OLIVIA, Minn., Oct. 5 (UPI) -- A man dressed in a U.S. Army uniform and interacted with several veterans and the family of a man killed in Iraq before he was discovered to be a felon who had never served in the military.
The Military Times reports that Richard Arthur Rahn, 54, dressed in a command sergeant major's uniform with Ranger tabs, indicating his completion of one of the U.S. Army's toughest commando schools, and attended American Legion meetings and other veteran-oriented ceremonies in Minnesota.
Rahn traded war stories with several real veterans, and even met with a Gold Star family to offer condolences and tears.
"My sister said this totally-in-uniform soldier came walking up and stated that he comes to our son's grave often ... and that he had left a small statue, and wanted to know if we had gotten it," Kim Schmit told the Times. "My mom had said that he was so sincere up until he started pointing to his ribbons and almost like patting himself on the back, the type of speeches he was giving, and my mom and sister looked at each other and thought, 'Something's not right here.'"
Sgt. Joshua Schmit, 26, was killed in a 2007 roadside bombing in Iraq. Rahn reportedly told the Schmit family that while serving in Iraq, he himself lost 90 men.
After attending an event in Olivia, veterans noticed several discrepancies in his uniform -- including a Combat Infantryman's Badge with two stars, which would mean that Rahn would have had to serve in three separate conflicts. Only veterans with combined service in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War could rate such a device.
In September law enforcement in Wilmar, Minn. acted on tips about Rahn and discovered he had been convicted of felony burglary and drug charges in two other states, and that no record of his military service existed.
Following a search of his home, authorities arrested Rahn for firearm possession, a crime for felons in Minnesota. Rahn pleaded guilty to the charge on Wednesday.
When Greg Schmit, father of Joshua Schmit, confronted Rahn at the jail, Rahn reportedly denied ever meeting the man and suddenly became sick. Kim Schmit, Joshua's mother, said that she believes this proves that "Mr. Rahn knew that his deception hurt a Gold Star family."
