Owatonna People’s Press walks back their story on Harold Walkner

| June 12, 2014

Harold Walkner article

Yesterday, I talked briefly with Al Strain, the journalist at the Owatonna People’s Press who wrote the article about Harold Walkner who we talked about last week. Walkner was a speaker at the Veterans Open Roundtable in Owatonna last month where he told the assembled veterans of his escapades as a Special Forces soldier and four time Purple Heart recipient in Vietnam. Today Al Strain walks back their initial article;

The roundtable group approached the People’s Press about writing a story about Walkner, and the decision was made to write the story as a preview for the May 13 event.

But then, last weekend, after both the lecture and the appearance of a story in the newspaper, the People’s Press received several emails from people who had read the blogs. Those emails and blogs questioned the authenticity of Walkner’s story.

Once they were informed of the discrepancies in Walkner’s story, members of the roundtable board said they met with Walkner, who declined to comment on the allegations to them.

Lilyea said there is a network of blogs with similar themes focusing on members of the armed forces who embellish their service history, adding all the blogs work toward the common goal of correcting the stories.

Walkner said in May that he had gone through 10 months of training to become a Green Beret. The service records indicate he went through eight weeks of basic training in 1968.

Walkner’s service records also indicate that he was awarded no Purple Hearts. A search of thepurpleheart.com, an online database of Purple Heart recipients, shows no person named Walkner has received the medal.

So Walkner is less inclined to talk about his experiences now, huh? Funny how that works. We published our story just five days ago and the People’s Press seems like they want to give their readers the correct information already. We have newspapers that never correct their articles about phonies, so five days isn’t too bad.

When approached on Wednesday, Walkner declined to comment directly about his previous claims and the discrepancies between those claims and his record, other than to say that he no longer stood behind those claims.

You’d think that these guys would realize that our reach is wide and long after a while. So now, Walkner has the nationwide attention that he wanted, but he doesn’t seem too happy about it.

Category: Phony soldiers

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Doc Savage

Suddenly….”no comment”….after years of story letting and bullshit?

yup….the light of truth is a bitch to the cockroaches of stolen valor.

Bobo

Instead of policing up all of the DVDs, the round table needs to add a disclaimer to them stating that the speaker was a fraud as an example of how easily people can be taken in, and to give Walkner a little more exposure.

Also, it looks like thepurpleheart.com is not the best resource. It is self reporting, so anyone who doesn’t know about it or chooses not to post won’t be included in the database. I checked a few names that I knew who were KIA or DOW and they weren’t there.

Miah

I too looked at thepurpleheart.com and it is missing a bunch of guys from my previous units. I wouldn’t use it as a firm source.

Hondo

Jonn, Scotty: nice takedown.

“Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.” I’m guessing Walkner’s about to find out the truth of that old proverb – the hard way.

Veritas Omnia Vincit

Well give the reporter and the paper credit for wanting to be thorough and correct the story, as you have shown over the years a lot of so called “journalists” are less interested in the truth and more interested in a story.

It’s a refreshing reminder that not all of them are lying little bastards with no soul. As for Harry, as I’ve said many a time Karma is indeed a harsh mistress, stop telling your bullshit lies and get right with the universe.

GDContractor

I wish someone had a tape of what he had to say during his roundtable presentation. In the article he claimed that he spent most of 1967 in training (although his service date did not begin until Nov. 1968). I am willing to bet he did this so that he could tell Tet Offensive stories. I hope the fine folks of Owatonna shun this bastard and shun him good.

GDContractor

Day late and a dollar short, as always.
“In the aftermath of the disclosures, the roundtable group will no longer sell DVDs of Walkner’s presentation, which took place on May 13, and the group is in the process of recovering any DVDs that were sold or released.”

Scotty

This just made my week. Thank you everyone who contacted Peoples Press & Round Table with the truth. Team work and another turd POSer is flushed. Valor is restored and History will not be altered due to this dirt bags lie’s.

Nicholas

Awesome job Scotty and all that worked to oust another poser…..

nbcguy54

Good job Jonn.

So this guy no longer “stands behind” his story. I’ll be happy to let him stand in front of my truck…

2/17 Air Cav

A couple of friends and I meet regularly to rehash the time one of us saved the life of President Ford. It’s quite a group we have. Another of our group assisted the late Dr. Christian Bernard in the first successful heart transplant. A third found a broadside of the Constitution in old desk in Philadelphia back in 1968. That same year, a fourth member of our little group joined the Army and singlehandedly wiped out a company of NVA regulars after everyone else in his Special Forces squad became a casualty. Yes, it’s quite a group we have. I wonder if the Owatonna People’s Press would like to sit in on our next meeting. It should make for quite a read.

jonp

You guys co-opted my resume? I demand satisfaction. I did those things myself and have the Medal Of Stupendous Honor Galactic Seal of Approval to prove it

nbcguy54

2/17 Air Cav – I’m guessing that your meetings are conducted at a Holiday Express….

2/17 Air Cav

Bingo! Every Thursday at 8.

Sparks

2/17 Air Cav…Can I come? I took out an 8 man, German pill box in the ‘Nam by myself. I thought it odd at the time, seeing the German uniforms from WWII, but there the hell they were! Wrong place, wrong time for them is all I have to say. Who knew?

A Proud Infidel®™

CAN I COME too? I’ll show y’all my Luger that I took from a dead VC in downtown Baghdad!!

Old Field Arty Sgt

The newspaper did right. Check the facts and printed the truth. Great job.

Club Manager

Jacksonville, Arkansas The Leader newspaper was suckered into a story in 2010 about Joe McGloflin. You will recall he was imprisoned in Vietnam for nearly three months and awarded two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars, and four Purple Hearts but apparently the Army did not get the memo and put the awards on his DD Form 214. The newspaper owner/editor was more than happy to publish my e-mail to the museum that displays his awards suggesting they trust but verify, or give them to a recruiter for disposal. Some newspapers are squared away and others run away.

jonp

I’m always kinda surprised that a journalist who has someone tell him about their feats of daring do and tons of medals don’t just google a couple of data bases or make a few phone calls. One Purple Heart I might not question too much but 4 would set of “warning will robinson” buzzers especially in conjunction with Special Forces, SEAL, Force Recon..etc

HMCS(FMF) ret

Assclown deserves all of the heat coming his way… can’t change the past, Harold, and now it’s comin’ to bite you in the ass!

Combat Historian

Walkner: “This experience was SEARED into me, but I don’t want to talk about it anymore…like I did on May 13th…or something…”

Nicholas1371Grenada/Beirut

Awesome job Scotty and all involved in ousting another poser.

Dave Thul

I give credit to the reporter, Al Strain. Walkner was referred to him by a group of veterans, so why would he, as a civilian, question the story?

The paper could have let this slide, or insisted on waiting for their own FOIA for Walkner’s records to come back, but they knew that they had to set the record straight quickly.

Biggest kudos goes to Scotty and Jonn for giving us the info needed to call this loser out.

Green Thumb

Old Turd.

smiseabee

This makes me wonder about the Veterans Project, where veterans tell their war stories. I wonder how many are embellishing or others who are out and out lying. Are they veted before they tell their stories?

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