Posted on 05/21/2003 10:29:10 AM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts
Bruce Cotta is considered Rhode Island's most decorated living Vietnam veteran.
At a dinner just weeks ago, where he was honored, he was proudly wearing his medals.
"Everyone equates heroism with some type of medal or some type of an award. And it's not that," Cotta said.
"I reached down and picked up a grenade that had come into our group and I threw it back, wounding myself in the process but saving their lives. And then I was wounded again, I got hit off the head by a grenade," Cotta said.
Since the war, Cotta has earned many awards, according to a letter from the Army, including the Silver Star, Soldier's Medal, Bronze Star and Purple Heart. But one award -- for that May 19, 1968, battle -- isn't on the list.
The Distinguished Service Cross is not on the list, but it is worn on Cotta's lapel. The medal has earned him a lot of recognition, including on a Web site for Army veterans, which features a picture of Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., pinning the medal on Cotta in August 2000.
"It's incredible that somebody could have pulled of this kind of con whoever did it," author B.G. Burkett said.
Burkett co-wrote "Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of Its Heroes and Its History" and has worked with the FBI on several cases involving fraud related to medals. Acting on a tip, Burkett had questions about the legitimacy of Cotta's award. He's been examining some of Cotta's records. And so have we.
When someone earns a medal like the Distinguished Service Cross, paperwork goes along with it. In this case, it's called an order. We obtained one order, which we're told is an exact copy of the order that came from Cotta himself. To find out if it's real, we sent it to the Army.
In return, the Army sent us a letter. It said Cotta's Distinguished Service Cross order is not legitimate, nor has he ever received the award. On closer look, we found simple mistakes on the order, like spelling errors. We went to Cotta to try to get some answers.
Bologna: Did you have anything to do with this permanent order?
Cotta: No.
Bologna: Did you make it?
Cotta: No.
Bologna: I talked with the Army and they sent me this letter. And I'd like you to look at it. The Army says you never received the Distinguished Service Cross.
Cotta: Hmm.
Alison: Are they wrong?
Cotta: Well, I got it.
But from where, if the Army says he never earned it?
"Unfortunately, they sell these things en masse at gun shows and I can think of a half a dozen or a dozen companies that you can buy virtually every single military medal off the Internet," Burkett said.
But Cotta told us Kennedy gave him the Distinguished Service Cross after he says he got a call from the congressman's office.
"And they said could you prepare a ceremony on Saturday. We've heard from the Department of the Army -- I don't remember, I'm paraphrasing, you know -- and could you get some of your friends and relatives together, and I did," Cotta said.
Kennedy's office told News Channel 10 it did contact Cotta after receiving what it thought was the proper paperwork -- the paperwork the Army told us is fake.
"It breaks my heart. Not because I don't have, if this is true, that I don't have a Distinguished Service Cross because as I've said, I'm very proud of what I've done in the past. But it breaks my heart to think that I don't have it." Cotta said.
The story doesn't end there. Kennedy pinned the Distinguished Service Cross on Cotta almost three years ago. He expressed real concern over these latest developments.
"I understand there is an FBI investigation that is ongoing," Kennedy said.
The FBI told News Channel 10 it cannot confirm or deny any investigation into the medal.
I got the Distinguished Red Heart Cross with Oak Leaf Clusters for my service in England during the Spanish - American war.
No really, I did.
I stopped wearing it because people kept thinking it was mine. I didn't mind explaining to people who asked that it was my dad who was the ass-kicker - not me - but I realized that there were all those people who didn't ask and thought it was my coat.
Made me feel like a fraud even though it was just a flight jacket: I couldn't imagine wearing one of his metals.
Does he have the Distinguished Red Heart Bronze Cross with Silver Oak Leaf Clusters for his service in England during the Spanish - American war???
I don't think so.
That's why I'm glad I can back up my claim that I earned the Distinguished Red Heart Bronze Soldiers Cross Medal with Silver Oak Leaf Clusters.
Doubt it ... which gives me an idea! ;)
Unless the Army screwed up royally, this guy has some serious 'splainin' to do.
Oh, I don't think you need to feel at all guilty for wearing your Dad's flight jacket. It just sounds like you were proud of him. But I respect your decision not to wear it for the reasons you've stated.
A good friend (Major USMC) gave me a grey sweatshirt with MARINES printed on the front. I've never been in the military. I wear it around the house, but I won't wear it in public.
When I got out of the Navy in 1970, I grabbed my DD214 and ran as fast as I could back to civilian life. I never even bothered looking at all that crap in my service folder until many years later. When I finally checked it out, one thing that I noted was that it contained no mention at all of one of the ships that I served on (I was on 3 ships in 4 years).
Clerks make mistakes, I never even considered trying to get it corrected. I never even noticed if all awards were listed. I guess I was just too happy being a civilian again to care that much...
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