BACKGROUND

John Oscar Watts comes to us from Orlando, Ohio. Watts is 75 years old at the time of this writing – March 2023.

John O. Watts

Both the author of a book and the subject of a recent newscast, Watts claims he was a US Navy SEAL in Vietnam. A Philadelphia news station aired a segment on Watts, highlighting his book “Shadow S.E.A.L. – The True Story of One of the First Black Navy SEALs” which highlighted Watts’ time as a Navy SEAL and the challenges he faced with racism as one of the first black Navy SEALs.

https://6abc.com/philadelphia-navy-seal-john-watts-book-shadow/12443299/

The newscast caption above claims that Watts is US Navy (Ret) but we didn’t see where he made that claim.

Here is the cover and back cover of his book, claiming service with SEAL TEAM ONE in Vietnam from 1968-1970…

Excerpt from the book “Shadow S.E.A.L.”

Watts claimed that he served with SEAL Team One…

Photo from the book “Shadow S.E.A.L.”

Photo from the book “Shadow S.E.A.L.”

Watts wrote that when he had trouble getting care at the VA, he tried to prove he served in Vietnam as a SEAL with boots on the ground.  He said that they redacted all the references to SEAL from his military records due to the secrecy surrounding the SEAL units.  Also, he claimed that his records had burned up in a records fire – probably referencing the famous 1973 fire at the National Archives.

Excerpt from the book “Shadow S.E.A.L.”

There is also a claim of Navy SEAL and two tours in Vietnam on his LinkedIn profile.

Since the newscast aired in November 2022, several Navy SEALs started asking questions since they didn’t recognize Watts’ name.

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ACTIONS CONDUCTED BY MILITARY PHONIES

After contacting the UDT/SEAL archives and checking the UDT/SEAL database we found that there is NO record of “John Oscar Watts” or any other variation of his name ever completing BUD/S Training or being assigned to any SEAL teams.

John Watts’ military records were ordered through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

Due to his age and claim of service dates, we filed with the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) which would maintain records from the Vietnam era.

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FOIA RESULTS

NATIONAL PERSONNEL RECORDS CENTER (NPRC)

FOIA Results – NPRC – John Watts – DD-214

FOIA Results – NPRC – John Watts – DD-215

TIMELINE DISCOVERIES

Watts was discovered as a senior in the Gratz High School (Philadelphia, PA) yearbook in 1965.

Watts was discovered in the USS Oglethorpe (AKA-100) in 1966.

Then, there is a photo of Watts in the USS Okinawa i(LPH-3) n 1967.

Combined with a few files from Watts’ military records, it appears that he was a striker for small boats, and attended the assault boats school as a coxswain.

 

FOIA Results – John Watts

FOIA Results – John Watts

. . . . .

DISCUSSION and SUMMARY

BUD/S – SEAL

There is no record of John Watts graduating BUD/S-SEAL training.

RANK

There were no claims of rank to confirm.

TIME IN SERVICE

Watts claimed that he served from 1965-1969. His military service record is consistent with that claim.

VIETNAM

Watts’ record does support his claim of serving in Vietnam. Both with Vietnam Service and Campaign medals and a Combat Action Ribbon.

RECORDS (REDACTION & FIRE)

Records are not redacted for SEALs. Missions are secret but individuals that have served are not.  There was a fire in 1973 at the National Archives, but it was only Army and Air Force records that were affected – not Navy records.

SUMMARY

If John Watts has used any of these claims to gain anything of value, he could be in violation of the Stolen Valor Act.

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PHOTOS

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SOCIAL MEDIA

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/john.watts.58323

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwatts/

BOOK (AMAZON): https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-SEAL-John-Watts/dp/1932045333/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

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This Ain’t Hell: https://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=139554