Veteran Status Matters

by: Thurman Hart

Wed Nov 26, 2008 at 09:25:27 PM EST

When I made an issue of Chris Myers' claims to be a "decorated combat veteran", there were some who told me that I was treading where I shouldn't. Leave the man alone, I was told. He served honorably, let him say what he will about it.

For the record, all I ever did was tell the full story of Chris Myers' service. He served honorably. He was awarded combat designations. But he did not serve in combat capacity. It was awarded under a waiver by the Secretary of the Navy.

Today, we get a lesson in why everyone who claims military valor should be vetted. William Devereaux, the Director of Veterans' Programs in the NJ Department of Military and Veteran Affairs was discovered to be a big fake.

Thurman Hart :: Veteran Status Matters

Prosecutors said Devereaux falsely claimed on military benefits forms for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that he served as a paratrooper and artilleryman during the war and was injured multiple times. He also claimed to have received medals including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with "V'' device.

The Purple Heart, of course, is given for being injured by enemy fire. The Bronze Star is the fourth highest ranking medal given by the US military. The "V" device means that it was awarded for an instance of outstanding valor.

Men such as Devereaux make a life out of making a fool of us all. Worse, at least in my eyes, is that they make a life off of the suffering of other men. Like a parasite, they leech the life stories of those who are deserving of respect and honor when they are not. Men like my own grandfather who served as a POW in WW2 - or like Ralph Knox who survived horrible conditions only to die of hypothermia in his own front yard.

So, yes, it does matter. It matters a hell of a lot. The Battlin' Bastards of Bataan are largely forgotten in this country. So are thousands of other veterans coming home now who are suffering from mental and physical injuries taken in our name. While sales "Support the Troops" crap remains all the rage, the fact is that we fall far short of actually supporting or honoring them or even protecting them from men such as Devereaux that would steal their very lives from under them.

It matters.