Guys, as Grampa Dave has posted, John S. at leanwrite has got an admission from Mr Majied that he is not a SEAL.
As I wrote yesterday, I was willing to go to Albany, GA and apologise in person if I was wrong. Looks like I won't have to take the trip.
"I'm against the idea of investigating Mr. Majied further" wrote John S. at leanwrite (which is now buried on the net, collapsed under the weight of curious FReepers and lurkers). Looks like John and I had the same idea of checking out Mr Majied. "I wish I had never given the interview" is not the same as an apology for pretending to be a SEAL, and the real-deal SEALs may wish to pursue Mr Majied a bit further, perhaps after this lunacy has passed, or hang him up in the Hall of Shame. But once again I find myself thinking remarkably like John S (and no, I ain't him): I think the rest of us ought to leave the "nice old gentleman" alone.
I don't have a beef with him for opposing Bush. That's his right in a free country. My beef was for making a false claim of elite service status. That's just plain wrong and if I catch anyone doing that (on our side or theirs, although most of them seem to be on theirs lately) I will pursue him relentlessly.
Now, as to Mr Elliot Minor -- I note that he quoted a number of pro-Bush vets, and photographed one, and am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. A lot of civilians don't understand what a few shiny badges made of pot metal or cheap thread mean to us. He needs to be informed of Mr Majied's confession, and if someone can do that politely and let him know about some of the fact-checking resources he can use, it will benefit everybody. Who Mr Minor supports for President is not at issue here, the error that got into his story is. I'm sure at some time a prof or his editor told him to check even his mother out: he has just gotten a painful lesson in how true it is.
Remember, though, he didn't make a false claim, Majied did. I do a lot of interviews and you do tend to accept what people tell you, especially if you make a connexion with them as human beings (and you are a crummy reporter if you do not, IMHO).
Props to all who helped solve this small internet puzzle.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
Will you be notifying AuthentiSeal?
Thanks for the work in verifying this. I knew from the get go that the story was false. Just by one of his answers to elfman2 - SEAL school -- no such thing -- and all he had to do was give his class number -- that is something that is unclassifed and something a SEAL never forgets. Just ask my son!
I have passed these threads to Larry Bailey, a REAL VN SEAL, who is the head of VN Veterans For Truth. He's worked with Mr. Burchett, the author of Stolen Valor, on outing fake SEALs and other fake specops and hero types. He's "taking it for action."