Fake Military Heroes

Great pod. This is utterly disgraceful. It makes me sick that people take advantage of the system in this way. They are cowards who find a loophole and exploit it just for an extra buck or to boost their sorry self-esteem. Shame on them. Mr Robinson is a hero for uncovering this. Thanks for putting this on Current.

Can we please add incompetent soldiers who are deified for being blonde and thin, and branded "American Heroes"... although they never bothered to actually FIRE a weapon while being allegedly "ambushed"...?
(see Jessica Lynch)

Imposters outnumbered the actual Navy SEALs 350 to 1 on the applications for financial benefits. I wonder how many people are getting money they don't deserve...

Can someone out there make a pod about how much money Vice President Cheney profited from the Iraq war through Halliburton?

Well done. Thanks for helping preserve the honor and respect that the seals deserve. i'll never forget the time in (secret location mojave desert) when training seals in close air support and they all showed up in civvies and those little baseball helmets that they wore on the helo. plus, if anyone has ever surfed or swam on the silver strand, yo that water is cold.......YUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An amazing pod that demonstrates the ability of viewers to raise issues that is important but ignore by mainstream media. Frankly, I was overwhelmed by the statistics - a case a week turn over to the FBI and billions of dollars in unjustified VA benefits. Those numbers are surprisingly high. If possible, it would be great to see other informational sources which validates the statistics in this pod (for objectivity). It's great that people like Steve Robinson is defending the honor of our military heroes.

I'm so glad these people are watching out for liars, fakes an phonies!
Steve and his colleagues are all BADASSES!!
Thank you!
Semper Fi

wow, i had no idea this was so common... what a disgrace.

I cannot believe how low some people will go for money. It truly disgusts me that anyone, let alone our government leaders would abuse the system in such a way and virtually steal taxpayers' money. I feel horrible for all of the families of the true veterans in our country who are being short changed because of these criminals. I could go on and on.... neway, great pod-eyeopening to say the least.

This pod is about the work of former Navy Seal Steve Robinson. He hunts down and exposes military imposters. In a little under five minutes, the pod outlines how and why many people pose as former Navy Seals, how Robinson and his team track down the imposters, and why Robinson feels so passionately that it is wrong.

The organization of the pod works well. It gives the viewer enough information about the problem in the beginning to understand Robinson?s frustration at the end when he expresses how disrespectful it is to real military heroes that these acts of fraud go on. The full weight of this emotionally powerful moment is felt because of the background information that precedes it.

The piece used B-Roll effectively but I would have included a few more graphics throughout the piece to use as cover and to highlight some of the statistics Robinson gave.

I'm glad you are doing this work. As a Veteran that received disability benefits and find getting needed services difficult, I can't thank you enough for taking care of the frauds draining our system.

Steve Robinson and the Schantags over exaggerate the numbers for self-recognition and to justify their witchhunt. To make the statement that 'BILLIONS OF DOLARS ARE SPEND EVERY YEAR ON VA BENEFITS FOR PHONY VETERANS', is an outright lie and their are no numbers to support this BS claim. These headhunters are suggesting that the vast majority of veterans enrolled in the VA are phonies and frauds. Steve, Chuck, and Mary don't care how many legitimate combat disabled veterans they step on to find a phony veteran.

There are currently an estimated 12 to 15 million illegal aliens in this country taking advantage of our system and its benefits. One might think if the POW Network were truly concerned about exposing fraud on a large scale, they would devote their efforts towards a real threat to our country. The Schantags claim “They Support Our Troops’ on one hand, and then turn around and suggest a large number of them are frauds? The support we give our men and women in uniform must be unconditional. The disabled veterans that fall under the control of the VA are National Treasures and should be protected the same as ‘hallowed ground’. Remember the word ‘sanctuary’? If the VA is involved in ANY way in the current campaign to ‘shake down’ the disabled veterans of this country, they have totally lost sight of their mission and should be held accountable by the American people. If the VA is encouraging civilian ‘bounty hunters’ to find veterans that may not deserve all they are receiving, they are no longer ‘non-adversarial’, they are ‘predators’. This violation of our veteran’s trust would not look good on a recruiting poster.

There is currently a group of self-appointed “government agents” targeting veterans receiving disability compensation from the VA. Their objective is to locate and prosecute disabled veterans that are receiving VA disability compensation that they are not entitled to. Their main focus is on veterans with a PTSD rating. They claim that the VA healthcare system is being bilked dry by phony PTSD claims. However, they cannot provide data to support their outrageous accusations. They operate with the full support and cooperation of the VA Inspector General’s office and other major law enforcement agencies. According to Chuck and Mary Schantag of Skidmore, Missouri and owners of the POW Network (www.pownetwork.org), they have friends within the VA and DOD that will provide them with any personal information on a veteran they are investigating. In a recent email forwarded to my office, Mary Schantag wrote; “YES we continue to turn phonies and frauds and goldiggers into the VA IG and the FBI and law enforcement on a daily basis with a great team and huge support”. (Editor’s Note: All misspelling, capitalization, and sentence structure are the results of a direct quote via email.) In another email, POW Network associate and group member Mr. Gary Assell of Montgomery, Illinois and owner of Viper’s Web Page made this statement to justify their operations; “All disabled veterans are NOT the targets, only those who have obtained benefits through fraud and misrepresentation, which is punishable under Title 38 USC. It is a proven fact that veterans who have fraudulently received benefits or medical care through fraud or misrepresentation HAVE cost the VA millions of dollars”.

This is not the first time we have heard of the POW Network and their questionable operations. Exactly one year ago, this same group harassed Mr. Gene Simes and myself and even boasted of acquiring our Social Security numbers without our consent. In an email exchange the Schantags made this statement; “We cannot afford to have some "friends" compromised as they search through files for the truth on this. And we meet with the VA IG Friday......” Mr. Simes and I filed a complaint with the VA Inspector General’s office and a formal investigation was launched. The investigation concluded the Schantags committed no crime, the case was dropped, and they continue their questionable relationship as informants with the VA IG today. The most notable and curious fact about our first encounter with the POW Network was Mr. Simes and I called our complaint into the VA Inspector Generals Office on May 1, 2006. On May 3, 2006 the Department of Veterans Affairs “announced they had lost a computer containing personal information on 26.5 million veterans (including Social Security numbers)…”

Another Key associate of the POW Network group is a former Navy SEAL with 27 years in the service. Captain Larry Bailey of Chocowinity, North Carolina is probably best known for his association with the book; ‘Stolen Valor’, which was about veterans claiming military service or awards they were not entitled to. The Stolen Valor book spawned a rash of individuals subscribing to the theory that many of our veterans were frauds and the budget short-falls the VA was experiencing was due to phony veterans within the VA system. In a recent email sent to my office by Larry Bailey, he stated; “far too many veterans and phonies are bilking the VA out of hundreds of millions of dollars, and Congress will not allow the VA to do the investigation that is necessary to stop the fraud. Unless and until the fraudulent VA claimants are ferreted out and dealt with, I will not lend ANY support to any effort to give that corrupt agency another nickel. I am surprised that you would advocate pumping billions more down that bureaucratic rat hole.” In another email Bailey said; “Thank God that I don't have to depend on VA for assistance I really need, and I don't rip them off for false PTSD like a LOT of people do. And I have two good friends who are doing just that, saying that "I might as well get mine," or words to that effect. One of them even encourages me to get some myself. It makes me sick. That is what I was trying to explain to Jere Beery; he clearly didn't want to hear that.” This author wonders if Mr. Bailey has exposed these two “close friends” as frauds on the POW Network website, or has he remained silent while these individuals continue to supposedly defraud the VA. A third possibility is that Mr. Bailey is exaggerating these claims in order to support his own position. Only Mr. Bailey can be entirely certain as to the truth in this matter.

These statements combined with the many complaints I receive from veterans stating they had been wrongly harassed, intimidated and publicly humiliated by the POW Network, paints a very ugly picture. Many veterans think the Schantags are using the sacred ‘Prisoner of War Movement’ to hide more sinister activities. Although the POW Network was originally established to address issues concerning the accounting of Prisoners of War and Missing in action, their objectives now have taken a very vile turn. They now apparently think they are a law enforcement arm for the entire veteran community. There is a VERY big difference between a person that illegally claims military awards they are not entitled to, and a sick veteran suffering from a medical condition (such as PTSD) which has suicidal tenancies associated with it. In this writer’s opinion, after many years of involvement in veteran’s affairs, it is not in the best interest of our disabled veterans to cast unwarranted blame on them, or to question any medical condition they may have which is recognized and diagnosed by the VA. Especially when sensitive emotional and mental issues are involved. The veteran community does not need this ridicule, scrutiny, or intimidation by any one, much less a self-appointed group of informants.

Ask yourself these questions; Have we become so callus and bitter as a Nation that we feel the need to look for ways to discredit our veterans? What training or certification does the POW Network have that allows them to involve themselves in the ‘personal’ medical issues of a veteran? With the current URGENT needs of our most recent disabled veterans returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq is this ‘witch hunt mentality’ really helping the situation, or hurting? Does it really matter to the majority of Americans if a few boarder-line PTSD cases filed by ‘Verified Former Military Personnel’ fall through the cracks? Is it really worth the risk of targeting the wrong veteran with false accusations and triggering a tragedy? And finally, what does any of this have to do with accounting for our Prisoners of War or Missing in Action?
It is not the intent of this article to imply fraud is acceptable under any circumstances. And this article is not intended to protect the fraudulent from exposure and/or prosecution. However, PTSD is a very sensitive medical condition that is better left to the medical professionals to diagnose and treat, not the POW Network. There is very little doubt in my mind that the number of fraud cases within the Social Security Administration, Medicare, and Food Stamp program far exceed any possible number of cases within the VA.

Incredible film! I'm outraged @ the sheer # of fakes!

I'm wondering though, since I believe i recognize one of the names on the phonies list (& can't believe he would do that!), what is your standard of proof before you put someone on the list?

Keep up the good work!

Jere Beery...I mean LZ Thunder needs to grow up...you were a spoiled little brat when you were a child...and you have not changed a bit. How many Veterans have to tell you that you are WRONG! As hard as that is for you to accept lad...you are way off base in your attacks on Mary and Chuck Schantag and the POW Network...I know you wouldn't say what you print here to Navy SEAL Steve Robinson...now would you lad!

DIPER RASH > You can tell Steve Robinson that I said he is a LIAR! I run from no one. I don't give a damn if he is a SEAL, he has no data to prove his outragious statement about BILLIONS of dollars paid to vets that don't deserve it. Robinson is just another loud mouth punk trying to make a name off of BS! Does Robinson know you were coached before you got your 100% PTSD rating? Isn't that a form of cheating, sis?

THE POW NETWORK IS AN ANTI-AMERICAN, ANTI-VETERAN, GROUP PROFITEERING OFF VETS

The POW Network was started as a non-profit keeping records of POWs, and helping the Prisoner of War Cause. It was founded by Vietnam Veteran, Chuck Schantag, who has a Purple Heart from the 1968 Tet Offensive in Viet Nam.

Somewhere along the line Chuck Schantag "got a big head" from heading the non-profit "educational" POW Network, and with his new massive ego he decided that he was "God-Like" and entitled to Judge the military service of all other Veterans.

So Chuck Schantag appointed his wife as an "investigator" and he started an Anti-Veteran Crusade of publishing any allegation against any Veteran, often without any evidence, or using evidence that was misquoted, or known to be incorrect, to attack fellow Veterans, as a means of making himself seem more important.

Mary, and Chuck Schantag, although being "self-appointed" judges of all Veterans, have no lawful authority to do so, and have broken many federal, and state, laws in their new enterprise.

Instead of caring for, or helping, the many disabled Veterans returning from the Iraq, or Afghanistan, Wars Mary, and Chuck, Schantag have decided to make it their priority to spend their lives, in the Anti-American Activity, of attacking America's Veterans, and falsely claiming that they have some right to judge them.

Now Mary, and Chuck Schantang have expanded the "POW" Network into not just a Veteran Attack Group, but also a "Political" Attack Group, in that the POW Network uses its resources, and many donations, to promote a Republican-Pedophile "Swift-Boat-Like" Group run by Joe Oliver out of Texas.

A number of Veteran Victims of the Anti-Veteran "Swift-Boat" Attacks of the New Anti-Veteran POW Network have filed complaints with the VA Inspector General alleging that the POW Network has illegally obtained confidential VA Records in direct violation of the Privacy Act to harass the Veteran.

Most recently Mary, and Chuck Schantang has intentionally posted blatant lies about the HONORABLE Army Service of this site's founder, Billy Ray Kidwell.

Neither habitual liar Chuck Schantang, nor his "Official Researcher" Wife, Mary had the morals to contact the victim, Billy Kidwell, in their "research", to give him an opportunity to prove that their statements were false, with the massive amount of Public Records that prove that they are liars.

In fact, the one, and only, person they did contact, who does not even know Kidwell, nor know anything about Kidwell's extremely HONORABLE Military Service, CONFIRMED that VetsForJustice Founder, Billy Kidwell, was telling the truth about the unit he was assigned to.

Unlike other victims of Anti-Veteran Attacks by the Veteran Hate Group, the "POW" Network we intend to shortly file suit for the slander, and to not only make Chuck, and Mary Schantang pay PERSONAL substantial damages for their fraudulent statements, but to post on their front page a statement ADMITTING that they intentionally posted lies.

We intend to sue in Court to prove they are habitual liars.

Meanwhile, we shall be reporting them to the IRS for engaging in fraud by representing that they are a POW Educational Non-Profit when in reality they are operating as an Anti-American, Anti-Veteran, PAC Hate Group promoting extreme Republican Political "Swift-Boat" Attacks on Honorable American War Veterans.

The so called "POW" Network, whose real mission is attacking Veterans, is obtaining substantional tax-free donations as a non-profit, when they are in fact operating as an extreme right wing PAC.

To those wrongly harassed by Chuck Schantang's Group you need to be made aware that most states have criminal statutes against such harassment, and if you are a disabled Veteran, most states have laws that make it a very serious FELONY to harass a disabled person.

Posted at www.VetsForJustice.com

Our Phony & Wannabe List

CHUCK SCHANTANG, who is a regular Vietnam Veteran, has NO LAWFUL AUTHORITY to "investigate", or harass America's Veterans is a phony, and wannabe FBI Agent, or self-appointed judge.

He is NOT a law Enforcement Officer. He is NOT with the F.B.I., nor is he a VA Inspector General.

He is NOT a God, nor a Judge, and he has no lawful authority to "investigate", or judge, the military service of other Veterans, and in fact he is committing a crime in most states when he harasses them.

That authority rests solely with the different branches of the Military Service, and the Boards for Correction of Military Records, or Board for Review of Military Records, and the Courts.

He is a WANNABE engaged in illegal conduct.

MARY SCHANTANG is not licensed as an investigator, nor is she an F.B.I. Agent, nor VA Employee, and she has NO AUTHORITY, whatsoever, to investigate America's Veterans, and to judge them, and decide if their military service is Honorable.

It has been alleged that she has obtained confidential VA Records of Veterans ILLEGALLY and complaint have been made with the VA Inspector about her, and the so called Anti-Veteran "POW" Network.

She is a WANNABE and has no right, or legal authority to harass, or Judge, America's Veterans, and it is Anti-American for her to do so.

JOE OLIVER is a pedophile who has stalked the daughter of VetsForJustice founder, Billy Kidwell, on the internet, and with a group of Anti-Americans, who hide on the internet with mail-forwarding "tactics" that scammers, and criminals, use, has harassed VetsForJustice founder, Billy Kidwell off and on for a couple of years with obscene E-Mails.

While Joe Oliver "claims" to be Special Forces he has lacked the guts to make his perverted remarks about Kidwell's minor child to Kidwell's face, despite a number of invitations to do so, as he hides on the internet harassing America's Veterans.

If this is what Special Forces are made of I would be ashamed if I belonged to such a group stalking children. I have to believe that REAL Special Forces are different, and have morals.

Others who are part of this e-mail harassment of Kidwell with Joe Oliver include a McCloed, who also used the e-mail fake name of "Elvis Presley", a Joanne Blackwell, and a number of others that use e-mail forwarding to hide on the internet as they stalk the minor children of America's Veterans, make threats, and harass Veterans.

THAT IS WHAT THE ANTI-VETERAN POW NETWORK IS TIED TO!

Posted at www.VetsForJustice.com

GARY ASSELL [viperass] Every time you open your mouth you reveal a little more about how YOU and the POW Network operate. If you have personal information about me as a child, then your investigation of me encompasses a great deal more than just my military service. The fact is; if you have found ANY dirt on me, you would have broadcast long before now. If you go back far enough, you will find I use to crap in my diaper. Other than that, you have found absolutely nothing to discredit me with. Just one more question, Gary. If I file a claim with the VA for PTSD, how should I answer their questions? What will they ask me? What do I need to say in order to have my claim for PTSD approved, sis? I'm your buddy, you can tell me.

Poor lil Jere are you being picked on? It seems you THINK you have information on me? bring it on nit wit...I enjoy making you look like the fool you are..by the way Hero...the POW Network is still up and running LOL LOL was that 2 years ago that you were going to "SHUT THEM DOWN"? LMAO you are and will remain a fool.

It is a sad day when Veterans fight other Veterans.

But what can you do when you have groups of Veterans that are betraying their OWN Veteran brothers, and sisters, for mere politics, or egos.

For any Veteran to say there are large numbers of Veterans scaming the VA is an out and out lie and it takes a real low life to make such a remark.

As any REAL Veteran knows that has dealt with the VA a Veteran could be half dead from a war and the VA will lie, falsify records, and spit on the Veteran for YEARS, in hopes the Veteran will die, before paying that Veteran the benefits he EARNED.

And it takes a real low life to attack a Disabled Veteran like Jere, who has given so much for his country, and has helped so many Veterans with his grass roots work for Vets.

We are at war and there is NOTHING more Anti-American then attacking Veterans, and to the very few "bad eggs" that do, I want to remind them they they ARE SPITTING ON VETERANS THE SAME WAY WE WERE SPIT ON WHEN WE RETURNED FROM VIETNAM.

And as a 100% Service-Connected Disabled Veteran I strongly suggest that they reconsider their Anti-American, Anti-Veteran Conduct.