How to spot a phony hero

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From World War II through Korea, Vietnam and the 1991 Persian Gulf War, there are dozens of stories where news organizations bought into a vivid and exciting tale of daring behind enemy lines, only to discover afterward that they had been duped.

There’s a simple process of verifying such information.

The first rule of thumb is: Don’t take the veteran at face value, and don’t even accept his paper credentials without a thorough scrubbing.
Some fabricate their biographies from thin air, but others have been known to forge documents or even to commit "identity theft" of actual POWs or veterans. So it is necessary not only to check out the claims but also to compare his documentation against that of the military archives.

Editors and broadcast managers can go here to read “How to Spot a Phony Veteran Or False POW,” my 2002 report on phony battlefield heroes and false POWs published by the Soldiers for the Truth Foundation. It’s a guide to sources and records that can confirm or expose the veteran’s claim as truth or lie.

Ed Offley, editor of DefenseWatch magazine, has covered the U.S. military since 1981. He is the author of "Pen & Sword: A Journalist's Guide to Covering the Military," published by Marion Street Press. Inc.