WASHINGTON — Here we are now in the afterglow of another
Memorial Day. The flags and the bunting are being put away. The
memories endure for another year of our honored dead, of the brave
wounded, of the veterans — some grizzled, some still youthful —
all deserving their country’s gratitude. Then there are the
imposters, who have created often from zilch military
honors, whole careers, records of heroism and splendid triumphs.
What wretches!
One is Joseph Brian Cryer, 45, who claimed to be a U.S.
Navy SEAL and boasted online of his “77 confirmed kills” during a
glorious operation in Libya in 1986. A genuine SEAL, Don Shipley,
exposed Cryer as an imposter. Shipley has taken it upon himself to
expose frauds and veterans who engaud their war records. It must be
a full-time occupation. This kind of thing happens surprisingly
often, and very much in public. A best-selling historian was
suspended for a year from his college teaching position for
bragging to his students of his Vietnam War feats, and, oh yes, he
claimed exploits on the football field too. Both claims were
fabrications. Now with SEAL Team 6’s exploits in snagging Osama bin
Laden, SEALS are turning up everywhere.
Cryer admitted his hoax to the Washington
Examiner, explaining that he confected the story as “a coping
mechanism” because of some grievance he had against the Navy. He
did serve in the Navy in the 1980s, but as a seaman not as a SEAL.
I thought a “coping mechanism” was a euphemism for drowning one’s
problems in booze or some other addiction. Now a coping mechanism
is a lie. Well, it did not help Cryer.
Actually, in Cryer’s case his embellishments are somewhat
understandable. He was running for office. He was a candidate for
city council in Ocean City, Maryland, in 2006. He was just doing
what a lot of successful politicians do. They run claiming
achievements that are completely fictional and those who are caught
often win office anyway.
Remember Richard Blumenthal, the attorney general of
Connecticut? He ran for the Senate claiming, “We have learned
something important since the days that I served in Vietnam.” That
was a lie, but the Hon. Blumenthal repeated it in various forms
throughout his campaign. In truth, he received no less than five
military deferments and finally a sweet job in the Marine Reserve.
He also lied about his athletic career. Contrary to his claim, he
never was captain of the Harvard swimming team, or even swam on the
team. The voters elected him nonetheless.
How many other whoppers had this fraud told pursuant to
becoming a member of the U.S. Senate in 2010? I would suggest his
record abounds with them. However, so does the record of countless
other politicians. There is Jimmy Carter claiming to be a nuclear
engineer. There is Senator Jean-François Kerry, launching his
campaign for the presidency as a war hero, despite his taped
appearance before Congress denouncing the war and alleging that his
comrades committed war crimes. There is Al Gore getting ensnared in
a thicket of petty lies beginning with his campaigns for the
Senate, continuing with his campaigns for the presidency, and
culminating with his present campaign where he serves as the
world’s chief proponent and exploiter of global warming. It has
made him millions, and forget not the Clintons. They are the
longest running con act in American history, with Bill conning his
draft board and Hillary creating her visit to a Marine recruiter —
or was it an Army recruiter?
So I can understand if Joseph Brian Cryer feels a little
abused. Had he won his campaign for city council he would be on his
way to greatness. He could have been a Joe Biden. Maybe from the
city council he would have sought the governorship, possibly the
Senate. By then he would have received a Purple Heart, possibly the
Congressional Medal of Honor. He had his whole life before him
until the spoiler Shipley struck. Shipley has denied the masses
another hero. How many more politicians’ lives will Shipley
destroy?
