Joe Hemingway claimed to be a US Army Ranger with 8 years service and was awarded the Purple Heart.
He further elaborated on the units he was stationed with…
When asked about the Purple Heart, he implied it was awarded for his participation in Operation Eagle Claw – the failed Iranian Hostage Rescue mission in late April 1980.
Then, when asked specifically about his wound(s), he elaborated on exactly how he was wounded…
# # #
FOIA RESULTS – SELECTIVE
# # #
FOIA RESULTS – ALL
 |
 |
# # #
SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS
There were eight (8) lives lost in Operation Eagle Claw with an additional five (5) wounded who were all burned. The primary participants were Army Delta Force and the Ranger history page does not mention of injury to their own. That is giving Joe Hemingway the benefit of the doubt on his story’s face value.
But… On Wednesday April 30, 1980, The Morning Advocate, a newspaper in Baton Rouge, LA published the list of the five (5) servicemen wounded when President Jimmy Carter visited them in the San Antonio burn unit. They were:
* Airman 1st Class William V. Tootle, 21 from Fort Walton Beach, FL
* Air Force Staff Sgt Joseph B. Beyers III, 37, of Charleston, SC
* Marine Maj Leslie B. Petty, 34, of Jacksonville, NC
* Air Force 1st Lt Jeffrey B. Harrison, 26 from Warron, OH
* Marine Major Jame H. Schaefer Jr., 36, of Los Angeles, CA
No Joseph Hemingway was listed.
Then, Hemingway’s official military record does not support his claim of being in the Army for eight years, nor does it support his claims of being an Army Ranger or a “DI” or “Drill Instructor” (by the way, this is a USMC term and the Army uses the term “Drill Sergeant”).
Lastly, his official records do not support his claim of being awarded the Purple Heart, which elevates his claims to Stolen Valor.
# # #
SOCIAL MEDIA
