The veteran you are about to interview claims to have been a prisoner of war. Or that he received the Medal of Honor. Or holds other high awards and decorations. Or that he was involved in secret assassination missions behind the lines. Or that he retired with the rank of colonel or general.

How can you determine whether any of this is true, including his status as a veteran?
There is a simple three-step process you can follow.

1. Require a full set of identification papers and military documents before you agree to the interview. Many phony veterans merely make up their biographies from thin air, but others have been known to forge documents and even to commit "identity theft" of actual POWs or veterans. So it is necessary not only to check out the interviewee's claims but to compare his documentation against that of the military archives.
   
   You should begin by informing the veteran that because all too many phony veterans have deceived the news media in recent years about their wartime experiences, it is a sad necessity that you have to confirm the veteran's identity and his official records before you may proceed. To do that you need to obtain a transcript of military service from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Mo. - the component of the National Archives that handles all military personnel records.
   
   You should insist on the following: A copy of his birth certificate or passport, driver's license, Form DD-214 (summary of military service at discharge), and a copy of the General Order for each award or medal. You should also obtain his Social Security number.
   
   
2. Apply for his official military records from the National Personnel Records Center.
   You should require from him a letter authorizing you as the media representative to receive a copy of all releasable information from the NPRC, or have him fill out a Form 180 request for information. You can download a .pdf version of NARA Form 180 at http://www.nara.gov%20/regional/mprsfl80.html. If the veteran declines to do this, you have the option of calling off the article or proceeding anyway.
   
   If he declines and you wish to proceed, the following information in every serviceman's file is releasable to the public under the federal Freedom of Information Act (see Chapter 11):
   
   
   • Name
     
   • Age (date of birth)
     
   • Dates of service
     
   • Source of commission (for officers)
     
   • Rank/ grade and date attained
     
   • Marital status
     
   • Promotion sequence number
     
   • Salary*
     
   • Office phone number*
     
   • City/town and state of last known address and date of this address
     
   • Serial/service number (those issued prior to the use of the Social Security number as the service number)
     
   • Decorations and awards
     
   • Place of birth; date and geographical location of death; and place of burial+
     
   • Military and civilian education level
     
   • Photograph (or photocopy if only one photo is available)
     
   • Place of induction and separation
     
   • Duty assignments (including geographical location)
     
   • Dependents (including name, sex, and age)
     
   • Records of court-martial trial (unless classified)
     
   • Education/schooling (military)
     
   • Future assignments, which have been finalized*
     
   • Duty status#
   
   Notes:
   *These items obviously relate to active-duty personnel and are not likely to be found in the records at the NPRC.
   # For records at the NPRC this generally means discharged or retired.
   + If person is deceased, these items also may generally be released.
   
   Send your FOIA Request (See Chapter 11) to:
   National Personnel Records Center
   Military Personnel Records
   9700 Page Ave.
   St. Louis MO 63132-5100
   
   Caution: NPRC officials warn that there is usually a backlog of between 4-10 weeks due to the large volume received.
   
   Another word of caution: Some phony POWs and false heroes have gone so far as to forge the documentation authorizing their medals (primarily in order to obtain VA benefits under false pretenses). It is not enough, for example, to take at face value the signed and chronologically numbered General Order document that stipulates the granting of a military medal. It is sometimes necessary to make a FOIA request to the National Archives and Records Service, http://www.nara.gov/, or the historical branches of the specific military service involved.
   
   
3. Check out the POW and veterans networks.
   One of the most effective organizations dedicated toward unmasking phony POws and military heroes is the nonprofit POW Network. You can contact the POW Network by going to their website at www.pownetwork.org or calling (660) 928-3304.
   
   The POW Network contains a large archive of phony POWs, some of whom have attempted to dupe reporters, veterans groups or individuals in more than one location.
   
   The POW Network has assembled a number of official rosters which will be useful in determining the veracity of the veteran's claim, including:
   
   
   • The PMSEA Roster of all Vietnam-era POWs
     
   • Roster of all Medal of Honor recipients and citations
     
   • Roster of all living Medal of Honor recipients
     
   • Legion of Valor website (Membership limited to recipients of the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, and Air Force Cross)
     
   • CyberSEALS: Rosters of unmasked phony SEALS.
   
   In addition, the POW Network has hyperlinks to a number of military alumni organizations that monitor false claimants, including the Army Ranger Association, Naval Special Warfare Command (SEALs), USS Pueblo incident and more.
   
   For information on the Navy SEAL program - the elite commando unit that attracts a large number of phonies - contact the private organization cyberSEALS at http://www.cyberseals.org/.
   
   Another networking source is nightscribe.com (www.nightscribe.com/Military/SEALs/wannabee_seals.htm) which has a roster of other activists dedicated to rooting out phony SEALs.
   
   Texas financial adviser B.G. "Jug" Burkett, a Vietnam veteran who served with the 199th Infantry Brigade, has become a one-man research institution into the proliferation of phony POWs and military heroes. His 1998 book, Stolen Valor (Verity Press), should be on the desk of every reporter who may cover military or veterans' issues. The 692-page book is not only a harsh indictment of how American society allowed the image of the Vietnam veteran to be hijacked by Hollywood and a long parade of criminals falsely posing as Vietnam veterans, it offers many case studies of how reporters not only fell for outrageous false stories, but in many cases refused to run corrections after the false veteran was later unmasked. In addition, Burkett has included in Stolen Valor the official Pentagon rosters of returned Vietnam POWs, and recipients of the Medal of Honor, Air Force Cross, Navy Cross and Army Distinguished Service Medal - a ready checklist when approached by someone claiming such a distinction. To contact Burkett or to order a copy of Stolen Valor, contact his website at http://www.stolenvalor.com/.
   
   In addition to the mainstay veterans organizations, many combat and support units assigned to Vietnam have active unit alumni associations that regularly host reunions and seminars.
   
   They can readily be located on the internet through various webrings dedicated to veterans affairs, and their records are invaluable in verifying or knocking down a veteran's claims.
   
   Moreover, you can easily find a veteran who is expert on the alleged incident or battle in which your would-be hero claims to have been involved.

For information about ordering Pen & Sword: A Reporter's Guide to Covering the Military, go to the website for Marion Street Press Inc. at http://www.marionstreetpress.com/.

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