Kevin Reece, KHOU 11 News
A Shenadoah man who vastly altered his military record to reap the benefits of life as a highly-decorated war hero has been sentenced to 30 days in federal prison.
Paul A. Schroeder, 41, was convicted of altering a military or naval discharge certificate. The former director of counseling for the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Foundation was indicted earlier this year and was sentenced Monday morning by United States District Judge David Hittner. The judge rejected a defense request for probation and ordered Schroeder to spend a month in a federal detention facility and pay a $3,000 fine.
In 2010, as a representative for the PTSD Foundation, Schroeder appeared in a news story on KHOU 11 News professing how his Christian faith helped him overcome the demons he developed as a front-line soldier in Afghanistan and Somalia. Schroeder actually served only 9 years as a military policeman in the continental United States.
Schroeder altered his military discharge papers to indicate that he had received the Silver Star for valor, two Purple Hearts, three Bronze Stars, two Meritorious Service Medals, training from Special Forces Assessment and Selection, Army Ranger School, Pathfinder Course, Jumpmaster School, Airborne School, Military Freefall School and the Combat Dive Qualification Course.
“It was a grave insult,” said Houston Police Department Cpt. Gregory Fremin who worked with Schroeder when he was hired as a counselor and consultant to teach HPD officers how to deal with veterans suffering from PTSD.
“Mr. Schroeder, Paul, was one of those individuals that was a very dynamic speaker, and he captivated an audience, but at the end of the day he was a charlatan, and he was a fraud,” said Fremin.
(See more of this story at KHOU 11 News)
OTHER LOCAL HEADLINES:
- City wins census appeal; count adjusted (Chron.com)
- Galveston Emergency Management Official Discusses Hurricane Sandy Recovery (KUHF Public Radio)
- Resurgence Of Bars And Cars Program Hopes To Crackdown On DWIs (KUHF Public Radio)
- Family struggling to find help for sex abuse victim (KTRK 13 News)
- Family’s prayers answered: ‘Jackson Will Walk’ (KPRC 2 News)
- HISD policy for ‘red shirt’ kindergarteners causes confusion (KTRK 13 News)
- Therapy dogs help heal at VA hospital (KPRC 2 News)
- Tasty int’l feast brings in dollars for Volunteer Houston, helps at-risk kids (Houston Culture Map)
STATE, NATION & WORLD:
- Computer glitch prevents some Texas students from retaking high-stakes state exam (Austin Statesman)
- Expert shows school district funding disparities (Austin Statesman)
- Landowner Fights Keystone XL Pipeline By Suing the State (State Impact Texas)
- Report: Adjust Policy on Who Gets Sent to State Jails (Texas Tribune)
- Study Bolsters Link Between Routine Hits and Brain Disease (New York Times)
- CDC Says Flu Season Starting Early (AP)
- U.S. Warns Syria on Chemical Weapons (New York Times)
- With Carbon Dioxide Emissions at Record High, Worries on How to Slow Warming (New York Times)