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thedrifter
07-15-04, 09:05 AM
FBI probes POW-annabe for fraud <br />
By Tom Farmer <br />
Thursday, July 15, 2004 <br />
<br />
A Groton man who claims he escaped from a Vietnamese prison camp and earned distinguished war medals is an apparent fraud...

MillRatUSMC
07-15-04, 09:26 AM
All this sound phony to me;
He saw prisoners' limbs tied to four water buffalos that moved in different directions and saw wild dogs eat the prisoners' torn-away limbs.

He escaped after killing several guards, leaving 150 other prisoners behind, and returned with U.S. forces to find only 60 survivors.

He served a second ``revenge tour'' in Vietnam in which he ``took out'' 165 enemy soldiers.

This might have some truth to it;
He was wounded three times, including shrapnel wounds to the head and gunshot wounds to his back and hip.

But why change your DD 214?
Who does he want to impress?
I feel shamed because he a fellow Marine for now.
Does he seel the limelight?
Now he in deep trouble.
Sad...

<MARQUEE BEHAVIOR=scroll DIRECTION=left LOOP=infinite>The meaning of professionalism: P-People, R-Responsibility, O-Objective, F-Focus, E-Expectations, S-Standards, S-Safety, I- Integrity, O-Obligation, N-Knowledge, A-Accountability, L-Leadership, I-Inspire, S-Simplicity, M-Mission</MARQUEE>

http://www.geocities.com/millrat_99/cmem.html
My new and improved site on the Community Veterans Memorial.

"The saddest part of the job that I have undertaken is that the armed services by their nature, represent the last resort,
when rational solutions to the country's problems have failed."
~ Lt. Cmdr. Harry Mossman US Navy ~
Remains recover in 1992 and indentified recently.

"A man or woman is measured
by the footprint,
he or she leaves behind".

"They were the best you had, America,
and you turned your back on them".
~ Joe Galloway ~ Speaking about Vietnam Veterans

Semper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo

thedrifter
07-16-04, 09:29 AM
Teenager: War `hero' betrayed my trust
By Tom Farmer
Friday, July 16, 2004

As the FBI investigates a Groton man who allegedly lied about being a prisoner of war and a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, some of the people Donald S. Weikel duped say they will never be so trusting again.

``It's heartbreaking,'' said Judith Maloof of Groton, whose son, Trevor, included Weikel's bogus war stories in a 2002 book he wrote for his Eagle Scout project.

``He was a kid and wrote these accounts and there was no way to check. It was a 16-year-old kid trusting these men to tell the truth. I think Trevor certainly learned from it.''

The Herald reported yesterday that Weikel, 56, was never a POW nor did he earn the Silver Star, Bronze Star or three Purple Hearts as he claimed in Maloof's book, ``This Story Shall the Good Man Teach His Son, A Documentation of Massachusetts War Veterans,'' and in two articles published last week in the Ayer Public Spirit.

Although Weikel, a Charlestown native, did serve in Vietnam with the Marines in the spring and summer of 1969, he was never captured nor presented with the highly coveted awards, according to the Department of Defense and the Marine Corps.

Trevor Maloof, whose father, Roger, is a combat Vietnam vet, interviewed 22 Bay State veterans for his book, including Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John F. Kerry [related, bio] and Medal of Honor recipients Thomas G. Kelley and Thomas J. Hudner. The book was distributed with the help of the Veterans Administration to state public libraries.

``It kind of puts the book down because he's in there,'' said the teenage author, who will attend New York University in the fall. ``If we do a second printing, I can tell them to take out that part.''

http://news.bostonherald.com/images/localRegional/20040716_vet_lg.jpg

Trevor Maloof (right) with Don Wiekel.

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=35866


Ellie

MillRatUSMC
07-16-04, 12:11 PM
http://news.bostonherald.com/images/localRegional/20040716_vet_lg.jpg
I'm trying to make out which organization he belongs to, VFW or American Legion.

Its sad that lies told, will always hurt the innocents.
Thousands served and not all could or were placed in situations where one's actions would be heroic in nature.
I still say to all veterans of any war, "Be proud of your service" whatever you did.
Don't pad the resume.
What we did in a war that some thought madness, is only for us to know and think about.
Lies will come back twenty times to haunt you.
And hurt those you don't want to hurt.
Sad...

Semper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo

yellowwing
07-16-04, 12:43 PM
"It is my humble privilege to serve our country in any capacity and under any circumstances."
THEODORE S. KOPFMAN
Commander - United States Navy
Shot Down: June 15, 1966
Released: February 12, 1973

Contributed by POW Network (http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/k/k049.htm)

Even some time in a Groton Correctional Facility will not give this schmuck any idea what the likes of Commander Kopfman endured for all of us.

radio relay
07-16-04, 01:21 PM
They're everywhere!!!

The saddest thing about these low life, poop brained idiots, is that they give the guys who earned their awards, and accolades a bad name, too, because everyone now has a little tiny voice in the back of their heads saying "did he really earn it?". It diminishes respect for all Veterans.

Wonder how the 'bird actually got shot?