Posted on 05/27/2006 11:44:38 AM PDT by West Coast Conservative
Debunking the claims of a minor Internet celebrity, the Army said it has no record of a man who claimed he committed atrocities with Army Rangers in Iraq.
In an interview posted on the Web site SocialistAlternative.org, Jesse MacBeth claimed that his job was to “strike fear in the hearts of the Iraqi people” while serving with the 3rd Ranger Battalion.
“We would go into people’s houses and plow down entire families,” MacBeth said. “We would interrogate people. If we didn’t like the answers that they gave, then we would kill the youngest child. If they gave more answers that we didn’t like, then we’d move on to the rest of the family. They could’ve been innocent people.”
MacBeth also claimed U.S. troops would “slaughter” Iraqis in mosques.
But U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg found no evidence of a soldier named Jesse MacBeth ever serving with Army Rangers or Special Forces, said Army spokesman Paul Boyce.
Boyce also noted several red flags about MacBeth’s appearance.
“There are also numerous wear and appearance issues with the soldier’s uniform — a mix of foreign uniforms with the sleeves rolled up like a Marine and a badly floppy tan beret worn like a pastry chef,” Boyce said.
In one picture of MacBeth posted online, he is wearing his beret with the insignia centered over the wrong eye.
In a telephone interview Thursday, MacBeth said he purposely wore his uniform backward in a video interview in which he made his allegations because veterans are prohibited from wearing their uniforms at protests.
Asked why the Army found no record of him, MacBeth said, “They did the same thing to John Kerry.”
But the group Iraq Veterans Against the War, to which MacBeth belonged, said it too was skeptical of MacBeth.
In a statement on its Web site, the group said MacBeth’s claims of service “have not been verified” and the group is conducting an investigation of the matter.
Group member Garett Reppenhagen called MacBeth a “troubled kid.”
“I’m not sure why he would want to be fraudulent to IVAW,” Reppenhagen said in a telephone interview Thursday.
Reppenhagen said the group would take steps in the future to verify its members’ service, but he could not say what those measures might be.
Vietnam veteran Doug Sterner is an advocate for a proposed law that would make it a felony to make false claims of decorations earned. MacBeth claimed he had earned a Bronze Star.
Sterner said he believes MacBeth is more interested in “self-gratification” than getting a political message across.
“If he was honestly a war protester, he would do it honestly, so his opposition to the war is as transparent as his military service is bogus,” Sterner said.
But MacBeth insisted he served in Iraq with the Rangers and claimed Iraq Veterans Against the War had betrayed him.
“When the heat gets on them they stab me in the back,” he said.
Still, MacBeth said he would not defend his credibility any further.
“I’m not going to follow this battle no more. The right wing won,” he said.
Old murtha jumped on the story with his full weight behind him. Do you think he'll be apologizing to our servicemembers anytime soon?
MacBeth...Democratic nominee for President in 2036?
And John Kerry is a liar like MacBeth. Very fitting.
Just because mommy is an (ex-con) , it doesn't give this bozo the right to run around lying and shooting off his mouth and bringing dishonor to America and our honorable men and women in the U.S. military. MacBeth Al-Zaid claims he is a war criminal. He should be taken out and shot.
ROTFLMAO!!!
Yep, his whole point is to slime real vets. It disgusts me to no end. It's worse when they pretend to be taking a moral high ground while making this crap up too. The left does it all the time, whenever they claim to support the troops, then turn around and throw out the claims of murder.
Even his name is fake.
born Jesse Adam Al-Zaid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessie_Macbeth
Anyone got a picture of this idiot??
I believe Rep Murtha put his weight behind a different story -- not the MacBeth tales. MacBeth was never credible to anyone but the most far-out moonbat.
I think it should be a crime to impersonate a military veteran -- especially if it's part of an attempt to poison public debate or hurt public perceptions of the U.S. military.
Mousey bastard ain't he!!
I really wanted to see the beret worn like a pastry chef!
I know I'm not the only one to predict a bright future for this guy in the DNC. He is the Kerry for the new generation.
:0)
Two-bit punk wimp. He'd drop like a 50-lb sack of sh!t on a 20-mile hike, IMO.
Not the ones I'll be reading.
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