This shitbags days are over.
Many faces of 'fake vet' Rick Strandlof exposed
Written by Kevin Simpson of The Denver Post (see editor's notes at the bottom for noted reporters)
A tattoo of an angel illustrates his right leg. A devil decorates his left.
But a trail of deceit has stamped Richard Glen Strandlof with another indelible mark: fake military hero who misled veterans, politicians and voters. Many had bought into the story of Rick Duncan, the wounded soldier rallying opposition to the Iraq war and support for struggling vets.
Like the contradictory body art, Strandlof's story winds between malicious deception and actual good works. And it muddies the issue of whether his offense was simply that he fooled the people he purported to champion or that he broke the law.
He awaits arraignment in the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center in Colorado Springs on a misdemeanor traffic charge after his arrest May 12. And while the FBI is investigating possible fraud, no charges have been filed.
Strandlof, 32, spared no detail in his alleged resume: Annapolis graduate. Marine captain. Survivor of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon. Wounded three-tour veteran of the Iraq war. An American hero who, in his next act, would stand up for his band of military brothers on whatever stage was set before him — from the Capitol steps in Denver to the campaign stump.
He backed mostly Democratic candidates sympathetic to his anti-war views in the run-up to the 2008 election. Beyond politics, he worked on behalf of homeless veterans in Colorado Springs, an effort that earned him widespread respect.
But revelation of his charade last month ignited the military blogosphere — some of the more charitable critics have suggested his deployment to a combat zone — and prompted speculation on just how he could pull it off.
The deception was elaborate, cunningly conceived and boldly executed — from his command of military vernacular down to details like the bumper sticker on his car.
"Got DD214?" it said, playing off the popular "Got milk?" ad campaign in what amounted to an inside military joke. The bumper sticker referred to the official form issued on a soldier's release from active duty.
"I admit that not everything I said was as factual as I wish it had been," Strandlof told 9News on Thursday in the only interview he has granted so far.
He said he constructed his military persona based on real and fictional accounts gleaned from reading materials and movies. He also claimed that schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have affected his recollection of events over the past few years.
"When I talked with people about my passion about vets' issues," he said, "I believed that was the truth."
Army Spec. Garett Reppenhagen met the man he knew as Duncan at a veterans gathering two years ago in Colorado Springs. He remembers him as "spastic, a lot of energy, all over the place, an excitable person."
That night, Duncan related how he'd been wounded by an improvised explosive device during his second tour in Iraq. He told others how the explosion had caused a severe brain injury — a circumstance that seemed to explain his twitchy mannerisms and sometimes erratic behavior.
It never occurred to Reppenhagen, an infantry sniper who actually did a tour in Iraq, to dig deeper. Vets don't press other vets for combat details like that.
"You sort of feel like a jerk by even doubting someone," he said.
Besides, Duncan's intentions seemed straightforward. He sent care packages to troops in Iraq. He stood up for homeless veterans in Colorado Springs. He
Strandlof sits in the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center last week, where he awaits arraignment on a traffic charge. (Kevin Kreck, The Gazette Matt Arnold, 9News)advanced his anti-war politics by connecting with like-minded candidates.
He even launched his own organization, the Colorado Veterans Alliance, which he said represented 32,000 veterans on a massive mailing list — though the only visible members seemed to be a cadre of local vets.
He certainly talked the talk. Duncan mingled easily in the military milieu. And in some ways, he walked the walk.
"It seems like his heart was in the right place," said Reppenhagen, 33. "He was a really hard worker. He did a lot of good by raising a lot of awareness, but then you find out that he's a fraud."
Strandlof's unmasking began early last month and resulted in his arrest soon afterward in Denver on a traffic warrant from El Paso County. According to one of the vets who first suspected the ruse, an FBI agent asked whether he was Strandlof or Duncan.
"Both," he replied.
Reppenhagen considered him a friend, a brother in arms. Then, he saw that bond torn by the worst kind of betrayal.
And yet.
"I can't say I hate Rick Duncan for what he did," Reppenhagen said. "But I certainly never want to talk to him again."
The well-told combat tale, delivered by an accomplished liar, has become almost cliche. It has been known to yield any number of perks: a job, a date, a fundraising boost, a political leg up — even a free parking place via Purple Heart license plates. It can conceal character defects or even criminal histories.
"It's a great way to deflect criticism — 'I was a war hero for my country. How can you not like me?' " explained Loren Pankratz, a professor of clinical psychology at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, who testifies in court cases involving military imposters or veterans who inflate their records.
continued:
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