Stolen Valour
Stolen Valour
Freshfield
 |
Robert Michael Freshfield is a wannabe and a typical show pony used to draw potential members into Veteran's organisations in the struggle for membership numbers, public recognition, and funds. Many ex-service organisations harbour these individuals knowing full well that their tales of brave or spectacular war service are nothing more than lies. In one way these wannabes are like the Vietnam War protestors as described by Hanoi, "useful idiots"
|
|
His freely published address block is: Mr Bob Freshfield. Jnr Vice President Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia.
NSW Branch Inc. EMail: vvfagran@bigpond.net.au At time of publication the executive members of the VVFA Granville were , according to their website.
National President: Tim McCombe OAM In emails to six State VVFA Secretaries we asked if Freshfield had ever been seen to wear the Infantry Combat Badge, there were only two replies. One, from Nev Woodward, said that he has never seen him wear it, another said our representative should "get a life" Freshfield's 3 1/2 months of service with 1 Australian Reinforcement Unit (1ARU) at Nui Dat and his 6 months with AFV Amenities and Welfare Unit, 1 Australian Logistic Support Group (1ALSG), Vung Tau, are well documented and these records deny any claims he has made of being a bush soldier with two Battalions and a semi-autonomous Infantry Platoon. We base this exposure on information supplied by Veterans who sent us copies of emails written by Freshfield and a message that was posted by him in an online Infantry Battalion newsletter. The Veterans supplied statements as to the authenticity of the emails. We have been informed that he denies ever having sent his Vietnam service details over the internet, "someone else sent them after they hacked his password." If this was the case, this "hacker" sent emails using Freshfield's name and e-mail address from late 2001 to mid 2004, before the impersonation was discovered and the password changed. Imagine that. From our standpoint we firmly believe that the emails were written and sent by Freshfield. Perhaps we could agree with him in one way in that he did not send his Vietnam service details over the internet, what he sent was a pack of lies and had little to do with his actual service. In a total of three emails and a Battalion website newsletter entry, he made claims of war service with two Infantry Battalions and D&E Platoon Nui Dat. The Infantry Battalions he says he served with on operations are 3RAR and 4RAR, the operations took place from 6 March to 2 October 1971. In one ridiculous claim he said that he was in the bush on operations with both Battalions continuously from 18 June to 17 September with no break back at Nui Dat although there was a five day gap between two of them. The names of operations are available on the internet as are the dates, he obviously didn't take note of the dates. In one email he went too far and angered some Veterans when he wrote; "I was with Bravo Company 3RAR during Overlord. as [sic] nearly wiped out in the APC ambush on 12th June. Lost 5 mates, and 2 others a few days later" He also wrote. "Served in reinforcement as well as D&E Nui Dat from February to September" In September 2002 this message was posted on a 3rd Battalion Association website. (Please bookmark us before going to the site below as it will take you away from our site) Scroll down the above page to "WEBSITE CONTACTS" and you will find this entry Bob Freshfield <bobsup@ozemail.com.au> is the webmaster for the Vietnam Veterans Federation www.vvfagranvile.org.au. He writes " I checked out your site and found it a worthwhile place to browse. I was a 'Nasho" doing time at 1ARU during 1971. I got sent to, but not posted, 3RAR during "Briar Patch", "Overlord", "Iron Fox", then to 4RAR (not posted) for "Hermit Park", "North Ward" and "Ivanhoe". Shifted around among 3RAR BCoy and 4RAR CCoy and the Kiwi Coy as well. A lot of forward scout work too! - I will put a link on our site, as soon as time permits" Fact. Infantry Privates were not "seconded to", "sent to" or "shafted off to" other units as Freshfield stated in his emails. They were posted or detached to other units with the required paperwork being raised. For you old Infantrymen, can you picture a reinforcement from 1ARU joining you for a few days on an operation and he's given forward scout duties? Never happen. This was a particularly stupid claim to make. "I was with Bravo Company 3RAR during Overlord. as [sic] nearly wiped out in the APC ambush on 12th June. Lost 5 mates, and 2 others a few days later" ">>>> the ambush was on 3 APC's taking D&E and Reo's back to The Dat after Overlord finished, and 3RAR didn't want us anymore. Well, not for a few weeks." Here's why. There are some well-worn myths about this factual Armoured Personnel Carrier ambush and Freshfield only retells these myths, not the facts, clearly displaying that he was nowhere near the incident. We would like to publish the facts of this ambush but there are too many wannabes who would like to use them. There is another traumatised wannabe on our books who thought he was there on the day as well, his tale mirrors Freshfield's and the myths but is actually more gruesome. To review Freshfield's claims in brief. Served on operations with 3RAR and 4RAR, 6 March to 2 October, forward scout....Denied. Served in Vietnam beginning February 1971....Denied Served at Nui Dat from February to October 1971....Denied. "Seconded" to Battalions for operational duties....Denied Served with D&E Platoon, HQ Coy, 1ATF, Nui Dat....Denied. Was present when an Armoured Personnel Carrier was ambushed causing loss of life....Denied. His records show he arrived in Vietnam on 25 March, this date is correct according to other Military records and a letter he wrote to the Central Army Records Office, (CARO) Two sets of records also show he did indeed leave Nui Dat for Vung Tau on 7 July. We could find nothing in the way of records or supplied information that could give truth to his lies about serving with 3RAR, 4RAR and D&E Platoon, Nui Dat. We did, however, find plenty of information to show that he was never even near these units. His actual Vietnam service was: 1 Australian Reinforcement Unit, Nui Dat. From 25 March to 7 July 1971 with a seven day detachment to another unit which we believe to be AFV Amenities and Welfare Unit, 1ALSG, Vung Tau. He took a two day leave from 1ARU on 2 -3 July prior to finally being posted to AFV Amenities on 7 July, returning to Australia on 2 December 1971. People not connected to CPMH had questioned Freshfield on these claims, his replies varied and are shown in time order. All communications were by e-mail, they were sent to, and replies received from, Bob Freshfield bobsup@ozemail.com.au November 2001. His reply was not recorded after being challenged by a Veteran but the Veteran's memory says it was something like this. "He more or less said he didn't care as he knew what he did and I didn't" 16 June 2004. "I don't care anymore about what I did or didn't do in Vietnam. I won't discuss it anymore over the internet. Get a life." In answer to the same questions from CPMH his reply changed from dismissive to outright denial, a new defence. 11 September 2005. "The claims made in your email were NOT made by me. I have no idea about any email supposedly to be have been sent by me [sic] as I have NEVER made such claims on the internet. I will stand by whatever records the Army have of me. I have no idea what claims you are referring to. This will be the last response from me on this matter" His reply to an e-mail from a concerned person who questioned his post on the 3RAR Association website. 22 September 2005. "I have NEVER put my Vietnam Service details over the internet. Mischievous beings who had access to my emails through Mymail.com.au over the internet sent out a lot of crap until I changed my password, and it stopped." A review of two replies. 11 September 2005. "I have no idea what claims you are referring to" Why didn't he tell us the "hacker" story he used in his next reply? 22 September 2005. "Mischievous beings who had access to my emails >>>sent out a lot of crap until I changed my password, and it stopped" Did he finally discover this impersonation sometime between 11 and 22 September 2005 after it had been going on since November 2001? This seems highly unlikely. A Veteran who served with D&E Platoon at the time of the APC ambush and who actually lost mates on that day, sent this email to Freshfield on the 33rd anniversary of the incident. ----- Original Message ----- From: xxxxxxxxxxxxx Cc: (many VVFA officers) Sent: Saturday, June 12, 2004 11:40 PM Subject: Bulls**t Bob Freshfield.. Today was a special day for me and I have to reply for you. Today, at xxxx hrs, 12 June 2004, I observed and commemorated the deaths of xxxx of my Platoon mates, the deaths of xxxx 3 Cav mates and the severe wounding of xxxx Platoon mates that occurred during Operation Overlord, 12 June 1971. You were not there on that day, even though you allude that you were. Since your mails to me showing an attempt to have been a bush soldier I have done some checks on your Vietnam service. It appears you were not a bush soldier at all. Your roll call records appear below the garbage that you wrote to me. (records deleted) It would appear that you are some kind of wanker who wishes to expand his war service in the interest of gaining higher personal recognition and or maybe higher membership numbers for your veterans group. In either case, I find that you are a person who could not be trusted to tell the truth in any way shape or form. You are a disgrace to the memory of fallen comrades. I strongly object to you presenting yourself as a person who was with my mates on the day they died and or were wounded requiring their evacuation to Australia. I have a feeling that someone like you would have been rejected by D&E members as unfit to walk the weeds with us. I trust that you do not wear the ICB. I have sent CCs of this mail to every VVFA organisation I could find on the internet in way of protest against wankers like you having the affront to misrepresent your war service whilst a senior member of this organisation. I have also copied the President and Secretary of the VVAA, National Council, NSW Branch. This Veteran received only limited replies to this email. One from Freshfield telling him to "get a life", a few from Freshfield's VVFA State President at the time, a man who completely lost the plot and promptly abandoned him, and from the President of the VVAA, National Council, NSW Branch. Due to Freshfield's reply to our questions we have not sent him our usual formal letter asking for his explanation of the allegations made against him, he said it all with, "I have no idea what claims you are referring to. This will be the last response from me on this matter" Fair enough, but he may have to discuss what he did and didn't do in Vietnam with the DVA Fraud Control Unit, as may his friend from 104 Signals Squadron who also claims to have been involved in the 12 June '71 APC incident, a former VVFA Sub-Branch President and pensions officer. Pensions officers. We have the names, ranks and Corps of every person who was involved in this 12 June 1971 APC incident. Should you wish to verify any claims of personnel being present on the day, please contact us at information@anzmi.net This is published in the public interest, particularly that of the Vietnam Veteran Community. All information presented here is fact and the truth. Reports from private citizens are supported by statements of fact and statutory declarations. |
|
Mee
 MEE Henry [Harry] |
|||
 |
Henry Mee was born 26 November, 1936, in Ireland. He claimed on his enlistment documentation,, that he had seven years service in the Irish and then the British Army prior to enlisting in the Australian Army, 7 June, 1965, at the age of 28. He enlisted for a term of six years but did not complete the full term, having requested "discharge at own request" and was out of the Army on 16 October 1968. That's a total of 3 years and 4 months regular Army service and during this period of service Henry went to South Viet Nam on the 28th of February, 1966 by aircraft and was posted to Headquarters 1 Australian Task Force [HQ 1 ATF], Nui Dat. His posting at this time was as an ECN 638 Orderly, working in an Orderly room as a Clerk. On 7 March 1966 he was posted as a Private Rifleman ECN 757, but even with this posting change he remained as an orderly. |
||
|
Mee was promoted to Lance Corporal on 25 July 1966, and according to his record of service remained as a Private on the pay scales with the reason given, "to give soldier a greater degree of authority in his extra Regimental duty as the Other Ranks Canteen Manager". This Posting Occurrence Report was signed by the Officer Commanding Headquarter Company 1 ATF on 25 July 1966. From here his career and the stories related about service take a different twist. The stories that have been reported to CPMH state he claims the following: Three tours of duty in South Viet Nam 35 years of Army service Served in Infantry, 5 Battalion the Royal Australian Regiment [5RAR] in Viet Nam He was a Sergeant in Viet Nam with 5 RAR He was in 11 platoon, Delta Company, 6 RAR at the Battle of Long Tan The awards and decorations he claims [and wears] can be seen in his photograph on this site entry. These awards are:
CPMH has confirmed the above entitlements/non entitlements to awards. On 20 November 1966 Mee was charged with "Improper possession of a 9mm Browning Pistol". This charge resulted in his reduction from Lance Corporal back to Private and saw him perform 21 days field punishment with 21 days loss of pay. From here it appears he was posted back to Sydney where he did go to 5 RAR, as an Orderly Room Clerk, not a rifleman serving in Viet Nam with the battalion. This has been confirmed with 5 RAR. From here he was attached to 1 Recruit Training Battalion [1RTB], Kapooka, as a Regimental Duty NCO with the rank of Temporary Corporal. Things should have been on the up for Mee, however he chose to go AWOL from 19 to 21 August 1968 and received a severe reprimand and a fine of $40. Did this lead to his requesting discharge from the ARA on 16 October 1968? After discharge from the ARA, Mee enlisted in the Citizens Military Forces [CMF] for two years in 19 Royal New South Wales Regiment [RNSWR] on 17 February 1969 and was made a Temporary Sergeant with the service number of 2266955. This was later reverted back to his Regular Army service number. This service was terminated with his discharge on 12 August 1969. Mee then reenlisted in the CMF from 15 September 1973 as a Temporary Corporal but was reduced to the rank of Private for going AWOL on 5 Feb 1974. Mee finally wrote and asked for his medals for service in South Viet Nam on 18 November 1969 and stated in this letter that he had served with D & E Platoon, HQ 1 ATF while in Viet Nam. It is duly noted that he did not serve with this unit but did receive his medals and his Returned from Active Service badge numbered 41623 on 30 January 1968. It would appear that Henry Mee cannot resist the temptation to be in uniform and to tell stories of derring do to anyone who will listen. He is currently on the staff of a cadet unit in South Queensland and holds the rank of Cadet Captain. This is a community based Army cadet unit and is not affiliated with or authorised by Australian Defence cadet units. This possibly suits the needs of Captain Henry Mee as he can wear all his medals and tell all his stories without fear of being caught out........or can he, as these pages show. It is known that when this cadet unit parades for Anzac day Henry Mee always wears civilian clothes. Is this because of his standing in the Greenbank R & SL where he is a member, Welfare Officer and Vice President and if he was seen wearing all his false awards he would be quickly picked as a fraud by the genuine Veterans, especially those who have earned the right to wear the coveted ICB that Mee has on his chest. To sum Henry Mee up, he served in Viet Nam as a Orderly Room Clerk for his tour of duty in South Viet Nam. He did not serve outside the wire. The stories and unauthorised medals listed above are not indicated anywhere in his record of service [which we have] and unless Henry is prepared to complete a statutory declaration stating he is illegally wearing the medals shown in his photo and named above and is prepared to retract his fictitious stories, then the real facts will remain here on the site for eternity. As a genuine Veteran who has bent the truth he is entitled to make this apology which will replace this story if the Veteran community is prepared to accept it.
Henry aka “Harry” Mee returned to Viet Nam in what is believed to beOctober 2003. He was accompanied by his wife and the couple spent a few days in Vung Tau. At this time we had friends in Saigon and Vung Tau who were always on the lookout for anything unusual. One of these friends spotted what appeared to be some interesting additions to the writings on the wall at a Vung Tau Pub and forwarded photos of them to us. Lo and behold, here’s one that did not lead to an investigation but confirms that Henry Mee was telling untruths during his "Viet Nam Revisited" trip. The owner of the Pub put on a party, complete with a cake, for the happy couple because they were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary, many expats and locals gathered for the happy event. This was 20 October 2003. A wonderful gesture from the Pub owner but we have since discovered that Henry Mee and his wife were married in 1964, not 1963. It was not their 40th wedding anniversary. Information recently received indicates that Henry and Mrs Mee were married on 23 September 1959. In October 2003, they had been married for 44 years. Further information tells us that they did not lie to the pub owner about the fact that they had been married for this length of time but they did say that 20 October was the date of their anniversary. They left for Saigon the following day. This entry below on the Pub wall could not have been written by someone other than Henry, he was positively identified as being the Henry Mee in this site exposure.
Henry had later claimed to have been with these units mentioned, we know he wasn’t in D&E Platoon and we know he wasn’t in 5 PL, 5RAR, 1966-67. An unfortunate aside to this is that Mrs. Pearl Mee went along with the 40th anniversary story knowing full well that it wasn’t true. There you have it, this person even sank so low as to rip off a Pub owner in Vung Tau who has always shown a warm welcome to Veterans who visit his establishment. This Pub owner is the same one who displayed his displeasure after catching up with Howard “H” Wilde in Saigon,see our site story on “H”. We can only hope that he doesn’t catch up with Henry in the near future.
Yet another senior member of an ex-service organisation. The Returned Services League, again. The organisation that had a newspaper article printed prior to last Anzac Day showing their willingness to remove wannabes from their ranks. Stand at ease, rest, Queensland RSL HQ. Read about another of your executive wannabes and thieves and wait for the next one to appear on our Cases page very soon. Henry (Harry) Mee is or was a Vice President of Greenbank RSL Sub-Branch Inc. (Queensland) He was at July 2004. We wonder how Harry could have been employed since at least 1983, while in receipt of a service pension, without any of the executives of this sub-branch being aware of the facts. He must have been a member of long standing to reach such an executive level. He spent quite a bit of time and energy earlier this year trying to obtain letters of support from former HQ Company 1ATF members who served with him at Nui Dat. We have a copy of one of his "request for assistance" letters dated 9 February 2005. He was preparing for a hearing before an Administrative Appeals Tribunal where the fate of his quest for a lifetime compensation payment (TPI) from the Dept of Veteran's affairs would be decided.
Read this report for what transpired at the Tribunal on 16 November 2005. Take special note of the report of the Repatriation Commission's Special Investigations Unit at Paragraph 21, and the results of a search warrant executed at the Mee residence. (Bookmark us as this will take you away from our site) This is the villain who threatened to sue us at CPMH for "attacks" on his and his wife's integrity. What integrity? Thieves don't have any. We must pass on a "well done" to DVA. The Department will reclaim monies that they have been handing out to Henry Mee and his wife for the past 22 years. Better late than never
.
Henry “Harry” Mee – RSL executive, liar, fraud and wannabe.
Greenbank, Returned Services League (RSL) in Greenbank, Brisbane, Queensland is another apathetic RSL that has allowed a liar, fraud, wannabe and DVA cheat to occupy a senior position. We speak of a Vice President who is also a Welfare Officer of the Greenbank RSL, Henry (Harry) Mee. Mee has been exposed as a liar, fraud and wannabe by ANZMI and a criminal, falsely claiming a pension by the Department of Veterans affairs. His wannabe activities are documented in previous ANZMI entries, below is an excerpt from evidence of the Australian, Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) of the 18 November 2005: "Mr and Mrs Mee applied for Service pension on 13 October 1981, in Victoria, on the basis of Mr Mee’s permanent unemployability. His Service pension application showed that they had no money and were paying Housing Commission rent. After various medical checks and consultation with the Department of Social Security, Veterans’ Affairs eventually granted a service pension on 29 April 1983, with effect from 2 May 1983. From May 1983 to date, they have continually received Service pension on the basis of Mr Mee’s permanent unemployability and completed numerous statements to the effect that neither of them have ever worked. Veterans’ Affairs recently became aware that Mr Mee was working as a security guard for Chubb Security. Enquiries were made to Chubb and it was found that Mr Mee was working as a security guard since, at least, December 1993. Mee was working under the name of Harry James Mee and working 30 to 40 hours per week. It was also learned that Mrs Mee was working as a cleaner at Garden City Shopping centre. On 13 August 1998 a search warrant was executed at the Mees rented home at 23 Dayana Street Marsden Q 4132. Evidence found on the premises clearly indicates that Mee has worked as a Security Guard since 1983 at least; and Pearl Mee has been employed since at least 1989. Amongst the evidence gained by the Search Warrant were statements to Veterans Affairs under the name of Henry Mee to the effect that he had not worked for seventeen years; and statements to the State government compensation board and various employers, under the name of Harry James Mee, that he had worked for the past 16 years in the Security Industry. I have studied the Department of Veterans’ Affairs files and the information obtained under Search Warrant and I find that: 1. Mr Mee is not and never has been Permanently Incapacitated under the Act, 2. Mr and Mrs Mee made a false statement on their original application for Service pension to the effect that Mr Mee was not working and was not capable of working, when in fact, he was employed at the time of that application and has been in employment since then, and 3. Both Mr and Mrs Mee are not entitled to payment of Service pension. Our original exposure is dated 2004, here is a photograph of Mee taken on ANZAC Day 2009 notice that he is still wearing medals he is not entitled to wear, these are the United Nations Medals issued for service in the Congo and Cyprus. He has also replaced the Infantry Combat Badge (ICB) with an Army Combat Badge (ACB). In addition he wears lots of trinkets and badges to promote himself as something he never was.
Despite the medals he wears, Mee was never in the British or Irish Army. In evidence to the AAT, his history prior to migrating to Australia does not include military service. Here is another excerpt from the AAT of the 18th November 2005: • Henry Mee was born at Athlone, Republic of Ireland, on 26 November 1939. • After leaving school he obtained a job with Dunlop in England, as an inspector of works. • He migrated to Australia in 1964. Our support base consists of the majority of Australian and New Zealand Veterans. Because of that base we have eyes and ears everywhere. The RSL is an organisation that is supposed to provide leadership and support to Veterans. The RSL like all organisations is reliant on the energy and moral standards of its members. It has hard working dedicated Veterans working for the betterment of fellow Veterans, conversely it has many Rats like “Harry” Mee scurrying around holding senior positions and undermining the good work of honest veterans who appear to be slipping into a minority. The rats get into power in the RSL because it is in their nature to seek kudos and be noticed as community heroes. We have uncovered many Ex Service Leaders who are dishonest Rats who falsely pretend to be much more than they really are. It is our intention to produce a list of all those we have exposed that are/were RSL and other ex Service Organisation Rats. Here is an example of the disgusting lies that Mee has put forward in his attempts to get a pension from DVA: 24.Mr. Mee gave an inflated history to his examining medical practitioners. In February 2000, in connection with his PTSD claim, he told Dr Matthews that while in Vietnam he had seen disembowelled women, girls raped, people blown to bits, friends killed, and a badly charred child who had been thrown into a fire by the Viet Cong and that he had dug up dead bodies (folio 97) – but in his oral evidence he resiled from those accounts. He also claimed to have come into contact with Agent Orange which he claimed was used to spray flies and mosquitoes. I regard this claim to be absurd. Mee has been comprehensively exposed as a liar, fraud and wannabe by ANZMI, The Australian Appeals Tribunal and the Department of Veterans Affairs and yet, here he is occupying a seat of power in an RSL. - The Greenbank RSL brings Shame to the veteran community.
This is published in the public interest, particularly that of the Vietnam Veteran Community. All information presented here is fact and the truth. Reports from the private citizens are supported by statement of fact and statutory declarations. |
|||
29 May 2004
Shakespeare
|
Danny Robert Shakespeare aka Michael Paggett It is unsure if this con man was caught because of the link that was on these pages, but it makes no difference in the long run. He has finally been caught and another SAS bogus veteran is in the hands of the law. |
|
|
The link has been removed, he is captured and we now await the results of his trial. They will be displayed here as soon as known. Danny Shakespeare has been sentenced and the Newspaper report is below.
Shakespeare Danny Robert - Wannabe, professional criminal, con man and “Love Rat” In March 2005 we exposed Danny Robert Shakespeare who was posing as an ex Special Air Services Regiment (SASR) Trooper as part of his criminal activities to con vulnerable women out of their assets. We don’t usually use adjectives to describe wannabes, but have no doubt that Danny Shakespeare is a Scumbag extraordinaire, a professional criminal, and a person who falsely claims to have served in the Australian Defence Force. Below is a befitting photograph of Shakespeare, in handcuffs, and being lead by his captors to his deserved incarceration.
According to the newspaper report shown below, Shakespeare is wanted in South Australia, Victoria and Queensland and he may be in "male only" company for the next few years. Those he has stolen from, don’t get their money back, but at least he will be out of circulation and in the place he belongs.
We have numerous “Love Rats” on our web site who have, without conscience, conned vulnerable people for emotional or financial gain using the false ploy of being ex Special Forces Defence people. These people are ultimate cowards who have never served and never will.
“Scumbags” is a befitting term to describe Wannabe “Love Rats”
This is published in the public interest, particularly that of the Vietnam Veteran Community. All information presented here is fact and the truth. Reports from private citizens are supported by statements of fact and statutory declarations. |
|
Nemtsas
Stanley Demetrios Nemtsas, born 18th March, 1938. 1 Third Street , Merbein, Victoria.
Stan Nemtsas is the Senior Vice President of the Mildura RSL which he claims he joined in 1964 and a member of the National Servicemen's Association, Mallee Sub-Branch, Mildura. He was a member of the Board of Management at the Sunraysia Regional Veterans Centre.
Stan is another senior member of an Ex-Servicemen's Organization who claims to have been on Active Service in South Vietnam in this case with the Australian Special Air Service. He has also boasted of being awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for his service in Vietnam which he could not talk about as it was "hush, hush", secret business.
He has also claimed that he was called up for National Service on the 30th December, 1958.
He was photographed on VP Day 2005 wearing only three medals, Reserve Forces Medal, National Medal and the National Service Medal.
In actual fact he only served in the CMF/Army Reserve for a period of 29 years, was never a National serviceman and did not serve with the SAS or serve on active service in South Vietnam or anywhere else for that matter. For the full story on Nemtsas go
 |
All statements that refute some of the alleged claims that Nemtsas has made come from the following sources:
Stan is alleged to have stated on a number of occasions that he served with the SAS on active service in South Vietnam and received a Certificate of Appreciation for his service in South Vietnam. |
|
One of the Statutory Declarations comes from an ex SAS member who lives in the area and he stated that he has received reports over a ten year period from various sources that Nemtsas had made claims that he served with the SAS in Vietnam. He had spoken to Nemtsas about this in the past and Nemtsas denied making such claims. He recently was contacted by a Vietnam Veteran who advised him that Nemtsas had repeated this claim to another person who's name we have and more recently to some members of the Mildura Pistol Club. He also states that when he attended a recent RSL funeral service conducted by Nemtsas, Stan used terms when speaking of Veterans as "we, us, etc" in such a manner that anyone, who did not know he was not a Veteran, would believe he was a war veteran. On his CV for election to the RSL committee, he refers to having trained with the SAS In an apparent endeavour to associate his name with SAS service. Any soldier who trained in the ADF while the SAS existed could make this claim, but would not, as they would know what such a statement implied.
Another person provided a Statutory Declaration stating that a few years back Nemtsas had boasted about receiving a Certificate of Appreciation for his service in Vietnam, Nemtsas then went on to tell him that: Stan Nemtsas even tried to make a claim for a DVA Pension stating that he had done Active Service with the SAS. A Statutory Declaration from a Pension Officer at the Sunraysia Regional Veteran's Centre states that Nemtsas during the last 3-4 months of 1997 approached the above office requesting assistance with a pension from the Department of Veteran's Affairs.
When questioned about his service, Nemtsas stated that he served in South Vietnam with the SAS . His pension application was handed to another Pension Officer and it was registered at the centre as claim number 0016/97. We became suspicious of his service and through investigations conducted, we learnt that Nemtsas did not serve in the Regular Army with the SAS, nor did he go to South Vietnam. He only served with the then CMF (ARES) for approximately 30 years.
On another occasion Stan Nemtsas was involved in running a Bingo Raffle on a Saturday night at the Mildura RSL.
There are two Statutory Declarations from this person who stated Nemtsas asked this person to change chairs with him and when this person asked why? Nemtsas stated that he cannot stand people behind him and that he had been to Heidelberg Repat on several occasions for treatment for his war caused injuries. This person also received a threatening phone call from an unknown male person on the 28 Mar 05 stating "If you sign that affidavit you are f**king dead". When Nemtsas joined the CMF on the 12th of July, 1965, he filled out two forms. Application for enlistment and Personal Data Sheet and on both forms he indicated "No" to any previous Military Service. These forms are shown above. He submitted a resume to the Mildura RSL in January 2005 for re-election in the February Elections at that Branch. That resume is shown below
That is the end of the resume, now to cover the claims Nemtsas has made in that resume . Due to the 30 year limit a copy of his Record of Service only covers up to 1974. Nemtsas was never called up for National Service as is proved by his Record of service and his own admission on his Enlistment Form, but he wears the medal which he is not entitled to. He is a member of the National Servicemen's Association Mallee sub-branch Mildura, which was formed in October 1993. At the time of this investigation, the Office Bearers were: President: Reg Perry Vice President: Peter Whitfield Secretary: Jim Petter Asst Secretary: Lionel Ling Treasurer: Thomas Elliott In 1951, during the Korean War, National Service was introduced. All Australian males aged 18 years had to register for 176 (later 140) days of training. In 1957 the system was changed to emphasize skill rather than numbers. The system was ended in 1959. Nowhere in his Record of Service does it indicate that Nemtsas was posted to or did a course with 1 and 2 Commando Companies or the SAS. There may have been personnel from both Commando Companies and the SAS on a course he was on or he may have participated in an exercise involving soldiers from those units .
Basic Parachute Course, 9th May 69 to 6th June 69 . Nemtsas did do a Basic Parachute course. They were conducted for 1 and 2 Commando Coy personnel and if there were any vacancies left on these courses, they were made open to other CMF units. As can be seen below Nemtsas at the time of his parachute course was in RA Inf. Separate courses were held for Regular Defence Force personnel.
Underwater Demolition Course. There is no record of Nemtsas on any of his service documents available to indicate having done such a course. Before a person can do an Under Water Demolition Course in the Commando Companies or the SAS, they first have to qualify as a Small Craft Handler, then complete a Shallow Water Assault Swimmers Course (Shallow Water Diver). Trained as a Sniper. There were no sniper courses done in the Australian Army till around the late 1970's as the army was still carrying out trials on which sniper rifle they were going to purchase for soldiers trained as snipers. Prior to purchasing a sniper rifle the army only had the .303 Lee Enfield rifles with 1918 telescopic sights and ammunition made in 1942. That rifle had long been replaced by the 7.62 mm Self Loading Rifle better known as the SLR when Nemtsas served in the CMF. Joined the Mildura RSL in 1964 Stanley Demetrious NEMTSAS, State Branch Membership Number 1072252 first joined the RSL 22 Jun 77, Unit of Service shown on his form, 2 Royal Victorian Regiment (2RVR). One would think that the Mildura RSL would have carried out some proper checks especially after receiving his resume with so much false information. Maybe this will be a wake up call for them to conduct proper checks of its members .
At the time of investigation the Committee members for 2005 were: President Allan Wilson Snr Vice President Stanley Nemtsas Jnr Vice President Les Dean Treasurer Helen Jack Firearm Safety Training Officer training the Mildura Police and the Department of Justice. A reliable source from the Victorian Police Force stated that all Police Officers are trained by qualified Police Firearms Instructors of which two are stationed at Mildura Police. As for the Department of Justice, Nemtsas must mean the Department of Corrections according to the police source and they don't have firearms. President of Army Association of Victoria Inc. Enquiries revealed there is an organization by that name registered with the Victorian Consumer Affairs number A0031820U on 8 Aug 95 and the public officer on the registration form is James William Walter PETTER who happens to be the Secretary of the National Servicemen's Association Mallee sub-branch. There is no mention of Nemtsas on the form. Nemtsas does get a mention as the contact person for that organization under the Mildura Council web site for the Survivor Mildura Masters in which Nemtsas conducts adventure training in compass and map reading at $10.00 per person. President of the National Servicemen's Association. Checks with a past President of the main Branch of the National Servicemen's Association turned up a negative result. They had never heard of him. It appears that the Queensland Branch is the only one that only accepts National Servicemen, the others accept anyone. Enquiries with the Mallee sub-branch received the following response.
To whom it may concern: It would be interesting to know if the Secretary Jim PETTER a friend of Stan Nemtsas actually followed through by tabling the information at that General Meeting and if so. What action was taken. It is also obvious that no proper checks were carried out by this sub-branch. He was a Youth Training Officer with the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia and did teach Scouts and other youth groups in the area. One would wonder what tall stories have been told and it would be interesting to hear from these persons that were taught certain skills by Nemtsas. I have received information that Nemtsas used to wear Vietnam Medals but stopped once it became obvious that he was not a Vietnam Veteran. It is an offence under Federal Law to wear medals when you are not entitled to them and that includes the National Service Medal. If anyone has a photograph of Nemtsas wearing the Vietnam Medals you can contact us at information@anzmi.net and the matter will be followed up with further action. In conclusion I will say that I have been advised that there are a number of people in the Mildura area that can give further evidence as to the lies Nemtsas has told over the years regarding Active Service with the Australian SAS in South Vietnam and I urge you to do so out of respect for the real Veteran's both living and those that lost their lives. From the evidence collected it is quite obvious that Nemtsas was never called up for National Service nor had he ever served with the SAS or been to South Vietnam on Active Service. Stan Nemtsas you are quite entitled to wear your Reserve Forces Medal and the National Medal but you have no right to wear the National Service Medal or the Vietnam medals. I now go back to two points in his resume: Holds a very high value to the Mildura RSL Sub-Branch. As a past Senior Vice President I can see myself carrying on as to the good of the RSL and its values. Stanley Nemtsas I have this to say after all the evidence I have in my possession. You have no values and you have misled a large number of people by your lies and deceit for your own personal gain and gratification. You have trulydishonouredyourself, your family and people who trusted you. You deserve anything that comes your way when the real Veteran's learn of your shameful lies and deceit.
Update Stanley Demetrious Nemtsas – Mildura, Victoria
It is with pleasure that we announce that Nemtsas has been expelled from the Victoria Branch of the National Servicemen’s Association of Australia for falsely claiming to have served as a National Serviceman. This positive action by an Ex Servicemen’s Association (ESO) is applauded and indicative of the growing awareness within ESOs of the necessity to maintain integrity by not allowing scurrilous wannabes infesting and distorting organisations. Well done Victoria Branch. We are always prepared to apply our expertise to assist ESOs.
This is published in the public interest, particularly that of the Vietnam Veteran Community. All information presented here is fact and the truth. Reports from the private citizens are supported by statement of fact and statutory declarations. |
|
21 Feb 2006
Wright
|
Dr. Barry Owen Wright first came to our attention in late December 2003 but it took until April 2005 to actually find him and ask some questions, initially we were only determined to deny his claims to the US Air Medal, Infantry Combat Badge and pilots wings. He could not, or would not, adequately or truthfully answer questions posed by us in a letter and e-mails. He would have been actually better off by admitting he'd been caught out and apologising to the relevant people when we first contacted him because his responses caused us to dig even further into his Military career. Many times we thought we were ready to publish our findings but as word of our investigations got out, more and more damning evidence was uncovered. This prompted further research into previously unthought-of records and we discovered that this individual did a lot more than spin some yarns at the club bar and pin on a few un-entitled medals and badges. |
|
You will be astounded by what we found.
During our communications with Dr. Barry Wright, he stated.
"I have always said I have had two tours - what I said is that I have had two tours in SE Asia both of which were on active service, one in the RANand one in the Army."
"I am a Veteran with honourable Naval service. Serving in the FESR"
Comments from former Army Officers who knew Barry Wright.
"Wright was a knownliar, everywhere"
"He was a lazy incompetent"
"He is a pathological liar"
"Barry Wright over many years had told so many lies and fabricated so many stories that he would have no idea what is truth and what is fantasy"
We asked yet another former Army Officer to comment on Dr. Barry Wright's lies and deceit. He wrote;
"The tragedy is, that he was not stopped earlier in his miserable life"
Three more comments for good measure.
"he was raving about how he went back to the NAM (post 1971) and was doing something in helicopters down in the Delta and I thought in your dreams mate"..............
"When he was here (Kuranda) he ran a "scam" for people to acquire PhDs from a university in Kentucky. All of the people he signed up passed the course and were given PhDs"
"Iunderstand that he is currently (December 05) playing the invalid with some malady related to his time as a world class gymnast"
Perhaps the attitudes of Wright's superior officers toward him may be reflected in the date this teacher was posted to Vietnam, 24 December 70, and the method of his transport back to Australia to attend to urgent domestic matters.
He was sent home on a ship, a nine day voyage with two or three more days to get from Townsville to Sydney instead of a twelve hour Saigon-Sydney flight. Apparently Barry didn't hold much sway within the officer ranks even then; a Private Soldier would have been afforded much better treatment under the same circumstances.
Barry Wright wrote; "You were supplied with a photo of me in the presence of the G-G wearing what I claim and believe are my proper entitlements. At no time have I undertaken to falsely present or wear decorations that I have no entitlement to" (here's the photo)
We apologise to His Excellency Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC, (Ret), Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, for masking his face but we felt it inappropriate to reproduce full photos of himin the company of thelikes of Barry Wright.
"At no time have I undertaken to falsely present or wear decorations that I have no entitlement to" In this photoWright is wearingminiatures of the Australian Active Service Medal, the Vietnam Medal, the Australian Service Medal, the Defence Force Service Medal, the National Medal, theUS Air Medal and the Vietnamese Campaign Medal.
He is not entitled to the last two and his records indicate he had no Navy operational service so should not be recognised for the Australian Service Medal.
Wright has also been seen to illegally wear the Infantry Combat Badge and pilot's wings while in Kuranda, North Queensland.
These wereand are his post nominals. Only the AM is in question here, for now.
1988. AM, BA(Hons), GradDipAbSt, MScSoc, PhD, TC, FRAI, AAIM. (AMis "Member of the Order of Australia")
June 2005. BA(Hons), T Cert, MSc Soc, GradDipAbSt,PhD, DSc, Cert WTA, FRAI. What happened to the AM?There are 5 university degrees listed here in bold font but he recently claimed to have 7.We have confirmed all but the DSC, Doctor of Science.
What we present in this exposure is in the face of threatened formal legal action brought by Dr. Barry Wright. He has termed this action, "criminal proceedings"and will have us charged under the "Apprehended Violence provisions of the Crimes Act"for electronic stalking, harassment, threat and intimidation. Once the appropriate authorities are alerted to the actions of this disgraceful person, it will be him in the defendant's seat, not us.
Read more of this Army Education Corps Officer who, during his three tours in Vietnam, worked for the CIA, ASIS, flew helicopters in combat, commanded an Infantry company, was decorated for bravery when wounded in action and still has shrapnel in his body after all these years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel.
Oh, he was a medical doctor, a Government employed assassin and an Olympic gymnast too.
Remember"Pilot" "Doctor" "Assassin", his reasons for these claims may be explained at the end of the main story.
Dr. BARRY OWEN WRIGHT EXPOSED.
ARMY. Service number 216720
"I served with honour and distinction"
Distinction? Hardly, his service was much less than distinctive, it was even less than ordinary, he is only remembered for his laziness, incompetence, and his lying ways.
Dr. Barry Wright's biography as presented in this bookthat he claims to have co-authored, not co-edited.
"WAR Australia & Vietnam Edited by Kenneth Maddock and Barry Wright" (1987)ISBN: 0-06-312099-2
"Barry Wright is a senior lecturer in the School of Humanities and Applied Social Sciences at Nepean College of Advanced Education, Sydney. Prior to starting a new career in academia in 1974 he served in both the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Regular Army as an Officer. He saw service in various areas of South-east Asia, Papua New Guinea and as a Captain in South Vietnam. On retiring from the regular Army in 1974 he continued to serve as an Infantry Major in the Army Reserve until 1982"
This bio plays games with the English language; we'll discuss this belowin detail.
Senior Lecturer.
This Nepean College is part of the University of Western Sydney. Wright had told people he was an Emeritus Professor at the University, which he was not; also that he has a doctorate in Applied Psychology.
He told us that our question to him on being a Doctor of Applied Psychology was not valid because there is no such degree.Fair enough, we can only work with information supplied but he didn't address our question on his Emeritus Professor claim, he totally ignored itand didn't bother to broach the subject of his DSc, our information wasn't far out.
Wright seems to have done quite a lot of academic work while allegedly being in receipt of a DVA compensation payment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He did some off campus work for the University in 2001 and was an academic at the Nepean Collegefor a number of years prior to 1988.
We were told that he left the college in 1988 due to medical problems arising from injuries received during the Vietnam War
">>>he served in both the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Regular Army as an Officer. He saw service in various areas of South-east Asia, Papua New Guinea and as a Captain in South Vietnam"
Officer.
He was not an Officer in the Navy; this is one of his many tales about histime in the Defence Forces.
Yes, he was an Army Captain in South Vietnam with the Education Corps.Any young Soldiers wishing to discuss further education after their return to Australia could find Capt. Wright in his air-conditioned library. He was attached to the logistic support group in Vung Tau, Vietnam, for 5 1/2 months with the Army and that's all. See more in the Navy section on this. Papua New Guinea. His records show that he was going to be posted there in 1973 buthe developed a skin condition which prevented his deployment to tropical areas. There is no other reference to this country; apparently he never went near New Guinea during his Army or Navy service. ">>>On retiring from the regular Army in 1974 he continued to serve as an Infantry Major in the Army Reserve until 1982"
Retired. In an official letter from 2 Field Survey Squadron dated 4/12/1973 and headed, "Resignation of Commission, 216720 Captain B. Wright - RA Survey", Major E. J. Laker wrote;
1...Attached herewith find resignation submitted by the above officer on 3 Dec '73. BA.(Sc). Bachelor of Applied Science. Doubts have been expressed as to the validity of this degree. His BA Honours wasgained from Macquarie University in 1975 as a result of his thesis on the geography of diphtheria in New South Wales. On reading Major Laker's letter and noting other information supplied, we gathered that Wright didn't "retire" from the Regular Army, he was askedor told to resign due to his inability to cope with coursesin his new posting to RA Survey Regiment. 1987 biographyagain. ">>>On retiring from the regular Army in 1974 he continued to serve as an Infantry Major in the Army Reserve until 1982" June 2005, in a letter to CPMH. "I served in the Royal Australian Infantry from 1976 till I resigned in 1985" Yes, a Temporary Major with the Army Reserve, not the Regular Army. Why do the years vary? 1974 or '76 to 1982 or '85. It's very difficult to understand what is, and what isn't the truth about this man. Records tell us that he went directly from the Regular Army to the Reserves in January 1974, but he now tells us he joined in 1976. We don't know exactly when he resigned, or whatever, but it wasn't as late as 1985. Perhaps Dr. Wright could confirm or deny this information we received as to this Reserve service. His service wasn't continuous, there was a break of nearly two years during the period and he was discharged sometime in 1983 as a Temporary Major. AWARDS
There are four awards that he falsely lays claim to. The first has two divisions which could be either military or civil. They are, Member of the Order of Australia (AM), the US Air Medal, the Vietnamese Campaign Medal, and the Vietnamese Civil "Affairs" Medal.
From the Nepean College of Advanced Education.
"I have checked the Nepean 1988 Calendar and Barry's qualifications, which would have been verified by Human Resources, are listed as follows: AM, BA(Hons) (Macq), GradDipAbSt(SACAE), MScSoc(NSW), PhD(NSW), TC(STC), FRAI, AAIM" AM. "Member of the Order of Australia" Not to be confused with the lesser OAM. It's not known exactly when he began this deception and to use the post nominal AM when not entitled is a serious offence.
From a Section within the Prime Minister's Department;
"We have no record on our internal Australian Honours List database of a Barry Wright regarding the award of the Order of Australia" One report from Queensland stated that Wright had retired from the ArmyReserve as a Major and had been seen on Anzac Days wearing what seemed to be inappropriate decorations and awards for a person who served only one short tour with HQ Australian Forces Vietnam. These were the Infantry Combat Badge(ICB), pilot's wings and the US Air Medal. See more on this under "Claims". Vietnamese Campaign Medal. Dr. Wright wrote, "You question my right of entitlement of the South Vietnamese Medal. I enclose a copy of my AB83 page that states I am awarded the above medal and I received the above medal from the issuing authority with my Regimental number and name engraved on it. I have always been of the opinion that I am entitled to wear this medal. In your letter you raise the issue of me having no such entitlement. If that is so I am and have been unaware of that. I will contact Army records to ascertain if I am entitled to the medal"
This page bears no Routine Order numbers, dates,rank of the officer who signed it and no unit noted. We sincerely doubt the authenticity of this document. Yes, Dr Wright, you should contact Army records because this document above has nothing to do with the award of the Vietnamese Campaign Medal. If this is a true page from your AAB83, it shows that you were approved to wear the "Ribbon of the Vietnamese Campaign Medal subject to verification by CARO". Army and other Defence Forces personnel who had actually spent enough time in Vietnam to be entitled to the award required this notation in their AAB83s to lawfully wear the "Ribbon" on their ribbon bar when returning to Australia. His B103, a record of service prior to 1974, does not note the Vietnamese Campaign Medal. It only shows the award of the Vietnam Medal which merely says that the man was posted to a unit on active service in Vietnam for one day or longer. Surely his full medal entitlement would have been recorded and issued before he left the Army in January 1974, we believe it was. If Wright produces anything that says he is entitled to this award, then there is something drastically wrong, there is absolutely nothing of a legitimate nature that he could provide to show any entitlement. His Special Service, Vietnam Southern Zone, is shown in records as 24 December 1970 to 1 June 1971 and this is regarded as his "Operational Service". These dates include the day his plane landed in Saigon and the day he disembarked from a ship back in Australia. A total of 181 days of recognised operational service was required for the awarding of the Vietnamese Campaign Medal and his total of 159 days including travel time didn't allow for this award to be made. We know of people who were refused the medal because they were just a few days short of the minimum days required, let alone three weeks. Wright spent 149 days on Vietnamese soil.
Due to the Privacy Act 1988 we can't access entitlement to any awards made after 1973 so here's the email address for you to do it Dr. Wright, kindly pass us the reply. Please provide detailed information such as the name of the Officer whose signature appears above, his rank and unit. The dates that the stamps were applied would also be required along with all information you provided to CARO when requesting the award. dpe.honoursandawards@defence.gov.au Barry Wright, correspondence received 26 & 29 July '05. "The central issue seems to be my being awarded the US "Air Medal". As I have told you I have always acted in good faith and have always believed that I am entitled to this award. I still do" "Since it is in question I will or you can write to Department of Defense[sic] Honors[sic] and Awards where I will ascertain if their[sic] is a record of my being recognised for this award. I will ask if I have an entitlement to wear it as I belive[sic] I do. If their response is in the negative then I will right[sic] to the US Airforce[sic] and ascertain if they have such a record. I do have the medal and it was presented in an official US medal box which you cannot buy" "The paper work you request from me was sent to Army HQ"
In other correspondence he used words such as "boarding" instead of "bordering, also "Owardwellian" for "Orwellian", "council" for "counsel" twice, and "rediculous"He has gift for flowery language but no idea of how to spell the words he uses. This seems odd for a man who is an experienced teacher and holds Degrees and Doctorates.
Following Wright's suggestion that we contact Honours and Awards, here is their answer, August 2005, "According to our records, Mr. Wright has not applied for formal approval to accept this award, and we have no other records of Mr. Wright being offered this award. Wright was posted to the Eastern Command Personnel Depot at the time this letter was dated and signed, supposedly by CAPT Cosgrove.
1 216720 Capt. B. WRIGHT RAAEC was awarded the United States Air Medal on 27 May 71 ? 2 The medal and evidence of presentation have been sighted and verified ?
Wright made the mistake of thinking his approved Special Service or Operational Service dates, 23 Dec 70 to 1 June 71, referred to his time on Vietnamese soil and this would have allowed for the presentation of the medal to be made by Captain Mitchell on 27 May '71.
On 27 May 1971 Wright was on the high seas onboard HMAS Sydney returning to Australia from Vietnam.
The shipleft Vung Tau Harbour at 1330 hours, 23 May, arriving at Townsville on 1 June.
He told us that his "logged flight hours" were as a passenger. When we checked the the criteria governing this award, they distinctly prohibit passengers from being considered.
A senior member of the former CPMH emailed Wright and amongst other questions, put this to him;
"How did a "Chalkie" Captain who was posted to HQAFV from 24 Dec 70 to 23 May 71 (actual time in-country) find himself inthe air with the 5th Avn Det Vung Tau accumulating 50 hours of flight time??
Look at that second date, 23 May 71, this would have been the first indication Wright received that the wrong date was used on this allegedly forged letter.
How did he react? Any wannabe who would never admit to fraud such as this would ignore the question and carry on regardless, but what did Wright do? Prior to 21 October 05 he removed the US Air Medal from the row of medals he wears. This can only suggest that he knew damn well he'd been caught out in his lies and has no legitimate defence. This removal constitutes an admission of fraud and forgery of a Military document.You can now remove the Vietnamese Campaign Medal as well, Dr. Barry Wright PhD etc.
We sincerely hope that someone in authority will investigate this "Notification of Foreign Award".Perhaps Captain Cosgrove's son could enlighten us as to the validity of the signature on this document. This son is General Peter Cosgrove AC, MC,former Chief of the Australian Defence Force.
Vietnamese "Civil Affairs" Medal
Wright told us he was awarded this medal and that they were handed out liberally. Not so, this award was earned by working with the civilian population in various productive fields and was substantiated by citations issued by the South Vietnamese Govt. We hold copies of citations from the period Wright was in Vietnam and his copy should be in his records file, it's not. Not only did he misname this medal, the relevant Australian authority has no knowledge of him applying for recognition of the award.
What he erroneously calls the "Civil Affairs" Medal is actually called the "Civil Actions" Medal. If he had the citation he would know this.
Wright moved back to Sydney in late 1999 and continued with his war stories. Many people regarded him as a former Infantry Officerwho retired as a Lt. Colonel.
CLAIMS Barry Wright. "I have always said I have had two tours - what I said is that I have had two tours in SE Asia both of which were on active service, one in the RAN and one in the Army" When he was the Secretary of Kuranda (Cairns) RSL, many members heard these claims and more.
Here's one of Wright's stories that was passed on to us.
"While serving on HMAS VOYAGER about 1962 (not 100% sure), a Lieutenant Commander approached him and ordered him to pack and depart the ship. Wright said he was sent to Swan Island and after some training, a Brigadier told him things were hotting up in Vietnam, he was dispatched to join Operation Phoenix - and that was only his first tour"
He was a Sailor onboard HMAS VOYAGER from 7/11/61 to the date of his discharge, 31/1/63.
He attended a full time civilian teacher training course in '63-'64and another education course in '65, enlisting in the Army in December '65. Not much time there for spook training or a trip to Vietnamto work with the CIA in a program that had yet to come into existence. The NAVY section of our story reveals the real reason he departed the ship in January '63.
More Barry Wright talesprovided by people who know him well. "He was the Skipper of a helicopter". He actually had a pilot's helmet in his house and told visitors that it was the helmet he wore when he was a pilot. The rear of the helmet had a peace symbol painted on it. "His second tour was as a helicopter pilot". Wright had paraded an American citizen, "Cecil", to all at KurandaRSL, later he said Cecil is a Veteran who had flown with himin Vietnam. Cecil was actually a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. During our investigations, one person said he had,"Never heard Wright make claims of operating on secret missions with the CIA but had heard from him that he was involved in intelligence work in Vietnam" This same person had also heard his tales of being involved in combat while an Infantry Company Commander. Many people have heard him tell many different stories of his war time exploits. Here are four more ridiculous examples. 1...."Barry Owen Wright has told me the following stories about his involvement during his two tours of Vietnamand his return to Australiaworking with a very secret unit." 2...."Wright made claim that he and a number of other people in the secret unit being responsible for despatching 'The Jackal' many years ago. I and a number of other people have been told how a section of the Hume Highwaywas sealed off and that he and at least one other person shot and killed The Jackal with silenced pistols. The section involved then had a big party at his house (Wrights house) somewhere in Sydney" 3...."He claimed also that when he was a company commander in Vietnamhis company had just settled in for an evening meal. He noticed that there was an extra person in the group. He asked who was on guard and one of his soldiers stated that Nigel was. He recounts that he could not remember any of his diggers named Nigel. His CSM took him to one of the guard points and there they had 'Nigel the Nog' with a bayonet thru his throat and into a coconut tree which held his head upright - and stated that Nigel the Nog was on guard duty" 4....Also "He and Cecil Johnson were both helicopter pilots came over a rise of some kind, saw a number of VC and fired on them and wasted the lot" This "very secret unit" business doesn't require much thought or investigation, here's why. "The Jackal", who could only be the killer "Carlos", was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1997, he's in a French prison today. Hereare some "snippets" from another person who heard Wrights tall tales.
"Barry told me many stories of his exploits in Vietnam. He stated that his first tour was one with the CIA in Operation Phoenix and also at some stage he flew helicopters with CWO Cecil Johnston Jnr. US Army"........"I visited Barry at his home, I did see an olive green flying helmet"........."Barry had an impressive array of medals on his chest on Anzac Days and also wore the Infantry Combat Badge" (ICB)
There is absolutely no possibility that an Education Corps Captaincould have accumulated 90 days as an Infantryman in warlike operations to be eligiblefor the ICB.
And from another person who knew Wright in Vietnam and Australia. "Anyway as the years passed I think I may have spoken to him once more in xxxxxxx and he was raving about how he went back to the NAM (post 1971) and was doing something in helicopters down in the Delta and I thought in your dreams mate, but didn't challenge him on it" ">>> "he started raving about how his war service had ruined his life"
This conversation took place in the 1990s, with Barry Wright claiming a third tour in Vietnam.
On 20 June 2005, Wright wrote;
"I spent many hours moving around much of Vietnam visiting AATTV personnel and units as well as the other RAAF units in SVN"
"Other RAAF units" ???? We have no idea what this refers to.
We firmly believe thatWright took stories such as this from a book that includes the fantasies of another Education Corps Officer who dreamt he was the paymaster for far flung AATTV outposts and personnel. This officer, now deceased, adopted the duties of the only real Education Corps Officer who was posted to AATTV.
So, we have the factual Ed Corps officer whose duty early 1968 was to visit AATTV personnel in the field, then we have the second Ed Corps officer who thought he did this in 1967-68, but didn't, and now we have another Ed Corps officer who is trying to place himself in a similar situation in 1971.
Like most wannabe's b/s we encounter, Wright's is highly unoriginal, except for the "Jackal" story of course. That little bit of theatre earns him our award for the second most stupid wannabe of 2005, James Alwyn Montgomery being the ultimate fool.
"I am a foundation member of the VVAA attending the original meetings in 1979" We contacted one person who was at these meetings and he doesn't remember Wright being in attendance.
Onemore statement regarding Wrightand his dreams. "In xxxxxxx in my presence he has claimed to be a Medical Doctor, a military helicopter pilot decorated for rescuing wounded soldiers from a mine field, a gymnast who represented Australia at the Tokyo Olympic Games and a Royal Australian Naval Officer" ">>>> his family all believe that he was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, where he was wounded and decorated for bravery in the minefield incident referred to"
Wright informed us of his Army Reserve postings and duties.
"I served as a field rank officer" A Captain who was elevated to the rank of Temporary Major in 1975. "Field rank" begins at full or substantive Major.
Officer Commanding Basic Training Wing.
GSOI Systems Training Officer HQ Training Command. This seems odd in that this duty would have been undertaken by a Regular Army Lieutenant Colonel, not a Reserve Officer and not a Captain/Temporary Major.
Officer Commanding A Coy 4RNSWR.We're checking on this now.
Battalion Training Officer 4RNSWR.Was this posting in existence during his time? We're checking.
Instructor TAC5 course. We believe that one had to be at least a Lt. Colonel to instruct TAC 5. Majors instructed lower courses. (TAC, Tactical Arms Course)
Without telling us exactly what rank he held during his Reserve postings, the above allude to him holding the rank of Lt Colonel which iswhat he told some people in Sydney.The full story on Wright's Army Reserve service will be available soon.
NAVY
RAN, service number R42100, 31/12/57 to 30/1/63 also RAN Reserve, number S12247, 30/12/63 to 30/1/65.
Quote. "I am a Veteran with honourable Naval service. Serving in the FESR"
"Honourable Naval service" ? A Navy apprentice, a boy of 16 who signed up for 12 years to learn a trade and was discharged after only 5 years.
Discharged for either an inability to complete courses or personal problems. One of these is the reason for him leaving HMAS Voyagerand the Navy in December 1963, not hisfantasy as shown in our Claims section.
"Serving in the FESR" The Far Eastern Strategic Reserve. No mention of this in his records under "Service in Special Areas and Operational Service" although he was posted to HMAS Voyager when the ship undertook an uneventful 17 day escort duty to SE Asian waters. This was the only operational service for the ship during his 342 days onboard and is what he now claims as a "tour in South East Asia"
He makes quite a deal out of being in the SEATO Strategic Reserve for five months as well, he didn't go anywhere or do anything so we don't understand what this is all about.
When applying for a Short Service Commission with the Army Education Corps in 1965 he offered some false information. Without going into great detail, the following information was mixed with fact and appears in his records.
"Ships Schoolmaster on HMAS VOYAGER from 20/2/62 to 31/1/63"
We have been informed that there were no Instructing Officers on ships the size of Voyager, a destroyer. He may have assisted some other young sailors in his spare time but "Ships Schoolmaster" was going too far.
"Qualified for promotion to Engineer Sub Lieutenant (Educationally) in Royal Navy" Qualified is the wrong word, it should be Eligible, and even then only after many interviews and assessments.
There is nothing in his records to suggest that his education standard was anything better than fair. He averaged 68 in his educational tests based on a 5th year of High School standard, Geography and History being his best subjects.
"Qualified Ordnance Artificer 1st class RAN" He was not qualified and never rose above Ordnance Artificer 4th Class (machinist, fitter and turner) in the RAN and only rose to OA 2nd class in the Reserve.
"Discharged F" According to the Naval Records Historical Unit, this type of discharge could mean that he continually failed to pass a course and his services were no longer required or domestic problems prevented him from continuing his service.
"Have completed 12 months in RAN Reserve OTC 14" Records note that he served at HMAS Watson 30/12/1963 - 26/1/1964, at HMAS Kuttabul 17/8/1964 - 6/9/1964 and again at Kuttabul from 20/12/1964-30/1/1965. In the “Remarks” field it states “Approve 13 days WATSON”, “Approve 21 days KUTTABUL” and “Approve 42 days KUTTABUL" He completed 76 days of active Reserve service at these shore based facilities.
There is no mention of OTC 14 (Officer Training Course) in his records.
"Teacher's Certificate - Sydney Teacher's College. Received Dec. 1964" Wright did complete a two year teacher's training course but Sydney Teacher's College did not issue certificates, they were issued by the NSW Department of Education once teachers had completed their training and entered the teaching service. We can't access further information as to his accreditation as a teacher but according to him, he attended a technical college pre diploma course for the entire period of 1965 for the study of Maths, Physics and Chemistry. He doesn't appear to have passed this course or have gone any further with his teacher training because he hasn't added DipEd (Diploma of Education) to his list of post nominals.
Wright applied for Army enlistment in June 1965, was discharged from the Naval Reserve at own request on 16/12/65, and was in the Army four days later.
Were the claims of higher education, training, and teaching experience the reasons for Wright being accepted into the Army Education Corps as an Officer, a Lieutenant? There's nothing else in his history that would impress senior Army Officers sufficiently to allow this.
FINAL
Dr. Barry Wright told us that he never wears medals or attends commemorative days, more lies.
The last two medals on the right hand side are the US Air Medal and the Vietnamese Campaign Medal.
He wore these medals on Anzac Day 1991 and every commemorative occasion at Kuranda until 1999 . After moving back to Sydney he attended parades wearing them but when questioned on his entitlement to some, he began attending parades in Canberra, once again wearing his un-entitled medals.
Barry Wright again. Are there errors Dr Wright? Wright may have to do more than just apologise if he has used phoney war stories to gain the Special Rate of disability compensation (TPI) from the Department of Veteran's Affairsbecause the DVA Fraud Control Unit may be interested in reviewing his claims of Army service. According to Wright,he sits on committees that decide whether children of Veterans receive tertiary study bursaries or not, the Long Tan Bursary is one of them and it is now funded by the Dept of Veteran's Affairs.Further information tells us that he is an assessor for the AVCAT (education bursary) scheme as well. This person, who; Has a limited grasp of the English language. Offered false information when applying for an Army Officer's commission. Allegedly forged Military documents. Is a fraud and one of the most blatant wannabes we have ever dealt with, makes decisions on the educational futures of Veteran's children. What's wrong with this picture?
A recent Wright grab for Veteran attention and acclaim was to arrange for his name to appear in the credits on the cover of the James Blundell DVD "Postcards from Saigon"
We have been informed that he had absolutely nothing to do with the production, his name shouldn't be there and it will be removed from any further releases.
On our opening page we asked you to remember these Barry Wright claims,"Pilot" "Doctor" "Assassin" He is a real life version of James Thurber's fictional character"Walter Mitty", a meek, mild man with a vivid fantasy life who imagines himself to be a wartime pilot, an emergency-room surgeon and a devil-may-care killer. We feel that to regard Wright as just a commonplace, unadventurous person who seeks escape from reality through daydreaming would be a mistake. The affable "Mitty" kept his daydreams to himself, Wright made his public knowledge for career and further personal gain. Should Dr. Barry Wright offer a rebuttal to our exposure of his lies, it will be included in an update. Please use this area for any comments on this matter. information@anzmi.net Should you wish to contact the Vietnam Veteran's Association of Australia NSW Branch Inc. affiliated with the Vietnam Veteran's Federation of Australia (VVFA), their website is at www.vvfagranville.org.au Any replies you may receive should be from Mr Bob Freshfield, Jnr Vice President, VietnamVeterans Association of Australia, NSW Branch Inc. who is also the webmaster of the VVFA National Association website. Later you can scroll down our Cases page and read Robert (Bob) Freshfield's pack of lies as well. If you want a sensible reply from this organisation, contact the VVFA National Secretary, Nev Woodward. nevwoodward@hotmail.com
As mentioned in our story above, Dr. Barry Wright has indeed removed the US Air Medal from his bar therefore constituting, in our minds, an admission of fraud and forgery of Army documents. These photos were taken on ANZAC Day 2006 in Burnie Tasmania.
As you can see, he has retained the Vietnam Campaign Medal (last on his left) to which he is not entitled. Remove this medal too Dr. Wright or show good reason why we should not make this demand.
You might also provide us with documentation proving your entitlement to the Australian Service Medal because there is nothing in your service records to indicate your entitlement to it. It should have a clasp on the riband too.
This is published in the public interest, particularly that of the Vietnam Veteran community. All information presented is fact and the truth. Information was sourced from communicationsfrom Wright, Military records, and reports received from private citizens. These reports are supported by statements of fact and statutory declarations. |
|
7 May 2006 Front page of the Cairns Post 25 April 2005
Schmidt
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
