Wounded vet? Special forces? POW?
How to verify military claims

When a sociopath wants you to believe that he's honorable, he may tell you that he served in the military. When a sociopath wants you to believe he's a larger-than-life hero, he may tell you he was a black ops commando.

VeriSEAL.org, an organization that verifies the backgrounds of Special Operations Forces personnel, has exposed more than 35,000 phony Navy SEALS. This is truly amazing, because only 11,000 men actually graduated from the SEAL training program, and its predecessor, the Underwater Demolition Team, since 1947. In other words, there are three times as many wannabes as actual SEALs.

Another organization, the POW Network, exposes people who exaggerate or fabricate American military credentials—those who claim rank they never achieved, medals they never earned, enlistments that never happened. So how many phonies and wannabes are posted on POWNetwork.org? Too many to count.

Here's what you should remember: True military veterans rarely talk about their experiences. If someone is trying to impress you with tales of heroism, there is a good chance he or she is lying.

How to verify U.S. military service

Despite stories of "covert missions" and "classified information," you can indeed verify whether or not someone served in the military. You can find out:

• Dates of service
• Rank
• Marital status
• Decorations and awards
• Place of induction and separation
• Duty assignments
• Duty status (such as discharged or retired)
• And more

Official military records are stored at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Information about U.S. service personnel is available to the public under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Getting the information is not difficult. To make a request, all you have to do is download a form and mail or fax it in. Include a cover letter requesting the records under FOIA, and ask for all available releasable information. If the person was never in the military, you'll receive a reply telling you that the center has no record of him or her.

How to verify Special Forces claims

To become a U.S. Navy SEAL, a soldier must complete Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training—a six-month program that weeds out 75 percent of each class. Then, each SEAL goes through further training in his mission specialty.

A former SEAL captain, who has done his share of busting fakes, says a simple question might help you spot a phony. It is: "What was your class number?" If the guy stumbles at all in his answer, he's lying. A true SEAL never forgets his BUD/S class number. Class numbers are now up to the mid-200's.

If you are still suspicious of someone who claims to be a SEAL, contact VeriSEAL.org. The organization serves its clients and law enforcement, but will respond to requests from the general public. Just fill out the online verification request form. If you don't know a guy's date of birth, guess at his age.

Other branches of the U.S. military have commandos as well-Army Special Forces and Rangers, Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance ("Marine Recon" for short). VeriSEAL can also investigate other Special Operations Forces claims. There is no charge for the service.

POWs and other heroes

Is the guy claiming he was a prisoner or war? Or that he won the Congressional Medal of Honor—the highest and most prestigious military decoration in America? Here's where you can check him out:

The POW Network lists all prisoners of war from Vietnam.

The U.S. Army Center of Military History lists all Congressional Medal of Honor winners from all wars.

The Legion of Valor lists all recipients of the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross and Air Force Cross.

The POW Network has already exposed 1,400 fake Vietnam prisoners of war. This is another astounding number, because only 660 U.S. servicemen actually were prisoners in Vietnam and came out alive. Again, more phonies than true heroes.

Military frauds in other countries

Fraudulent claims of military service are not limited to the United States. Following are links to help you verify military service—or find out if someone has been exposed as a phony.

Australia

The Australian Government Department of Veterans' Affairs provides nominal rolls of all military personnel who served in armed conflicts. The website includes links for World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and the first Gulf War.

Australia and New Zealand Military Impostors investigates military phonies and exposes their lies on its website.

Note: Lovefraud welcomes additions to this list. Send links to donna@lovefraud.com.

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