Two enterprising veterans have smoked out nearly a dozen fellow Texans who have used fake documents to procure Legion of Merit license plates.

Dick Agnew, the commander of the North Texas Legion of Valor chapter (as well as recipient of the Army Distinguished Service Cross) and Don Mason, who heads San Antonio's chapter (and himself received the Navy Cross in the Korean War), became accidental sleuths overnight when Agnew called Mason to verify a license plate he saw at the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport. When Mason couldn't, the duo began investigating TxDOT's background-check policy and found they only required discharge-certificates (DD214 document), which can be easily forged.

TxDOT officials were receptive to changing the policy and even helped Agnew and Mason investigate the 67 Legion of Merit plates circulating around Texas. They discovered that fourteen people had "fudged their military record." So far, eleven offenders have recanted and returned their plates.

Thanks to News Radio WOAI for running the story.