bobdina
07-02-2010, 08:51 AM
Texas Revokes Late Senator’s Hero Status
July 02, 2010
El Paso Times
EL PASO -- Charles Ferguson Herring, a former state senator and U.S. attorney, no longer will be proclaimed a war hero by the state of Texas.
All references to combat valor were stripped Thursday from Herring's online biography at the Texas State Cemetery. The action came after its officials received military records contradicting Herring's claims of heroism during World War II.
Herring said he received the Navy Cross, a decoration for valor second only to the Medal of Honor; three Purple Hearts, each indicating combat injuries; and a Bronze Star, although not for valor. The biography also stated Herring left the Navy as a lieutenant commander.
Related story: Honored Texan's Medal Claims Fraudulent?
The record shows that Herring received no awards for combat valor or for being wounded. It makes no mention of a Bronze Star for service in a war zone. And it shows he left the Navy Reserve as a lieutenant junior grade, two ranks below lieutenant commander, after 10 years of service.
Click here to find out more!
Herring died in 2004 at age 89. A Democrat from Austin, he was elected to the Senate in 1956 and served for 17 years. He also was the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas during 1951-55 -- the region's top prosecutor.
A record of Herring's military service was obtained by Doug Sterner, who has created a website documenting recipients of the nation's top awards for combat valor. Sterner said he found that all of Herring's claims were false.
That document, provided by the National Archives in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, was given to the El Paso Times. The Times sent it to cemetery officials, who received it Thursday and then amended its historic record of Herring's military service.
Herring made the claims of heroism when he was interviewed about his experiences for an oral history, Charles Herring Jr., the senator's son, said in a previous interview. That information was used in the senator's obituary, which was posted as a biography on the cemetery's website.
Phone messages left with the younger Herring were not returned Thursday. However, Herring has said he wants the record to be truthful.
"Until such time as the family provides proof, we believe it is the right move," said Don Mason, national commander of the Legion of Valor, a fraternal organization chartered by Congress for recipients of the nation's most prestigious military honors. They include the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross and the Air Force Cross.
Mason, who received a Navy Cross for heroism in the Korean War, said false claims create false history. Those lies, he said, also cheapen the sacrifices of true heroes, many of whom died in battle.
Watchdogs such as Sterner say those who lie about or exaggerate their military record are growing in number. They say support for Soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan has led many others to fabricate stories about wartime service. So rampant is the lying that it even has a name -- stolen valor.
The cemetery in Austin was first contacted by the El Paso Times in January. An official there said he needed documentation that the claims regarding Herring were false. He said the cemetery did not have the resources to research every claim.
"It's the wrong approach," Sterner said. "You need documentation to add him to the list, not documentation to remove him."
Six months after first being notified, the cemetery staff took a different stand.
Scott Sayers, chairman of the Texas State Cemetery Committee that oversees the operation, received the record of Herring's service Thursday. Sayers said Herring's claims of combat valor then were removed immediately.
Herring's gravestone itself has no references to his military record.
"We will contact the family to let them know that changes have been made and why the changes were made," Sayers said.
July 02, 2010
El Paso Times
EL PASO -- Charles Ferguson Herring, a former state senator and U.S. attorney, no longer will be proclaimed a war hero by the state of Texas.
All references to combat valor were stripped Thursday from Herring's online biography at the Texas State Cemetery. The action came after its officials received military records contradicting Herring's claims of heroism during World War II.
Herring said he received the Navy Cross, a decoration for valor second only to the Medal of Honor; three Purple Hearts, each indicating combat injuries; and a Bronze Star, although not for valor. The biography also stated Herring left the Navy as a lieutenant commander.
Related story: Honored Texan's Medal Claims Fraudulent?
The record shows that Herring received no awards for combat valor or for being wounded. It makes no mention of a Bronze Star for service in a war zone. And it shows he left the Navy Reserve as a lieutenant junior grade, two ranks below lieutenant commander, after 10 years of service.
Click here to find out more!
Herring died in 2004 at age 89. A Democrat from Austin, he was elected to the Senate in 1956 and served for 17 years. He also was the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas during 1951-55 -- the region's top prosecutor.
A record of Herring's military service was obtained by Doug Sterner, who has created a website documenting recipients of the nation's top awards for combat valor. Sterner said he found that all of Herring's claims were false.
That document, provided by the National Archives in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, was given to the El Paso Times. The Times sent it to cemetery officials, who received it Thursday and then amended its historic record of Herring's military service.
Herring made the claims of heroism when he was interviewed about his experiences for an oral history, Charles Herring Jr., the senator's son, said in a previous interview. That information was used in the senator's obituary, which was posted as a biography on the cemetery's website.
Phone messages left with the younger Herring were not returned Thursday. However, Herring has said he wants the record to be truthful.
"Until such time as the family provides proof, we believe it is the right move," said Don Mason, national commander of the Legion of Valor, a fraternal organization chartered by Congress for recipients of the nation's most prestigious military honors. They include the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross and the Air Force Cross.
Mason, who received a Navy Cross for heroism in the Korean War, said false claims create false history. Those lies, he said, also cheapen the sacrifices of true heroes, many of whom died in battle.
Watchdogs such as Sterner say those who lie about or exaggerate their military record are growing in number. They say support for Soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan has led many others to fabricate stories about wartime service. So rampant is the lying that it even has a name -- stolen valor.
The cemetery in Austin was first contacted by the El Paso Times in January. An official there said he needed documentation that the claims regarding Herring were false. He said the cemetery did not have the resources to research every claim.
"It's the wrong approach," Sterner said. "You need documentation to add him to the list, not documentation to remove him."
Six months after first being notified, the cemetery staff took a different stand.
Scott Sayers, chairman of the Texas State Cemetery Committee that oversees the operation, received the record of Herring's service Thursday. Sayers said Herring's claims of combat valor then were removed immediately.
Herring's gravestone itself has no references to his military record.
"We will contact the family to let them know that changes have been made and why the changes were made," Sayers said.