Phony Marine nabbed at Lititz vet's funeral

[thedrifter]

Phony Marine nabbed at Lititz vet's funeral
Mourner bought full uniform on eBay. Cop says ‘I can’t explain it.’
Lancaster New Era
Published: Dec 17, 2008
10:26 EST
Lititz

By TOM MURSE, Staff Writer

Justin McDade was decked out for a Vietnam veteran's funeral last week in his crisp U.S. Marine Corps dress blues — a scarlet "blood stripe" up the trousers, sergeant stripes on the blouse, white hat and all.

One problem: The 21-year-old Lititz man is not, and never was, a Marine.

He picked up the elaborate military getup on eBay for about $200, police say.

When an on-duty Lititz police officer assigned to escort the large procession on Thursday recognized McDade — and knew he was not a Marine — he walked over to him.

"You need to leave," Officer Ken Wolfe told McDade.

The young man left the service and walked down to headquarters.

He turned over the uniform and was arrested on an obscure, rarely enforced law against misrepresenting yourself as a member of the military and dealing in medals and decorations. Police were still preparing the charges this morning.

"It's a weird charge. It's not an often-used section of the crimes code," said Lititz police Sgt. Kerry Nye. "The issue is, he was in full uniform."

McDade, who lives in the 400 block of West Marion Street in Lititz, admitted to the offense, police said, but did not offer any explanation.

"I can't explain it either," Nye said.

McDade could not be reached for comment this morning. A telephone number listed for him in Lititz was not in service.

The criminal charge, dealing in military decorations, is a third-degree misdemeanor and punishable by up to a year in prison under the law, which was enacted in the early 1970s.

A person is guilty of the charge "if, without authority, he purchases, sells, or offers for sale, or accepts as a pledge or pawn, any medal, insignia or decoration granted by the United States for service in the armed forces."

McDade was among an estimated 150 mourners who packed the funeral home on South Broad Street for the late 65-year-old Vietnam veteran, a Lititz resident who had served in the Marines and was widely known in his hometown. Police declined to identify the veteran by name.

McDade was an acquaintance of the veteran. "It wasn't like he just walked in to someone's funeral," said Nye.

The young man was, however, the only one there in uniform — and, as one witness put it, "stuck out a little bit."


Staff writer Tom Murse can be reached at tmurse@LNPnews.com or 481-6021.

Ellie

[nptwildcat]

No excuses! Give him the full punishment and send the message loud and clear.

[Enigmatic]

Agreed. Will they ever learn? Did the kid think he was somehow honoring the Marine by dressing up as a Marine Sgt??

[Sgt Morales, AM]

What an idiot!!! Full punishment indeed!!! I guess he really wanted to be one of the few and the proud.

[SGT7477]

Just another non hacker wanting to be one of us.

[Zebra29er]

Just another non hacker wanting to be one of us.

That's all he is , is a wanna be , he should be made to go through boot and then to Levee for one year

[A-1 dirt]

Normally I'd totally agree to string him up but there is something odd here. He knew the deceased, he knew the policeman and he then turned himself in. Maybe it was some weird cry for help or maybe he thought he was honoring the deceased or maybe you guys are right. If there is a rest of the story I'd like to hear it. Dave Lovewell

[Sgt Leprechaun]

He's a negat retard with no sense. Unless mentally deranged (and that's unlikely), I'd like to see him snipping grass around the gravestones of the local veterans cemetary with a set of tweezers all summer, while wearing a sign begging for forgiveness.