thedrifter
07-03-06, 07:38 AM
Medals too easy to buy
Military decorations available for anyone
PEKIN - (Peoria) Journal Star For a few hundred bucks or less, you, too, can be outfitted in authentic military dress blues and a rack full of shiny medals to boot. Order them by Internet, over the phone or drop by the local pawn shop or military surplus.
"Most of the time, what we see is a vet trying to replace an original they lost, or a collector looking for a nice find," says Dave Barth, owner of Pekin Gun and Sporting Goods. "We could order all new medals, but they're just not in that high of demand."
Barth said most of the medals they come across and turn around and sell are from auctions or estate sales. One recent day, the military surplus shop had a handful of dusty medals lining the bottom of a display case, including two Distinguished Flying Crosses and a World War II Marine Corps good conduct medal. Prices ranged from $20 to $50.
In another area of the shop, patches and pins of various ranks and branch of military abound. Only from time to time do they have a uniform for sale "whatever someone might find in their attic," Barth said.
And there's nothing wrong with what they sell.
Nothing is illegal; that is, until someone pins on the medals, purchases a uniform and impersonates a military officer or represents themselves as earning awards they haven't.
The claims of a Dunlap man who purported to be a retired colonel from the U.S. Marines and awarded a Navy Cross, a four-time Defense Distinguished Service Medal recipient, a three-time Silver Star recipient and an eight-time Purple Heart recipient have come under question.
Military organizations and experts say Ted Bantis' claims of service and award are false. Bantis -- who attended a number of Marine Corps functions including annual Marine birthday balls, funerals and at least one local public speaking engagement on Sept. 11, 2004 -- never served a day as a Marine in his life.
Because of this incident and others, some argue that the ease with which these medals can be attained can invite some to impersonate genuine members of the military, retired or active.
"It's absolutely too easy," says Thomas A. Richards, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel and National Junior Vice Commander of the Legion of Valor, a nationally chartered organization for recipients of the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross and the Air Force Cross.
Richards said the manufacturing of several medals was allowed to privatize in the early 1990s, thereby allowing more retailers to sell the awards, which increased the medals' availability and increased the chances of ending up in the hands of more impostors. He noted three people were spotlighted in one recent week as claiming to be Navy Cross recipients when in fact they were not.
Still, not all buyers have false intentions.
Linda Foster, co-owner of Medals of America, likely the largest authorized dealer in military awards in the U.S., says most of their customers consist of veterans or family members of a veteran who simply want to preserve the honor they earned.
The company, which estimates shipping 20,000 to 30,000 full-size medals each year, employs veterans who take the retail orders and question the suspicious. Some proof is required for purchase of the nearly dozen valor medals they sell, Foster said. Other companies may not do so.
Still, FBI Special Agent Thomas A. Cottone Jr., who has tracked down more than 100 phony veterans, said the opportunities to impersonate a member of the military are readily available.
Ellie
Military decorations available for anyone
PEKIN - (Peoria) Journal Star For a few hundred bucks or less, you, too, can be outfitted in authentic military dress blues and a rack full of shiny medals to boot. Order them by Internet, over the phone or drop by the local pawn shop or military surplus.
"Most of the time, what we see is a vet trying to replace an original they lost, or a collector looking for a nice find," says Dave Barth, owner of Pekin Gun and Sporting Goods. "We could order all new medals, but they're just not in that high of demand."
Barth said most of the medals they come across and turn around and sell are from auctions or estate sales. One recent day, the military surplus shop had a handful of dusty medals lining the bottom of a display case, including two Distinguished Flying Crosses and a World War II Marine Corps good conduct medal. Prices ranged from $20 to $50.
In another area of the shop, patches and pins of various ranks and branch of military abound. Only from time to time do they have a uniform for sale "whatever someone might find in their attic," Barth said.
And there's nothing wrong with what they sell.
Nothing is illegal; that is, until someone pins on the medals, purchases a uniform and impersonates a military officer or represents themselves as earning awards they haven't.
The claims of a Dunlap man who purported to be a retired colonel from the U.S. Marines and awarded a Navy Cross, a four-time Defense Distinguished Service Medal recipient, a three-time Silver Star recipient and an eight-time Purple Heart recipient have come under question.
Military organizations and experts say Ted Bantis' claims of service and award are false. Bantis -- who attended a number of Marine Corps functions including annual Marine birthday balls, funerals and at least one local public speaking engagement on Sept. 11, 2004 -- never served a day as a Marine in his life.
Because of this incident and others, some argue that the ease with which these medals can be attained can invite some to impersonate genuine members of the military, retired or active.
"It's absolutely too easy," says Thomas A. Richards, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel and National Junior Vice Commander of the Legion of Valor, a nationally chartered organization for recipients of the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross and the Air Force Cross.
Richards said the manufacturing of several medals was allowed to privatize in the early 1990s, thereby allowing more retailers to sell the awards, which increased the medals' availability and increased the chances of ending up in the hands of more impostors. He noted three people were spotlighted in one recent week as claiming to be Navy Cross recipients when in fact they were not.
Still, not all buyers have false intentions.
Linda Foster, co-owner of Medals of America, likely the largest authorized dealer in military awards in the U.S., says most of their customers consist of veterans or family members of a veteran who simply want to preserve the honor they earned.
The company, which estimates shipping 20,000 to 30,000 full-size medals each year, employs veterans who take the retail orders and question the suspicious. Some proof is required for purchase of the nearly dozen valor medals they sell, Foster said. Other companies may not do so.
Still, FBI Special Agent Thomas A. Cottone Jr., who has tracked down more than 100 phony veterans, said the opportunities to impersonate a member of the military are readily available.
Ellie