A Guelph man who told local high school students about his Vietman War experiences at a Remembrance Day event is being accused of making it all up.
Gerry Conway, who is also a member of the Royal Canadian Legion branch in Guelph, says the accusations he falsified his military record and wore unearned medals and emblems on his uniform aren’t true. He declined several requests for an interview.
In 2017 Conway, speaking at a Remembrance Day event, told students at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School about being “spit on” and called “baby killer” when he returned from his second tour of Vietnam.
Stolen Valour Canada says it never happened.
Stolen valour is a term used to describe people who falsely claim or embellish military service and/or wear military badges and awards they didn’t earn. Stolen Valour Canada is a group dedicated to exposing those people. Their motto is "if you didn't earn it, don't wear it."
They posted on their website and Facebook page that Conway did not serve in Vietnam or earn the medals and badges he wore while speaking to students and at other events.
They said it was his “obvious and frankly ridiculous uniform embellishments” that prompted further investigation.
One of those medals worn by Conway is the purple heart, awarded to U.S. service members wounded in combat.
The group also posted what it says is an email exchange with Conway where he admits to falsifying his service.
In an email to GuelphToday, Stolen Valour Canada said they are a “virtual community of veterans and supporters” whose “depth of experience permits us to identify medallic and uniform anomalies quickly.”
“We stand behind our findings on Mr. Conway. He didn’t experience the things he claims and his stories paint a false picture of life as a veteran.
“Veterans take mental health issues seriously and many fight the stigma of PTSD on a daily basis yet, Mr Conway perpetuates lies and mistruths that lead to the view that all returning service members are damaged goods.”
Stolen Valour Canada posted an email they said was from Conway admitting he didn’t serve in Vietnam and that the uniform he has been wearing has since been destroyed.
Numerous attempts to reach Conway were unsuccessful.
Joe Tersigni, the former Lourdes teacher who organizes the visits by the veterans, didn’t know of the allegations until informed by GuelphToday and had no comment.
He did reach out to Conway, who he calls a friend, and said Conway’s wife told him the allegations by Stolen Valour Canada are “false” and that her husband is "very, very upset" and is currently under the care of a doctor.
Tersigni said neither Conway or his wife wish to speak to the media.
Stolen Valour Canada contacted the Guelph legion about the matter.
Roy Fagel, president of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 234 in Guelph, said they are aware of the allegations and will be looking into it.
“We’ve gone up to Dominion Command and let them know about it. We won’t let it sit and rest,” Fagel said.
Unlawful use of military use of uniforms or certificates is a crime in both Canada and the United States.
In 2017 Conway told Lourdes students he was attending university in the United States on an athletic scholarship when the Vietnam War broke out and eventually enlisted in the U.S. Army’s airborne division, serving two tours in Vietnam.
He did not tell students anything about his time in Vietnam, but did tell them of his experiences upon his return.
“As we marched out of this particular barracks there was a crowd at the gate and there had to be 1,000 people there,” Conway told the students in 2017.
“People threw everything on us. They threw coffee, pop, they spat on us, they threw urine on us, they assaulted us, they did everything they could possibly do,” Conway said.
He said the soldiers were called “baby killers” by protesters.
“We expected to come home from Vietnam, not necessarily as heroes, but not necessarily as fodder,” Conway said. “That always stayed in my mind as my primary thought of Vietnam.”
