Veteran's claims of awards, service do not withstand scrutiny

Imagine being in this family and left with this.

Veteran's claims of awards, service do not withstand scrutiny
Cemetery to change headstone after review of records does not match materials provided by family

By Steve Mills, Chicago Tribune reporter
December 28, 2011

When David Stump died last year, the south suburban man left his family a sheaf of yellowing documents and a troubling question: Did the U.S. Army veteran earn the Bronze Star and the three Purple Hearts the records suggested, or were the military documents falsified?

The question of Stump's legacy was more than an idle curiosity.

Officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery south of Joliet have decided to replace the simple granite headstone at Stump's grave site. The officials say military records do not support claims in the records the family provided when Stump died.

A new headstone will be ordered, Marty Fury, the cemetery's director, said last week.

"We want all of our headstones to be an accurate reflection of a veteran's service," Fury said.
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