Convicts Sentenced to Handwrite Names of Fallen U.S. Military Veterans

Two convicts in Montana have been ordered to write the names of all Americans killed in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of their sentencing.

Ryan Morris, 28, who received ten years for violating his probation terms for felony burglary, and Troy Nelson, 33, who got five years for drug possession, had previously claimed they were military veterans in hopes of getting more lenient sentences.

Both men received their sentencing from Judge Greg Pinski in a Cascade County Court on Friday, according to Fox News.

The report said:

Before either can be eligible for parole, however, Pinski ordered them both to handwrite the names of the 6,756 Americans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan; to write out the obituaries of the 40 Montanans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan; and send hand-written letters of apology to several veterans groups, making sure to identify themselves as having lied about military service to receive help and possibly a lesser sentence through a Veterans Court.

“I want to make sure that my message is received loud and clear by these two defendants,” Pinski said on Friday.

Upon completion of their prison terms, the judge said that while they are still under court supervision, he will require them to stand for eight hours a day wearing signs at the Montana Veterans Memorial during the Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies to draw attention to their actions.

“I AM A LIAR. I AM NOT A VETERAN. I STOLE VALOR. I DISHONORED ALL VETERANS,” the signs will read.

Reports said Morris claimed in 2016 that he participated in seven combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and had his hip replaced due to an injury he received from an improvised explosive device.

Nelson was enrolled in the Veterans Treatment Court before authorities discovered that he had not performed any military service.

Attorneys for both Morris and Nelson objected to the placards, but reports said Pinski “cited Montana Supreme Court rulings that give him discretion to take the stolen valor into account and others that upheld the placard requirements.”