Counselor who claimed war honors quits

HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston-area man has quit as a post-traumatic stress counselor for veterans after records do not back his claim of earning numerous war medals.

Paul Arthur Schroeder of The Woodlands apologized Wednesday and resigned from the PTSD Foundation of America.

Schroeder presented himself as a former Special Forces sergeant who earned a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and other honors. He claimed to have served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa and Central and South America.

Military personnel records at Fort Knox, Ky., do not indicate that Schroeder deployed overseas or earned the honors. He was a military police officer at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.

The Stolen Valor Act makes lying about earning military awards a federal crime.

An FBI spokeswoman says such allegations are taken seriously.

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