John Eastman was convicted in federal court of impersonating a U.S. Marine Corps major in 1979. He was sentenced to serve one year probation.

Yesterday, he pleaded guilty to the exact same charge -- and received two years probation.

Mr. Eastman, 59, of New Galilee, Beaver County, admitted that he wore a gold oak leaf to a November 2004 Allegheny County Marine Corps Association luncheon and introduced himself as a retired major.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman, Mr. Eastman created his own Web site in an attempt to get jobs as a motivational speaker. On the site, he said he'd served numerous tours of duty in Vietnam. He claimed that he was known by the Viet Cong as "The Terminator," and that they placed a $25,000 bounty on him.

"Experience this fascinating history by engaging this decorated Marine to speak before your group," Mr. Eastman wrote on his site. "A trained speaker and motivator, he will leave you wanting more, as you encounter this far-away land, Vietnam."

However, according to military records, Mr. Kaufman said, Mr. Eastman enlisted in the Marines in June 1965. He received an honorable discharge -- as a private -- in March 1966 after an injury in a car accident.

Despite the stories on his Web site, he was never in Vietnam.

Mr. Eastman apologized to the court for his behavior, saying that he only did it because he had been laid off at the time and needed to earn money for his family.

"I'd just like to get on with my life," he said. "What I have done is not in line with the life I have lived."

But then Mr. Kaufman revealed Mr. Eastman's previous conviction.

U.S. District Judge Gary L. Lancaster, who also ordered the defendant to pay a $500 fine, did not acknowledge the previous case when he sentenced Mr. Eastman.