The FBI agent trying to stem an invasion of fake war heroes

[emad]

Telegraph
By Francis Harris in Newark
(Filed: 14/03/2005)

An army of fake war heroes has invaded America since the September 11 attacks, as the national love affair with the military has been exploited for love, money and the respect that comes from a chestful of medal ribbons.

Thousands of pretend heroes are now at large nationwide, donning uniforms and pinning on medals viewed by the public as glittering symbols of America's tumultuous recent global conflicts. Now the FBI is taking action.

Sitting high in the agency's Newark headquarters, special agent Thomas Cottone, who co-ordinates efforts against the fraudsters, explained the public rage at the fakers: "We've lost over 1,500 US soldiers killed in Iraq. Even those who fortunately come back, many only get a little ribbon. So you'd just better not be doing this stuff."

There are no precise estimates of how many Americans are falsifying or manufacturing accounts of their military service, but the number of websites tracking down the fraudsters has proliferated in recent years.

http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/03/14/wfeds14.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/03/14/ixworld.html

[GiovanniC]

1. Meanwhile, a Real War Hero is Mocked

With purple heart bandaids. Dumb motherfuckers.

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. You're correct. They need to protect the integrity of the properly

assigned medals by coming out and defending those which were presented in the past. Shame on the military for not speaking up for Kerry.

[NNN0LHI]

2. They just thought it was Halloween already n/t

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. Tell them to read conservative web sites...everyone claims

to be a war hero on them

[kiki]

13. Indeed... would we care to take a guess

on which way EVERY SINGLE ONE of these losers voted...?

[NNN0LHI]

20. That ain't no shit n/t

[HeeBGBz]

4. My bro-in-law is in a group that busts fake SEALS

Not to be confused with a group that clubs baby seals.

He wrote a book about SEAL imposters. There's a shitload of them out there.

[StaggerLee]

15. How would I contact one of these organizations?

My brother hangs out with a guy who claims he was a SEAL but I have my doubts. I was in the Navy myself and it pisses me off to no end when people take credit for something they haven't earned.

[HeeBGBz]

17. I sent you a PM, StaggerLee

eom

[Dogmudgeon]

5. David Hackworth is livid over this

On his website, he lists a number of organizations that go around busting these frauds, especially the fake SEALs. There is always at least one article about military frauds on the front page. Often the accounts are as funny as they are pathetic.

Y'know, I don't always agree with Hack, but he's one of the best military commentators and activists out there. Whatever your take is on the military and the necessity of war, you won't come away without having something to think about -- and to do.

Again, that URL is http://www.hackworth.com

--p!

[SmokingJacket]

7. This would be funny, if it weren't so sad. Losers. nt

[oneighty]

8. Yes

Google the SEAL Wall of Shame..There are so many. Armitage passed himself off as a SEAL by not denying it.

Turns out by his own statements that had maybe brushed shoulders with a SEAL somewhere some place during his three combat tours in Vietnam.

Phony war heroes are every where. There is no easy way to identify them.

Armitage: "The deputy Secretary of State had been a Navy SEAL and looked it." From Against All Enemies. Richard A. Clark.

180

[DBoon]

9. There is a very famous military imposter that must be arrested NOW!

He resides at 1600 Pensylvania Avenue, Washington DC

He claims to have honorably served in the Texas National Guard.

[EBK]

11. Funny stuff !!!...

I wish I would have thought that of that one !

Funny, but sad and true.

[Zerex71]

10. The chief impostor lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

[Walt Starr]

12. Hey, the president fabricated a military record

they're just following *'s lead!

[Blue_Tires]

14. happens every war i suppose.

i read somewhere (i think newsweek back in the early 90s) that there were an estimated 400,000 'fake' vietnam vets out there trying to claim some sort of glory or sympathy...these were men that claimed they served and never did, or men that did serve in asia and lied a LOT about battles they fought and medals they won...

[StaggerLee]

16. Fucking shameless

n/t

[Ernesto]

18. nothing new

in '67 @ camp Pendleton we had a jerk off show up with way too many ribbons......... A check of his record book & that Marine was busted from L/cpl to pvt & scorned by his peers as long as he was around........

[Harlequin]

19. Why not fake war heroes? It's a fake war... we have a fake president...

we eat fake food... consume fake entertainment... watch fake news... hold fake elections... what's the difference?