Posted on 05/24/2006 12:55:11 PM PDT by Graybeard58
No military service records can be found for him
DUNLAP - With only five other men in U.S. history being awarded the Purple Heart eight times over, Theodore C. Bantis of Dunlap would be the only Marine known to have earned such distinction.
He would be one of only 362 Marines to receive the rare and coveted Navy Cross during what he lists as three full combat tours in Vietnam before retiring after 30 years as a colonel.
Impressive and honorable as it may appear, the medals and the rank Bantis claims all appear to be lies. He never spent a day as a Marine in his life.
"It really denigrates the whole idea for the awards," said Tom Maher, a local Marine who served in Vietnam around the same time Bantis claims.
Maher said he first approached Bantis about three years ago during a Memorial Day event in Peoria.
"I told him, 'You do realize you're wearing your awards incorrectly?' He just turned and walked away," Maher said Monday. "I never could find out if he was telling the truth or not."
Others also now wonder.
The U.S. Marine Corps Records Branch in Quantico, Va., which has a database of more than 2.8 million men and women, lists no Theodore Bantis as ever serving in the Marine Corps, according to 1st Lt. Rob Dolan, a Marine spokesman.
Through it all, Bantis maintains his awards are genuine.
"I'm a very private man, and I'd prefer to keep it that way," Bantis said Monday from his rural home. "That was more than 30 years ago. I don't like to talk about it."
However, Doug Sterner, who is considered the foremost authority on military awards today and runs homeofheroes.com, a Web site that honors heroes, said Bantis never earned the awards he's pinned on himself.
"He's a fake. I can verify for you that Mr. Bantis is not a recipient of the Navy Cross," said Sterner, who was commissioned by the U.S. Marine Corps Heritage Foundation and works closely with Marine Corps History Division, to generate what is the only existing database of Navy Cross recipients.
Sterner further notes Bantis wears the Navy Cross incorrectly. Photos of Bantis at various events show he has added a silver "V" pin on the ribbon, denoting "valor," but the Navy Cross is only awarded for valor and is never worn with the pin.
But Bantis, 59, has led his family, friends, veterans and others in the community to believe otherwise. For how long or why is unclear.
Over at least the last few years, he's made visits to local Marine Corps functions, military funerals, fund-raisers and Memorial Day events under the guise of being a retired colonel. Bantis helped the Kiwanis Club gather soccer balls to send to Iraqi children and is on the Peoria-based Marine reserve unit's e-mail list. He also spoke about 9-11 victims to an audience at Illinois Central College in Peoria on Sept. 11, 2004, in full military regalia.
"He might do great things for kids, but if he did what is being alleged - wearing the uniform and medals - that's a totally different ball game," said 1st Sgt. Casey Samborski, a member of Company C, 6th Engineering Battalion, who along with other Marines are disturbed and angered at the idea of Bantis posing as a hero.
Still, there's nothing that shows Bantis ever used his fictional rank for profit, and he's never filed for any veteran's benefits.
Regardless, there are federal laws against impersonating military officers and wearing medals that were never earned. In Illinois, a new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2007, making the act a petty offense.
While Maher and other Marines shared their suspicions among themselves, it wasn't until Bantis attended an annual Marine Corps birthday ball six months ago that the apparent lie started to catch up with him. There, a picture caught Bantis donning the medals.
A biography he provided for the event included a long list of military honors and claims that he held command in special operations and intelligence groups. It also said he graduated from Pepperdine University in Los Angeles with a master's degree in education. However, an official with the school's alumni association said Tuesday she has no record of Bantis attending the school.
The biography and picture were sent to Sterner, who has referred the case to FBI Special Agent Thomas Cottone Jr., who has investigated more than 100 cases of military fraud. He says incidents of military impersonation are on the rise.
A Pennsylvania man was charged this month by federal authorities for impersonating a lieutenant colonel who had been awarded the Navy Cross, and the Silver and Bronze stars. The man actually had served only three years in the Air Force as a plumbing specialist. In 1995, an Illinois judge, who later resigned his post, lied for years about receiving two Medals of Honor, the nation's highest military award. He could not be prosecuted, though, because he was never seen wearing the medals.
As far as Bantis' personal life, little is known. He moved to Peoria from Spokane, Wash., about six years ago and was married, according to Journal Star archives that listed a filed marriage certificate. He also claims to be the chief operating officer of a business called the Adeptus Corp., although no information could be found about the company.
Bantis claims his military records are sealed because of his work with naval intelligence.
But Cottone rebuts Bantis' statement saying his name would still appear in the Marine Corps' records.
Sterner adds that even the most classified who have earned honors such as the Navy Cross will receive recognition that is publicly available.
"They are desecrating everybody who ever served in the military, who ever was wounded or lost a limb in battle and certainly those who gave their lives," Cottone said. "They are stealing the respect and admiration that belongs to those who have actually served."
Isn't this a crime?
another fraud outed. thank you.
Mr. Bantis must of got jealous of Mr. John Kerry claiming this award.
A person like that should not be protected by laws against assault. He deserves a vicious beating under a new ass whupping for military posers law.
Got a bit too greedy, huh. He should have talked with Kerry.
loser
-ccm
John Kerry has been impersonating a military veteran for several years now too.
good job of outing a despicable fraud!!
When you lie - lie big so it gets you so much attention you get caught. How about "I got an ARCOM and was promoted to E-5" when wannie bees want to play army?
Right up your alley, Gary.
How's your investigation going so far?
I know a few former Marines who would love to open up a can of whupass on that jerk.
Did you know John Kerry served in Vietnam?
Oh please. They guy is a wannabe. There is someone at work dating some nutter who claims he was a Navy SEAL. Of course, when this person he found out that a guy we work with is retired Navy (24 years, Senior Chief Petty Officer, etc, etc.), he started to not appear at parties, other gatherings.
Thanks for posting this. Bantis is an affront to everyone who has ever (legitimately) worn the uniform.
a v device on a silver star or navy cross or distinguished service cross is a dead giveaway for a fraud.
I made E-4 twice, can I claim I made E-8?
I never had the privilege of serving, but I have a life nontheless. These pitiful punks have no life at all or they wouldn't feel compelled to commit these types of frauds.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.