"This one needs...verification."
Sadly, I have to agree...I'll e-mail the reporter.
Not only is Lee not in the POW list, but there's no McCoy matching those details listed on The Wall.
Also, a search on his name/location turns up a match listing his age at 58, too young for all this.
Will post anything further.
In Vietnam, virtually all helicopter pilots were Warrant Officers - none were enlisted. The mention of boot camp and drill instructors puzzled me.
The part about five months off as a body escort got me wondering also. I was in the Marine Corps in '66 - '68, and actually have no memory of body escorts at all being a trend at that time....I could be wrong, though.
A preliminary check with some former POWs sent up red flags. They passed the article to the POW Network, which specializes in this sort of validation. I also forwarded it to Jug Burkett, author of Stolen Valor. We'll see what they find out.