Free Republic

FORT WORTH, Texas – A Texas man with no military experience managed to trick the Army into letting him enter a reserve unit as a noncommissioned officer earlier this year, putting an untrained soldier in a leadership position in a time of war, an Associated Press investigation has found. The revelation comes just months after the Army drew criticism for failing to flag the suspicious activities of the Army psychiatrist now charged with killing 13 and wounding dozens of others at Fort Hood. The case, detailed in court records and other documents examined by the AP, raises more questions...

RIVERSIDE, CALIF. -- A Palm Springs man who surprised former classmates at his high school reunion in Martinez when he showed up in a Marine Corps uniform has pleaded guilty to wearing military medals that he never earned. Steven Douglas Burton, 39, entered his guilty plea Monday in U.S. District Court in Riverside to a misdemeanor count of unauthorized wearing of military medals or decorations, averting a trial that had been scheduled for January. He will face as much as a year in prison and up to a $100,000 fine when he is sentenced March 1. He remains free on...

FBI agents have arrested a St. Louis businessman who they say posed as a highly decorated Marine Major even though he never served in the Corps. Forty-eight-year-old Michael Weilbacher was arrested while attending a local Marine Corps League meeting. Federal authorities say he was spotted earlier this month at another event, the Marine Corps Annual Birthday Ball, wearing several distinguished medals. "He was wearing the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars and just about every medal in the book," said Major William G. Dragan, who attended the event and told ABC News that he immediately became suspicious of...