BACKGROUND
Patrick Allen Porter comes to us from Bisbee, Arizona where he lives in an assisted living facility. He spent some of his youth in Arizona but also lived in Idaho. Porter is 72 years old as of May 2019.
Mr. Porter was featured in a recent newspaper article about veterans published on March 27, 2019.
Notice in the above photo: 1) SEAL Trident pin (left) 2) Purple Heart cap designating Combat Wounded 3) Navy Deep Sea Diver patch (right) as well as a 4) POW patch on the right side and other various POW insignia.
There was this post on Facebook where Porter wears the same cap and vest…
Here is a larger version of the photo to identify the medals:
Mr. Porter, due to failing health, cannot speak so he has a friend that spoke for him in the article.
The U.S. Navy veteran is a Purple Heart recipient who spent one year as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Porter was a member of the Navy Beach Jumpers, a classified unit that served on the ground during WWII and again in the Vietnam War.
Today, when [REDACTED] chats with Porter about his time in the Navy, he points proudly to a Beach Jumper patch on his jacket. [REDACTED] serves as her friend’s voice by telling his story, while he nods in affirmation.
“Patrick has a fascinating background,” said [REDACTED], who is a member of the James R. “Bob” Currieo VFW Post 9972 Auxiliary. “He served in the Navy for three years, one of those years as a prisoner of war while he was in Vietnam. Before his stroke, he was an active member of a motorcycle group that honors veterans and their service.”
. . . . .
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 “Patrick Allen Porter” ever completing BUD/S Training or being assigned to a SEAL Team.
We asked various SEALs about the Beach Jumpers, assuming that Mr. Porter was indeed one, and found that the US Navy Beach Jumpers were a support unit and were not given a SEAL Trident. They are allowed to join the UDT-SEAL Association as associate members.
We checked the official POW database for the Vietnam War and did not find Patrick Porter listed.
A letter was sent to the US Navy Beach Jumpers Association. This was their response…
Patrick Porter’s military records were ordered through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
. . . . .
FOIA RESULTS – COMPLETE
NATIONAL PERSONNEL RECORDS CENTER (NPRC)
In light of the US Navy Beach Jumpers Association’s assertion that Beach Jumper would be designated on the member’s DD-214, we asked the NPRC to double-check. The NPRC responded by saying that there is nothing in Patrick Porter’s military records that has the Beach Jumper designation.
. . . . .
DISCUSSION and SUMMARY
SUMMARY SHEET & ASSIGNMENTS
Patrick Porter’s does not have a SEAL Trident listed in his records. He does not have a US Navy Deep Diver pin listed in his records.
Porter was not listed as a POW. In fact, the only time he could have been a POW was when he was on the ship USS Hunterdon County (LST-838) from 16 SEPT 1967 to 16 MAR 1968 and that does not add up to a year. The rest of the time he had stateside assignments. Recall that he claimed that he was a POW for one year. The ship that he was on did patrols in the Mekong Valley.
Porter does not have the Purple Heart award in his official military records.
Patrick Porter’s records do not support his claim of having been awarded a Purple Heart or a POW Ribbon. The claim of these awards put Porter in direct conflict with Stolen Valor laws.
STOLEN VALOR
If any of these claims were used to leverage work or promotions or anything else of value, Porter may be in violation of Stolen Valor laws. State laws may also apply.
. . . . .
PHOTOS
. . . . .
SOCIAL MEDIA
[NONE]
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..