A Houston Police Department counselor named Paul Schroeder, who was hired to use his post-combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan to help returning soldiers adapt to civilian life again, has been sentenced to 30 days in federal prison for “altering his military record.”
In other words, he was never in combat and he was never in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Instead, he was a military policeman who served nine years stateside. Yet he claimed to have received a “Silver Star for valor, two Purple Hearts, [and] three Bronze Stars,” all of which were allegedly given him “from his tours of duty with Special Forces.”
It gets worse — before getting caught, Schroeder would almost break down in tears over all the people he’d allegedly “killed at war.” In one television interview from 2010, he acted like it was all he could to survive the guilt of his combat actions, then said he’s able to move forward because killing is just part of “the business.”
It appears Schroeder came to believe his own stories to such a degree that he applied for meritorious service plates for his vehicles. Shortly after he applied, the very dept for which he worked–Houston Police Dept–busted him for faking his record.
God bless our troops in harm’s way. And shame on anyone who would steal their valor.