'My pretense took on a life of its own and almost became real. Frank Kaufmann provided his discharged documents which we accepted as authentic but later learned that he had forged them. It's a touching tribute to all Vietnam veterans, their families and supporters.The Vietnam Memorial Wall arrived in Kernersville Thursday and will remain there until May 1.Those who got an up . ago. In 1999, Donald R. Nicholson, the police chief of Amelia, Missouri, in the 1980s, admitted that he had lied about being a Vietnam veteran and a prisoner of war to obtain better veterans benefits. Burkett, but flights of fancy can also be shot down. Claims/Comments; Bill Williamson from Maitland, Florida arose the suspiciousness of a Red Cross Photographer who was assigned to Vietnam in 1967. Marshal Hanson (and apparently quoted by every vet site as complete gospel), he provides the U.S. Census as the source, just like everybody else:www.veteranstoday.com/2009/02/26/vietnam-facts-vs-fiction/Had you read my post, you would have seen that I quoted this source, including its negative note at the end that was highlighted in yellow and typed in boldface. Moskos, now 65, comes from a 1950s generation of young men to whom military service was a given. But I know this didnt just occur starting with the modern wars. REALITY: Johnson -- whose public mea culpa last November was too recent to be included in Burkett's book -- never served in Vietnam and never saw combat. "What he is trying to do, at considerable risk to himself, is to say that this service means something, and by letting just anyone stand up and claim these honors, you're diminishing the real value of those who did serve. Network Web site lists U.S. prisoners of war, reviewed all the history project records. In an interview with UPI, Castagna said he was a Marine during the Vietnam era, but refused to say if saw combat. Whenever I mention Vietnam service, I always point them to the 187th AHC web page. Of the 750 people in his graduating class at Princeton, he says 500 went into the service. Most imposters have no real military knowledge, so they make silly mistakes like wearing an Army patch on the left pocket and a Navy edge on the left sleeve. Burkett candidly admits he's not a writer. Some are just shysters,' he said. Committee votes on major defense policy bill expected in May, Military families share workout with first lady Jill Biden, US conducts first evacuation of its citizens from Sudan war, Ukrainian drones strike Crimea oil depot, Russian official says, Army identifies 3 soldiers killed in Alaska helicopter crash, Understanding the role of artificial intelligence, Mark Kitz keynote speech at the C4ISRNET conference, The latest on software, data and artificial intelligence, Army grounds helicopter fleet for force-wide safety stand down. Back at the office, I started typing up my notes, shaking my head at times. I know that there are many Reporters often interviewed local veterans of the war, Burkett said, and the things they [the veterans] were saying were just bogus as hell. David -You said, "Kevin, the only reason I waded into this whole 'Stolen Valor' thing to begin with was because you used this Stolen Valor 'statistics' as justification for dismissing most Roswell witnesses, who you said you previously believed. He brought out a shadow box filled with decorations and a folded flag; his kids had made it for him, he said. You're a person of value," says B. G. "Jug" Burkett, a Vietnam veteran who was the first to expose military imposters in a systematic way, and who coined the term stolen valor. After nearly 20 years of living thousands of miles from his family so he could claim his French army pension, the old soldier is finally being allowed to return to live in his native Senegal. Additionally, the American War Library approximated that around 164,000 Americans who served at . However, veterans groups estimate that today approximately 9 to 12 million Americans fraudulently claim they served in Vietnam. . The work led to 48 arrests, the VA recovered $562,888, and authorities levied $1.23 million in fines. I could not believe it. Like the nonexistent Census data of 10 million fakers, this seems to be all totally made up by Shipley to push his own agenda. All too often, these suffering "veterans" never set foot in Vietnam and yet, the images they offer have permanently shaped the way Americans view soldiers from this war: As slovenly,. State Vietnam Veterans Vietnam Veterans (per 100k) Utah 42,774 1,272 How [] The medals and ribbons placement: Imposters like to showcase all their medals and ribbons. Military fakery is hardly limited to the down-and-out, however. So it becomes In Atlanta, VVA chapter officer Ashe estimates that about 20 percent of the up to 200 men who contacted his group since December, saying they are combat vets and asking for help, were frauds. since 1980.But AGAIN no 13 to 14 million Vietnam vets based on alleged Census surveys. When his unit came home and started gearing up. Robert Bateman, who teaches military history at West Point. does not seem to be accurate and my review of the census doesnt bear this out. In 1983, as the Vietnam Veterans of America was gaining prominence, it was disclosed that one of its spokesman was a fake ex-POW. They got in the door with computer-generated or -altered discharge papers known as DD 214 forms. A Commentary on UFOs, Paranormal events, and related topics. During the war, more than 58,000 servicemen and women lost their lives. And you think, Oh, no ones ever going to catch me. REALITY: Duke's only military experience was a brief stint in the ROTC while attending Louisiana State University. The numbers quoted by me were based on all these sources, though it had been suggested, and I followed suit, that some 13,000,000 had lied on the census form. I don't think this matter to anyone but us anyway. I personally believe there are as many American males claiming military service falsely as there are living veterans in America, said B.G. might have found, in those census figures somewhere, a report that suggested 12 I dont know what stopped me, but I heard myself saying the words, Too good to be true, and decided to call the Ranger headquarters at Fort Benning, Georgia. "I said no such thing. 'Three years ago, I didn't see any. An Oregon newspaper learned that Cooley hadnt finished training until nearly a month after the signing of the 1953 armistice. Perhaps the idea that the lie about military service ultimately becomes a truth in the phony veterans mind explains what happened with my aspiring D-Day Ranger about two weeks after Id caught him lying. I found out quickly IF I listed military service, early on for jobs, I did not get the job!Its only since 9/11, that I did start seeing 'Nam unit hats!When I see one or a bumper sticker & the vast majority seem to be genuine. Published Sep 24, 2018. He had claimed he flew He deployed to Iraq, near Fallujah, in 2009. For years, there had been tales in the Army of "wannabes and fakers," Bateman said, "something that a lot of veterans knew, but it was usually anecdotal. What I havent found People want to be a certain kind of person they only wish they could be. Since you are so death on fraudulent Roswell witnesses, as you should be, I think you would be equally outraged by phony, clearly fabricated statistics, fraudulent references given in support (U.S. Census), and fraudulent veterans charities taking advantage of veterans. You can find the figures here:https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/fs_americas_wars.pdf Using both the census and the DoD numbers, Navy Captain Scott Beaton conducted a survey for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. is in agreement that there were only , 1,713,823 the extreme figures on phonies claiming service in Vietnam (in-country in the I was a Army platoon leader. Someone Burkett might be accused of hyperbole had he not spent the past 25 years uncovering military fakers, often working with authorities whove come to view him as the real authority. Defense, but havent verified it there either. They said, All credit and research to: Capt. There are no firm estimates on the number of fake combat vets. What did you do?, I was in the Army, the voice replied. How many Vietnam era veterans are there? There is no question that there are a large number of them including women who talk about their combat roles and even how they had been POWs. Their personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. McCarthy claimed to have been a combat tail gunner in World War II. In 2007 the effort snagged eight people who were receiving VA compensation for combat injuries, although none had served in combat and two had never served in the military. That same web site published an article, Who Are the Real Viet It's not as widespread as it was the first 10-30 years immediately after the war,its still out there. not SEALs. Burkett predicted that half would be frauds. ", In the military, the book has become something of a cult classic, according to Army Capt. and Capt. (If you are interested in pursuing this, just type Stolen Valor into your search engine and see the numbers of those caught pretending to be what they are not.). He has a weekly caseload of about two dozen real vets. Vietnam War veterans, and their families, are being invited to this event to be held at the National Mall on May 11, 12, and 13. a regular post. The real Daubmann had been killed in the war. provide a source, I dont know where to take this. in the census documents is a number for those falsely claiming Vietnam service. that. So I turned the television on and checked the local news. REALITY: Yandle did serve in the Marine Corps but never received combat medals and was never in Vietnam. That negative image was fresh in Burketts mind when he decided to help a friend in Dallas raise money for Vietnam veterans a quarter century ago. But tracking this back to the US I never saw it, but returning friends told me about it.All this to say, for me, its weird. DePaulo says its not surprising a person already held in high esteem would choose to fabricate a military background. Most claim to have been on a ship in the South China Sea, but never got near the country. Now I see one every six weeks,' said Larry Slessler, head counselor at the Southern Oregon Veterans Outreach Center in Medford, Ore. (The ONLY question EVER asked by the Census, NOT if they were actually serving in Vietnam.) (I will note that this is also a politically driven An informal survey by United Press International of about a dozen VA facilities, veteran employment services and vet groups found that all had seen fake combat vets in the past year, most in rising numbers. He said he was a decorated ex-Air Force fighter pilot and former prisoner of war in Vietnam who couldn't get a job. It was much easier to do before. (military occupational specialty)," says Charles Moskos, a Northwestern University professor who specializes in military sociology. I am an in-country Vietnam vet. Very few served in Vietnam. Although it was said that no reputable site had posted Well-known actor Brian Dennehy often shared stories of his service with the Marines in Vietnam. 5. Local community celebrities appear no less prone to telling such tales. So were 47 claiming to have earned service crosses. In 2019, approximately 3.4 million Vietnam War Veterans were enrolled for Veterans Health Administration services (12). It was endless," he says. Well, to cite my own anecdotal experience, I have run into many people claiming to be Vietnam vets. And, oh by the way, a Purple Heart and a few other honors earned. The alleged 13.8 million fakers or four out of five who claim to be Vietnam vets is CLEARLY stated as being based on U.S. CENSUS DATA, not some independent survey. "But, you know, maybe I'll do a book on all the heroes of Vietnam. In 1995, Burkett helped an Oregon newspaper uncover Republican U.S. Rep. Wes Cooley's false claims of Army service in the Korean War. To date, he says (and a check of court records appears to confirm it), nobody has sued him over the book. The second you tell people that you are a veteran, they look at you differently. You might find it more reliable than the other sites but I say it is just as biased in its way as those you reject.I have suggested that these figures were based on the US Census which did, in fact, ask about service during the Vietnam era (which you, yourself, pointed out), but also on numbers gathered from the DoD, such as the numbers of those actually in country, and on a survey conducted by Captain Scott Beaton. "Man, I was scared to death. By Elizabeth Becker . ". what I think happened. He wasn't even sent overseas until September 1968, six months after the Khe Sanh siege was over. Disclosure of the facts contributed to his demise. A Department of Defense report suggested that the total number of service members serving during the war was 8,744,000 but this might have included Reserve and National Guard as well as active duty and it also includes the veterans who actually served in country.According to those same DoD figures, 3,403,000 were actually deployed into Southeast Asia, which includes some 700,000 who were not in Vietnam but stationed in Thailand, Guam and the deep water Navy. guide to other statistical publications and sources both in print and on the Burkett -- his parents nicknamed him Jug, in honor of a favorite golf pro -- has spent the past 13 years unmasking hundreds of men around the country who have claimed to be Vietnam veterans, Vietnam heroes, Vietnam- post-traumatic-stress-psychos, the guys you read about in the papers ("Viet Vet Kills 14 in Post Office Rampage") and see on the median strip of Van Ness Avenue, wearing signs over their tattered fatigues that proclaim, "Vietnam Vet -- Will Work for Food.
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