Strider Knives, Game Over!

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Mr. Bubba,

I'm sure you know that you can not post a picture of that magazine cover or post pictures of a printed page without the speific written permission of the publisher.

Glad to see that you got that before posting the picture and asking other members to post the article.

Good to see that you are protecting Mr. Spark and bladeforums from any lawsuit by getting the permission first.

Good Work.

Jim
 
Alaska Gun aka Athame, It is easy to see why you would be very defensive about Strider Knives in general since you have so much money invested in their products that you are trying to sell. Who is going to buy all these high dollar knives that are "tactical collectible" aka "Ain't fancy cause theys hardcore?"

http://www.alaskagun.com/knife_listings.php

Duane Dwyer - DDC Japanese Fighter
Duane Dwyer Japanese Fighter in CPM M4 steel. Quick in the hand and well executed, featuring carbon fiber handles with coyote brown G-10 spacer. The guard is flame treated... $1,250.00

Duane Dwyer - Strider Knives - DDC Damascus Bowie
DDC Damascus Bowie with upper false edge and damascus guard. This stunning piece is mint and a must have for any collector. The blade is 1/4" stock and features a fuller o... $1,395.00
 
JimConvex said:
Mr. Bubba,

I'm sure you know that you can not post a picture of that magazine cover or post pictures of a printed page without the speific written permission of the publisher.

Glad to see that you got that before posting the picture and asking other members to post the article.

Good to see that you are protecting Mr. Spark and bladeforums from any lawsuit by getting the permission first.

Good Work.

Jim
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I doubt Tactical Knives will have any complaint but it if they do it can be removed. Here is a link to the Tactical Knives Magazine, May 1999, Cover where, and I quote, states,

MILITARY SECRETS DECLASSIFIED!
Duane Dwyer's "Strider" Knives​

Heres the picture,
http://www.budnealyknifemaker.com/magcov6.jpg
 
you know what I find funny, you never answered esav's question. This forum is for talking about personal interactions with other companies and individuals.

If you have never in your left personally dealt with mick or duane, your complaining about something you find unpleasant, but have no hand in.

I didn't read the entire thread, I only read your responses to it. you have no asked what other peoples personal experiences with these individuals are.

I would personally love to see this go to whine and cheese.


"The Good, The Bad, The Ugly! This is your area to tell about your experiences (Good or Bad) with dealers, sellers, and individuals you've bought, sold, and traded with."
 
I'll just re-iterate that nobody can request a person's service record, without the serviceman's written permission, as long as the serviceman is still alive.
 
That's only for the full service record - http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/get-service-records.html

Access to Military Records by the General Public

Limited information from Official Military Personnel Files is releasable to the general public without the consent of the veteran or the next-of-kin. You are considered a member of the general public if you are asking about a veteran who is no relation to you, or a veteran who is a relative but you are not the next-of-kin. Next-of-kin is defined as the unremarried widow or widower, son or daughter, father or mother, brother or sister of the deceased veteran.
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For a member of the general public to get the full service record of any service member, they need a signed form SF-180. I highly doubt that's going to happen here.
 
Well, it's already been said that the did a Freedom of Information Act request, and the PDF file that was posted had privacy information redacted from it, so it's not a "complete picture" by any means, I'd think. I'm curious to know how the name connection was made, though I'd bet it probably came from the aforementioned PI investigation that's been referenced so many times. What's the deal with all the AKA's, that has me confused?

Regardless, I didn't hop on here after getting home expecting this to still be going.
 
Bubbanumber1 said:
Alaska Gun aka Athame, It is easy to see why you would be very defensive about Strider Knives in general since you have so much money invested in their products that you are trying to sell. Who is going to buy all these high dollar knives that are "tactical collectible" aka "Ain't fancy cause theys hardcore?"

http://www.alaskagun.com/knife_listings.php

Duane Dwyer - DDC Japanese Fighter
Duane Dwyer Japanese Fighter in CPM M4 steel. Quick in the hand and well executed, featuring carbon fiber handles with coyote brown G-10 spacer. The guard is flame treated... $1,250.00

Duane Dwyer - Strider Knives - DDC Damascus Bowie
DDC Damascus Bowie with upper false edge and damascus guard. This stunning piece is mint and a must have for any collector. The blade is 1/4" stock and features a fuller o... $1,395.00
Click to expand...


Huh, did I miss something?:confused: The only thing I read was him just looking for a copy of "that rag", that sure does not calculate to being "very defensive". Did I miss a post where Alaska Gun was "very defensive" and if so could you kindly direct me to it.

AND, isn't this about the man/men of Strider Knives and not the products Dealers are trying to sell? Some of those knives looked really nice and probably worth the asking price to Strider collectors.

Merry Christmas and pass the Egg nog (the Kosher jug please):D
 
LT, chill dude -=I'm not defensive about this at all=-



Bubbanumber1 said:
Alaska Gun aka Athame, It is easy to see why you would be very defensive about Strider Knives in general since you have so much money invested in their products that you are trying to sell.
Click to expand...



I mean, not to overstate the obvious here but, I'm selling quite a few knives that cost a whole lot more than that.
 
These are the links to the below information. I have not been able to personally verify weather any of this is true or not. It would however explain how POWNETWORK.com was able to get the records mentioned above.
http://offe2008.org/public_html/archives9.htm
http://operationfiringforeffect.com/blog/?p=28

According to recently released documents Chuck and Mary Schantag of the POW Network, (www.pownetwork.org) are under investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Veterans Rights advocate Jere Beery has received confirmation from the VA Inspector General’s office that a case number had been assigned to the investigation and that their findings would be forthcoming.

The POW Network WWW.POWNetwork.ORG is a registered 501-3 corporation operated by Chuck and Mary Schantag of Skidmore MO, and has been in existence for over 16 years. The organization claims to be involved in the accounting of prisoners of war and missing in action from the Vietnam War. Their web banner states: “Since 11/11/89, dedicated to information distribution on our Prisoners of War and Missing in Action Servicemen”. However, in recent years they appear to have branched-out into other areas and expanded their mission. The Schantags now claim to be ‘investigators’ for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Last month the Schantags claimed they met with the VA Inspector General to turn over information on five veterans they suspected were receiving veteran’s benefits that they were not entitled to. In addition, the Schantags have claimed to have ‘friends’ within the VA IG’s office they fear compromising.

The current VA investigation of the POW Network is the direct result of a formal complaint filed with the VA IG on May 2, 2006 by Vietnam combat veterans Jere Beery and Gene Simes. Both men feared their personal information and confidential medical records were being accessed by unauthorized persons, specifically Chuck and Mary Schantag of the POW Network. In a series of emails from the Shantags they stated they had ‘friends’ in the VA that would sift through military and VA records and provide them with personal information on anyone they requested, and that they did not want to compromise these ‘friend’s’ identity.

The POW Network web site maintains an active list on hundreds of veterans ‘they’ say are frauds. They call this area on their site, “Phonies & Wannabees”, and its intent is to publicly humiliate and dishonor individuals they have declared guilty of some infraction. Photographs and personal information on these individuals appears on their site as well. It is important to realize the vast majority of these veterans have not had the benefit of the legal process to prove their innocence in a court of law. In fact, most of the veterans listed have committed no crime at all. In some cases, a mere internet chat room war story has launched a full investigation by the POW Network of a veteran’s service records because a certain individual was questionable, they would ask the Schantags to do their investigation.

Several years ago Jere Beery posted a copy of his DD214 & DD215 on his web site for public viewing. As a veteran’s advocate Beery felt compelled to verify his service publicly. Several months ago, Air Force veteran, Ms. Diane Weller, (aka: ‘Gunny Di’) took issue with two entries obviously added to Beery’s DD214 and that the posted copy was not certified. According to Jere Beery, he did in fact add two corrections to his DD214, but the correct information he added was not misleading or embellished. The real injustice here appears to be Jere Beery’s original DD214. His discharge paper doesn’t come close to reflecting his service in Vietnam. Even with three separate DD215s, all of the corrections have yet to be made.

In early May of this year, Diane Weller contacted Chuck and Mary Schantags of the POW Network and asked them to investigate Jere Beery’s military records and report back to her on what they discovered. Weller was publicly accusing Beery of lying, embellishing, and altering his military service record. Evidently, the Schantags had provided this investigative service for Ms. Weller in the past. Three weeks ago, the Schantag’s released 18 pages of Jere Beery’s military documents which do appear to have come from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO. However, they are not certified either. But, the documents do confirm the two corrections Beery added to his DD214 were 100% accurate. The Schantags also sent Beery’s 18 pages of service records to a number of individuals that had requested to see them.

Gene Simes just received 6 pages of his military records from Diane Weller which were provided to her by the Schantags. “My personal information was blacked-out on the documents, but I don’t know if this information was blacked-out before, or after the Schantags received it,” Simes stated. “The point is, these people have received my military records which I did not authorize for release,” Simes said.

Jere Beery says he has been contacted by several other veterans complaining of similar shake-downs by the POW Network. According to one veteran, his Social Security number was stolen by factions associated with the POW Network and eventually led to identity theft and thousands of dollars of unauthorized charges in his name. In another case, a veteran had a pending law suit against the Schantags for defamation and invasion of privacy, but the case was dismissed in January of this year because the veteran died before justice was served.

Gene Simes has reservations about the current VA IG investigation into the operations of the POW Network. In a FBN telephone interview Simes compared the VA investigation to ‘the fox guarding the hen house’. “I don’t put a great deal of confidence in the VA investigating itself. If the Schantags really do have ‘friends’ in the VA IG office, I expect very little to happen. The only way the VA IG could conduct a proper investigation of this matter is to review every single person listed on the POW Network’s web site to see how the Schantags got their information. I don’t see the VA IG doing that,” Simes stated.

Jere Beery is more optimistic about the VA IG investigation. “Protection of veteran’s personal information is a very hot and sensitive topic right now. I expect this investigation to change the way these organizations get their information in the future. It appears to me that these people are using the sacred POW/MIA issue as a front for more sinister reasons,” Beery said. “In view of recent catastrophic failures with the security of veteran’s personal information, the last thing the veterans of this country need is some mom & pop ‘Columbo team’ with ‘friends’ in the government they don’t want compromised,” Beery concluded.

Jere Beery says he has contacted the Schantags by email several times requesting that they release a public statement clarifying their findings. Diane ‘Gunny Di’ Weller still contends the Schantags have proven Jere Beery to be a liar and fraud. However, to date, the Schantags have refused to publicly comment on this matter.

The FBN will continue to follow this developing story.
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This article appears in the May edition of THE VETERAN VOICE POW Network Negatively Targeting PTSD Veterans
By; Jere Beery
Operation Firing For Effect
www.offe2008.org
When you finish this article you will be faced with a decision. You will either choose to ignore that this is going on, or you will help find a way to stop it.
One of the most common symptoms associated with combat related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is paranoia, the delusional fear that someone is out to get you.
Recent revelations within the nation’s veteran community seem to imply these fears are not all that imaginary. The Veterans Administration was originally established as a ‘non-adversarial’ agency, and our veterans have always considered the VA as a ‘sanctuary’. Those two words are at the root of this entire article. The VA was a place where a vet down on his luck could get a cup of coffee and a hot meal, or the place a sick vet could count on being treated and cared for without fear of ridicule or unwarranted scrutiny.
The vet always knew he/she could find unconditional ‘compassion’, ‘understanding’, and ‘prayer’ within the walls of a VA facility. Any vet could walk through the doors of a VA and know they were safe and not in danger.
Well, the VA has apparently changed their ideology and method of operation. There is currently a group of self-appointed “government agents” targeting veterans receiving disability compensation from the VA. Their objective is to locate and prosecute disabled veterans that are receiving VA disability compensation that they are not entitled to. Their main focus is on veterans with a PTSD rating. They claim that the VA healthcare system is being bilked dry by phony PTSD claims. However, they cannot provide data to support their outrageous accusations. They operate with the full support and cooperation of the VA Inspector General’s office and other major law enforcement agencies.
According to Chuck and Mary Schantag of Skidmore, Missouri and owners of the POW Network (www.pownetwork.org), they have friends within the VA and DOD that will provide them with any personal information on a veteran they are investigating. In a recent email forwarded to my office, Mary Schantag wrote; “YES we continue to turn phonies and frauds and goldiggers into the VA IG and the FBI and law enforcement on a daily basis with a great team and huge support”.
(Editor’s Note: All misspelling, capitalization, and sentence structure are the results of a direct quote via email.)
In another email, POW Network associate and group member Mr. Gary Assell of Montgomery, Illinois and owner of Viper’s Web Page made this statement to justify their operations; “All disabled veterans are NOT the targets, only those who have obtained benefits through fraud and misrepresentation, which is punishable under Title 38 USC. It is a proven fact that veterans who have fraudulently received benefits or medical care through fraud or misrepresentation HAVE cost the VA millions of dollars”.
This is not the first time we have heard of the POW Network and their questionable operations. Exactly one year ago, this same group harassed Mr. Gene Simes and myself and even boasted of acquiring our Social Security numbers without our consent.
In an email exchange the Schantags made this statement; “We cannot afford to have some "friends" compromised as they search through files for the truth on this. And we meet with the VA IG Friday......” Mr. Simes and I filed a complaint with the VA Inspector General’s office and a formal investigation was launched. The investigation concluded the Schantags committed no crime, the case was dropped, and they continue their questionable relationship as informants with the VA IG today.
The most notable and curious fact about our first encounter with the POW Network was Mr. Simes and I called our complaint into the VA Inspector Generals Office on May 1, 2006. On May 3, 2006 the Department of Veterans Affairs “announced they had lost a computer containing personal information on 26.5 million veterans (including Social Security numbers)…”
Another Key associate of the POW Network group is a former Navy SEAL with 27 years in the service. Captain Larry Bailey of Chocowinity, North Carolina is probably best known for his association with the book; ‘Stolen Valor’, which was about veterans claiming military service or awards they were not entitled to.
The Stolen Valor book spawned a rash of individuals subscribing to the theory that many of our veterans were frauds and the budget short-falls the VA was experiencing was due to phony veterans within the VA system.
In a recent email sent to my office by Larry Bailey, he stated; “far too many veterans and phonies are bilking the VA out of hundreds of millions of dollars, and Congress will not allow the VA to do the investigation that is necessary to stop the fraud. Unless and until the fraudulent VA claimants are ferreted out and dealt with, I will not lend ANY support to any effort to give that corrupt agency another nickel. I am surprised that you would advocate pumping billions more down that bureaucratic rat hole.”
In another email Bailey said; “Thank God that I don't have to depend on VA for assistance I really need, and I don't rip them off for false PTSD like a LOT of people do. And I have two good friends who are doing just that, saying that "I might as well get mine," or words to that effect. One of them even encourages me to get some myself.
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It makes me sick. That is what I was trying to explain to Jere Beery; he clearly didn't want to hear that.” This author wonders if Mr. Bailey has exposed these two “close friends” as frauds on the POW Network website, or has he remained silent while these individuals continue to supposedly defraud the VA. A third possibility is that Mr. Bailey is exaggerating these claims in order to support his own position. Only Mr. Bailey can be entirely certain as to the truth in this matter. These statements combined with the many complaints I receive from veterans stating they had been wrongly harassed, intimidated and publicly humiliated by the POW Network, paints a very ugly picture.
Many veterans think the Schantags are using the sacred ‘Prisoner of War Movement’ to hide more sinister activities. Although the POW Network was originally established to address issues concerning the accounting of Prisoners of War and Missing in action, their objectives now have taken a very vile turn. They now apparently think they are a law enforcement arm for the entire veteran community. There is a VERY big difference between a person that illegally claims military awards they are not entitled to, and a sick veteran suffering from a medical condition (such as PTSD) which has suicidal tenancies associated with it.
In this writer’s opinion, after many years of involvement in veteran’s affairs, it is not in the best interest of our disabled veterans to cast unwarranted blame on them, or to question any medical condition they may have which is recognized and diagnosed by the VA. Especially when sensitive emotional and mental issues are involved. The veteran community does not need this ridicule, scrutiny, or intimidation by any one, much less a self-appointed group of informants. It is unknown if the Schantags or anyone else in the group receives anything in return from the VA for the veterans they turn in.
However, they do receive donations and endorsements from private sources and a number of veteran service organizations. They have also reaped the rewards of their notoriety in connection with Stolen Valor. Unfortunately, their exploits now are causing mistrust within the veteran community and unnecessary pain and grief to veterans and their families.
Over the next few weeks ‘Operation Firing For Effect’ will be asking the hard questions of the VA, FBI, and several veteran service organizations.
We want to know if they can verify that there is in fact a large number of frauds enrolled in the VA healthcare system, and if they condone, or participate in the ‘predatory’ tactics used by the POW Network.
To date, we have spoken with 3 national veteran service organizations headquartered in Washington, DC; the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Blinded Veterans Association, and the American Legion.
All three stated they do not scrutinize the disability ratings of their membership, and they have no data to support the VA has experienced a high percentage of bogus disability claims. If it is true that the VA has become so corrupt and inept that they are incapable of administering the rules and regulations governing the distribution of disability compensation, and that this has resulted in hundreds of thousands of disabled veterans receiving compensation that they are not entitled to, the American public has the right to know this as soon as humanly possible.


There are currently an estimated 12 to 15 million illegal aliens in this country taking advantage of our system and its benefits. One might think if the POW Network were truly concerned about exposing fraud on a large scale, they would devote their efforts towards a real threat to our country. The Schantags claim “They Support Our Troops’ on one hand, and then turn around and suggest a large number of them are frauds? The support we give our men and women in uniform must be unconditional. The disabled veterans that fall under the control of the VA are National Treasures and should be protected the same as ‘hallowed ground’. Remember the word ‘sanctuary’? If the VA is involved in ANY way in the current campaign to ‘shake down’ the disabled veterans of this country, they have totally lost sight of their mission and should be held accountable by the American people. If the VA is encouraging civilian ‘bounty hunters’ to find veterans that may not deserve all they are receiving, they are no longer ‘non-adversarial’, they are ‘predators’. This violation of our veteran’s trust would not look good on a recruiting poster. Ask yourself these questions; Have we become so callus and bitter as a Nation that we feel the need to look for ways to discredit our veterans? What training or certification does the POW Network have that allows them to involve themselves in the ‘personal’ medical issues of a veteran? With the current URGENT needs of our most recent disabled veterans returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq is this ‘witch hunt mentality’ really helping the situation, or hurting? Does it really matter to the majority of Americans if a few boarder-line PTSD cases filed by ‘Verified Former Military Personnel’ fall through the cracks? Is it really worth the risk of targeting the wrong veteran with false accusations and triggering a tragedy? And finally, what does any of this have to do with accounting for our Prisoners of War or Missing in Action? It is not the intent of this article to imply fraud is acceptable under any circumstances. And this article is not intended to protect the fraudulent from exposure and/or prosecution. However, PTSD is a very sensitive medical condition that is better left to the medical professionals to diagnose and treat, not the POW Network. There is very little doubt in my mind that the number of fraud cases within the Social Security Administration, Medicare, and Food Stamp program far exceed any possible number of cases within the VA. If this article has upset you and you feel compelled to stop this unwarranted attack on our disabled veterans, contact your local media and ask them to investigate this story. Remember; if you do nothing, you can expect nothing to change.
If you love your freedom, thank a vet! Editor’s note: The author assumes responsibility for all the information in this article. We welcome your comments.
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:35 am

mack405
Site Admin


Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 19
Location: Orange Park, Florida




Prior to publishing the above story, I asked for, and received, all of the documentation on which the article is based. After reviewing all of the documentation and numerous visits to the POW Network website, I decided that the article was not only worthy of publication, it needed to be published. I would agree that there are many cases of fraudulent service claims listed on the website that are indeed true. Those cases that the individuals making false service claims that have been arrested, prosecuted and convicted are indeed worthy of listing on the website. That being said there seem to many more individuals that have been listed, or are currently listed on the website, that have never been convicted much less arrested for any fraudulent service claims. The owners of the site, Chuck and Mary Schantag, are of the opinion that you are guilty until proven innocent, not quite the American way. Sometimes the supposed fraudulent service claims are nothing more than copied transcripts from AOL chat rooms. Of course these transcripts can be edited to suit any position. That is where Mr. Gary Assell comes in. The Veteran Voice received numerous threatening phone calls from Mr. Assell prior to publication; however, as of this date, none of those threats have been carried out. We published this article in order expose some of the things that have been going on in the Veterans arena on the Internet, and hopefully put an end to the unsubstantiated charges publicly listed on the POW Network.


Lastly, feel free to google "Coppinger v. Schantag" lawsuit for torts regarding assault, libel, slander against this "very reputable site".
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Very interesting reading and throws a very different light on the POWNETWORK if true. See the bolded part. As I stated earlier I have not been able to verify any of this personally so take it for what it is worth. I did not compile this info, I found it on another site, added the links above to show where it came from origionally and copied everything in quotes to this site.
 
Athame said:
LT, chill dude -=I'm not defensive about this at all=-

I mean, not to overstate the obvious here but, I'm selling quite a few knives that cost a whole lot more than that.
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Your referring to me as Lynn Thompson, I'm not Lynn Thompson nor do I have any business with him. You have chosen to do this either to try and discredit the subject matter or as a personal insult depending on how one looks at it. While I have no financial stake or interest in this you do so your response is understandable.

Do you have any personal knowledge you are not sharing? Its obvious you are a big customer of Strider Knives, would have direct access to speaking with and have private conversations with them. Have you contacted them regarding this subject matter? Can you confirm Duane Dwyer is a Marine Sniper? Can you deny that Duane Dwyer is Marine Sniper? Are you calling the people at POW Network liars? Somebody here is a liar, who is it?
 
Bubbanumber1 said:
Snip Are you calling the people at POW Network liars? Somebody here is a liar, who is it?
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Read my posts above, hell for all we know everyone or no one could be lying. Have you personally vetted any of the info you posted and linked to.
 
Micky said:
Very interesting reading and throws a very different light on the POWNETWORK if true. See the bolded part. As I stated earlier I have not been able to verify any of this personally so take it for what it is worth. I did not compile this info, I found it on another site, added the links above to show where it came from origionally and copied everything in quotes to this site.
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Are you trying to discredit the POW Network? Is this where the information war begins? Are you saying they are not needed? Even unnecessary? What light does it throw into the situation? 2 guys are pissed off because they are being investigated? That sounds like a familiar story!
 
Discredit no, question their tactics yes, if the info is true about how and why they get their info. It is a major felony to "STEAL" personal information or have others do it for you. I said both at the begining and the end I had not vetted any of the info.

DID YOU PERSONALLY VET ANY OF WHAT YOU POSTED AS FACT?

Edit to add your article above is 4 years old and out of date. Even in what I posted, they praised POWNETWORK for its early actions.
 
I have said my piece and bed calls. I have to work today and it is usually busy for us on Christmas.


MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL​
 
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