COBB COUNTY - Cobb County commissioners confirmed Thursday that the county has requested Public Safety Director Mickey Lloyd's military records from the U.S. Navy amid allegations that he has exaggerated his service during the Vietnam War and falsely claimed to have received some honors, including a Silver Star.

Lloyd consented to the county's requests for the documents, which could take months to arrive. He refused to answer questions from the Journal on Thursday, although he had been scheduled for an interview with Journal editors earlier in the day. Lloyd was unable to keep the appointment.

However, he issued this statement: "I am very proud of my military service and serving my country in Vietnam and the awards that I received. However, there are things that I cannot discuss in public."

On June 7, Commissioners received a letter from a "Byll Davis" of Vinings, accusing Lloyd of claiming to have earned five medals for his 18-month service in the Vietnam War.

Commissioner Helen Goreham said county staff could not locate a Byll Davis of Vinings.

The letter also referred to a website, www.pownetwork .org/phonies, that referencees Lloyd's name and claims.

The Web page also includes a copy of Lloyd's service record, gained through the Freedom of Information Act by the website operators, that shows Lloyd served on the USS Huntington destroyer during his service, which began in June 1968 and ended in February 1970.

That document lists only two awards for Lloyd: the National Defense Service Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal.

That matches one of two military discharge forms, called the DD 214, that Cobb County Government human resources has on file for Lloyd. Lloyd delivered that form to HR on March 22 for retirement incentive purposes, said county spokesman Robert Quigley.

But two weeks ago, Lloyd delivered a different DD 214 to the county's HR department to be "included in his personnel file," Quigley said.

That DD 214 has those two honors listed, plus these: the Presidential Unit Citation, the Navy Unit Citation, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Bronze Star (2) and the Silver Star.

Lloyd was among a handful of speaker-veterans honored on stage just over a month ago at the Smyrna Memorial Day event, held at the Smyrna Community Center. In the printed program for that event, which was read to the audience as an introduction for Lloyd, was this information: "Lloyd served 18 months in Vietnam as a member of SEAL Team 1, part of River Squadron 116, Mobile Riverine Force in the Mekong Delta. His decorations include the Silver Star, two Bronze stars, both with "V" device, and Purple Heart."

For now, the county commissioners will wait to see Lloyd's military records file, though there is no specific time frame for when that may be. Commissioner Bob Ott said the county was not going to act on the letter's allegations initially, but when Ott returned from a vacation to Florida with his family in June, his secretary gave him the letter with the DD 214 claiming seven medals stapled to the letter, given to her by Lloyd. Ott said Lloyd came to him and told him his county personnel file would produce two different DD 214 documents, and when Lloyd could not produce documentation for the medals in question, the county requested his military records "to clear it up."

As director of public safety, Lloyd manages the county's police, fire and emergency, 911 and animal control departments and is currently serving as the interim police chief until the county replaces George Hatfield, who retired in April as police chief.

A few years ago, Lloyd ordered an entire class of Cobb police recruits fired for cheating on tests. "If you cheat, embezzle or lie, you lose your credibility in court," he is quoted as saying at the time.

Woody Thompson, the interim county chairman until the vacancy is filled in the July 20 election, said if the allegations are true, Lloyd should resign.

"Yes. As much as it hurts, if he has lied, he should resign. That's the way we operate and the way he's operated his department," Thompson said.

Robert Ledee of Woodstock, a former Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps and Vietnam veteran, said he has become an activist for catching those who publicly make false claims concerning their military service. Ledee said it is very common for veterans to have different DD 214 documents with discrepancies in medals awarded.

At Lloyd's request, Ledee used his contacts as the former commanding officer of the Joint Personnel Adjudication System in Washington, D.C. to "dig deep" into Lloyd's records in an effort to clear Lloyd's name. Ledee also said Lloyd's records, when the county receives them, will not list the five medals in question - and he believes Lloyd's medals could not be proven or disproven.

"I feel confident in fact that Mickey is who he says he is," said Ledee, who also confirmed he met with County Manager David Hankerson Thursday afternoon.

But Oliver Halle of east Cobb, a retired Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and also a Vietnam veteran, said that unless a soldier has served two different terms, it is impossible for one person to have two different DD 214 documents in his or her military records file.

"It can't happen. Here's why: when you're separated from active duty, they issue the DD 214 right there. They type it up, and it goes into your file. My DD 214 lists two medals I did not earn but my DD 214 will always remain the same. It will not change, and I have to black out the medals when I have to provide my DD 214. And the odds are between zero and none that a Silver Star would be on your DD 214 and no back-up documentation. There were a lot of signatures for that and a long paper trail to follow," Halle said.

"I've known Mickey for a lot of years. He appointed me to the Neighborhood Safety Commission. He's a good guy. I like him and respect him," Halle said. "But this comes down to a very simple answer. If someone accused you of not graduating from college, you have a transcript, you have a degree, so you can produce that. Even if the school burned down, there will be documentation to prove that you graduated from there. Someone vouching for you is not an acceptable answer."