“That’s all I have to say and yes I have a purple heart!” – Matthew Edler
BACKGROUND
Matthew DeWayne Edler joined a US Army Signal Corps veteran’s group on Facebook. He presented his military career to the group.
Some people questioned various aspects of his story. He said he was in Operation Desert Storm and corrected the date as 1991 vs. 1996; then said he got out in 1996 then corrected it to getting out with a medical discharge in 1995.
He offered up a few ID cards.
Things got even more heated…
The argument extended to uniforms…
… and the argument ended with Edler confirming that he had a Purple Heart…
He underscores a combat medic claim on his Facebook profile, first claiming he attended Combat Medic School in 1984, then claiming he was a 91B Field Medic.
Matthew Edler’s official military records were requested through the Freedom of Information Act.
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FOIA RESULTS – COMPLETE
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DISCUSSION & SUMMARY
DISCUSSION
Time in Service
Both the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) and DoD Manpower Data Center (DoDMDC) results do not show a second enlistment in 1984-1985. Even giving this the benefit of the doubt, why would he have a one year enlistment? He said that he got out on a medical in 1995 (said 1996 on one occasion) from an IED in Iraq. This would have been 1991.
Besides the NPRC not showing anything from 1991 – 1995, DoD Manpower was searched for these dates as well with results showing no service.
He was in the US Army less than 3 months. Not enough time to complete boot camp, advanced infantry training and a military service school. All of his time was at Fort Gordon, GA.
Rank
Edler made no claims as to rank, but he got out as a private (E-1). This is consistent with having less than 3 months in.
Veteran
Title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations defines a veteran as “a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.”
Edler may be considered a veteran so may be able to eat free at Applebee’s on Veteran’s Day as well as get a discount at Home Depot, but if his discharge was dishonorable he may not be able to use the ID cards that he offered to the Facebook group to prove his veteran status.
Purple Heart
There was no Purple Heart award in Edler’s official military records.
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SUMMARY
Matthew DeWayne Edler’s military claims are not supported by his official records.
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PHOTOS and SOCIAL MEDIA
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SOCIAL MEDIA
- FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/matthew.edler [pic]
- LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-edler-b8688717 [pic]
- GOOGLE+: https://plus.google.com/108268239366484027826
- INDEED: http://www.indeed.com/r/Matthew-Edler/a5b944281dd6e6c2 [pic]