A Colorado congressman plans to introduce a bill
making it a federal crime to fraudulently claim to have earned certain
military medals.
Sponsored by John T. Salazar, a Democrat and a
veteran, the bill would extend penalties now applicable only to fraudulent
Medal of Honor cases to people who falsely claim a second tier of military
honors, including the Distinguished Service Cross, the Air Force Cross, and
the Navy Cross. The bill also would apply in cases in which a person
falsely claimed to have earned a Purple Heart, the medal given to soldiers
wounded or killed in combat.
Titled the “Stolen Valor Act of 2005,” the
bill says that anyone convicted of wearing or displaying, manufacturing, or
selling medals not rightfully earned could be fined $10,000, imprisoned for
as long as six months, or both.
If adopted by Congress, such a law could apply to
former University of Illinois at Springfield professor Joe Wilkins, a
prominent powerbroker in city politics who chaired Mayor Tim Davlin’s
transition committee.
For years, Wilkins, an Air Force veteran who served in
Vietnam, claimed to have two Purple Hearts and a Silver Star, the
decoration just below the Air Force Cross. But an Illinois Times investigation
revealed that military records could not confirm those claims [Dusty
Rhodes, “Precious medals,” March 31]. Records filed by Wilkins
with the state of Illinois to support his claims included the signatures of
two USAF veterans who said they did not sign the papers and described the
documents as forgeries.
Through his attorney, Wilkins has declined to answer
questions from this paper, but in April he told other media outlets that he
legitimately received the medals and that he is searching for supporting
records.
This article appears in Jun 9-15, 2005.
