Exposed, the 'weekend warrior' who was no hero
By Andrew Thomas, in Raleigh, North Carolina
(Filed: 09/04/2006)
The leafy, serene university campus of the all-women Meredith College seems as far removed from the war zone of Iraq as it is possible to get. Yet for almost three years, one student apparently was a part of these two very different worlds.
Lisa Jane Phillips was not just a prize-winning honours student. She was also a captain and heroic United States Air Force pilot. In her honour, the college waived $42,178 (£24,000) of tuition fees and invited her into tutorials to talk to other students about "what it's really like over there".
There was a prize for her "interest in solving the problems of humankind" and "attitude to life that demonstrates the virtues of courage and self-giving". The young woman shone out as the very definition of the best an American woman could be.
Except that she wasn't. In fact, "Captain" Phillips's tales of derring-do were an elaborate fraud. Far from being an American hero, she was a military fake, one of a growing band in America who stand accused of dishonouring the sacrifice of genuine veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
It was Frank Strickland, Meredith's on-campus police chief, who, after almost three years of watching her soak up the acclaim, began to smell a rat.
As a veteran of Vietnam, he found Phillips's stories of flying weekend sorties to Iraq - out to the Middle East after class on Thursday, back in time for tutorials on Monday - were a little far-fetched.
Neither did the tale of being wounded by enemy fire in Afghanistan quite ring true.
When Mr Strickland noticed that one of the many medals on Phillips's chest was awarded to those who had seen action in the Second World War, suspicion tipped into incredulity. The student, while a little older than most of her classmates, was 34.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was called in and, under questioning, Phillips admitted that she had never served a day in the US armed forces.
More than four years after the "war on terror" began, America is having to deal with a group that many consider more contemptible than fifth columnists: the fake war heroes who, whether through inadequacy or avarice, seek the kudos and benefits afforded to those who have seen action.
The problem has become so acute that an FBI unit has been tasked with studying the phenomenon and tracking down the culprits. In Washington, a law that will widen the scope of military impersonation offences and toughen up sentences is working its way through Congress.
Thomas Cottone, the agent who heads the FBI unit, learns of at least one new case a week. He has no truck with those who argue that military impersonation is a victimless crime. "The imposters are literally stealing the valour of genuine soldiers," he said.
"Every time someone sees a uniform they trust in it. If the person wearing that uniform is a fraud, they've helped to undermine its prestige."
At the funeral of a US Marines lieutenant killed in a gun battle in Iraq two years ago, Mr Cottone found himself standing next to a marine captain festooned with medals and ribbons. They included two Silver Stars for gallantry, the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism against an enemy and three Purple Hearts awarded for wounds sustained in action.
Noting that the "captain" failed to snap to attention for the Marine Corps hymn, the FBI man took the marine, Walter Carlson, aside and asked if he minded talking about his military service.
He jumped at the opportunity. "That was the final straw," said Agent Cottone. "In my experience people in combat don't want to talk about it. Most imposters want to talk about it. It's like an addiction, like heroin to a junkie."
Carlson was arrested and faces six months in jail and a $500 fine. A judge also ordered that the 58-year-old bus driver surrender all his military paraphernalia.
Until now, the scope of what constitutes military impersonation and the penalties that can be imposed have both been limited.
Phillips was convicted last year of obtaining money fraudulently and lying to federal agents.
If the "Stolen Valour Act" passes from Congress into law, there will doubtless be many more prosecutions and stiffer penalties.
"Shame on those who claim credit for acts of courage they did not commit," said Congressman John Salazar of Colorado, when introducing the bill. "Their lies are criminal. By letting the phonies continue their masquerade, we diminish the honour of our true heroes."
Phillips, from Apex, North Carolina, is the only woman to have been convicted of offences connected with military impersonation. "We have more and more women in combat zones and women have every chance of being hurt, too," said Mr Cottone.
"Unfortunately, just as combat experience is no longer a male preserve, nor is the temptation to fake it."
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