Stolen Valor: American Legion duped by fake Marine
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August 25, 2011 2:21 AM
Clark Leonard
SHELBY — The American Legion World Series was thrown a major-league curveball.
George “Gunny” Lauve, who led the sportsmanship pledge in full dress uniform before an Aug. 13 American Legion World Series baseball game at Shelby High School’s Keeter Stadium, wasn’t the decorated combat veteran he presented himself to be.
Lauve said he finished his military career as a Marine Corps sergeant major after earning five Purple Hearts and a Navy Cross. But he received none of those honors and was never in the Marines, according to American Legion officials.
Lauve served in the Navy from 1944-46.
Bill Haase, senior vice president of the Baseball Hall of Fame, had introduced Lauve at the game and called the news “a deep disappointment.”
“I’m very hurt and embarrassed,” Haase said. “And I feel personally betrayed by Mr. Lauve.”
American Legion baseball national director Jim Quinlan echoed that sentiment.
“Many of us that have known him for 10 years are just saddened and disappointed that he would do something like this,” Quinlan said.
Reached by phone on Wednesday, Lauve said he didn’t want to speak on the record about the situation at this time.
Quinlan said Lauve was never officially invited by the national Legion office, but he came to the Legion World Series at his own expense for all but one of the last 10 years. Lauve became good friends with Legion officials and was often asked to lead the pledge.
When a story about Lauve ran in The Star on Aug. 14, people on the West Coast who had served with Lauve in the Navy began disputing his claim that he was a decorated Marine. Then, Legion officials at his post in Wenatchee, Wash., met with him to discuss the matter.
“He ‘fessed up that he had exaggerated his record and apologized,” Quinlan said.
Criminal charges?
Impostors can no longer face criminal prosecution for lying about receiving recognition as military heroes. The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in August 2010 struck down the federal Stolen Valor Act, finding that it violated the First Amendment right to free speech.
Congress passed the law in 2006 to strengthen a ban on wearing unearned military medals.
Quinlan said “no one in the post” knew about the embellishments until after the World Series ended last week.
“It appears he’s been perpetuating this for quite a few decades,” Quinlan said.
Quinlan said Lauve would not be on the field at future World Series games, though he could still attend as a fan.
“I doubt if we even see him anymore,” Quinlan said. “He’s pretty embarrassed about everything that happened, and rightfully so.”
