Stolen Valor: A phony Bataan Death March survivor was exposed by a real survivor

I usually don't cut and paste but many may not know of the so called Chiefgate that occured during the reign of CMS of the AF Campanale. To some degree this shows the arrogance of position.

Letter from Brown (retired CMSgt and survivor of Battan and Jap prisons)

The Chief (Dukes) was apparently in many places at the right time, which makes a good story. … It makes me very sad to question the veracity of another chief and I sincerely hope that you understand my sincerity. The award that you are about to bestow on Chief Dukes is a great honor and if we should find a discrepancy, now is the time to know.

Would you please check Chief Dukes’ military personnel records from beginning to end and put my mind to rest? If I have erred in this request I will personally apologize to Chief Dukes.

Your response is requested.

Reply from Campanale

Since I’m the individual who worked this issue I feel bound to respond. I’ve known Chief Dukes for many years and never once felt compelled to ask him to verify in some official capacity that he was what he said to be. I do not intend to start now. … You’ve questioned Chief Dukes’ word and his worthiness to have the First Sergeant of the Year Award named in his honor, so be it. I do not, and I stand behind the award and all that Chief Dukes represents….

It is my opinion that you have erred in fact and judgment and do owe Chief Dukes an apology.

From Brown

Being a retired CMSgt I was chosen to correspond with your office on a Chief to Chief basis. The intent being that we could save your prestigious office some embarrassment down the road if we find that Chief Dukes is not in fact one of us. Chief, we do not question Chief Dukes’ worthiness to have the First Sergeant of the Year Award. I am sure he is one damn good First Sergeant; however, using Bataan as a stepping stone to this fame is not acceptable to us and the sacrifices we endured.

You have elected not to honor my request to check his records, so be it. We will continue in our efforts to find the truth and if our suspicions are correct we will expose Chief Dukes through every media available to us, and there are many.

Apologies to Chief Dukes at this time, I don’t think so! Erred in fact and judgment, that remains to be seen. …

From Campanale

Again, I stand behind the award we’ve chosen to present to Air Force First Sergeants in CMSgt Dukes’ name, his record of accomplishment and his military service. … I certainly understand your desire to protect the history and integrity of a great group of people, but in my eyes you’ve already labeled him false and I’m not sure any number of facts or documents presented otherwise would change your mind.

Whatever course you take is well within your right and you’ve certainly given me an opportunity to respond. I appreciate the courtesy, but Chief Dukes is the real thing and when you discover you’re incorrect in your suspicions I sincerely hope you’ll use every media opportunity available to so state your error and apologize to him.

From Brown

(He enclosed a letter from an official of “American ex-Prisoners of War” who wrote that he had not been able to find Chief Dukes’ name on the membership list of his organization or that of “American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor.”)

Chief, you might want to reconsider my original request to check out Chief Dukes’ personnel records, instead of questioning my integrity. This is just one of several documents that are currently being compiled for submission through channels, which I think you should be made aware of.

As I previously stated, I do not want you or your prestigious office or the United States Air Force to be embarrassed! This man is not a Bataan survivor or a WWII POW. It is time for our military judicial system to take appropriate action and stop the charade of Chief Dukes.

Your immediate response is again requested.

From Campanale

The letter you provided as “one of several documents that are currently being compiled for submission through channels” doesn’t prove your case in my estimation. It only alludes to the fact that Chief Dukes is not a member of AXPOW or ADBC. …Chief, instead of telling me that this is one document of several others, why don’t you just provide me the documents to prove your point? Instead of asking me to ask Chief Dukes to provide proof, why don’t you?

You’ve asked me to ask my friend and a fellow Chief to prove he’s not a liar. Well, I'm not going to do that. If you want to, that’s your prerogative. I also believe you’ll find that the military justice system, inspector general complaints system, or any legal system would tell you the same thing.

* Then the inspector general office of the March Air Force Base heard about Chief Brown's inquiry regarding Chief Dukes' records. It decided to look into the matter and found out that Chief Dukes was not in Bataan, not even in the Pacific theater during WWII. It was also revealed that he falsely claimed that he had received, among other awards, Silver Stars, Legion of Merit, Airman’s Medal, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart. He received none of them.

Chief Brown received the following letter from new Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Eric Benken who replaced Chief Campanale. (Chief Brown believed that it was due to Chief Campanale’s handling of the Dukes affair.)

From Chief Benken

We have learned that there are inaccuracies in the reports of combat duty for Chief Dukes. We have confirmed that he was not a prisoner of war nor was he a participant in the Bataan Death March.

We will no longer use Chief Dukes as an official Air Force spokesman for PME classes or for other groups. We are taking steps to remove his name from the First Sergeant of the Year Award.

I regret any inconvenience this matter has caused you or any member of your group, and I appreciate your bringing it to our attention.