MUNCIE -- A Muncie firefighter who lied about receiving a Bronze Star and two Purple Heart medals for service in Iraq as a Marine reservist has been suspended without pay for 10 days by Muncie Fire Department Chief Gary Lucas.
The suspension of Matthew Grindstaff begins today and concludes May 5, Lucas said. It will cost the firefighter about $1,000 in lost wages.
The 10-day suspension is the maximum punishment Lucas could hand down on his own. Further punishment would require the approval of the Muncie Fire Merit Board.
Grindstaff's false claims of valor were exposed by the Marine Corps this month after an article appeared in The Star Press that in part focused on an award the Muncie man received from the Hoosier Heartland Chapter of the American Red Cross based on his accounts of war injuries and military honors.
Grindstaff violated a departmental rule that states that no firefighter shall conduct himself off duty in any manner that reflects poorly on the MFD, Lucas said.
Lucas has forwarded information concerning Grindstaff's suspension to the merit board according to department regulations.
The firefighter could face further punishment if the federal government were to indict him on charges that he illegally wore military decorations that he did not earn, Lucas said.
Grindstaff has said he never wore the decorations and only appeared in a photo standing next to his decorated uniform.
Claiming to have received military decorations that one did not earn is not illegal.
The firefighter served with the Detachment 1 Communications Co., 4th Marine Logistics Group, for six years, including a 5-6 month combat tour in Iraq in 2003, military administrators said.
Aside from the medals controversy, Grindstaff has a clean disciplinary record and good performance evaluations, Lucas said.
Grindstaff declined to comment on the suspension.
