Paul A Bennett

Multiple reports received since October 2005 

Claims POW "for a few weeks." Escaped. 

03/2006: He claims to have been a former POW, as well as having a Navy Cross, Silver Star, DFC and 2 Purple Hearts.

09/2006: Claims he was INDEED a POW. (for several weeks.)

Claims "received copies of the award certificates for my Navy Cross, Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross."  ...It was when I was “out of the Navy” that I received all three medals in the mail.  I have never been “officially” awarded these medals which is why they do not appear on any of my DD-214s.



Here is a photo of Bennett that HE put on a Navy web site that shows him wearing unauthorized awards and decorations. 
Even his shadow box at his retirement has the phony stuff in it!
Sept 4 QUOTE:   

Patriots,

I wanted to take this opportunity to inform you I have received copies of the award certificates for my Navy Cross, Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross. I also received replacement medals and endorsements, (orders), for the medals. I requested the Department of the Navy put a DD-215 in my permanent military record and forward a copy to me.   

END QUOTE


10/14/2006

Mary,

Attached is a letter of apology as well as a request for consideration.  I failed to mention that you are still listing my two Purple Hearts as questionable.  Your own documentation, obtained by the Freedom of Information Act, has a list of my awards.  On that list is “Purple Heart w/2 Bronze Stars”.  The DD-214 I received at my retirement on 31 March, 1994 shows Purple Heart (2).  The listing you received is a transcription of that DD-214.  The Navy normally lists more than one Purple Heart by adding a “GOLD” star.  I believe the transcriber made this error.

You have answered your own allegations by publishing the list of awards.  I formally request that you remove the two Purple Hearts from your list concerning me.

Thank you,

Paul A Bennett

CWO4 USN-RET.

 

Mary,

I contacted the Department of the Navy through the “Freedom of Information Act”.  I received the same documents you have posted on this web site.  The incorrect information came from that source.  I have requested they correct their records.  There are more errors, such as missing Duty Stations and “Special Qualifications”.  I was not guaranteed these errors would be corrected.  The information I provided to you in earlier e-mails is correct.  I apologize for accusing you of generating “false documentation”.

I do not know how some one could accuse me of being a POW for over 90 days.  I have never made that statement, it is not true.  I have never been in a POW status.  There is no record of this and I do not qualify for the POW medal.  The situation is strictly hearsay and I respectfully request to be removed from the “POW Phony Listing”.

Finally, the medals in question, the Navy Cross, Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross were never on my DD-214.  As you can see in my time in service records, I have “broken service”.  I enlisted in the Navy in August of 1960 and got out in December of 1969.  I enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1971 and transferred to “active duty” in May of 1973.  It was when I was “out of the Navy” that I received all three medals in the mail.  I have never been “officially” awarded these medals which is why they do not appear on any of my DD-214s.  That is why I never wore them after I reentered the Navy.  I have mixed emotions about these awards and do not know why I chose to wear the “Pins” on my MOPH Commander’s Cap.  This did not last long as I felt a sense of guilt and was challenged by fellow MOPH members.  So I removed them from my cap.  The newspaper article is full of lies.  I was never an Administrative Officer and did not have any opportunity to falsify my DD-214s.  Mr. Ray Funderburk, National Public Relations Officer for the MOPH, denies saying what was printed in the Review Journal and told me he was going to contact the reporter by mail.  I do not know if he did.  Tom Poulter, now the MOPH National Commander, and the MOPH National Adjutant, Bill Bacon, have recognized my two Purple Hearts as being “Official” and I remain a member in good standing within the Military Order of the Purple Heart.  I am filing a lawsuit against the Las Vegas Review Journal and the reporter, Mr. Keith Rogers.

I detest a Phony/Wannabe as much as the next veteran that served and/or participated in armed conflict.  I also witnessed “self inflicted wounds” being awarded the Purple Heart.  I am also aware of people claiming to have participated in the Vietnam War that never left Japan.  I am not making excuses for my actions, just some consideration.  I am not the only veteran that has medals that do not appear on their DD-214.

Regards,

Paul A Bennett

Ask him to provide copies of the citations for the awards and see how he tries to weasle out of that. He digs a deeper hole every day.
Desperation...he still does not address the ribbons on his active duty picture that he "never wore while he was on active duty."
The mistake I made was wearing the “pin devices” on my MOPH Department Commander’s Cap
The "mistake" was only wearing the 'pin devices"..  Ahh, Bennett went out and purchased valor medal miniature devices and put on hat, and it appears on a uniform at some point, and this is just a 'mistake'.   You bet it is.
 ... And also how selective he is in his comments, dig at one point and hope the light fades all the other/all. ...
Let's see... the uniform wearing a Purple Heart ALONG WITH the Navy Cross, Silver Star and DFC which he did not earn and was not awarded somehow "proves" that he actually was awarded the Purple Hearts?  Put that to him and see how he responds.
The issue with that picture is that he is wearing all of the decorations he claimed he did not earn on active duty. Still violation of Federal law.
Could you give me contact information for them so they can get this picture for their case files?
He admitted that the medals were never awarded to him they "just arrived in the mail" and he never said anything about wearing them at his retirement ceremony - he said "I never wore them while I was on active duty."  Where are the ORDERS and citations that accompanied them?  If he really earned these medals he would have been obligated to wear them and the ORDERS/citations would be concrete proof they were awarded to him.
He's just squirming.
Will he send you the corrected copy of his awards?  I think not!!
Got something new for you.  Remember when Bennett said, "I have never been 'officially' awarded these medals which is why they do not appear on any of my DD-214s.  That is why I never wore them after I reentered the Navy."

I went to Military.com and joined the unit organization page for VQ-1, then searched the roster of registered members and, lo and behold, there was Bennett.  When I accessed his bio page I found the following picture of him in-uniform on active wearing the awards for which he has no proof *and admits he never received) and which he claimed he never wore on active duty.  Absolute proof that he wore those awards while on active duty.  
Pathetic..
Still wish someone would start questioning his Ph. D. claim.
So much for his claim that he did not start falsely wearing those awards until after he left active duty! Unless I recall incorrectly, wearing those ribbons for medals he was not awarded on his uniform is a Federal crime. 
I"ll bet you that Bennett doesn't have a PhD, either.  What a crock...
IF awards "arrived in the mail" they would have been accompanied by the documentation pertinent to the awards and that documentation could be provided to BUPERS to validate the awards and getting the record corrected would be no problem.
The only way the Navy will add qualifications, duty stations or special training is if the service member has verifiable documentation from the proper sources.  Just asking "pretty please" and making claims will not work.
"Mental Problems?" 
If the Ph.D is form Old Dominion Univ, as was said, they never heard of him and records show no Doctorate awarded.
From: "P A Bennett" <deepsea29@cox.net>
To: <info@pownetwork.org>
Subject: Paul A Bennett
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 15:24:21 -0700
Dear POW Network,
 
I wish to set the record straight.  I have never claimed to be a POW.  I would not taint the honorable veterans that were placed in that position.
 
I don't know where this "claim" originated but I have NEVER claimed to be a POW.  I have several friends that were "actual" POWs during the Vietnam conflict,  mostly POWs held at the "Hanoi Hilton".  I would never disgrace their honor or my own by claiming to have been anywhere near their status.  I am proud of my service in the U.S. Navy, 34 years in all, and do not wish to be classified as a "phony".
 
I hope this puts this horrible rumor to rest.
 
Paul A Bennett
CWO-4 USN-RET
Mar. 26, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
STOLEN VALOR: Acts of Dishonor

Despite laws against it, thousands wear unearned medals

By KEITH ROGERS
REVIEW-JOURNAL

At least one in a position of authority among veterans groups, Paul A. Bennett, former Nevada state department commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, has been accused of displaying valor medals that he wasn't authorized to wear.

Sources from local Purple Heart chapters reported that Bennett, a Vietnam-era veteran, displayed a miniature Navy Cross medal as well as medals for a Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross on his commander's hat on several occasions including the 2004 Veterans Day parade in downtown Las Vegas.

On March 17, Tom Poulter, national senior vice commander for the Military Order of the Purple Heart, said the issue with Bennett and valor awards "came up a long time ago."

Poulter said Bennett "sent a bunch of documentation" to try to clear himself of allegations about illegally displaying valor medals but the "Navy Cross is not on his DD-214." He was referring to Bennett's official Department of Defense discharge document.

Bennett also is not listed among the Navy Cross recipients register kept by the Legion of Valor.

After weeks of not returning calls, Bennett finally made a series of phone calls Monday to the Review-Journal and admitted that he had displayed miniatures of the Navy Cross, Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross, saying he had carried "around these things for so long."

"I never stood in front of an admiral and shook his hand (to receive a Navy Cross). I thought I could just put on a little one," Bennett said. "In a way it is 'stolen valor' because I can't prove it. It's my fault."

He said he never did anything to merit such a high valor award.

Bennett, 62, who was an electronics technician and an administrative officer stationed in Atsugi, Japan, said he received a Navy Cross in the mail from the Department of Defense in 1972. A member of an aircraft reconnaissance squadron, he said he was wounded during a rocket and mortar attack in Da Nang, Vietnam, in February 1968 and in a crash landing there in June 1967.

"I don't claim to be a hero," he said, noting that he regretted displaying valor medals that he can't document. "I feel very, very bad about it."

A few hours after he spoke to the Review-Journal, he resigned as Nevada Department commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart at the request of the organization's national officials.

Reading a statement, Ray Funderburk, the organization's national public relations director said, "Based upon our research, we have learned that Paul Bennett, the commander of our department in Nevada, has been wearing awards he did not earn."

Funderburk went on to say, "We have not been able to ascertain even if he had a Purple Heart. He was an administrative officer and could have made out his own awards. We find it difficult to see an administrative man in the Navy to have so many awards."


http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Mar-26-Sun-2006/business/6284275.html

THE REAL RECORDS
from NPRC

Note - In reading these, compare the "list" of awards to the orders and citations contained in the records. 

---------------------------

From: "P A Bennett" <deepsea29@cox.net>
To: <info@pownetwork.org>
Subject: Paul A Bennett "Stolen Valor" 100106
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2006 14:53:27 -0700

POW Network,
 
I have reviewed your documentation and find it to be flawed.  To start with, my listing of awards states with the Purple Heart with two bronze stars and the Air Medal with 24 numerals.  This is an incorrect statement.  My DD-214 lists the Purple Heart with one gold star, which is how the Navy lists more than one award for the Purple Heart, the Air Medal is listed as Air Medal with the numerals 24, again incorrect.  The Air Medal is listed as "Air Medal with Strike/Support (24).  Those are the most glaring errors on this document, there are more.  This list was obviously prepared by someone other than the National Personnel Records Center.  To anyone reading this document, it is obvious it is not an "Official Document" and it is not signed.  The listing also fails to list the "Navy Expeditionary Medal" along with the "Vietnamese Air Cross of Gallantry" with "Gold Wing".  Both of these awards are listed on my DD-214.  The credibility of this "prepared listing" is lacking.  I request this document be removed from your web site.  Continuing, the list of military training, again a "self prepared" list is also lacking the many "Survival Training Schools" I attended including "Jungle Survival Training" in the Philippines.  I request this unsubstantiated document be removed from your web site.  You also list one of the awards I falsely claim to be the DSC.  Once again a non-official document.  I never claimed to have been awarded the DSC, it isn't a Navy award.  My claim is the Distinguished Flying Cross.  I only request you get your information correct.  It's obvious you'll post anything that is provided to you without first checking it's credibility.  If you read your own documentation posted on your web site you'll find you have conflicting information.  It has been stated I was an administrative officer and could have produced my own "official records" but only in the newspaper article.  Nowhere in your "official records" do you state I was an administrative officer.
 
I respect the task you have taken on and agree with your goals however, if you are going to "attack" an individual please get your facts straight.  Nowhere in your documentation does it show I claim to have been a POW other than in your listing of "Stolen Valor" charges.  Where did this claim originate?  We know where the other charges come from and where I stand on those issues.  It appears this may  be a "hearsay" issue.  If so, please remove this charge immediately or have the person responsible come forward with direct evidence.  When I was interviewed by Keith Rogers of the Las Vegas Review Journal, I was asked if I'd ever been a POW.  My answer was emphatically "NO"!!!
 
Lastly, you photo of me shows NO MEDALS of VALOR on my MOPH Cap.
 
Paul A Bennett
CWO4 USN-RET.    
Subject: Receipt of Confirmation of Awards.
Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 20:18:05 -0700

Patriots,
I wanted to take this opportunity to inform you I have received copies of the award certificates for my Navy Cross, Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross. I also received replacement medals and endorsements, (orders), for the medals. I requested the Department of the Navy put a DD-215 in my permanent military record and forward a copy to me.
It's too bad, then National Senior Vice Commander MOPH, Tom Poulter did what he did in asking me to resign as Department of Nevada Commander, MOPH. It would have been better for him to ask me to step aside until the matter could be resolved.
I'm going to have an awards ceremony after the first of the year because of this being an "Election" year and I plan to ask Senator Harry Reid act as the Presiding Official. It will be a "By Invitation Only" ceremony. I will not invite Don Weichold, Mike Stern or Bill Anton as all three had a hand in the news article. Tom Poulter and Bill Bacon convicted me with out giving me a chance, as a result, all representatives from National Headquarters, MOPH are not welcomed. My Purple Hearts were re-verified at the request of Bill Bacon. That request was the FINAL INSULT from the Military Order of the Purple Heart. The fact that my purple hearts were on my "certified" DD-214 could only make me come to the conclusion I was being accused of submitting a false or modified DD-214.
I will request the Review Journal print a complete retraction and admit they lied about what I told their reporter, Keith Rogers.
I am not a vindictive person and anything but a "Want-To-Be" hero.  Anyone who knew me during my active duty time will attest to the fact I NEVER wore any ribbon or medal higher than the Purple Heart on my uniform.  The only exception to that was at my retirement ceremony.  It was during this ceremony that I said I would gladly give up "ALL" of my decorations if just one POW/MIA could be found and returned to freedom or buried on United States soil.
Many of you are not familiar with all that went on during the Vietnam Conflict but I can tell you that not everything has been released.  Certain assignments I was on are still under wraps but the Review Journal's article about me gave me enough leverage to at least get positive proof confirming my awards and decorations, consisting of "Certificates and Orders" issued with the awards, along with replacement medals which I did not request.  You must also be aware that awards and medals are not always listed on the veteran's DD-214.  I know of several veterans in my same position and are unable to document awards of valor.
It is a shame that the Military Order of the Purple Heart had to become so involved in my situation.  The sad part is no one from the MOPH offered to help me during the crisis.  All the MOPH did was ask me to resign as Commander, Department of Nevada and demand they be authorized access to my service records to confirm the validity of my Purple Hearts.  All because of a bogus newspaper article.  I requested assistance from our National Adjutant and National Commander and received no response.  I talked with the then National Senior Vice Commander, Tom Poulter, on several occasions and exchanged many e-mails with him.  All of his comments were negative.  What happened to the "Brotherhood of Combat Wounded Veterans"?
I firmly believe in the MOPH and it's doctrines but what will happen if another Patriot is placed in the same situation as I was?
Lastly, I resigned for the "Good of the Order", at the request of Tom Poulter, and not as an "ADMISSION of GUILT",  I intend to send a "Certified Copy" of my DD-215 to the MOPH National Headquarters as soon as I receive it.
Yours in Patriotism,
Paul A Bennett
L18041 Military Order of the Purple Heart