In Oklahoma, Dispute Agitates Peaceful Enclave of Veterans

Mike Sherrill, a Vietnam veteran who has served several terms as board chairman, rejected the alleged discrepancies, calling them "minor errors that would happen to anybody balancing a checkbook."

He said the books are now in order, and he welcomed an outside audit of the colony's finances.

An Associated Press review of documents, and recent audits of colony finances, could not account for more than $4,000 in colony money. Among the discrepancies:

· Several checks were made out for cash with no record of a receipt or board approval.

· A $500 grant to the fire department from an electric cooperative was reported as $300 on the department's books.

· The fire department issued a $2,000 check for the purchase of a new firetruck nearly a week before the advertisement for bids was published.

· The fire department did not properly document goods or services received.

To be admitted to the colony, honorably discharged wartime vets must be members of a service organization such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars or the American Legion. They pay a $200 deposit and $50 more for a background check. The fees, along with interest from long-term certificates of deposit, provide the bulk of income to operate the colony, which also gets revenue from timber and mineral rights on the land.

There were more than 330 shareholders in the colony as of 2006, but only about 110 live here.

West, the secretary of the board, said he would "certainly like the truth to come out" if a comprehensive audit is conducted.

"I know my hands are clean, that's about all I can testify to," said West, who came to the colony three years ago. "I don't know what previous boards did, and I don't want to know."