLOWN GETS 5!? COME ON NOW. PLUS WHEN YOUR WOUNDED AND ARE RECOVERING YOU DON`T GET TRANSFORED TO ANOTHER GUNT OUTFIT. WERE IS HIS CO ? LETS PUT HIM ON THE GRILL. I THINK THIS GUY NAME BOB ETHER HAS HIS NOISE UP HIS ASS OR WAS THE GUY WHO WROTE HIM UP.OH I`M PISSED
I swore to myself that I would not get involved in this ridiculous commentary but at this point I can’t help myself.
I’ve been following this story from the beginning. None of of you have given this Vet the benifit of the doubt except Bob. As I read the comments from you guys, it reminds me of a movie. You all sound like a mob of non-intelligent goofballs looking to lynch someone you have never met or know and have no concrete facts to go on except what you get from the internet or from what people have put on the internet. You read a few documents and hear what other have to say and just jump on the band-wagon. Let the FBI do the research and question who they have to question to get the answers and the facts, you might be surprised who is at fault. This site is nothing but water cooler talk. I wasted too much time saying this.
The paperwork on the links above by all accounts says it’s bull. You don’t really belive he did all that, do you? He may not have fudged the paperwork but sure as hell lived like he did. And the Feds will be knocking on doors. Keep in mind he and Bob provided all the info for the stories and editorials. They have proof of nothing except bogus paperwork. Only one of two things happened. The paperwork is totally F’d up and written by an unauthorized person. If that’s the case, it’s all a lie. The names don’t match with rank and command position…… or, he went with the flow and lived the life written by these people. either way it’s not good.
Not Worth Wasting My Time:
Stop wasting ours, defending this loser. Cool “handle” you picked, untraceable as “Anonymous”….
Got anything real to offer? Something that would give us reason to doubt the facts that we’ve already gathered and checked? Bring it on. There isn’t one of us here who wouldn’t apologize to him if the facts show him to be 100% authentic. We, by and large, are not Liberal Democrats who totally disregard facts and truths. We’re more critical than that. We’ll wait………
nuf sed
Sure I will apologize. When pig fly. This guy is a phony plane and simple. The facts when read will show this to be true. No I no a liberal Democrat I just a Marine that is pissed.I ask every one to read the facts of this case . They do not add up . Rocket science is not need it. Just get your head an Ass Wired together an read them.
Semper / FI
Dear Mr or Ms. “Not Worth Wasting My Time” “You all sound like a mob of non-intelligent goofballs looking to lynch someone you have never met…” Excuse me? So anytime, anybody gets together to discuss something other than what you agree with, it is “water cooler talk?” I wasn’t got to waste my time answering you, but I feel the need to. First of all, none of the information collected was dragged off of some questionable blog. There are way to many inconsistencies with this account and story to be left unchecked. I worked a “spell” in publishing as an editorial assistant and quality assuarance and accuracy are the bread and butter of integrity. This is a domain of free exchange. You are free to share your point of view as these inconsistencies. You are invited to comment on the following: 1)Please feel free to explain the incorrect General Order numbers (These are concrete evidence in the National Archives and something that Col Al Gleim spent the later part of his life researching). General Order numbers don’t change and few mistakes are made. Please consult the well referenced index of DSC awards put together by Gleim and Planchet press (from their review of all of the General Orders for the major commands with DSC awarding power in the National Archives). You are welcomed to counteract their research and demonstrate why Calandra has not turned up on their list. Was he overlooked? Maybe. But he should be able to produce clear and accurate information to the contrary. And no, General Order numbers do not skip thousands of numbers ahead. Just like your check book, many things in life happen in sequential order most of the time. 2) How was our friend pulled from a unit in the Delta, the 4th CTZ (or 4th Corps) with the 9th Division, and then finds himself in the Battle of Hamburger Hill with the 101st AB, where he contrary to established facts from the US advisory team, he supports a ARVN unit from retreating early one morning. In actuality, this ARVN unit doesn’t arrive till… Read more »
Very well said. Thanks.
Regular Joe : Out F*&KING standing job well written..
Guys,
You all sound like a bunch of old ladies…LOL
The Army and AF screw up paperwork all the time. Missing orders, numbers out of sequence, name and/or rank/Grade wrong – BTDT
I served over 30 years with the USAF, US Army & National Guard (combined). I have been ‘pinned’ in formation for promotions and awards that never apppeared on any document. ‘Wounded’ twice during enemy activity and no PH. Plus I didn’t learn about some awards (PUC, 2nd COG, 3rd VSM) until after I retired. I was definitely out of uniform for most of my career…LOL
However for records that are really screwed up – my Father’s and Grandfather’s WWII records are a mess…
IMHO – Discussing this outside of NPRC or a court of law is just a waste of time…
SFC US Army, Retired…
TSO Wrote: You got pinned for promotion and awards, and they didn’t hand you the copy of the orders authorizing it? You served in VERY different units than I did then, because you didn’t get shit handed to you without the accompanying paperwork. I agree that Army paperwork is completely FUBAR, but this just strikes me as odd.
BTW- If you want to correct your record and get the PH(s) you earned, send us an email at the email addy listed. I know some people who can do it for you.
SFC,
If we, former vets and active duty, don’t root out and report these goings on, who will? Follow the above links and info and decide yourself. The orders are posted and bogus. The names and ranks don’t jive. Nor does the order numbers and authorization for at least one of the awards.
While I agree there very well could be errors, I say not that many on 2 GO’s. Who knows how many others are wrong in his Personel Record.
Waste of time? I think not. Not when somebody is seeking the MOH!
The NPRC and Feds ARE looking into the matter.
You’re an E-7 after 30 yrs. This guy made E-5 in 6 months. Doesn’t that ring odd? As somebody said earlier, his exploits makes John Wayne look like a pussy.
Check out this link and decide for yourself whether it’s worth the effort. Look at some of the other phonies that have been outed. And there is lots of them.
http://www.pownetwork.org/pownet.secure/calandra1.pdf
Thanks for the thoughts.
badmoon,
See post #’s 49 and 53 !
Correction to the link in #66
http://www.pownetwork.org/phonies/phonies1055.htm
Has there been any more.Or is this all done and we can put this in the shit can? Any others let me know I will hunt them down.
So, today is 10/12/2011 and Terry Colandra is now an admitted loser. It was all bull**** as we predicted.
To Mr. Bob Faro, I say, next time to take up a cause, check out the facts first. You’ve been made a fool of by what you call a friend.
To Mr.Calandra, I ask that you go back into your hole and don’t come out. But first get some help with your ego problem.
To the others that have posted, thanks. Only a dimwit could falsify records in such a poor manner.
Shun him and ban him from all military organizations, now!
check out the article.
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/breaking-news/index.ssf/2011/10/valley_man_lies_about_silver_s.html
H’mmmmm, LV Vet has presented something that Bobbo would have a hard time arguing against.
Karma is such a bitch.
[…] admits stolen valor October 12th, 2011 We first wrote about Terry Richard Calandra, 59, of Forks Township, Pa. back in December 2009. He’d spent decades forging a phony record […]
Yet another baseless witch hunt by Lilyea against a combat veteran that went without an apology
OG: You are stuck on stupid. Did you not read the story? Oh, that’s right, you can’t read. Moron.
Obumblergirl, you poor wretch. You just come on here, note the general topic of a post, and proceed to shit allover yourself. Poor thing…….
It’s obvious that OG has no power of comprehension, and can’t see past her rose-colored glasses. Oops, does mentioning rose-colored make me a racist?
As I live in the Lehigh Valley (Forks Township)I am familiar with Bob Faro so I am guessing he, like many others around these parts, was taken in by Calandra’s BS. For Christ’s sake, the man came this close to being awarded the MOH so he must have been pretty convincing. Regardless of how or why Bob became Calandra’s main defender, I believe he should be cut some slack given he has spent the last year and a half tending to his son, a Marine, who was severely injured in 2010 when he had the misfortune of falling victim to a roadside IED while patrolling in Afghanistan. One would think LVvet would know this and would agree rather than attack him further. Just my $.02.
Eddie: I don’t know him, but if you look at the dates of the “attacks” against him, you may notice an inconvenient item. The “attacks” were committed Prior to 2010. Anything since has been purely against the culprit, with a stone or two of advice for Bob. Fact is he took up a defensive position without knowing he was defending a fraud. That his son has been wounded in action saddens all of us here, and I am sure that I speak for the regulars in saying that we all wish him the best in the future, and appreciate his sacrifice.
Frankly Opinionated – I understand what you are saying. Perhaps attack was the wrong word to use. I saw Calandra at a couple of events over the years and can tell you he was pretty convincing when you heard him speak. A shame he brought others down with him.
Eddie- Mr. Faro was hammered early on when this story took root.
He was defending the indefencible at the time. His “research” was flawed, if done at all. He was presented bogus documentation and took it as fact. He was a pawn in Calandra’s fantasy. I’m surprised none of this was questioned 30 yrs. ago. Of course, it took Calandra years to fabricate the documents and “Freedom of information act” did not exist.
As for Bob’s son, I too wish him the best. Bob too.
Congratulations, OG. You just went full retard.
BTW–when you gonna release YOUR records?
In closing this case, I would love to know how and who got those docs in question into his records. I’ll have to look up the court record to verify my hunch. My guess is they never were there until somebody sent them to somebody in power. When that happened it was the end of the line for Calandra.
@LVvet. Would those be the records Doug Sterner was discussing in today’s other posts on this story. Sterner stated that Calandra provided those records to the Army Board for Correction of Military Records. He basically pasted his name over someone else’s citations and the ABCMR took them at face value without checking their authenticity. Doug said it was Brendan McGarry(the same reporter who could prove Calandra’s story was true according to Bob) who uncovered the copy/paste job.
Avg. NCO- I’m still out one this. I doubt Calandra submitted the docs himself. My gut says Faro was fed the phoney docs to him by Terry, and then passed them to the Army Times and others to foster Calandra’s case. I would be shocked if the dirtbag was stupid enough to persue this award on his own. The amazing part is how the “citations/orders” got into the official records. Calandra had to sign the application for correction to his file. Today’s articles say it was a slipup by the Army Board of Corrections by not catching the phoney docs right away. That’s surely possible and probable. I feel sorry for Faro, who was dupped for so long by this a-hole. But he obviously knew nothing about how citations/orders are written/ awarded or given. Safe to say he never saw his own or others to verify real from crapolla. Now he has to bear the burden of aiding and abeting a phoney hero. Stupid is as stupid does. I’d feel more sorry for him if he didn’t claim to research and vet the orders for nine months. I found they were phoney in a few key strokes on the internet.
GO ARMY!
I was wrong!!!! Calandra IS dumber than I gave him credit for. He DID persue this himself by giving the docs to Specter…..
This from York Daily.Com Also, I was right in guessing he was doomed when the docs were presented to those in power. (Sen. Specter)
“ALLENTOWN, Pa.—A Vietnam veteran has pleaded guilty to lying about receiving several military medals in a vain attempt to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Sixty-two-year-old Terry Calandra, a former Pennsylvania resident now living in New Jersey, was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $500 fine. He was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Philadelphia.
Prosecutors say Calandra presented fraudulent documents three years ago to the office of then-U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter that indicated he had been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star and two Purple Hearts.
Calandra hoped to enlist Specter’s support in his bid to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military honor.
Calandra’s attorney, Robert Woodruff, says his client was wounded in battle in 1969 and became convinced that he had done enough to earn the medals that he falsely claimed he received.”
And more keeps coming on this gentleman….
Plea document with FBI statements. He even wore “jump wings” and displayed a ribbon on his business cards not issued since the Korean War. Here’s the link.
http://media.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county_impact/other/terry-calandra-plea-memo.pdf
[…] PTSD made me lie October 17th, 2011 Terry Calandra, who we discussed here and here, released a statemnet this weekend blaming his PTSD for his lies about a Silver Star and […]
PTSD made him lie…what’s next? The devil made him do it? Sweet root beer drinking Baby Jesus on a tricycle. As much as he went through, many others went through far more and worse with NO recognition. Absolutely stunning.