Retired Navy SEAL Don Shipley Exposes Stolen Valor [OPINION]
Don Shipley spent 24 years in the U.S. Navy defending the United States of America. Today, he and his wife Diane defend the legacy of the heroes in the SEALs.
Don Shipley lives in reality. He spent 24 years in the Navy and retired as a SEAL Senior Chief in 2003. He did service with SEAL Team 1, SEAL Team 2, the Naval Special Warfare Center (BUD/S) and Naval Special Warfare Group 2 in Little Creek Virginia as a SEAL Advanced Training Instructor.
Don will be my guest on Tuesday, July 24th at 11 am on WBSM 1420 (you can stream it live on WBSM.com, or just download the WBSM app).
Don publicly exposes fake Navy SEALs on his website, and he does it with the intensity of a warrior and the humor of a professional comedian. His wife Diane is a real partner in the mission and a true delight. Diane Shipley is married to a SEAL and the mother of a SEAL, and a former member of the Navy in her own right.
Don Shipley and President John F. Kennedy share the distinction of being awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for Heroism. Don Shipley was part of remarkable rescue mission off the coast of Africa in 1996. The Navy SEALs deployed onto a burning ship by sliding down ropes from helicopters in the middle of the night as the powerless boat was tossed in the ocean waves. Senior Chief Shipley was among the SEALs who provided medical care with flashlights clenched in their teeth because there was no electrical power on the burnt ship.
Unlike the true Navy SEALs, there are thousands of people who don't live in reality and pretend to be proud members of the Naval Special Warfare community. The FBI claims there are 250 imposters for every real Navy SEAL, but Don Shipley believes there are probably 1000 frauds for every hero who earned the right to wear the Trident badge for completion of SEAL training. The Trident badge can be purchased for around $10 on the internet.
Don Shipley has exposed a cesspool of liars who claim to be Navy SEALs. He has exposed frauds like Carter Hays of the NBC hit TV show The Biggest Loser. Hays, who claims a special relationship to God as a minister, became the biggest loser when Shipley targeted his lies. The minister, fitness expert, and fake Navy SEAL apologized for his lies in an email to the Washington Post.
According to The Navy Times, Don Shipley exposed John Garofalo, an artist who tried to use his phony claims of combat in Vietnam as a Navy SEAL, to meet Donald Trump. The fraud was able to fool his way onto FOX News with his lies, but not Don Shipley. Garofalo was forced to admit his stolen valor claims publicly because of Shipley.
Claiming phony military awards and service is a federal crime since passage of the Stolen Valor Act. It is also a crime in Massachusetts.
Locally, we have lost some men who died in combat with the Navy SEAL teams. Tyler Trahan of East Freetown was killed in Iraq in 2009. In 2011, Kevin Houston of Cape Cod was killed in Afghanistan.
Don Shipley is a credit to America and the Navy SEALs who defend our Republic. Today, he does search-and-destroy missions on con artists who steal valor from Navy SEALs, and he does it because many of the men who earned that honor can't fight for themselves because they gave all on battlefields around the world.
Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.