Crawford, Texas (FA wire) - Shortly after former Senator Max Cleland’s grandstanding visit to President Bush’s ranch, new evidence emerged that called Cleland’s Vietnam record into question.

A new group of veterans, calling themselves “Army Veterans for the Whole Story” have “two beefs” with Cleland’s record: One, that he did not deserve the Bronze Star and Silver Star he was awarded during Operation Pegasus at Khe Sanh, and two, that his injuries were neither accurately reported nor as severe as Cleland claims.

According to one of the Whole Story Vets, Cleland’s citation for the Silver Star is “full of lies.” “Cleland’s citation says that the command post came under a heavy rocket and mortar attack,” said PFC Lance “Sheesh” Grommet. “But there was no attack. I was there. Khe Sanh was the slowest outpost in Vietnam, a place where you could play cards and flirt with the local women all day. The incident Cleland described to get his medals was actually a bar fight, and it was Max’s fault. A Vietnamese kid bet him he could eat more hard-boiled eggs than Max, and Max lost. He shoulda paid the kid, but he wouldn’t. End of story, and suddenly the guy’s got a chest-full of medals. Sheesh.”

Even more startling was the Whole Story Vets’ claims that Cleland exaggerated his injuries in order to leave Vietnam. Cleland has long alleged that a grenade explosion blew off an arm and both his legs, and Army records seem to back him up. But the Whole Story Vets claim that a friend of Cleland’s wrote the report as a favor in order to get him out of Vietnam.

At an AVWS rally yesterday, former Lieutenant George McBurroughs told the crowd that Cleland never actually lost his legs. Thronged by supporters waving signs that read “This Story Has Legs” and “Tell Max Cleland to Get Up,” McBurroughs alleged that Cleland tucks his legs under him in his wheelchair for public appearances but is often sighted around Georgia swimming, jogging, and taking part in latin dance competitions. “As for the arm,” McBurroughs said, “I was only a mile away when it happened. I saw the whole thing. There was no grenade. Cleland cut himself while shaving, and the wound is a lot less serious than it looks.”

The AVWS plans to release several television ads to present their side of the story, and their forthcoming book, “”Fit as a Fiddle: The Max Cleland Story” has already reached #4 among pre-orders at Amazon.com. “We’ve been silent for too long,” said Grommet, “but now it’s time to shout it from the rafters. Max Cleland is no hero. The real heroes of the Vietnam War were the brave men who stayed here in the U.S., protecting our homeland rather than running away to some cushy tropical post. Sheesh.”