Faithless Elector, 9/11, and Stolen Valor

Faithless Elector, 9/11, and Stolen Valor   
By James Baxley 
 
Most people in the military has heard of the term “stolen valor.” People presume that association with stolen valor is a military issue and in some cases with police departments.

I bring up the topic of “stolen valor” because our favorite Hamilton elector may be posing as something he isn’t. Chris Suprun portrays himself as a heroic firefighter who was among the first on the scene after the third plane flew into the Pentagon on 9/11.

His claim to fame as a first-responder on 9/11 has even earned him the privilege that only real heroes earn by throwing out the first pitch at Kauffman Stadium on September 11, 2014, as the Kansas City Royals hosted the Boston Red Sox.

In the December 5, 2016 New York Times op-ed in which Suprun talks about why he won’t cast a vote Donald Trump, he states “Fifteen years ago, as a firefighter, I was part of the response to the Sept. 11 attacks against our nation.”

Chris Suprun

When speaking to C-SPAN, Suprun told Kimberly Atkins, that “he was a member of Dale City VFD [in Prince William County, Virginia] when he responded to the Pentagon in the moments after American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon [09:37 EDT].” He claims he was a member of the Dale City VFD from member from July 2000 through June 2002.

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A 2012 Philadelphia Inquirer column by Daniel Rubin says Suprun and another "volunteer" self-dispatched after hearing about the incident and provided EMS services in a parking lot of the Pentagon.

Dale City VFD Chief Christopher Hool had this to say about their role in 9/11:

“In response to an inquiry from the press regarding the membership status of Christopher Suprun, the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department can confirm Mr. Suprun was an active member in good standing from July, 2000 through June 2002. 

The official station records confirm no Dale City Volunteer Fire Department members were on duty from 6:00am to 6:00pm on September 11, 2001.  Therefore, no members of the department were involved in the initial response to the attack on the Pentagon in their capacity as a member of the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department.  However, members of the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department were part of the operation from 1800 hours on September 11th, 2001 until released by the Incident Commander.  In addition, members of the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department were involved in the initial response on the Pentagon in their capacities as public safety officials with other organizations.  However, the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department has no records upon which it may rely on to confirm or deny the times of service or specific nature of the involvement of these members” (how convenient for Suprun).

In an interview with the ABC affiliate WFAA channel 8, Suprun “claimed to be a first responder with the Manassas Park [Virginia] Fire Department on September 11, 2001 and personally told us stories 'I was fighting fire that day at the Pentagon.’"

When asked about Suprun, the City of Manassas Park confirmed to WFAA that they hired Suprun on October 10, 2001, one month after the 9/11 attacks.

9/11

Fire Chief David O. Dixon added that his department never even responded to the Pentagon or any of the 9/11 sites.

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The time line from the information in which Suprun has supplied various media sources is as follows:

Suprun worked at Dale City Volunteer Fire Department and was an active member in good standing from July, 2000 through June, 2002. Dale City VFD Chief Christopher Hool confirmed this.

Suprun “claimed to be a first responder with the Manassas Park [Virginia] Fire Department.” The ABC affiliate WFAA confirmed that Suprun was hired on October 10, 2001.

Finally, the time line reveals that from October, 2001 through June 2002 Suprun worked for two fire departments. That is plausible, one department was a volunteer department.

It is possible that Suprun worked in an unofficial capacity at the Pentagon. He exaggerates his participation at the Pentagon on 9/11. He crafts his story about his role with the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department on 9/11 in such a way that it cannot be disproven, seeing that by his story there is only one person who can vouch for him.

Where his story falls apart is when he “claim[s] to be a first responder with the Manassas Park [Virginia] Fire Department on September 11, 2001.”

The ABC affiliate WFAA channel 8 confirms that Manassas Park [Virginia] Fire Department hired Suprun on October 10, 2001 and Fire Chief David O. Dixon added that his department never even responded to the Pentagon or any of the 9/11 sites.