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Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
February 8, 2023
Discussing ‘stolen vaor’ with tribal Veterans Service Officer
At Ease, Warm Springs! Again
your Tribal Veterans Service Of-
ficer—your TVSO—is here to help
the veteran, families, currently
serving members and those think-
ing about joining the military.
Let’s talk about ‘Stolen Valor’
citizens. This is a modern Ameri-
can ter m for the behavior
of military impostors or people
who lie about their military service.
In recent years, especially since
the global war on terrorism—or
GWOT—after 9/11, there has
been a rise in citizens impersonat-
ing veterans, or even currently serv-
ing service personnel.
While it is morally reprehensible,
it is usually not a crime. The ‘Sto-
len Valor Acts’ of 2005, and amend-
ment in 2013 made it a crime for
someone to claim they received
certain medals to obtain money,
property or other tangible benefit.
It is also illegal to forge, alter, or
misuse military records.
My favorite examples of these
goofs are the ones who are “in uni-
form” but have no clue how to
properly wear ‘em, mix up branches,
or just look all chewed up in it—
Just to get free food or discounts!
Who violates their honor and
integrity for 25-percent off at a
crumby fast food chain? That’s re-
donkulous and of low moral char-
acter and if it’s you…you deserve
the bad things that happen to you
‘cuz they are most likely of your
own making.
No level of reasoning or ratio-
nalizing their actions can condone
what they do or did because of
what are called ‘Life Standards’ or
just having modern standards to live
by i.e.: Don’t steal, don’t lie, or
don’t pretend to be a soldier when
you weren’t.
Now don’t get me wrong, I un-
derstand that injuries or trauma can
impair recall of military events, but
those veterans aren’t typically big
‘going out in public’ types, and they
stay at the house so no… I am not
talking about them.
Rain Circle, Veterans
Service Officer of the
Confederated Tribes.
These people will typically blame
Veterans Affairs (or another entity)
with little to no explanation as to
why they receive no benefits. The
explanation and details of their ser-
vice are usually vague, without de-
tails, without proof or, even better,
‘acquired’ from someone else’s story.
I have talked to plenty of these
people in my time and they are easy
enough to sniff out. They have no
answers, None, for the easiest of
questions! Questions like, Where did
you go to training; Who was your
drill Sergeant; What was your MOS?
These are questions that no vet-
eran forgets! That transition from
Civvies to Cammies is huge, and
those memories are just as clear
today, if not clearer, as they were
the moments they were happening.
Answers you’ll receive from
these knuckleheads are, “That was
so long ago...” or “Man, I forget…”
and my favorite: “bluh, uuhh,
uuuuhh….” These are the replies
one receives when these fact
benders are asked about their en-
listment. If you think it isn’t a big
deal, Well here’s what happens if it
goes unchecked:
Marine
imposter Rick
Strandlof exposed on Anderson
Cooper 360. He is infamous for
claiming to be a Marine captain
decorated with the Purple Heart
and Silver Star in order to raise
funds for a veteran focused non-
profit organization that he started.
The FBI exposed Strandlof,
who had adopted the false alias
Rick Duncan, and eventually
charged with violating the 2006
Stolen Valor Act.
Unfortunately, Standolf chal-
lenged the Stolen Valor legislation
before the Supreme Court, argu-
ing that the First Amendment pro-
tected his lies.
The court agreed that the law
was too broad and overturned his
conviction.
Angel Ocasio sentenced to 3
years’ probation for Stolen
Valor
In 2010, Angel Ocasio claimed
to have earned a Navy Cross,
Purple Heart, Bronze Star and a
Combat Action Medal for his time
in Vietnam. But when the com-
mander of a Marine Corps league
checked the list of award recipi-
ents online, Ocasio’s name was ab-
sent.
Ocasio was later arrested and
charged under the Stolen Valor Act.
He received three months’ proba-
tion and community service for his
crime.
Douglas Stringfellow: The
politician who faked a military
record and paralysis to make it
to Congress.
Utah Representative Douglas
Stringfellow claimed that he was a
member of the elite OSS—the
Office of Strategic Services—, a
WWII-born intelligence agency that
would later evolve into the CIA.
Stringfellow claimed he
undertook a mission to save a
nuclear scientist from the Nazis,
was captured and tortured by the
Germans until he was left paralyzed
from the waist down.
He was really a private in the
Air Force. The OSS and the Silver
Star Award was also untrue. But the
best part: He wasn’t even para-
lyzed. The people of Utah believed
the wheelchair routine and voted
him into office.
After two years in his position,
his secret got out, and his image was
completely destroyed. The Church
of Latter-Day Saints, his place of
worship, shamed him and forced
him to make a public confession of
his misdeeds. He died in obscurity
at 44.
We, as a people, believe ourselves
to be honest, stand-up types with
integrity and pride, but when we al-
low this in our community, those
words end up meaning nothing and
it shows in our everyday life.
The rot of stolen valor is a lie
of omission, if you do nothing and
allow your friends or family to con-
tinue the fictional story they’ve
adopted as a lifestyle; it hurts us all.
It will permeate, like the smell of
rotten meat, into every part of their
life to the point where nothing about
them can be believed and that ‘smell’
gets on you if you are standing next
to them, be a friend, help them out
and call their BS, don’t be a Blue
Falcon.
One of the most awkward things
in life, I find, is to have the courage
to tell someone you care about that
they are full of it and need to get
their stuff together because you
know they are better than what they
are doing or how they are being.
So, just like with the GWOT, in
the case of Stolen Valor ‘If you see
something say something.’
The Blue Falcon: This term
applies to one who is willing to screw
over, leave hangin’ or otherwise do
wrong to his or her buddy. In ser-
vice to the country, it is understood
that we take care of each other but
some folks never read that memo.
Some examples can be… Someone
who takes for themselves more than
their fair share, only worries about
themselves and no one else, refuses
to share important information with
everyone, switches their old gear for
another’s new gear, shirks their du-
ties so others have to take care of
it, sets themselves up for success
while ensuring others fail, throws
others under the metaphorical bus
and too many other examples to
list but you know one when you
work with one.
It is also referred to as (in for-
mal settings) ‘Bravo Foxtrot,’ from
the Military phonetic alphabet, and
in more relaxed environments as
“Buddy F&#@%R”... Don’t be a
Blue Falcon.
Remember to pay attention to
your veteran after discharge! Ev-
ery Veteran is different, and many
may not show any signs of intent
to harm themselves but some ac-
tions and behaviors can be a sign
that they need help.
Learn to recognize some of the
signs and take a self-check assess-
ment at:
veteranscrisisline.net/signs-of-cri-
sis/
The Veterans Crisis Line is 24-
seven confidential crisis sSupport:
998 then press 1 or text 838255
va.gov/REACH/default.asp
I know the frustration and con-
fusion of Military paperwork very
well.
Please bring in your DD-214.
Don’t have it? I can help you get it.
If you haven’t brought your
DD-214 in for archiving, please do
so. I would hate for you to have
that ‘inked’ copy lost or destroyed
without a backup copy... I can be
that archive. Also, if you have your
2-A/2-1/201 file on disk, or other
storage device, and want it in hard
copy form, too easy, bring it in.
I hope these articles in our news-
paper help you and your veteran
or veterans. My contact informa-
tion is below, feel free to call me
with your questions, thank you!
Rain Circle, CTWS-TVSO,
1144 War m Springs St. War m
Springs, OR 97761. Cell: 541-460-
8971. Office: 541-553-2234.
Valentines Wishes from Travis Bobb!
Community improvements:
(from page 1)
Next is the renovation of the
former elementary school. The
plan is for the remodeled building
to house a substance abuse disor-
der day treatment facility; trade and
vocational schools; GED, college
and computer training in partner-
ship with Central Oregon Commu-
nity College.
Tribal Social Services and Emer-
gency Management will also be
housed within the new building.
Funding is from the Oregon Health
Authority Behavioral Health System,
and Ms. Cruz is the contact person.
The Community Skate Park is
another project. This work is near-
ing completion at the Elmer Quinn
Park. The project is made possible
by a number of sources, such as
the Skatepark Project, Tactics,
Tribal Council, Jefferson County,
the Warm Springs Community Ac-
tion Team, and the community.
Points of contact are Michael
Collins of Managed Care; and
Andy Leonard of Prevention.
The long-planned Veterans Me-
morial is another project that
Health and Human Services is
planning to help with during 2023.
The goal is to have the memorial
built by July 4. Funding is from
the State Veterans Office, the
tribes’ Health and Human Ser-
vices, and Pacific Source. The
contact person is Veterans Ser-
vice Officer Rain Circle.
Other projects include reno-
vated and new playgrounds. Two
playgrounds will be renovated, and
one will be new. TJ Foltz is the
contact. A remodel and renovation
of the basketball court outside the
Prevention offices is another
project, with funding from the
Oregon Health Authority.
Projects for 2023
The plan is to re-do the concrete,
then lay a new style outdoor court
and new hoops, as well as replace
the fencing where needed.
And finally, a new program will
be Community Housing Services.
Funding will be used to help home
owners with repairs, not to exceed
$5,000, the target being to help
up to 80 home owners with the
tribal community.
Jackie Minson is the contact
person for this project, with the
funding coming from Oregon
Housing and Community Ser-
vices.
The funding will also help with
up to three months of past mort-
gage payments, separate from
home repairs. Utilities arrears that
can be paid include gas, electric-
ity, phone and Internet. Help with
security deposits or moving ex-
penses would be available.