Federal officials arrested a Gulfport man Tuesday for allegedly making false claims about serving in Vietnam and receiving a Purple Heart.

Frank Thayer, 59, is the third area man in a week to be arrested and charged with lying about military service and honors.

In an affidavit, Thayer admitted to Veterans Affairs special investigators that in spite of owning a Purple Heart medal with ribbon, a Bronze Star with ribbon, an Army ring, commander's pilot wings, seemingly official documents and clothing bearing Purple Heart patches, he had never served in the military nor received any medals. He said he bought the medals at a military surplus store.

Thayer admitted creating a motivational DVD celebrating his service that he sold to civic organizations. He told a former girlfriend all his military papers were destroyed by Katrina.

"He was tricking everybody. It's just an insult to true military veterans. It's an assault on them," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Ruth Morgan, the Gulfport-based prosecutor of the case.

Thayer was released on $25,000 unsecured bond. He faces multiple charges, and could receive up to 6 months in prison and fines of $5,000 per violation, said Morgan.

Last Tuesday, Christopher Billeaud, 52, of Gulfport, and John Wayne Lebo, 57, of Tylertown were arrested on charges of lying about receiving Purple Hearts and other military medals. Billeaud's wife spoke on his behalf in an interview last week, denying all charges.

Special Agent John R. Ramsey of the VA and the FBI have been involved in all three cases. Ramsey said in a telephone interview that he could not comment on the cases, or whether these arrests were part of a crackdown on military fraud.

Originally, only those who faked receiving a Medal of Honor, the highest award given by the military, were culpable by law. But in response to rising claims of military service fraud and the publication of the book "Stolen Valor," by B.G. Burkett, the Stolen Valor Act of 2005 made false claims of many military medals punishable by law.

According to Diamondhead's Henry Cook, national commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, "It's in fashion to be a war hero again." Requirements for earning a purple heart can be found at purpleheart.org.

He said fraud is frequently uncovered when people apply to join his organization, and the VA's attention to the matter is "a turnabout."