When is a lieutenant colonel not a lieutenant colonel?

The answer is: when the lieutenant colonel has been dismissed from the service. A new article over at the Military Law and Justice blog reports the dismissal of former Lieutenant Colonel Terry Lakin has been approved and that he is no longer entitled to use the title.

The Terry Lakin Action Fund web site apparently hasn’t gotten the message, continuing to use the title and show a picture of Dr. Lakin in military uniform. If Lakin is using his former rank in conjunction with fundraising, he may be in violation of the Stolen Valor Act. Check out the linked article for more information.

About Dr. Conspiracy

I'm not a real doctor, but I have a master's degree.
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19 Responses to When is a lieutenant colonel not a lieutenant colonel?

  1. jayhg says:

    What a fool. Be afraid people, be very afraid to let this man give you medical advice. His judgment is seriously suspect.

  2. GeorgetownJD says:

    I hope MISTER Lakin is not counting on book sales to replenish that pension he threw away.

  3. AnotherBird says:

    The constitutionality of the Stolen Valor Act. is going to be reviewed by the Supreme Court. So, he might dodge that conviction. It are inherited problems in it, which doesn’t seem to have been fixed in Stolen Valor Act 2011.

    Image this all started with a project “that would challenge the office of the President.” Now, Lakin want to see what more he can lose.

  4. john says:

    I don’t think the act applies. This has to do with lying and misrepresentation. Lakin hasn’t lied about his rank. He was in fact a Lt. Colonel in rank. Although he can’t recieve benefits or the privileges of that rank, he can certainly state that he obtained that rank.

  5. john says:

    Terry Lakin isn’t really obtaining value from his rank because his book is like a biography and is discusses the loss of his rank not the further privilege or value of his rank. One can certainly argue that the “rank” of Terry Lakin isn’t the value motivator of his book. In fact to its contary – the loss of Terry’s “rank” is the value motivator of his book.

  6. John, what’s got into you? You’re starting to sound reasonable.

    john: One can certainly argue that the “rank” of Terry Lakin isn’t the value motivator of his book. In fact to its contrary – the loss of Terry’s “rank” is the value motivator of his book.

  7. Rickey says:

    john:
    I don’t think the act applies.This has to do with lying and misrepresentation.Lakin hasn’t lied about his rank.He was in fact a Lt. Colonel in rank.Although he can’t recieve benefits or the privileges of that rank, he can certainly state that he obtained that rank.

    Lakin can say that he WAS a Lieutenant Colonel. What he can no longer say is that he IS a Lieutenant Colonel.

  8. Northland10 says:

    Dr. Conspiracy:
    John, what’s got into you? You’re starting to sound reasonable.

    The chemtrails are working, or possibly too much halal turkey.

  9. misha says:

    Northland10: possibly too much halal turkey

    I had a communist Thanksgiving: tofu turkey, along with a Buddhist ceremony.

    For those who do not know, halal is the Muslim equivalent of kosher.

  10. Anonymous says:

    the loss of Terry’s “rank” is the value motivator of his book.

    So they are giving the book away for free?

  11. AnotherBird says:

    john:
    Terry Lakin isn’t really obtaining value from his rank because his book is like a biography and is discusses the loss of his rank not the further privilege or value of his rank.One can certainly argue that the “rank” of Terry Lakin isn’t the value motivator of his book. In fact to its contary – the loss of Terry’s “rank” is the value motivator of his book.

    I don’t understand. Terry Lakin wanted to challenge the president, but didn’t even get a change (lack of standing, etc…). He was a few years from retirement and jettisoned it hope of ….? His book will only underscore how silly he was, and what he lost. Hopefully, for Lakin he will be able to sell enough books to justify what he sacrificed. I seriously doubt that he will.

  12. The net present value of Lakin’s military pension has been estimated to be $2 million. At $10 profit per book he would have to sell 200,000 copies to make up for that. I would be very surprised if the sales got close to 1000.

  13. misha says:

    Reality Check: At $10 profit per book he would have to sell 200,000 copies to make up for that.

    The average royalty per book is $4. That’s 500,000 copies, which he’ll never get near.

    Even if his book turns out to be this season’s #1 potboiler, he’ll never get close.

  14. Rickey says:

    It will be astonishing if he sells more than a few thousand copies. The book is being published by a vanity press which puts out mostly religion-themed books.

    http://www.intermediapub.com/books.htm

  15. James M says:

    GeorgetownJD:

    I hope MISTER Lakin is not counting on book sales to replenish that pension he threw away.

    He stopped being Prisoner Lakin at some point?

  16. misha says:

    GeorgetownJD:
    I hope MISTER Lakin is not counting on book sales to replenish that pension he threw away.

    James M: He stopped being Prisoner Lakin at some point?

    He’ll always be a schmuck.

  17. Yes. He has been released from jail.

    James M: He stopped being Prisoner Lakin at some point?

  18. Judge Mental says:

    AnotherBird: I don’t understand. Terry Lakin wanted to challenge the president, but didn’t even get a change (lack of standing, etc…). He was a few years from retirement and jettisoned it hope of ….? His book will only underscore how silly he was, and what he lost. Hopefully, for Lakin he will be able to sell enough books to justify what he sacrificed. I seriously doubt that he will.

    That’s very charitable of you…..but think about it.

    Lakin broke down during court proceedings and admitted that he was totally wrong to go about trying to address any concerns he had in the way that he did. Some of us had a small degree of sympathy shortly after that stage given how the birthers who had taken advantage of his naivety then threw him under a bus for making that admission.

    Now he is out and about, once again in the arms of the same birthers who threw him under the bus, completely reversing his position back to his starting point and spouting off in interviews etc that he was totally right to do what he did.

    The last ounce of potential sympathy that many of us may have had just got flushed down the pan. He is an utter disgrace to the armed services in general and in particular to the men in the overseas combat theatre whose medical treatment was compromised as a result of his selfishness.

  19. G says:

    I agree with your position and points completely!

    Judge Mental: That’s very charitable of you…..but think about it.Lakin broke down during court proceedings and admitted that he was totally wrong to go about trying to address any concerns he had in the way that he did. Some of us had a small degree of sympathy shortly after that stage given how the birthers who had taken advantage of his naivety then threw him under a bus for making that admission.Now he is out and about, once again in the arms of the same birthers who threw him under the bus, completely reversing his position back to his starting point and spouting off in interviews etc that he was totally right to do what he did. The last ounce of potential sympathy that many of us may have had just got flushed down the pan. He is an utter disgrace to the armed services in general and in particular to the men in the overseas combat theatre whose medical treatment was compromised as a result of his selfishness.

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