NEVADA, Iowa — A Nevada man has been charged after allegedly pretending to be a Vietnam veteran in November.

On November 4th, according to court documents, 64-year-old Dennis Leyone Buchman was gifted a quilt of valor from the American Legion Auxiliary for his supposed service as a Marine infantryman in the Vietnam War from 1969-1973. However, court documents state that Buchman was only nine years old in 1969.

A criminal complaint states that Buchman was also accused of getting a free meal on Veteran’s Day at the Good and Quick convivence store in Nevada after portraying himself as a military veteran.

According to the complaint, when Nevada police officers confronted Buchman about his military service, he claimed he was attending basic training at Camp Pendleton. The complaint goes on to say that when confronted again Buchman then admitted that he had never served in any military branch and that he got the quilt of valor in honor of his father, who was a Marine.

Records obtained by the Nevada Police Department through the National Personnel Records Center confirmed that Buchman had never served in a military branch, court records state.

Buchman was booked into the Story County Jail on one count of Impersonating A Decorated Military Veteran on Thursday. He has since been released. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for January 13th.

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