Stolen Valour

Simon Ogden served on board HMAS Sydney during the 1990 - 1991 Gulf War action, he was one of the 1581 Australian Navy personnel to serve in that theatre of conflict.

Ogden is wearing a Returned from Active Service Badge (RASB), a Meritorious Unit Citation (MUC) and five medals. The RASB and the MUC are legitimate but he should be wearing only four medals. Here is a close up of his medal rack.

Returned from Active Service Badge (RASB

Meritorious Unit Citation (MUC)

Australian Active Service Medal (AASM)
Australian Service Medal (ASM)
Australian Defence Medal (ADM)
Liberation of Kuwait Medal (LKM)
Kuwait Liberation Medal Not entitled

The last medal is not authorised to be worn and must not be mixed with genuine medals.

Here are details of the offending medal.

The non approved medal is often seen being worn by former Australian RAN personnel. It degrades protocol and tradition to wear it attached to genuine issued medals.

For his lapse in judgement we welcome Gulf War Veteran Simon J Ogden to our website.

Philip Thor Beeson attended an ANZAC Day ceremony at the small town of Barmah on the New South Wales side of the Murray River. Unfortunately for Beeson, in every corner of Australia there are people interested in the integrity, tradition and protocols for Returned Defence Veterans,

Beeson was rigged out as a Returned Veteran complete with medals, a Commando green beret with a Commando (Cdo) badge.

The medals he wore were:

Australian Active Service Medal (AASM) Not entitled
Afghanistan Medal Not entitled
Australian Defence Medal (ADM)
North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal with Clasp (ISAF) Not entitled

Beeson served as a Reservist Soldier (part time) from July 2001 until April 2006. He held the rank of private soldier in 2 Cdo Company, which was part of 1 Cdo Regiment,. This service entitles him to wear the green beret, Cdo badge and perhaps the Australian Defence Medal.

He was never deployed to Afghanistan, or to any other operational areas .

During his service from 2001 to 2006, his Army Reserve Unit did not deploy to Afghanistan. Here is the official history of his Unit's first deployment to Afghanistan in 2008

As well as serving part time for Her Majesty in the Australian Defence Force it is also known that he has served full time at Her Majesty's pleasure in less salubrious surroundings.

Beeson blames the mental stress of his defence service in Afghanistan for his incarceration, which in his case is entirely a false excuse for committing criminal acts.

Beeson has committed offences against the Defence Act 1903 for:

Falsely representing to be a returned soldier.
Improper use of service medals,.

Each of these offences carry a maximum penalty of a fine for $3,300 or six months imprisonment or both.

Beeson should disregard his pretense of being a mentally scarred returned veteran or he could once again be a guest in one of Her Majesties establishments.

Falsely blaming military service for committing criminal acts can lead to further prosecutions for perverting the course of justice.

Beeson is not welcome in the Defence veteran community but is very welcome to this website

David Branko Pierre Macura is a liar who advertises his false Army service to assist with selling vintage military vehicles. He is currently spruiking that he has for sale, a 1962 United States of America (USA) Army Jeep that belonged to USA General William Westmoreland, that was shipped back to Australia on a Military Ship.

Macura tells how very disappointed he is that the Australian Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) will not accept his claim for illness caused by spraying Agent Orange in Vietnam in 1971 - 1972. Whether he has a genuine illness, we don't know, however we do know that he never sprayed a drop of Agent Orange in Vietnam and did not serve with the Australian Defence Force in Vietnam.

He is not listed in any Defence records as serving in Australia or anywhere overseas. He explains, his missing records by claiming it was secret operations with USA 173rd Airborne Brigade.

As part of his sales pitch he displays memorabilia from his "Vietnam service" on the Jeep bonnet. Here is a photograph of him in uniform as a Vietnam veteran.

His trousers are not Australian issue and his hat badge is of foreign origin. At the bottom of the photograph a note detailing his service is written and certified correct:

Below is another photograph with details shown at the bottom:

Macura also shows evidence of his service by attaching a small webbing pouch to his Jeep. It describes him as a Sig (short of Signalman) with a regimental number of 259410.

Macura may fool civilians, but any Vietnam Veteran will recognize his lies at a glimpse of his photographs, and the ridiculous stories that emanate from his gob.

We assume that Macura was seeking a bit of kudos for his secret Vietnam operations, however, instead, he has achieved derision for being a fool.

When contacted by a researcher Macura detailed his "agent orange spraying" in Vietnam, and when told he was a fraud and a liar he sprayed the researcher with an earful of invective that would embarrass an Infantry Sergeant.

And by the way for those who may be interested here is "General Westmoreland's Jeep" with provenance as phony as Macura

We welcome Macura to our website and trust that for his lies about Vietnam service, this entry will stop him spraying lies that are offensive to returned veterans.

Trevor Whitney served as a part time Army Reservist for six months. Because it was part time service his actual time wearing a uniform would be measured in a few weekends rather than months.

Here is an extract from Whitney's Certificate of Service.

To indulge his own ego he purchased and wore two medals that he had not earned. Here is what he said about the medals:

"when the medal entitlement came out i did apply for them, but was told that my service fell short of the time allocated. i was disjointed and fort (sic) hard for them, no success, they did how ever tell me i could wear the two replicas on conditions,

1- that i always informed the correct people what they were and that i remove them at any time if some one would be up set by me wearing them.

i always inform the marshals on Anzac days and even if they asked me to remove them i would. i have always followed, the conditions, i will never disrespect the wearing of medals due to my grandfathers and farther (sic"

The medals are:

The Australian Defence Medal (ADM)

Six months part time service is insufficient time to qualify for this medal

The Anniversary of National Service Medal

As Whitney was born in 23 April 1961 he would have been eleven years old in 1972 when the medal ceased to be issued.

Part of his commemorative regalia includes a National Servicemen's Association Blazer complete with pocket motif.

Whitney could not possibly fill the criterion for membership to the National Servicemen's Association.

It should be noted that when these issues were brought to his attention, Whitney was very honest and cooperative.

Although the medals do not represent operational service, Whitney has worn two medals he did not earn, it is dishonest ego boosting behaviour for him to wear them. Being mentioned in despatches on this web site is ego deflating and will offset the kudos he got from wearing false medals.

Grant Benjamin Sheean was born on the 1 November, 1979. He is a 40 year old stand over man and a hoodlum, who claims extensive military service in the Royal Australian Navy.

He tells tales of performing secret operations that he can’t talk about during his Navy service, and he likes to impress those around him that he is some sort of military hero.

The truth is that Sheean was terminated from the Royal Australian Navy after 15 months as a misfit on the 27 March, 1998.

The reason. Terminated “Not in the Interests of the Service”. He failed Initial Employment Training (IET) and was sacked.

The above photograph purports Sheean in an alleged French Foreign Legion uniform wearing parachute wings.

Sheean is a member of a Brisbane family friendly skirmishing community named “Gel Ball Blasters” and is associated with a group called “Heavy Hitters”. He has also told colleagues within this group that he was also a member of the French Foreign Legion for many years. That statement is false. He was never a member of the French Foreign Legion. One of the pre-requisites for acceptance into the French Foreign Legion is the ability to speak the French language. Unfortunately for Sheean, he does not possess this skill. “C’est la vie”

He further claims that he was a member of two country’s Defence Forces for 15 years. That is also false.

Sheean produced the above “Royal Australian Navy Certificate of Service” to colleagues to convince them that he was a member of the Royal Australian Navy for 10 years. The date of enlistment detailed on the Certificate of Service is inconsistent with the actual date that he joined. The Certificate states that he enlisted on the 20 January, 1996. He in fact enlisted on the 20 January, 1997. He has also crossed out other information including “Rank, Date of Separation, Medals, Decorations and Commendations.”  There could be a reason for that!

Below is a message sent by Sheean to some former colleagues who questioned him about his military service, and other matters.

The message has been edited due to the obscene language used by Sheean in the text.

This message indicates what an objectionable person Sheean is.

He is a wasted space, a liar, a thug and a failed Royal Australian Navy Seaman, who could not cope with the discipline of military life.

He pretends to be a former member of the French Foreign Legion. His entire life is a pretence. And a false one at that.

We know that since Sheean has been informed that ANZMI would like to contact him and confirm his military claims, he has disappeared. He will no doubt resurface somewhere and be reported to ANZMI.

As Sheean would like everyone to know that he is a former Royal Australian Navy hero and a French Foreign Legion hero, we are more than happy to provide additional publicity for him on this site.

Following publication of this article, when Grant Benjamin Sheean, or anyone else for that matter, now Googles his name, his factual Royal Australian Navy service will be revealed.

Welcome to ANZMI, Grant Benjamin Sheean.

Update Gary Crosby

Gary Crosby unfortunately put on the wrong medal and wore it to a Motorcycle Club function, where he was photographed and reported to ANZMI. Here is what he said:

"I did accidentally put the wrong medal on that morning and as soon as one of my mate(sic) told me it wasn't the Lib of K which I didn't even look at I took it off, as both those medals sit side by side on my book shelf. This could impact my career as teacher and DVA status etc. in which I've just applied for after 25 years of never claiming, I have never claimed to be anything I am not, I served and I don't like cheats and impostors. Please explain how I reach the requirements to be label as one, for a stuff up in the morning"

regards Gary Crosby"

Crosby will remain on this website site and Veterans will judge the extent of his offence. His association with DVA will not be affected by this matter and we suggest that he get his medals properly mounted to alleviate any further careless acts.

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It behoves veterans to be aware of medals protocols, otherwise they will be reported by fellow veterans and shown on this website. Gary F Crosby wears an unauthorized medal instead of the official medal for his service in the Gulf War.

Crosby served on HMAS Westralia in the Persian Gulf in 1990 - 1991 during the Liberation of Kuwait. For that service he is wearing the unathorized Kuwait Liberation Medal

The medal is not on the Australian Governor General's list of foreign medals approved to be worn

Accepting and wearing of Foreign awards by Australians
In August 2012, Her Majesty The Queen approved the replacement of the 1997 ‘Guidelines concerning the acceptance and wearing of Foreign Awards by Australians’. The new Guidelines are substantially similar to the 1997 Guidelines, however, they enable the Governor-General to determine whether Australian Citizens may accept and wear foreign awards on the basis of advice from the Prime Minister in the form of a schedule of approved countries and awards.

For the Schedule of Approved Countries and Awards. See here: www.gg.gov.au/australian-honours-and-awa...n-awards-australians

It is also noted that Crosby is wearing the non approved medal with the ribbon upside down.

Crosby is most likely authorized to wear the Saudi Arabian Liberation of Kuwait medal, but chooses not to.

His offence appears to be one of ignorance, rather than fraud, and it is suggested that he contact Honours and Awards and establish his proper entitlement and then meet with a competent medal mounter and become legitimate.

Anthony Fraser is another Sailor on this website from the Gulf War who chose to wear this unauthorized medal. anzmi.net/index.php/cheats-thieves/medal-cheats/720-fraser

If you have served on overseas Defence operations you must wear only authorized medals and definitely, do not wear unauthorized medals with the ribbon upside down.

Crosby has achieved the criterion to be listed on this website.