John Garofalo; phony SEAL
(I guess Fox yanked the video – their retraction here)
A few weeks ago, Fox News ran the above story about John Garofalo who crafts glass and metal into beautiful works of art. For some reason, he felt that he needed to add phony claims to his military career – that he was one of the first Navy SEALs, that he was wounded twice in Vietnam and that he’d had to escape from our nation’s enemies twice. We told our Facebook fans about it when Don Shipley told us about Garofalo, but I was waiting for a FOIA to post it on the blog.
Well, Military Times beat us to the punch;
But when Navy Times contacted Garofalo Thursday, Garofalo admitted he had lied and never served in Vietnam, never received a Purple Heart and was never a SEAL.
Garofalo said he had falsely portrayed himself as a Vietnam vet and a SEAL for years.
“It got bigger and bigger,” Garofalo told Navy Times in a telephone interview. “What I did I‘m ashamed of, and I didn’t mean to cause so much disgrace to the SEALs.”
Records show Garofalo did serve in the Navy from Sept. 6, 1963, to Sept. 6, 1967, as an aviation boatswain’s mate – aircraft handling, or ABH, a job that involves overseeing various ground-based functions involving aircraft.
The closest he ever got to Vietnam was a tour in Rota, Spain.
He really didn’t need to make up the claims about combat and about being a SEAL, his works of art speak for themselves.
It probably wouldn’t have been such a big deal at the Military Times, a Gannet publication, except that it involved President Trump and Fox News both.
Category: Phony soldiers, Valor Vultures
I give the guy a bit of credit for finally fessing up, but seriously, why crap all over your own legitimate career?
Honorable service to our country. Artistic talent most of us can only dream of having. Why the hell did he think he needed to lie?
For some people, no matter how good they are it’s never enough.
Wonder what else will be revealed about this shit sandwich.
at least he fessed up to it and didn’t double down on it….
Yeah, he DID have the balls to fess up, gotta give him credit for that.
You’d be less impressed with his confession if I could tell the whole story, trust me.
oh, now *that’s* a hard way to leave us hanging, Jonn. now we’ve gotta know for sure!
when he has bullet-proof/lawyer-proof evidence, Jonn will enlighten us.
Yeah, this will probably have to be one of those stories I tell under the influence of alcohol.
I happen to have a new bottle of Woodford Reserve….would that help?
Maybe I can send you a case of Shiner Bock.
What’s your favorite drink, sir? 🙂
let’s get him the good stuff! I’ll pitch in for a quarter of the cost of a bottle of Macallan25
I’ll get the liquor store to mail some rum to you.
I think we need to cut this guy some slack. Rota is probably the worst libo port in Europe.
He was there when Franco was still running the joint, so there weren’t even hookers at the time.
Poor bastard. Sarc.
funny, I visited both Madrid and Barcelona when Franco was running the joint, and I am pretty sure they had hookers. Or so I heard.
Spent 13 years at Torrejon in the 60’s and 70’s. Too young to know about hookers but we could buy hard candy with liquor inside it and get pretty toasted…
…as an Air Force brat….
Makes no sense to me, either. Throwing hands in the air. What a marone.
Jebus.
What a turd. I just cannot understand why these assholes feel a need to stand in the blood of better men than they to make false claims. He was in the military, he knew what it means to have acted in a valorous way. He knew better.
“What I did I‘m ashamed of, and I didn’t mean to cause so much disgrace to the SEALs.”
Ummm….No ASHOLE, you didn’t disgrace the SEAL’s, you disgraced yourself!!
Nah, he pretty much laid a steaming pile on their reputation as well.
Phonies in general do an incredible disservice to our honorable (and honest) vets. Because let’s face it–who is a public who is increasingly isolated from military service, going to believe, especially when the lies are perpetuated my an all-too-gullible and compliant media?
Shit, I’d love to be able to do my art for a living instead of what I do now. I was an AQ. What you did in the military doesn’t have shit to do with how people accept your artwork. What the hell is wrong with this guy?
WOW, I wonder if he was on one of the carriers that shared pier 12 with the OKIE 3 in the Norfolk NOB. We were in at the same time. I even checked my boot camp KEEL yearbook class 475 and he must have been in a diferent class or another boot camp other than the Great Lakes 1963.
Apparently he went to Great Lakes for boot camp, but it doesn’t look like he has any carrier service/time at sea.
From the Military Times article linked above:
‘[…]
National Personnel Records Center documents show Garofalo coming aboard at U.S. Navy Recruiting Station in New York and heading to basic training at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois.
After that he reported to Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, in December 1963, according to personnel records.
He headed overseas and reported to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron (VQ) 2 in Rota, Spain, in January 1966, according to records, and separated from the Navy in September 1967.
[…].’
Perfectly honorable/respectable service. Absolutely no need to embellish anything or make up lies about what he did.
Sad.
@Mick. Thanks for the heads up Mick. I went through the Lakes in October of 1963 and was on board the OKIE 3 by Dec.
Except? How in hell did he get by with one year?
Bainbridge had an RTC unit back then, as did Orlando and San Diego. There may have been a couple of others, but I don’t remember where they were.
You did it to yourself, buddy; no one will ever trust you or believe your word again. Trust and Credibility is a tough thing to lose and incredibly hard to ever regain again…
Trust, credibility and reputation take forever to make and a tiny moment to break.
This shitbag was not going to come clean at all. He was riding it into the ground until a certain individual with a perfect coiffure got involved.
Like always, he gave the phony a way out, but he refused, and the story ran.
Then the nuclear option was played.
And it sounded like this:
KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
He clearly has been doing this for a long time. He’s got all the fake gongs, and a dumbass story to back up the bullshit.
I’m only fairly new to this blog (bloody awesome btw) but I think this turdburglar needs to be inducted into the WOI
WANKER of the highest order
Yeah, he not only claimed SEAL training, but also combat wounds and twice Prisoner of War. Now he has a side-story and a snicker to accompany his art work.
I don’t get it when people here seem to think it’s OK when these lying “persons” apologize After they are caught. Apparently he served honorably, then bullshat about it. Those so inclined can go fuck him.
Ass hamster 1st class. Just be proud of what you did do. I was 11 Bravo, light weapons infantry. US Army.
Vietnam service 13 months 9 days. No hero. Just did what had 2 be done, and made it back 2 the world. Proud to be an American combat veteran.
Turd.
Way to go assplow!
I wonder how big of a hit your glass carving business will take now that your name is associated in this manner?
I’m adding assplow to the Wall of Insults®™
Thanks!
I have a feeling that he added being a Seal, serving in Vietnam, and the purple hearts to get the attention of the President: making a Presidential seal by a military hero, Trump would lap that up.
got nothing to do with Trump, I suspect anyone would think they would have something very special.
Note that the media today is blaming this on the administration, as if they were the ones perpetrating the lies.
Fake SEAL again. How come nobody ever wants to fake First Infantry or 4th Infantry, or 26th Yankee Division? 😀