On the campaign trail, presidential candidate Bill Richardson tells a moving story about a New Mexico Marine killed in Iraq and his mom. But is it true?

Three years ago, Richardson attended a memorial service for Lance Cpl. Aaron Austin, 21, who died in April 2004. As he campaigns for the Democratic nomination, the New Mexico governor often recounts an emotional conversation with Austin's mother, saying she thanked him for the federal death benefits she had received and even showed him the government check.

In speeches in New Hampshire, Richardson has gotten Austin's name wrong at least once and age wrong at least twice. He also has called Austin the first New Mexico soldier killed in Iraq - instead of the third.

But that's not what bothers the Marine's mother, De'on Miller of Lovington, N.M., who says the conversation about money never took place.

"I didn't exchange words at all with the governor there except when he gave me the flag. And those few words - whatever was exchanged when he handed me the flag and the Spirit of New Mexico award - certainly had nothing to do with money," she said Thursday in a telephone interview with the Associated Press.

Richardson acknowledges getting the soldier's name and age wrong, but he insists the conversation about money occurred. He says the encounter inspired him to push for legislation that made New Mexico the first state to underwrite $250,000 in life insurance for National Guard members.

"Gov. Richardson learned of the low federal death benefit from Cpl. Austin's mother at the funeral," Richardson spokesman Pahl Shipley said yesterday. "That inspired the governor to fight for a higher death benefit for New Mexico National Guard soldiers. He was proud to propose, support and sign legislation raising that benefit, which is now $400,000."

At a firefighters convention May 10 in Portsmouth, Richardson recounted the conversation with Austin's mother this way:

"I wanted you to know that my son was 17," he said the mother told him. "He's a Marine. That's all he wanted to be. He was proud to serve the country. And I know he is happy today. What I also want to thank you for is this check I just got from the United States government. It's $11,000."

Telling the same story to a New Hampshire business group two years ago, Richardson called the Marine "Sean Austin" instead of Aaron and quoted Austin's mother as saying the $11,000 check would be arriving the following week.

"And I said, 'Is that the best this nation can do, $11,000 as a death benefit for the breadwinner in the family?' So I went back, and I said to the legislature, 'We have a little bit of a surplus, and we're going to make a difference,' " Richardson said.

Shipley said Richardson was trying to convey that Miller was proud of her son and grateful for the check, not that she was complaining about it.

"The governor has never had anything but praise and admiration for Cpl. Austin's family, who showed great strength and pride through their grief," Shipley said. "He does not want anything to take away from the sacrifice Cpl. Austin and his family have made on behalf of this country."

But Miller said telling people that she even mentioned money puts her in a bad light.

"I don't know a person, rich or poor, that would be told that their only living child has been killed, and you're going strike up a money conversation?" she said.

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