Category: Phony soldiers

Someone sent us a tip about this guy, Papotia Reginald Wright, who runs the private organization 8th Special Forces Regiment New York Honor Guard VSO. This is from their mission statement;

8th Special Forces Regiment New York Honor Guard is a Veteran Service Organization (VSO) that renders final honors to Veterans with an Honorable Discharge or General Discharge with Honorable conditions.

Mr. Wright claims to be a highly decorated retired Command Sergeant Major in his biography;

He then enlisted in the United States Army in June 1981. Following Basic Training and Individual Training, he was assigned to the 172nd Infantry Battalion in Ft. Greely Alaska. During this tour, CSM Wright served as a Transportation Specialist and the Post Commander Driver/Assistant. In August 0f 1982, CSM Wright was ordered to Fort Bragg, N.C where he became a member of the U.S Military Special Operations Command for over 25 years. CSM Wright circumnavigated the world while performing his duties when it pertained to defending America and her citizens for his actions.

CSM Wright personal decorations include The Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with “V” device, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Multi-National Defense Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three campaign stars, Iraq Campaign Medal with one campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, NATO Medal, Non-Commissioned 0fficers Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Airborne Tab, Air Assault Tab and the Military Free-Fall Badge.

The Army doesn’t remember most of that stuff. He enlisted in 1982 and spent a couple of years in the Reserves, then he went on active duty and drove a truck in Alaska, he went to the Sinai in 1986 and drove a truck, the he went to Fort Hood, Texas and drove a truck. In 1987, he went to Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia and drove a truck, probably for Rangers stationed there. Two years later he went to Germany and drove a truck.

He didn’t retire from the Army, he wasn’t special forces trained, he wasn’t in combat, so no Bronze Star Medal, no Purple Heart, he wasn’t parachute qualified, so not free-fall qualified either. He left the Army as a Specialist (E-4). He’s even lying about his Expert Marksmanship Badge.

I will admit that we don’t have access to all of his records;

Our partners at Military Phonies share their work with us on Robert Rudole Scheurer who claims in social media that he was a SEAL in Vietnam, but he can’t remember his BUD/S class number after all of these years;

The Navy doesn’t remember his class date either – they don’t remember Robert being in Vietnam, either;

He spent 7 years as an ET1, an Electronics Technician, and he was discharged as an E-6, but no SEAL training or service in Vietnam or even the contiguous waters of Vietnam.

Someone sent us their research on this fellow, Curtis Lyle Busby who wrote a book once entitled An American Veteran’s Journey, under the pen name Chris M. Hayden, which was supposed to be about his time in Vietnam. He told the journalist at the Beacon Senior News that he had suffered war wounds and captivity while he was in Vietnam;

Sgt. Chris Hayden, of Montrose, was unable to accept his medal in person—he was recovering from surgery to alleviate pain from old war wounds.

Hayden served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in high school and enlisted the day after graduation in 1963. By 1965, he had completed aviation training and was assigned to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. He became a crew chief and gunner with UH-34D helicopters. He served 26 months just south of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone, was shot down and returned to the U.S.

He went back to Vietnam, serving in the Marble Mountains in Da Nang, and was promoted to sergeant. While flying into Laos searching for hidden prisoner of war sites, Hayden’s helicopter was shot down. Only he and one other crew member survived.

They were captured and suffered months of atrocities in a POW camp. Hayden was eventually rescued and returned to Great Lakes Naval Hospital in the U.S. His fellow crew member did not make it. Hayden was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service.

Busby, as Hayden, told the Washington Post, in 1984, that he’d been shot down as a crew chief on a UH-34D while in Vietnam. He didn’t mention the POW thing, though.

Hayden, who said he was shot down three times as a Marine helicopter gunner in Vietnam, said he dedicated his run to fellow veterans who survived the war only to “slowly die when they arrived home.”

We’ve been sitting on these articles for a month or so because we’d heard he had another name that we had to search until we came across this;

So we checked DPAA and he doesn’t show up under either name. Captain Mike McGrath, a real Vietnam POW and historian for the NAM-POW, Inc., had no record of him being a POW in Vietnam. So we ordered his records.

Busby had been in the Vietnam theater from March – October 1970, but not as crew chief on a UH-34D, he was a 6615, Technician, Aircraft Communications/Navigation System in the Marine Aircraft Group 15, 1st Marine Air Wing – MAG-15 was a fixed wing aircraft unit at Da Nang during the Vietnam War – no helicopters for him to crew.

MAG-15, 1st MAW was actually in Japan while Busby was assigned to them, but the FPO address in Busby’s records is 96022, for Da Nang, so he must have been advance party for the unit that moved to Da Nang after Busby went back to the States.

He did spend a few weeks (September/October 1970) in VMO-2 (Marine Observation Squadron 2) of the Marine Aircraft Group 11 (MAG-11) an OV-10 Bronco unit – again fixed-wing aircraft at Da Nang, no UH-34Ds.

In a war where it wasn’t unusual for helicopter crew chiefs to have thirty Air Medals after a year in Vietnam, Busby has not even one.

He left the Marine Corps as a sergeant, no aircraft he rode was shot down with him on it, no Purple Heart Medals, no Combat Action Ribbon. No real sympathy for a non-POW lone survivor.

Someone sent us their work on this Jerry Lopez fellow. He claims to have been a Recon Marine in Vietnam, that he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, a Bronze Star for Valor and four Purple Heart Medals as an 0369 Infantry Leader. He wears the rank of a Gunnery Sergeant (E-7), he also claims that he was disabled due to his war injuries;

Here’s the forgery that he shows around;

He also claims SEAL Training.

Well according to his records, he did serve in Vietnam as an Admin Clerk in the Headquarters and Supply Company of the 10th Motor Transport Battalion, May 1968 – July 1969. In fact, during the 14 years that he served in the Marine Corps, all his time was spent as an admin clerk and a Drill Instructor. His records do show one Purple Heart and a Combat Action Ribbon – but I wonder how an admin clerk in a headquarters company of a Motor-T unit could get a Purple Heart and a CAR. Actually, I don’t wonder;

But there’s no SEAL Training, no Recon Training, no parachute training, no scuba training, no Navy Cross, no medals whatsoever for valor. He left the Marine Corps as a staff sergeant (E-6) not a gunnery sergeant (E-7).

Our partners at Military Phonies share their work on Sean Meagher. He claims that he was a Navy SEAL while he hawks this Herbalife24 stuff;

In the video he claims that he was a Navy SEAL and a combat diver. Here’s the text from the video;

My names Sean Meagher, I’m 29 years old. Currently I’m a Ultra Runner, previously I was a Navy Seal, Navy Combat Diver.

Well, according to his records from the Navy, he attended BUD/S for about 35 days, then he left the course without qualifying as a SEAL;

Meagher spent about a year and a half in the Navy and left before the war against terror began as an E-1 Aircrew Survival Equipmentman Airman Recruit, so he doesn’t even get the National Defense Service Medal. According to Wiki;

They perform a wide range of duties, which include inspecting, maintaining, and repairing parachutes, search and rescue equipment, along with survival kits, medical kits, flight clothing, protective wear, night vision equipment, aircrew oxygen systems, liquid oxygen converters, anti-exposure suits, and g-suits. PRs operate and maintain carbon dioxide transfer and recharge equipment, operate and repair sewing machines as well as train aircrew and other personnel in parachute rigging and the use of safety and survival equipment.

Not a SEAL, not a Combat Diver.

Our partners at Guardians of the Green Beret share their work on this fellow Terrill Welge who claimed to be a sniper at 10th Special Forces Group and a Purple Heart recipient;

Yeah, he was a 13D Artilleryman who sniped at the enemy with 155mm artillery rounds. He did tours in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, he earned a Combat Action Badge, but no Purple Heart, no Special Forces training;

Our partners at Military Phonies share their work on this fellow Edwin William “Billy” Bedford. I guess he’s an instructor for truck drivers, but he uses his class time to tell wild stories about being a Navy Lieutenant Commander and a SEAL according to disenchanted students;

And, of course, there’s a tattoo and a cap;

The National Personnel Records Center and the Navy says “Who?”

He does have records, but they are as a guest of the State of Texas, those records are at Military Phonies, because I don’t do those kinds of records.

Our friends at Stolen Valor-Canada are working on the case of Peter Toth of Red Deer. He’s claiming that he retired from the Marine Corps in 1985. When they contacted him, Toth sent this discharge;

Aside from the obvious misspellings, the Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1985 was Paul “PX” Kelley not whoever signed that obvious forgery. I don’t know why there would be a “serial number” on the discharge, it is the wrong number of digits and serial numbers haven’t been used since the Vietnam War.

Toth is wearing the POW Medal. He also claimed that he was called back to active duty in 2005 to act as a sniper for the Marine Corps, because the Corps didn’t have enough shaky old men to miss their targets in Afghanistan.

The Corps doesn’t remember him being on active duty in 2005 or 1985 for that matter;

According to the Red Deer News;

In a Facebook conversation between Stolen Valour and Toth, he claimed to have served in Kandahar Province and “Hazbollah.” Hezbollah, as it’s properly known, is a political party in Lebanon, and is considered by several nations including Canada and the United States to be a terrorist organization.

When Stolen Valour questioned Toth further about his Purple Heart, he claimed to have been shot in June 2005 in Afghanistan. However, Stolen Valour points out he previously claimed to have retired from the USMC in 1985, before any conflicts involving North America ever took place in Afghanistan.

You know the names of every surviving POW of the Afghanistan conflict – Bowe Bergdahl. In case he’s claiming to be a POW of the Vietnam War, DPAA hasn’t heard of him either;

He’s also claiming to be a Master Gunnery Sergeant (E-9), I would think someone of that rank would know that no one has sewed rank on the sleeves of their Marpats ever. Nice Sniper Tab, though;

To prove his innocence, Toth bailed from Facebook after his conversation with SV-C.