The web is filled with news that Tim Poe was sent home from America's Got Talent when he didn't make it in the selection round. This happened before news broke that his claims were not true because it was taped. I won't glorify this man further by putting up a new post with his name in the title. His moment of fame is over.
America's Got Talent Tim Poe still thinks he blocked grenade June 9, 2012
'AGT' FRAUD Family is Getting Death Threats
Update 6/8/12
Soldier: 'America's Got Talent' contestant Timothy Poe stole photo of me, passed off as himself
Published June 07, 2012
TMZ
Stuttering "America's Got Talent" contestant Timothy Poe is not the soldier in the photo displayed during his tearjerker audition this week, it's someone else. And the real soldier is angry.
Staff Sgt. Norman Bone tells TMZ he first heard about the photo from his ex-wife who was watching "AGT" -- Bone thought it was part of a tribute to the troops and didn't think twice about it.
read more here
UPDATE
5:49 est
It just got worse. Now he's been wearing medals he admits he did not earn!
'America's Got Talent' singer admits to claiming military medals he didn't earn
Poe told Grisham that he attended a golf tournament put on by the Defenders of Freedom. At the event, a poster, using information provided by Poe himself, claimed that Poe was awarded a Purple Heart, which is given for those wounded while serving, and a Bronze Star, which is awarded for bravery or acts of merit. The blog This Ain't Hell displays a blown-up photograph of that poster, which also shows other medals, including the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.
This part blew me away! The man has no clue how many people were hurt.
When asked by Grisham if he said anything inaccurate on "America's Got Talent," he answered, "Sure," and compared it to exaggerating to one's children to make their dad seem cool. "It was a show," he said. "It wasn't out there to make anyone feel bad."
Then again, I doubt he cares at all.
If he was trying to be famous, looks like he made it but I doubt he thought he'd get caught.
There were several comments on the post I did for Tim Poe the Afghanistan veteran claiming to have TBI on America's Got Talent. At first I didn't believe them considering the people leaving the comments did it anonymously.
Well today there were a couple more that got me thinking I may have been a sucker for a sweet story about one of our combat wounded.
Looks like I was taken in just like most people watching the show. So to the anonymous people leaving comments, looks like you were right and I was wrong.
MN Nat'l Guard: No Record of TV Singer's Claimed Combat InjuryHere's the clip from the show.
KSTP.com
By: Scott Theisen
Created: 06/05/2012
A singer who appeared on the NBC show "America's Got Talent" and claimed he was injured during a grenade blast in Afghanistan has no military record of his purported combat injuries, the Minnesota National Guard said Tuesday.
Timothy Michael Poe appeared on the nationally televised show Monday. He told the judges he spent 14 years in the military, and suffered a broken back and brain injury when he was hit by a grenade in Afghanistan in 2009.
"I had volunteered for a team to go out and clear buildings and help out with the wounded," Poe said during a taped interview on the show. "There was a guy who come up with a rocket-propelled grenade. I saw it coming down, and by the time I turned and went to jump on top of my guys, I yelled 'grenade' and the blast had hit me."
According to military records, Poe served with the Minnesota Army National Guard from December 2002 through May 2011, working as a supply specialist. Records show he was deployed in Kosovo from Oct. 10, 2007 to July 15, 2008, and then served in Afghanistan for about a month in 2009. read more here
I went from feeling like a fool to getting ticked off about this. I have too many friends with TBI and one of them lost part of his head.
If it turns out that Poe not only lied about having TBI but also "shielding" his men, he needs to make an equal public apology to all of the men and women serving!
Chaplain Kathie,
ReplyDeleteYou have just identified where I have the issue with him claiming his injuries and duties.
If enough of this goes on, people like you might get ticked off one too many times and stop doing the great works.
There are people claiming that "Stolen Valor" is covered under the 1st amendment and that no one is hurt by these people doing that.
Tell that to:
The injured vet that got bumped by Poe cause Defenders of Freedom only had space for so many wounded vets for their golf outing.
Your friends who ACTUALLY have TBI.
The family of the one member of his unit that was KIA.
BNG, thanks but after almost 30 years, I've met more real deals than fakes, so I won't get to that point. It's just that stuff like this breaks my heart because so many really needing the attention, never get it.
ReplyDeleteOther than my friends, TBI is personal to me. I had it long before it was called that, or even known.
When I was 4, I was pushed off a slide at a drive-in movie. I went down head first onto concrete. My scull was cracked and I had a concussion. Everyone said I should have died from that. Soon after that, my speech was not great and I had to see a speech therapist. Back then, the two events were not connected.
We had veterans from all wars coming home with TBI and many today have no clue what is wrong with them because they don't associated their problems with what happened to them anymore than my parents did.
Now we talk about things like PTSD and TBI, which is usually a great thing but when people like this guy do what they do, it sets the healing back plus it hurts everyone else involved.
I am very sorry for all this has done to you and the unit, plus the family of the KIA, but more sorry for not believing the first comments I read on this blog.