http://www.suntimes.com/news/brown/200479,CST-NWS-brown07.articleLawrence Masa, the Orland paramedic accused of pretending to be an Army reservist, was apparently the type who liked to talk about his military exploits -- up to a point.
"Gentlemen, duty calls again," Masa gravely told fellow members of a DuPage County interjurisdictional SWAT team before what authorities now say was one of his phony "deployments."
When they asked him what unit he was in or what he would be doing, though, Masa would tell them he couldn't say, that it was all top-secret stuff. So convincing was his swagger -- and his skills as a tactical emergency medical technician -- that they believed him. snip
Late Friday, Lemont fire officials acknowledged that a member of their department, Steve Slawinski, who also happens to be a buddy of Masa, had been arrested for carrying out a similar scheme.
The second arrest increases the risk that soldiers legitimately taking a leave will be subjected to suspicion and mistrust.