Friday, February 23, 2007

Lance Corporal Promoted Himself To Colonel

I was researching a little-known fact about the Medal Of Honor recently- that apparently the amount of people pretending to be recipients of the award outnumber the amount of living recipients.

During this research period, I came across this clown who, while not claiming the MOH, was instead passing himself off as a Marine colonel for years...

Albert T. McKelvey, 69, was ordered to pay a $2,500 fine when he was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Hardiman for pretending to be a Marine colonel.

For one Eugene McLaughlin, the punishment wasn't nearly enough. He described to Judge Hardiman his first meeting with Mr. McKelvey. He was in a meeting of his Marine Corps veterans association when Mr. McKelvey walked in, wearing a colonel's uniform. He told the members he'd been "ordered by generals in Washington, D.C., to take over this outfit." Too bad they don't have a firing squad," said the former Marine sergeant who spent eights years trying to expose McKelvey before turning the case over to federal authorities.

In 1998, prosecutors say McKelvey began ordering uniforms, medals and insignia to support his bolstered rank. His dress blues uniform was soon adorned with a Purple Heart, Navy Cross, Silver Star, Navy Distinguished Service Medal and the Navy Marine Corps Medal as well as the full "bird" colonel insignia on the shoulders.

"He holds delusions of grandeur, a need to hold a title, a need to be something more than he is, which I find sad," the judge said.

He wore the uniform and played the role of colonel for years at veterans functions, holiday ceremonies and military funerals, giving speeches, celebrating the birthday of a Navy admiral and presenting folded flags to widows.

When one of McKelvey's friends confronted him for wearing the uniform some years ago, he claimed he was a colonel and said that he had done some classified work in the military but that the paperwork was lost or otherwise unavailable.

What a tosser! These people are a disgrace and should be shot.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds alot like someine I know!

Anonymous said...

doesn't it just!

Major General Creedon said...

Really? Who?

Anonymous said...

I agree with the Lt.Col's last statement, "What a tosser! These people are a disgrace and should be shot" Let Texas Republican style justice be done!, Wheres that Rabb fellow when you need him?