Wearing an Air Force uniform and regaling college officials with her tales of combat in Southwest Asia, a bogus “airman” managed to convince Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., to give her a small fortune in grants. Lisa Jane Phillips received $42,178 in free tuition. College officials must not have checked for a military ID or other documentation before shelling out the dough. The 34-year-old admitted Monday in court that she had impersonated an officer for nearly three years while attending classes at the private women’s school. Finally, a campus police chief questioned her combat exploits and, his suspicions aroused, queried the FBI. A federal court is contemplating her sentence.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
