Another Stolen Valor Case

At first, I was furious over this. Another case of Stolen Valor. Why do they do it? What do they really hope to gain? Do they think they will get respect for lying? How could they when they don't have enough respect for themselves already? Think about it. The ones charged, usually did serve in some capacity. You would think that would be enough for them to respect themselves, just for having served but no, they have to try to portray themselves as extreme heroes. Do they do it because they think they deserve what they did not earn or is it because they think what others think of them will give them what they lack inside? If that is the case then they will never find what they are looking for. If they respected themselves in the first place, they would already be proud of their real service and what they really did instead of making up stories to empress strangers.

His medals aren't real, but his search for honor is
Wracked by guilt, local veteran admits deception on his war record
By LINDSAY WISE
Copyright 2009 Houston Chonicle
July 11, 2009, 12:10AM
Houston native Charles Bass had told the story about how he survived a deadly snake bite in Vietnam so many times it seemed natural to tell it again, this time in front of a TV camera on the Fourth of July. He pointed at scars on his hand and the crook of his elbow, explaining how he'd stuck a hollow bamboo in the vein to stop the venom from reaching his heart.

The camera panned a display case full of his medals at the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum on Southmore Boulevard. A placard explained that Sgt. Maj. Bass had earned the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star for gallantry and Purple Hearts for his wounds.

Bass, in a rumpled fatigue jacket, seemed humbled by the attention. “I thank God that I endured what I had to endure for my country,” he said.

The story on Channel 2 KPRC that day was less than three minutes long, but that's all the time it took for nearly 40 years of lies to unravel.

Five days later, a tearful Bass apologized for his dishonesty — not only about the snake, but also the rank of sergeant major, Special Forces status, and all of the medals at the museum. He'd bought them in military surplus stores, he said, and forged certificates from forms he found online.

“It's a hell of a load off my shoulders,” said Bass, 66. “It's pressure off me. Things that needed to be said for a lotta, lotta years.”
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Wracked by guilt, local veteran admits deception on his war record