Memorial caretaker admits faking combat past

Memorial caretaker admits faking combat past
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Dec 8, 2009 17:32:22 EST

Kenneth Jerome Nelson was once celebrated as a war hero and the unofficial caretaker of a monument dedicated to Vietnam veterans in the shadow of the California State Capitol.

Now, he’s known as a liar.

The veterans activist pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Sacramento to wearing a Silver Star that had not been awarded to him, a misdemeanor. Nelson, 60, will be sentenced March 1 to a violation of the federal Stolen Valor Act, which prohibits wearing unearned military decorations, authorities said.

Authorities said they determined that Nelson wore a Silver Star, the nation’s third-highest valor award, and claimed to have earned three Purple Hearts for wounds sustained in combat. In reality, he enlisted in the Corps in 1977, but lasted less than two months before being discharged as a private from Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Marine officials said. He did not graduate from boot camp.

“The Silver Star is a symbol of heroism, patriotism and honor,” said U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner, who prosecuted the case. “Mr. Nelson would seek to diminish the sacrifice of others by wearing an unearned medal. He received years of praise and admiration from the public that he did not deserve, and now he is exposed as a fraud.”


Rest of article at: http://marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/12/marine_faker_nelson_120809w/