Falsified Faithfulness

People who falsify their personal history — such as claiming they’ve received a Purple Heart, for example — are no doubt very unhappy with their lives.

Wannabes. Pretenders. Posers.

Doug Sterner of Alexandria, Virginia, found some of these when he set out to compile a database of recipients of the military’s top decorations.

In one case, Sterner realized something was fishy about a certain Marine’s Navy Cross citation, even though it looked real. It used the right font and the right seal and was even signed by the Secretary of the Navy. But it said the president “takes pride” in presenting the prize, and Sterner knew that “pride” is normally used only when the recipient is dead. This recipient was alive.

Also, the citation was dated 1968, but the Secretary of the Navy who supposedly signed it was Paul H. Nitze, who left that office in 1967.

Seeing that, Sterner knew he had found another faker. In this case, the imposter had been bragging of his heroism for years — and even had loaned his awards to a veteran’s museum for display.

Unfortunately for that guy — who has since admitted he never served in Vietnam, never earned the Navy Cross, ...