Guardian of Valor Started After American Idol Faker Took The Stage

Meet the country's most prominent "stolen valor" detective
CBS News
June 14, 2017

"It's just too great for some people. They would rather impersonate instead of actually go raise their hand and serve their country." Anthony Anderson

In 2013 "American Idol" featured a contestant with a sympathetic story.

"We were on a mission in Ramadi, Iraq, and we came across an IED, and the IED exploded," Matt Farmer said on "American Idol." Farmer served in Iraq, but was never injured in battle and later admitted "it was all lies" in a letter to the website, Guardian of Valor.

"When we outed the guy from 'American Idol', that pretty much started this whole thing," Guardian of Valor founder Anthony Anderson said.

Anderson may be the country's most prominent "stolen valor" detective. "Stolen valor" is a term applied to those who falsely claim military service, either to gain recognition or, in some cases, money. It's offensive for many Americans to think of, but it's real, and because the government often doesn't have the resources or time to investigate, private citizens pick up the slack, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor.

From his South Carolina basement, Anderson works day and night separating military fact from fiction.

"We've had family members turn their own family members in. It's crazy sometimes. I've had sons turn their dads in. I've had dads turn their sons in. It's wild," Anderson said.

The website features a "Hall of Shame" and links to video confrontations.
read more here

There is another fake hunter and this is one from last year from Don Shipley

"Friend to all, protector of the weak" lost his life to suicide

‘Hidden wounds’ claim USCB student, warrior — and a friend
Island Packet
BY BRIAN VOSICKY
Special to the Packet/Gazette
April 4, 2016

He was a friend to all and a protector of the weak.

Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/community/beaufort-news/bg-military/article142544299.html#storylink=cpy

About a year and a half ago, I wrote a column for this newspaper about my experiences with PTSD and how the University of South Carolina Beaufort Sand Sharks Veterans club helped unite fellow service members who may be struggling to cope with civilian life.

I spoke about how the deepest wounds can be the ones that are unseen, and that many aren’t fully aware of the severity of the problem until it is too late to act.

On March 31, Benjamin “Nick” Becker, 36, a U.S. Army combat veteran, a USCB student, SSV member, and my friend, succumbed to his hidden wounds and took his own life.

Nick was loved tremendously by all who knew him. Known best for his witty sense of humor and Cheshire-cat grin, he was always a bright light in the room. People naturally gravitated toward his magnetic charm. He was incredibly intelligent, compassionate, fearless and had a true warrior spirit.

Nick was one of the first friends I made at USCB.
read more here

Vietnam Veteran Finds Foster Family

James Island family fosters, falls in love with Vietnam veteran
Charleston Regional Business Journal
By Ashley Heffernan
August 18, 2016

“I didn’t know we were going to fall in love with him so (much) and the kids would. We thought we’d be taking care of somebody, but he’s just one of us now.” Lacresha Cromwell

Harry Vaughan enjoys watching television with the Cromwell family, especially Western films with 10-year-old Ashlyn Cromwell.

(Photo/Ashley Heffernan)

Harry Vaughan joined the military because it was his “brother duty.”

The 76-year-old, who grew up in Virginia, entered the Army in 1959 to be near his older brother. Two years in and “tired of walking,” he left the Army and joined the Navy to take care of his younger brother. They both served on the USS Valley Forge aircraft carrier, and Vaughan went on to spend a year sweeping rivers in Vietnam for mines.

After 22 years in the Navy, Vaughan transitioned to a career as a fence builder in North Charleston. But when his memory started deteriorating and doctors gave him a diagnosis of dementia, Vaughan moved into Agape Senior, an assisted living facility in North Charleston.

As of 2014, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reported nearly 130,000 Vietnam veterans were living in South Carolina, bringing in a median personal income of $34,436. About 62% of those veterans were between the ages of 65 and 74, while 9% were 75 or older.

Long-term-care costs can quickly eat into a veteran’s income.
read more here

PTSD: Sheriff Says South Carolina Veteran Committed Suicide By Cop

Sheriff: Veteran With PTSD Committed “Suicide by Cop”
ABC Columbia Staff
August 9, 2016

Little Mountain, S.C. (WOLO) — Richland County Coroner Gary Watts has identified than man involved in Monday’s officer involved shooting as James W. Jennings Jr.

According to Watts, autopsy results show Jennings died of multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body including one that was self inflicted. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott tells ABC Columbia, Monday evening deputies responded to a domestic dispute on Wash Lever Road to find Jennings barricaded inside his home. Lott explains that after hours of negotiation the man shot himself twice before pointing the gun at officer, who returned fire.

“We tried to use non lethal means to subdue him, that didn’t work and when he actually threatened the officer and pointed the gun we didn’t have a choice at that point. You know, he was trying to get us to kill him.” says Lott.

The Sheriff says Jennings was a military veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
read more here

South Carolina PTSD Veteran Died in Standoff with Deputies

Sheriff: Man Who Died in Standoff with Deputies Had PTSD 
WLTX News 
August 09, 2016

Richland County deputies respond to a standoff

with a man in Little Mountain on August 9, 2016.

(Photo: WLTX)

Richland County, SC (WLTX) - Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott says the man who died in a confrontation with his deputies Monday night was a military veteran who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
read more here

Two Soldiers Shot To Death Trying To Help Stranger

Two South Carolina Soldiers Killed Defending Woman at Bar, Suspect Charged 
NBC News 
by CORKY SIEMASZKO 
JUL 26 2016 

The military was mourning two soldiers Tuesday who were fatally shot while trying to protect a woman from a gun-toting man in a South Carolina bar. 

Staff Sgt. Charles Allen Judge Jr., 40, and Sgt. First Class Jonathan Michael Prins, 29, "were acting as good Samaritans when they were shot," said Capt. Adam Myrick of the Lexington County Sheriff's Department. 
read more here

Marines Welcomed to Seneca With Hundreds of Open Arms

Hundreds line streets to welcome Marines to Upstate
WYFF 4 News
Mandy Gaither
Jun 20, 2016

30 Marines, 10 more who were discharged staying at Keowee Key

SENECA, S.C. —Hundreds of people from Easley to Seneca lined the streets to welcome U.S. Marines from Camp LeJeune who are visiting the Upstate this week.

The Marines arrived in Easley on buses and boarded Jeeps driven by members of the Upstate Legion Jeep Club. The Marines were escorted by the Patriot Guard.

"They lay their lives on the line for us all year long for us, and they miss their families. They miss their friends. They miss everything about being home to protect us. They deserve this," said Tom Giordani, a member of the Patriot Guard.

Those who wanted to show support lined the streets and waved the American flag.
read more here

The Proud, The Few, The Hajabed?

Citadel mulls allowing Muslim cadet to wear hijab, first religious uniform exception
The Washington Times
By Kellan Howell
April 15, 2016

The historic Citadel military academy is considering granting its first ever uniform exception to a female cadet who has asked to be allowed to wear a hijab in keeping with her Muslim faith.

Citadel spokeswoman Kim Keelor said Friday that is it the first such request that has been made, although the school has had a number of Muslim cadets, The Associated Press reported.
read more here

Remains of WWII Marine Finally Home

More than 70 years later, WWII Marine arrives home
WBTW
Nick Sturdivant
Published: April 5, 2016

FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – After more than 70 years, a United States Marine finally made it back home to Florence.

A Japanese sniper killed Sgt. John Charlton Holladay in 1943. However, on Monday his family finally got the chance to give him a proper burial.

Many across the area attended Holladay’s ceremony to recognize the once lost soldier. His family was at Charleston International Airport to receive his remains Friday.

Holladay was U.S. Marine during World War II, but after his death bombing runs would destroy the temporary grave he was buried in.

Last year, workers in the Solomon Islands found his remains in the jungle and through a DNA testing connected this missing marine back with his family.
read more here

Barber Going To Jail After Clipping VA Funds

Ninety-Six man convicted of trying to defraud Veterans Affairs 
ABC News 4 
BY SAM TYSON 
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23RD 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCIV) — A 48-year-old man from the town of Ninety-Six was sentenced in federal court this week for conspiring to defraud Veterans Affairs.

Charles B. Harris was sentenced to 20 months in prison and ordered him to pay $45,000 in restitution.

Prosecutors showed during the trial that from 2011 to 2014, Harris owned and operated the Greenwood Barber College, a school that was approved by the VA to teach veterans how to be barbers. Harris was supposed to certify student attendance and progress.

In December 2013, the Department of Veterans Affairs received a complaint that Harris was conspiring with various veterans in stealing government funds, prosecutors said.
read more here

Fisher House To Build Lodging Near Charleston VA

Lodging for VA patients’ families in the works
The Post and Courier
Diane Knich
Mar 19 2016

Emerson said he originally thought about organizing a golf tournament to raise about $30,000 for a good cause. But he ultimately got swept up into fundraising for the Fisher House and has helped raise $8 million of the required $10 million for the project.

The Charleston VA hospital soon will build the Fisher House Charleston at 150 Wentworth St. The old funeral home at the site will be torn down to make room for the facility, which is like a Ronald McDonald House where patients’ families can stay.
BRAD NETTLES/STAFF

Trux and Durbin Emerson’s desire to help veterans ultimately led to a $10 million campaign for a new lodging facility for families near the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center.

The Fisher House, similar in concept to a Ronald McDonald House, could open as early as next year on the site of the former McAlister-Smith Funeral Home at 150 Wentworth St.

The Charleston VA hospital soon will build the Fisher House Charleston at 150 Wentworth St. The old funeral home at the site will be torn down to make room for the facility, which is like a Ronald McDonald House where patients’ families can stay.

Family members of patients at the hospital will be able to stay for free in the 14,000-square-foot facility, which will include 16 bedroom suites and common kitchen, living and dining areas, said Trux Emerson, who retired from a residential real estate career and now lives on Kiawah Island.
read more here

Marine's Death At Parris Island Under Investigation

Marine Corps investigating death of recruit at Parris Island boot camp
Washington Post
Dan Lamonthe
March 18, 2016

The Marine Corps is investigating the death of an enlisted recruit Friday at its iconic recruit depot at Parris Island in South Carolina, Marine officials said.

The death occurred during the day at the depot, where about half of the service’s recruits are trained each year, said Capt. Gregory Carroll, a Marine spokesman at the depot. The circumstances of the death were not immediately clear, but it will be examined by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The identity of the recruit was being withheld by the service until the family is notified.
read more here

Iraq Veteran Killed In Line of Duty As Police Officer

Greenville police officer killed; suspect shot, killed himself
Greenville Online
Anna Lee and Elizabeth Sanders
March 18, 2016

Officer Allen Jacobs died in a hail of gunfire Friday afternoon while chasing a “confirmed and self-described gang member” who then turned the gun on himself, Greenville Police Chief Ken Miller said.

Jacobs, a 28-year-old officer and decorated Iraq War veteran, leaves behind a pregnant wife and two young sons, Miller said.

“We lose. We hurt. We ache,” Miller said. “No one wants to lose their officers.”

Addressing the media several hours later at City Hall in downtown Greenville, Miller said Jacobs’ gun was still holstered when he was shot by the suspect, 17-year-old Deontea Perry Mackey, about 12:30 p.m. behind a house in the Nicholtown community.

Jacobs and his partner were on patrol when they spotted Mackey on Rebecca Street and pulled over for a field interview, Miller said. The police chief said they weren’t trying to serve a warrant as he had earlier stated.
read more here

Marine Stabbed in Back After Road Rage Attack in Florida

Middleburg man jailed in apparent road-rage attack against Marine Corps lieutenant
Florida Times Union
By Dan Scanlan
Jan 25, 2016

Taken to UF Health Jacksonville for surgery when he suffered a 24-inch-long cut on his back, he is in good condition, according to hospital officials.

Josh Brannock, First Coast News

A 21-year-old Middleburg man is in the Clay County jail after a U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant was stabbed Sunday night in an apparent road-rage incident in a CVS parking lot on U.S. 17, according to the Orange Park Police Department. Tyler Lee Ennis of Seminole Village Drive was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after he was stopped in Middleburg an hour after the incident, police said.

The victim, Lt. Jared Cox, is part of the South Carolina-based Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122. He was here as part of training at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, said Capt. Clay Groover, a spokesman at the Beaufort, S.C., Marine Corps Air Station.
read more here

Ex-Wife Gave Key Evidence to Convict Navy Veteran of VA Fraud

Jury: Blythewood man defrauded VA, Social Security of $1.5 million in claiming hyped-up MS disabilities 
The State
John Monk
January 22, 2106

The case is unusual in that such a large amount of alleged fraud – a combined $1.5 million in VA and Social Security benefits, mostly from the VA – by one person is seldom-rarely brought to trial or even investigated by the government.

Dennis Paulsen leaving court earlier
this week. John Monk The State

COLUMBIA, SC
A federal jury on Friday found a Blythewood man guilty of stealing $1.5 million from the Veterans Administration and Social Security by falsely claiming for years that he suffered extreme impairments from multiple sclerosis.

While the man, Dennis Paulsen, 45, did in fact have multiple sclerosis, government prosecutors presented evidence during the six-day trial that Paulsen had for years led an active life that enabled him to claim some $9,400 a month in tax-free benefits instead of a far lesser amount.

The yearly tax-free income of some $112,000 from the VA and Social Security enabled Paulsen to live a nice life – unlike most people, Paulsen didn’t have a regular job – at his two-story home in Blythewood, which he shared for years with his now ex-wife, Kristine, and two sons.

Evidence presented during the trial showed that Paulsen had for years led a highly active life, playing multiple sports at a high level and even running in the Marine Corps Mud Run in 2008. On the last leg of that mud run, he picked up a stretcher with a person on it and lugged it to the finish line, evidence showed.

Key pieces of evidence were photos and writings from an Internet blog kept by Paulsen’s former wife, Kristine Paulsen, from about 2006-2011. During that time, Dennis Paulsen was receiving his major benefits.

read more here

Marine From Florida Among Missing After Helicopters Collided

Marines Identify 12 Missing After Helicopter Crash Off Hawaii
NBC News
by PHIL HELSEL
January 17, 2016

The Marine Corps on Saturday released the names of 12 Marines missing after two helicopters apparently collided in mid-air off the coast of Oahu Thursday, as the search continued for the missing air crew for a second day.

The missing air crew were identified as:

Maj. Shawn M. Campbell, 41, College Station, Texas.

Capt. Brian T. Kennedy, 31, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Capt. Kevin T. Roche, 30, St. Louis, Missouri.

Capt. Steven R. Torbert, 29, Florence, Alabama.

Sgt. Dillon J. Semolina, 24,Chaska, Minnesota.

Sgt. Adam C. Schoeller, 25, Gardners, Pennsylvania.

Sgt. Jeffrey A. Sempler, 22, Woodruff, South Carolina.

Sgt. William J. Turner, 25, Florala, Alabama.

Cpl. Matthew R. Drown, 23, Spring, Texas.

Cpl. Thomas J. Jardas, 22, Fort Myers, Florida.

Cpl. Christopher J. Orlando, 23, Hingham, Massachusetts.

Lance Cpl. Ty L. Hart, 21, Aumsville, Oregon.

Coast Guard and other aircraft and ships spent a second day searching for the missing Marines, but weather and high swells were hampering the effort.

As of 8 a.m. Saturday, searchers had scoured more than 5,000 square nautical miles, the Coast Guard said.
read more here

Sergeant Dillon Semolina

‘He Was Just A Fun-Loving Kid’: Missing Marine Left Mark On Community

Corporal Christopher Orlando
Family of missing Hingham Marine speak about son

Sgt. Adam C. Schoeller
PHILADELPHIA MARINE AMONG 12 MISSING AFTER HELICOPTER CRASH IN HAWAII

Medal of Honor recipient charged in misdemeanor hit-and-run

UPDATE
Charges dropped


Medal of Honor recipient charged in misdemeanor hit-and-run 
Assocaited Press
By MARTHA WAGGONER
Published: December 31, 2015

The driver left the scene after the pedestrian stood up and walked to the side of the road. The pedestrian then went inside the fitness center and police were called.

Retired Marine Corps Cpl. Kyle Carpenter smiles after receiving the Medal of Honor at the White House, June 19, 2014. Carpenter appeared in court Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, on misdemeanor charges of hit-and-run. JOE GROMELSKI/STARS AND STRIPES

A Medal of Honor recipient who lost an eye while taking a grenade blast to save a fellow Marine now faces a hit-and-run charge in South Carolina, police say.

Retired Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, 26, turned himself in and appeared in court Thursday with an attorney on misdemeanor charges of hit-and-run and making an improper left turn, police said in a news release. Police spokesman Capt. George Drafts said he didn't have the attorney's name. Carpenter didn't respond to an email and a text seeking comment.

Carpenter was released on bond, the release said.

Police say a pedestrian who was struck shortly after 8:30 p.m. Dec. 8 was treated at the scene for scrapes and leg injury. The pedestrian, Michael Haddad, declined to be taken to a hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, police said.
read more here

PTSD Veteran Shot While Driving Golf Cart

Police: Man with PTSD struck by pellet gun transported to hospital
WMBF News
By Kelly Matter
Posted: Aug 08, 2015

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - Police responded to KOA campgrounds Friday in reference to an assault involving a man who was struck by a pellet gun.

Upon arriving, officers met with the victim who said he was shot in the right arm by a possible pellet gun.

His arm was swollen and skin was raised. The victim was transported to Grand Strand Medical hospital for possible mental health issues, according to Police.

The wife of the man who was shot with the pellet gun says, her husband was driving around a golf cart Friday when he got shot. The wife also said, he is a combat veteran and suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. read more here

South Carolina: Confederate Flag Coming Down

South Carolina House votes to remove Confederate flag from statehouse grounds
CNN
By Ben Brumfield and Meridith Edwards
July 9, 2015

Columbia, South Carolina (CNN)The Confederate battle flag, a polarizing fixture On South Carolina's statehouse grounds for half a century, will flap in the wind no longer.

Early Thursday, the House of Representatives voted 94-20 to remove it, giving final approval to a bill that passed the Senate earlier in the week.

The vote count was more than the two-thirds needed -- but it came after a handful of lawmakers mounted a tenacious last stand, proposing amendment after amendment that led the debate to drag on more than 12 hours.

The bill now goes to Gov. Nikki Haley, who has said she will sign it into law.
read more here

Pentagon Not Changing Names of Bases

Pentagon: No Plans to Rename Bases Honoring Confederate Generals 
Military.com
by Richard Sisk
Jun 24, 2015

"All new posts which may be hereafter established, will receive their names from the War Department, and be announced in General Orders from the Headquarters of the Army," the order read.

The U.S. Defense Department has no immediate plans to change the names of military bases honoring Confederate generals -- including some Ku Klux Klan supporters -- in response to the South Carolina church massacre, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.

"As of now, there's no discussion of adjusting our current naming policy," which now gives the naming responsibility to the service branches, said Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman.

"The Department's position is that the services are ultimately responsible for naming their installations," he said. We have confidence in each of the services to appropriately name their facilities," he said. The services have not indicated any intention to change names, he said.

There was no immediate list available of military facilities with place names or other symbols honoring the South's role in the Civil War, but at least 10 Army bases are named for Confederate leaders, including Robert E. Lee, revered in the South as leader of the Army of Northern Virginia. Besides bases, there is the Lee Barracks at the U.S. Military Academy.

The issue of Confederate symbols and the names of Confederate leaders on public grounds came to a head on Monday when the Republican governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, called for the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the state capitol in Columbia.
read more here

Here is the list from the article of bases

The 10 Army bases named for Southern officers are:
-- Fort Bragg, North Carolina, named for Gen. Braxton Bragg.
-- Fort Hood, Texas, named for Gen. John Bell Hood.
-- Fort Gordon, Georgia, named for Lt. Gen. John B. Gordon, who was reputed to be the leader of the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia after the war.
-- Fort Lee, Virginia, home of the Army's Quartermaster School and named for Gen. Robert E. Lee.
-- Fort Polk, Louisiana, named for the slave owner and ardent secessionist Gen. Leonidas Polk.
-- Fort Rucker, Alabama, named for Col. Edmund Rucker, who became a leading industrialist in Birmingham after the war.
-- Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, named for Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill who was killed at the battle of Petersburg a week before the war ended.
-- Fort Picket, Virginia, named for Maj. Gen. George Pickett who was in command for "Pickett's charge" at Gettysburg. Pickett went to Canada for a year after the war, fearing he would be tried as a traitor.
-- Fort Benning, Georgia, named for Brig. Gen. Henry Benning, a slavery supporter and politician.
-- Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, named for Gen. Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, whose troops fired the shots at Fort Sumter, S.C., that started the Civil War.

Some folks think that Fort Jackson in South Carolina was named after Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson but it was named after Andrew Jackson,

Fort Jackson is a United States Army installation, which TRADOC operates on for Basic Combat Training (BCT), and is located in Columbia, South Carolina. This installation is named for Andrew Jackson, a United States Army General and seventh President of the United States of America (1829–1837) who was born in the border region of North and South Carolina.