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Well, well, well. It seems that the John Kerry model of the “Winter Soldier” – his infamously phony “investigation” into Vietnam war crimes that featured the testimony of several men who never served in Vietnam and couldn’t have witnessed the acts they “testified” to – has been adopted as a model for the new anti-war crowd. Michell Malkin has a great column on one Jessie MacBeth who is claiming to have witnessed and participated in war crimes in Iraq. Here’s the money quote:

On the Military.com website, to which anyone can contribute, a profile of MacBeth claimed he had three basic combat jumps, service in Afghanistan as well as Iraq, and several awards including a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

There's just one problem: According to Department of the Army spokesman Paul Boyce, there is no record of "Jessie MacBeth," a.k.a. Jesse Adam MacBeth, having served in either the Rangers or the Special Forces -- or in any part of the Army at all. Boyce told me Tuesday that a check on MacBeth's credentials came up empty. "At a minimum, this appears to have been concocted" and "some sort of hoax," Boyce said. Special Operations Command and the State Department have been alerted.

If MacBeth is actually wearing the Bronze Star and Purple Heart he never earned, he’s breaking the law.  Title 18 Section 704 of the US Code makes it a crime punishable by at least six months in prison to wear medals or decorations you’re not entitled to wear. Federal prosecutors should be looking at MacBeth’s claims. If he’s violating the law, he should be punished quickly and firmly.

topics:
Law, Military, Iraq