Named Soldiers Medal, might have a Hollywood connection

[RDUNE]

Hello all,

 

I picked up a Soldiers Medal the other day that is engraved "Sergeant R. Von Klaussen". The only R. Von Klaussen I have turned up so far is Ronald Von Klaussen, who had bit parts in Oliver Stone movies, in addition to serving in Korea. I found him listed in the book "82nd Airborne" by Steven J. Mrozek: https://books.google.com/books?id=0_j1VTNOh5gC&pg=PA186&lpg=PA186&dq=ronald+von+klaussen+82nd+airborne&source=bl&ots=_l3EYK7XHZ&sig=ACfU3U0EPwyVkBW0__wi3V24MEaHYgZHVg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwicztXZz_7mAhVNnOAKHVqpAGsQ6AEwDXoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=ronald%20von%20klaussen%2082nd%20airborne&f=false . It mentions him being involved in the Bay of Pigs and Operation Gyroscope but more interestingly, his medals and education are/were classified. I found a little write-up about him on another forum but who knows how accurate it is:

 

Ron Von Klausen was a paratrooper during the Korean War [1950 - 1953] and was attached to the U.N. Partisan (Guerrilla) Army, and operated behind Communist lines while covertly based on an island off of the North Korean Coast.

He grew up in New York City, and was a close friend of Oliver Stone's parents. Even today he lives one floor below Mrs. Stone's [Oliver's Mom] condo in Central Park West. Ron practically raised Oliver as a kid.

When I got Howard K. "Davy" Davis and Hargraves signed up with Camelot Productions, Davy received a call out of the blue from Ron, not having spoke with him since the mid-1960s. Ron was ranting about how this JFK movie was going to damage CIA, and was something to stay away from !! Davy called me, and queried as to what the heck was this dude from the past up too?? I told him that Ron was most likely helping out one of his old CIA bosses in an attempt to discourage us from working on the flick.

Interpen's first encounter with Ron was when Hunt and Barker came around the 30th of November Headquarters [Nov. 1961] with cash in hand to put Carlos Rodriguez Quesada, et al. back on the "Company payroll" -- and thereby extort an agreement from that group that they would abandon our training camps, expell us, and return to their post-Bay of Pigs status as a dormant non-entity.

The MR-30/11 took the cash and then ignored threats and continued working with us. Shortly thereafter Ron came by the HQ [private home] and displayed his assassin's .22 cal Hi-Standard [w/ silencer]; and less than subtlely hinted dire consequences should we not back off. Within a couple of hours he discovered that amongst our cadre were Korean veterans who had been [like Davy] US Army Rangers. Thereafter he was quite amicable and hinted that he would "straighten out" the "Leg" CIA assholes who had misinformed him [a "Leg" or "Straightleg" is a non-paratrooper.]

Ron had been with Lansdale's group of instructors training the Brigade 2506 troops just before the Green Beret contingent arrived in Retalhuleu & Base Trax, Guatemala during late 1960. The boss of that group was Frank Egan, and his numbers 2 and 3 were Filipino Col. Napoleon Valeriano [a/k/a Col. Vallejo and a veteran of WWII ant-Japanese guerrilla warfare with Col. Wendell Fertig on Mindannoa -- along with Marine Col. Jack Hawkins [Dep/C/WH-4 during JM/ATE (B.OP.) -- and before Hawkins was exfiltrate via US Submarine to Australia and then on to Iwo Jima.] and number 3 was Charles Bohannan, of similar WWII vintage.

The Brigade Cubans in Guat. nicknamed that group "Los Halcones Negros" after the popular comic strip ("The Blackhawks") due to their racial/ethnic diversity.

Oliver Stone held a closed door briefing/interrogation during January, 1991 [at Larry Howard's Assassination Museum, West End Marketplace, Dallas -- and during which, Oliver slipped in a question as to our identifying the Gringo BOP instructor known as "El Tigre". We all hesitated, and ultimately stated that we would only give out with his initials -- "R.V.K." !!

Shortly thereafter we discovered that Ron had been in the movie business for over 30 years (oftentimes w/ Stone), and had worked on the "Flipper" TV series at the same time I was working for IvanTors/Paramount making "Daring Game" w/ Lloyd "Bud" Bridges, Perry Lopez, et al. !![1966-67]

Ron had worked as an assassin for CIA proprietaries since the end of the Korean War. [The UN Partisan Army was an OPC project organized/directed by Frank Wisner, Sr.] Ron developed a strong dislike for "JFK" consultants Dale Dye & Stanley White [both had worked in the Philippines on "Platoon" w/ Stone.] -- mainly because Stan was [and still is] a full-time Homocide/Robbery Dectective Sergeant with L.A. County Sheriff's Dept.; and moreover, they both hung with the local Narcs who had been hired as security on the Dallas Set after threats and penetrations.

In the Stone flick "Wall Street", Ron is the airport mechanic who tips Charlie Sheen as to where Mike Douglas' character "Gekko" is flying off to.

Ron had a falling out with Davy during the 1980s shortly after the R.I.C.A. Association was created at great expense to HKD. [RICA is the acronym for "Ranger Infantry Companies (Airborne) which were organized during 1951 and disbanded after the Korean truce/armistice.] It seems that due to heavy classification of files, most UN Partisan Rangers went unrecognized as real Rangers -- and thereafter, their individual DD-214 (Mil/Separation Document)

fails to include their authorization for both Ranger status and the "Ranger Tab". Ron's TDY attachment to one of the R.I.C.A. Companies during the war

and graduation from the Camp Drake (Japan) Ranger School has gone unrecognized,

and HKD denied him membership in the R.I.C.A. Veterans Association.

Ron keeps his Hollywood S.A.G. card currently, and is never without film work.

I am not especially familiar with soldiers medals and their engraving so I'm be curious to see what others think about this one. A couple more photos to follow.

 

Thanks for any input on this medal

 

-Ryan

 

 

 

[RDUNE]

More photos

[RDUNE]

Another

[RDUNE]

I apologize for the sideways photos. On my computer they are correctly oriented but when I upload them they rotate for some reason

[aerialbridge]

That would be very cool, if it's what it appears to be. IMDB shows his last credit from 1996. If he's deceased, particularly with no NOK, to me that would increase the probability it was his. One way to find out, do some detective work to see where he is or even try to contact Oliver Stone.

[BILL THE PATCH]

I know nothing of engraving so bear with me, the VON in the name looks different from the other words. Is this typical because of the "von"?, It seems darker then the rest. Could it have been fakes by someone?

 

Sent from my moto g(7) play using Tapatalk

 

 

[Hermanus]

I looked at the engraving. Funny. Indeed the VON looks different and is it normal that his rank is in full?

 

Anybody an opinion?

 

Regards

Herman

[sapper23]

Hello,

I have studied the Soldier's Medals for over 15 years. Although I don't have him on my list, I see nothing wrong with this name engraving, note the N in Sergeant and the N in Von. I will research him and let you know what I find. I have seen full rank engraved. Nice medal, is it numbered on the edge?

Jeff

[unclegrumpy]

I think the engraving looks weird for two reasons.

 

First, engraving often looks different in photos, especially when enlarged.

 

Second, this fellow's last name presented a challenge to the engraver. He could have engraved it all in the same font size, but chose not to make the VON the same size, but the smaller correct VON instead. This was done on a machine that had the font changed or maybe, and more likely, a second machine with a smaller font.

 

What I think is interesting, is in the write up you found has the VON in a large size. I know several people who have last names with the VON, and the proper form is as engraved on the medal.

[RDUNE]

Thank you for all of the insight and opinions. I think the 'Von' looks darker in the photos because it is smaller but in-hand it doesn't look much different color wise. The medal is not numbered. I've taken some more photos of the engraving from different angles in natural light.

 

This is outside of my collecting area and I will probably be passing it on. I just wanted to post it for discussion so that I don't inadvertently sell someone a bad medal. I'd like to get his records from the Gov't and see if they are classified, redacted, list a soldiers medal, etc.

 

Thanks again for all the help on this one

 

-Ryan

[RDUNE]

Another angle.

[Boy Howdy]

Maybe he earned it while earning some of his "SPOOK POINTS" ?

 

"The Soldier's Medal is awarded to any person of the Armed Forces of the United States or of a friendly foreign nation who, while serving in any capacity with the Army of the United States, including Reserve Component soldiers not serving in a duty status at the time of the heroic act, distinguished himself or herself by heroism not involving conflict with an enemy."

[Foxfall]

For whatever it's worth, I have a database of over 17,500 Soldier's Medal recipients. I know that's not 100 percent - but the odds of finding a legit recipient is pretty high. I don't show Klaussen, von Klaussen or any reasonable variation thereof in my listing. Because of that and the clearly modified engraving, I'd have to rate this medal with a "thumbs down."

[316th FS 324th FG]

There is a pretty interesting partial FBI document about Von Klaussen that was released in 2017. Reading that it would not surprise me if he had this made up.

 

docid-32316616.pdf (archives.gov)

 

It's also worth noting his father's name does not appear in the OSS personnel list either, the 82nd AB book entry notwithstanding.

[FFZFlyer]

I am not at all qualified to comment on the validity of the engraving on this medal.  I do have some questions  based on other provided information.

 

According to the data in Post #3, Von Klaussen was born in August 1933.  Assuming this date is correct, he would have been 16 when North Korean invaded South Korea and just 20 when the armistace was signed in July 1953.  The same post indicates Von Klaussen went to Korea to join the 187th RCT in 1951, when he was just 17 or 18 years old, depending on when he went.  Is this possible?  Perhaps.  Is it likely?  I wonder.  Also, would a relatively inexperienced 18 or 19 year old have been sent behind enemy lines?  Questionable, IMHO.

 

I also note that the same post indicates that in 1987 he was given a "special dispensation" by the White House.   What for?  What did he do  that the WH would need to issue a special dispensation?  Also, a dispensation is normally an exemption from some oath or promise or law.  Is the WH even authorized to issue "special dispensations"?  And, why would he have an original copy of the Declaration of Independence?  It should easy to find out where that document, if it existed, is located.

 

I also found that "Operaiton Gyroscoope" was implemented to move post-WWII troops from California ports then to Europe via the Panama Canal, to lighten the burden on East Coast ports.  I could not find anything that indicated it had anything to do with returning troops from Europe.

 

I was not able to locate the National Archives document cited in Post #14.

 

Cannot say with 100% certainty that a lot of this man's military story is fabricated, but it sure seems like it is.