An Army soldier attending Artsfest on Memorial Day thought something was fishy with the Marine uniform worn by 75-year-old Robert Ford, who was strolling along Front Street.

Ford's hat bore some wrinkles, according to the soldier's assessment, and his belt buckle looked too ornate for his rank.

The soldier enlisted the help of a Harrisburg police officer working at the event, who was a Marine, and together, they accused Ford of being a fraud.

"He's not a real Marine!" the officer shouted to the crowd gathered for the PennLive/Patriot-News Artsfest of Greater Harrisburg. "Stolen valor!"

"I was humiliated," said Ford, of Marysville.

The only problem is Ford did serve in the Marines from 1958 to 1964. He earned the rank of lance corporal.

Name:  vet.JPG
Views: 387
Size:  36.4 KB

"He's as legit as you can get," said Doug Sterner, a Vietnam veteran and archivist from Pueblo, Colo., who is nationally recognized for detecting military fraud. Sterner confirmed Ford's military service this week through Headquarters Marine Corps.

The incident in Harrisburg, Sterner said, represents a troubling trend across the country of veterans becoming vigilantes.
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/ind...len_valor.html


Sorry Mr. Mayor but you're wrong, so is the officer. You need to remember who you're working for, "We The People" ring a bell? You had no reason to shame that old vet like that.