February 11, 2012 - Paul Schroeder's tale was so vivid it verged on cinematic: In March 2009, the decorated Army Special Forces veteran sat on his sofa in The Woodlands, with a drink in one hand and a gun in the other, not sure which shot he was going to take next.In front of him floated the spectral face of a machete-wielding child he'd killed in self-defense during a secret mission in Rwanda, he said.
"I could literally feel the blood sticking to me all over again," Schroeder told the Houston Chronicle last year. "I could see his eyes. I still sit there and see him right now. It's not something that ever goes away."
He told a version of the same story to TV news crews, to fellow veterans in group therapy, and in a training video for the Houston Police Department as part of a post-traumatic stress disorder awareness program.
But Army records show Schroeder never served in Special Operations, never deployed anywhere, and never earned a Silver Star, Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman's Badge or other decorations he claimed. In reality, he served 10 years as a military policeman in New York, Texas and Panama before leaving the military in 2001.
Schroeder confessed last week to a Houston Chronicle reporter that he had embellished his record. His admission raises concerns about vetting procedures at PTSD Foundation of America, the faith-based nonprofit for veterans in Houston where Schroeder worked as director of counseling since 2010. It also prompts larger questions about an organization that is supposed to help veterans cope with stress, but appears to be financially unstable.
Tax records show PTSD Foundation has been in the hole for at least three years and is carrying more than $200,000 in debt. read more>>>
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