This is coolbert: There is a rather strange and disreputable person roaming around this country. That is the military imposter. This seems to be a phenomenon that is growing, although I sense it has already been around for some time. Every now and then you hear this same sort of story. A man claims he is an ex-POW. Or he is a winner of the Medal of Honor [mistakenly called the Congressional Medal of Honor [it has not been called that for some time now]]. Or the man says he is a Navy SEAL. Or is a Ranger or a Green Beret [Special Forces]. Almost always exotic and having a glamorous aura about it. This man says that he was on many dangerous missions "back in his day". He can't tell you anything about it, or he will have to kill you. And his personnel file is so highly classified that he cannot get his military records to get the benefits he is entitled to!!?? Quite often these people are seen panhandling in large cities wearing a tattered uniform adorned with medals. They want a handout and usually get it. Trouble is that many of these people are impostors. They not only have not done what they claim they have done in the military, many of them have not even been in the military period. Never did ANY military service at all. Click here to read more about such impostors.

And there have been some interesting exposes of such impostors. In all cases these are very sad sacks with a very big problem with the ego.

Once such recent case was of the minor official of the Clinton administration who died recently. This man had as his final wish to be buried "among the heroes at Arlington Cemetery". And he was buried in Arlington. He had to have a waiver as he had not actually served in the military but felt he was entitled as he said he had served in the Merchant Marine in World War Two. Well, the man got the waiver and then after the fact it was found out he had not served in anything at all. It was all a lie. His wife with much embarrassment had his body exhumed and reburied, and not in a military cemetery.

"The only big donor on the list was Larry Lawrence.

Lawrence died in 1996 while serving as U.S. ambassador to Switzerland. He received a waiver for burial based on his ambassadorial service and his claim to have served in the Merchant Marine in 1945 and to have been wounded during that duty.

Following the determination that Lawrence had never served in the Merchant Marine, his widow had his body exhumed and reburied in San Diego."



Perhaps the archetype of such military impostors is the man who was "outed" not so long ago in Phoenix, AZ. This man was the editor of the main Arizona newspaper and quite a factor in state politics. And was a real social flier who attended many gala social events. It was to these many events that this editor would come dressed as a Lt. Col. in the USAF Reserve. Claimed that he was an officer in the Air force, was a jet pilot, had flew F-86 Sabrejets over Korea and was an ace, shooting down more than five MIG's!! Quite a record. Well, someone, somehow, found out this man was an imposter. Not only was he not a Lt. Col. in the Air Force, he had never served in the military in any capacity. When confronted, this imposter did not deny that what he did was all that wrong. He said that what he was doing was to honor his brother that had been killed in World War Two. A strange way of honoring his brother??!! I bet some of you have already guess what is coming. This charlatan did not have a brother killed in World War Two. He lied to cover up his lie!! What a supreme ass. Anyhow, this man, after becoming "outed", went into seclusion, and became a recluse. Good!

"Darrow Tully, former publisher of The Arizona Republic

and a friend of Senator John McCain's, the former prisoner of war,

admitted that he lied about flying jet fighters in the Korean and

Vietnam Wars."

"Darrow (Duke) Tully, publisher of the Arizona Republic and Phoenix Gazette, often bragged to friends and reporters that he was a decorated Air Force pilot who had flown 105 missions over Korea and Vietnam. He often wore full dress uniform to formal events. Tully was forced to resign as publisher in 1985 after the Maricopa County Attorney revealed that he had never served in the Air Force or any branch of the military." [please note, Darrow liked to refer to himself as Duke].

To read further about this impostor and others of his ilk, click here.

coolbert.