Andrew W. Nelson III, 90 years of age comes to us from Mount Pleasant, SC.  Military Phonies was informed about Andrew through numerous newspaper articles and interviews for being a WWII vet and a member of UDT.

An older article stated that “Andrew W. Nelson III, 78, wearing his original issue 1943 uniform, tours the World War II Monument Friday, May 28, 2004 in Washington D.C. Nelson, a Navy frogman, was charged with “killing as many enemies as possible” during his Pacific tour in World War II.”  (ARTICLE) This statement was made regarding his time in WWII.  UDT in WWII were considered “naked warriors” which operated in the water clearing obstacles for allied troops to land on shore, at most UDT went no further than hinterland.  Many active duty and retired SEALs became skeptics by Andrews statement.

WAR STORIES

In a War stories article, there is a picture of Andrew when he was younger which shows him wearing a UDT insignia.

WWII & Korean War Vet interview

Double amputee WWII Veteran walks again

Andy Nelson: A Walking Miracle

Andrew did an interview (video) and it states:  “81 year old Andy Nelson was never one to sit around. At 16 and a half, he forged his mother’s signature and joined the US Navy to fight in World War II. When normal sailor’s duties didn’t suit him, he joined the elite force called FROGMEN, the forerunners to today’s Navy SEALS.

“You had to be a good swimmer, which I was,” Andy said. “You had to be lean and mean, which I was, and stupid, which I was . . . so it all helped.”

He proudly displays his uniform, decorated with a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart he earned in Okinawa from grenade wounds.”  It also states that “For years he’s volunteered on the USS Yorktown, now a museum docked in Charleston”

In the interview on his suit he was wearing the UDT insignia and in another part of the interview he is wearing a US Navy SEAL baseball cap.

We at MP agree with your statement about being stupid

He appears to benefit by getting both accolades and free meals.

SOURCE: http://mimispaintingaday.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-06-07T23:49:00-04:00&max-results=7&reverse-paginate=true&start=28&by-date=false

Two Bronze Stars are mentioned in both blogs, along with the Purple Heart and photos of Nelson wearing the Navy SEAL Trident.

SOURCE: http://mimispaintingaday.blogspot.com/2011/05/

There are numerous articles regarding Andrews days as a Frogman, enjoy reading all of these:

In the article that follows, Nelson claims to have killed two Japanese soldiers…

Andrews story didn’t match up with older UDT members.

ACTIONS CONDUCTED BY MILITARY PHONIES

After contacting the UDT/SEAL archives, the Naval Special Warfare Center and checking the UDT/SEAL database we found that there is NO record of Andrew Nelson III ever completing UDT Training or being assigned to a UDT Team.

Andrew Nelson III records were requested through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

Records show that Andrew was active duty from 12/31/43 – 6/11/1947 and the Navy reserves from 8/12/1947 – 01/14/51, and went back to active duty from 1/15/51 – 5/15/1952

Andrews Notice of Separation from U.S. Naval Service shows which awards he earned:

• Asiatic Pacific 2 Stars
• American Area
• Victory
• Philippine Lib. 1 Star
• Good Conduct

A request from Andrew to the Enlisted Service and Records Division obtaining information regarding his awards shows NO Bronze Star with valor and NO Purple Heart.  Andrew never served in Korea.  He was in the Navy Reserve at the time. He was given orders to active duty but stayed stateside.

And updated request from Andrew shows he was also entitled to the Navy Occupation Service Medal with “Asia” clasp

FOIA – EXPANDED

In Conclusion

Official military records for Andrew Nelson III show that he never attended or completed BUD/S and that he was never a UDT member or assigned to a UDT Team. Andrew did NOT receive at Bronze Star or Purple Heart and he NEVER served in Korea.  He should have been proud of the time in the Navy and now for the last 18 years he’s been posing as a war hero, a killer, etc…  The historical record needs to be set straight, especially since he is not shy of having the media print articles about his supposed exploits and honors.

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This Ain’t Hell: http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=72019