Marine sergeant demoted for wearing purple heart, combat ribbon and other awards without authorization

The senior Marine was promoted to sergeant last month after wearing military decorations including Purple heart and the Combat Action Ribbon, which he was not authorized to wear, according to the indictment obtained by Military.com.

According to the plea agreement, then-Sgt. Maj. Charlie Clawson was demoted after a September 13 court-martial found him in violation of nine requirements for wearing awards or devices he had not earned. Marine Corps the press secretary confirmed to the publication.

His charges also included perjury and engaging in “conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline,” the latter of which he faced with nine specifications, one for each undeserved award or device he wore, the indictment said.

According to the indictments, Clawson wore the items for nearly five years, including when he was the senior commander of the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion on board. Camp PendletonCalifornia.

Military.com reached out to Clawson Friday afternoon for comment. He said he would like to consult with his lawyer before speaking to the press. The outlet reached out via phone call and text messages Monday afternoon, but Clawson was not immediately available.

In total, Clawson was convicted of wearing the following unauthorized awards, ribbons or insignia: Purple Heart; Combat Action Ribbon — which is awarded to marines for active participation in the conflict with the enemy; Award “United Meritorious Unit”; NATO medal for service; Kosovo Campaign Medal; Expeditionary Medal “Global War on Terrorism”; Sea Service Ribbon denoting seven tours; foreign tape of the Navy and Marine Corps; and insignia of paratroopers of the Navy and Marine Corps.

According to the indictment, each charge of unauthorized decorations was combined with Article 134, the broad Uniform Code of Military Justice, which covers misconduct.

Clawson was also charged with making a false official statement when he submitted — “with intent to mislead” — a doctorate and transcript from Liberty University in 2019 that were “completely false,” according to the indictment.

Maj. Hector Infante, a spokesman for the Marine Corps Training and Education Command, confirmed Friday that Clawson was convicted during a Sept. 13 court-martial on all counts included in the indictment.

According to the indictment, Clawson wore the unauthorized jewelry between January 1, 2019 and October 20, 2023, a period of approximately four years and nine months.

During that time, Clawson held several leadership positions, including sergeant major at Marine Corps Air Station and Personnel Management, both of which are in QuanticoVirginia, Infante confirmed. From 2023, he was appointed to the battalion headquarters, training and educational command.

“Please note that it is only administratively attached to TECOM,” Infante said in an email.

Anthony Anderson, an Army veteran and founder of Guardian of Valor, an organization that investigates false claims about awards and service, said he was “a little shocked” when he reviewed the allegations, given Clawson’s high rank.

“From what I’ve seen in the last decade or so, this is probably one of the biggest cases of stolen valor in the line of duty, especially from someone with the highest rank in the Marine Corps,” Anderson told Military.com in a comment. the interview is Monday.

Clawson was not charged under the official Stolen Valor Act, a Law of 2013 which covers fraudulent claims, usually from civilians or veterans, for valor awards such as Medal of HonorPurple Heart and Combat Gear, among other decorations. However, for the past two decades, the term has been used to describe false claims about services.

Anderson said that in his experience, it’s rare for active-duty military personnel to wear unauthorized decorations on their uniforms — or at least have been caught doing so — citing only “a handful” of other cases he’s seen in the years he’s investigated the claims. He said he was particularly surprised that Clawson was wearing the Purple Heart and Combat Ribbon without authorization.

“You’re portraying to people that you’ve served in combat and been wounded,” Anderson said. “And it shows a certain type of respect and (admiration) from other Marines who would look up to him for that. That’s probably what he was after.”

According to the Pentagon, Clawson also wore the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, which was awarded early in the conflict to service members who served in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. politicians. This award was later replaced by individual campaign medals.

The Marine Corps released Clawson’s actual awards and decorations to Military.com on Monday. These records showed two naval services deployment instead of the seven he claimed. The records did not indicate where those deployments were, but they did not include medals for campaigns in Afghanistan or Iraq.

There was also no Purple Heart, Combat Ribbon or Kosovo Campaign medal on his record. Among other awards, he received two Distinguished Service Medals and five Navy and Marine Corps Medals.

Clawson enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1996 and earned a military occupational specialty, or MOS, as a vehicle operator, according to his records.

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