The greatest deceit: Stolen valour, tin medals and tin pot generals

The Australian ^

[ameribbean expat]

None of it happened. Dennehy had served in the US Marine Corps between 1958 and 1963 but did not set foot in Vietnam. The closest he came to combat was playing inter-service American football in Okinawa.

Dennehy publicly apologised for his deception in 1999. But there are reports that he continued telling embellished stories of courage under fire to anyone silly enough to listen. Once an actor …

[ameribbean expat]

Good read and reminder. Don't denigrate those who actually served and paid a price.

"Stolen valour has become so widespread it is thought that for every US Navy SEAL, there are at least 300 imposters."

[spel_grammer_an_punct_polise]

“there are at least 300 imposters.”

Those in the know can easily determine the imposters but, of course, the people who get scammed by the imposters do not know how to verify information.

[Bommer]

Good read....if you want to subscrib to an Austrailian rag. Pass.

[20yearvet]

I was in Nam, but was in support. Not in the jungle or rice fields. I have run it to a number of these fakes. One guy had been telling war stories around work and I was asked what I thought of them. I said I didn’t know, funny how he never tells them around me. Everyone got the hint.

[robowombat]

I have no idea why people with a perfectly good life will expose themselves to such obloquy by engaging in the stolen valor game. Many vets will over time gild the lily about the details of service but Denehy served honorably in the USMC just before VN heated up. That is good enough. Why bring disgrace on yourself. A late friend engaged in this sort of thing and I had no idea he did until well after his death I examined a file of obituary and memorial items his wife provided. He was eliminated from USMC PLC in 1967 for a non correctable problem with one eye. He seems to have then concocted a completely false narrative claiming he was discharged for psycho neurotic stress after having the platoon he commanded destroyed in fighting near the DMZ during Tet 68. He was a well respected parochial school teacher and happily married. Why he put all that at risk to create a bogus wartime persona is beyond me. I thought I knew him well, I guess not.

[SERE_DOC]

As disingenuous as he is / was still didn’t get elected to congress like Danang Dick Blumenthal

[NTHockey]

I served in the Marine Air Detachment aboard USS Princeton (LPH-5). We were part of Operation Shufly, carrying the Marines into Vietnam. (April 1962). We qualified for Vietnam Nam Service ribbons.

I have NEVER and will NEVER consider myself a Vietnam Nam veteran. I only served during that time period.

[suthener]

My father came very close to being killed in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive. I only know this because years and years later I read his letters to my mother and ran across the goodbye letter he wrote while waiting for his position to be overrun. Generally the way you can tell a false story is that someone is telling the story. I only got my father to talk about it after he had had several beers. He told me the story in a detached, matter of fact manner. It was very interesting. He was absolutely convinced at the time that he was going to die. I don’t think that had I not found that letter I would ever have heard that story.