Bob Fitzpatrick takes stolen valor to the grave

Our buddy, Doug Sterner, the founder of the Home for Heroes website sends us this article about the late Bob Fitzpatrick from the News and Sentinel;

Fitzpatrick was the second most decorated enlisted man of World War II, the result of a nine-day ordeal in the Russell Islands in 1943.

Fitzpatrick was the lone survivor of a B-17 plane that was shot down by a hoard of Japanese fighters in 1943. He was captured by the Japanese and held for several days on Banika Island before escaping.

Fitzpatrick spent three days eluding the Japanese, while also fighting dysentery, before he was rescued.

For his actions, Fitzpatrick was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the highest military honor possible after the Medal of Honor. When he was discharged from service in July 1944, Fitzpatrick had three Bronze Stars, an American Defense Ribbon with a Bronze Star, an Air Medal with Oak Leaf clusters, a Purple Heart, a Silver Star and the Distinguished Service Cross.

At the time, Staff Sgt. Robert L. Fitzpatrick, who had earned every medal but the Medal of Honor, was the second most decorated enlisted man of World War II – second only to the famed Audie Murphy.

The problem is that according to Doug Sterner;

**Not a SINGLE B-17 of the 26 Bombardment Squadron (or parent 11th Group) was shot down from the beginning of the Guadalcanal campaign on 7 August 1942 to 1 March 1943…He was NEVER shot down, NEVER the sole survivor, NEVER captured and escaped from the Japanese.

** A fellow researcher has confirmed that the Extract from GO 105 (May 15, 1943) awarding Fitzpatrick the DSC is in fact a forgery. Not only that, the GO # and Date are out of sequence. His response is below:

Doug,

HQ USAFISPA issued General Orders No. 105 on 1 May 1943 (not 15 May 1943 ). That G.O. awarded three Distinguished Service Crosses, all to Army Air Corps personnel. The recipients were:

Thomas J. Classen

Robert J. Dorwart

Balfour C. Gibson

There was no mention on Robert L. Fitzpatrick in that G.O.

HQ USAFISPA issued General Orders No. 116 on 12 May 1943 and among other things it awarded ten Silver Stars but no DSCs. Mr. Fitzpatrick’s Extract is a fake, pure and simple. The newspaper got snookered.

Not just the newspaper, the whole town celebrated Bob Fitzpatrick Day when he returned from his service and he wowed them with tales of his exploits that happened only in the space between his ears.

Category: Phony soldiers