Salt Lake City Marine Veteran Victim of Stolen Valor

Former Marine has uniform, medals stolen by man posing as fellow Marine vet
KSL News
By Nicole Vowell
Posted Jul 4th, 2016

The man who goes by the name of "Michael Manning," posing as a former Marine veteran. (KSL TV)

SALT LAKE CITY — With a decade of service fighting on the front lines, Marine veteran Kurt Harris was stationed all over the world.

“Dominican Republic, Africa, Ethiopia, Panama, Peru, Kuwait and Iraq,” said Harris.

About six months ago, Harris said he met a man who goes by the name of Michael Manning at a gym in downtown Salt Lake City.

“We became friends on the shared bond of being in the military together,” Harris said.

So this past week when his fellow "Marine" vet needed a place to stay, Harris opened his home without hesitation.

“I said, ‘Sure, my couch is open. You can crash there as long as you need,’” Harris said.

But he quickly discovered Manning had other plans.

“When those were gone, it just felt like the last decade was just robbed just right out from under me,” Harris said.

After being robbed, Harris took to Facebook. That's when the messages started rolling in. Harris found out he apparently wasn't the only one duped by dishonor.
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Teen crashes into war memorial

Teen crashes into war memorial
By Brenna R. Kelly • bkelly@nky.com • September 2, 2009


ERLANGER – Three granite stones that memorialize Kenton County residents who died in the Vietnam War will have to be replaced after a car slammed into the Erlanger Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wednesday.

Police say a 16-year-old Elsmere boy was driving drunk in a stolen 2003 Hyundai Elantra was speeding down Dixie Highway while fleeing from police early Wednesday morning. The teen lost control, hit the curb and crashed into the memorial, knocking the stones off their bases and bending a flag pole.

Vietnam veteran Allen Thomas, who lives nearby, surveyed the damage Wednesday morning.

“It’s a sad feeling…but it’s property – we can rebuild it,” said Thomas, secretary of the Northern Kentucky chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America. “We’ll feel bad for a few days or a few weeks until we get it back up.”

The memorial, which has been at the intersection more than 20 years, lists the names of all the Kenton County residents killed in the war. The chapter, which had insurance on the monument, will likely hold a rededication ceremony after the memorial is fixed, Thomas said.
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Teen crashes into war memorial