Recognizing Veterans Exonerated After Wrongful Convictions

Today is Veterans Day, recognized in the United States a time to honor the more than 16 million people who have served our country, and we acknowledge and appreciate their contributions to our national security. 

We also recognize the following veterans who were exonerated after wrongful convictions.

• Keith Allen Harward – U.S. Marine: After the Virginia Supreme Court granted a writ of actual innocence, Harward walked out of a Virginia prison on April 8, 2016, after wrongly serving more than 33 years of a life sentence for a rape and murder he did not commit. He was a sailor at the time of his arrest.
• Larry Fuller – Vietnam veteran:  After spending nearly 26 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit, Fuller was finally released from prison on October 31, 2006, and was officially pardoned by Texas Gov. Ricky Perry in January 2007.
• Kevin Green – U.S. Marine:  Green spent 16 years in prison for a 2nd degree murder charge he did not commit. He was exonerated in 1996 and awarded $620,000 in compensation by California Governor Gray Davis in 1999.
• Dennis Maher – Former Army Sergeant: Maher served almost six years on active duty before he was wrongfully convicted in 1984. He spent 19 years in prison for rape and was exonerated and freed in 2003. “Because of my wrongful conviction, I missed the opportunity to serve my country because I was going to be a career soldier”, he said.
• Brandon Moon – Army veteran: In December 2004, Moon was freed from prison after post-conviction DNA testing proved his innocence. He was officially exonerated in 2005 after serving 17 years in prison.
• Jerry Miller – Army veteran: On April 23, 2007, Miller became the 200th person in the U.S. exonerated through DNA evidence. Though he had been paroled a year earlier, Miller had spent more than 24 years in the Illinois prison system for a rape that he did not commit. 
• Barry Gibbs – Navy veteran:  Gibbs was wrongfully convicted of murder based on misconduct by a New York Police Department detective who was later convicted of arranging and committing several murders and cover-ups on behalf of an organized crime family. Gibbs served 17 years in prison before new evidence led to his release.
• Leonard Mack - Vietnam Veteran: Exonerated by DNA in September 2023 after nearly five decades of wrongful conviction, Mr. Mack’s conviction is the longest to be vacated based on DNA evidence.

• Timothy Brian Cole – Army veteran: Cole died in a Texas prison in 1999 while serving a 25-year sentence for a rape he didn’t commit. Nearly a decade later, DNA evidence from the crime posthumously exonerated Cole and implicated another man as the perpetrator.

On this Veteran’s Day, we celebrate all veterans who have served their nation with honor and sacrifice, including those currently incarcerated. The stories of these exonerated, and many other system-impacted veterans, are testaments to unwavering hope, resilience, and a reminder of the importance of helping others and advocating for justice.