Retired Marine Maj. "Fox" Sinke says he has received threatening phone calls from Arabic speakers since he stood guard at Canada's National War Memorial last week.But as he told police: "If they're looking for a fight, they came to the right guy."
Sinke said he received at least two phone calls on Tuesday from people who screamed at him in Arabic and then hung up.
"The only words I recognized were 'kill you,' because I've heard them before," he said.
When Sinke told police about the phone calls, he added, "I promise you this: If they come here, they'll die here."
Sinke is a decorated veteran who did tours in Vietnam and received five Purple Hearts. When Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, a Canadian service member, was shot and killed last month while guarding Canada's war memorial, Sinke felt obligated to honor the fallen hero.
"The murder of the young Cpl. Cirillo was so despicable and craven that I just couldn't find it within myself to do nothing," said Sinke, a dual Canadian-American citizen.
So Sinke, who lives in Canada, donned his Marine uniform and sword and went to the memorial to stand guard on Friday. He told local media that he came to pay tribute to fallen comrade in arms and he wanted to show that Canadians will not be intimidated.
He also had a message for would-be terrorists: "I said, 'Hey, you're looking for a target, here's a new one for you; give it your best shot; we'll see how it works out for you.' "
Sinke arrived at the memorial at 6:30 a.m. and guarded the memorial alone until 9 a.m., when the Canadian honor guard and eight Canadian police officers armed with fully automatic weapons showed up, he said.
After the video story aired, questions were raised about whether Sinke really served in the Marine Corps. Those who run the Guardian of Valor website, which vets claims about people's military service, posted a news release with Sinke's service records.
"...We did some digging and reached out to our contacts to find out more about Major Sinke, and we can tell you that not only did this man serve as a Marine, he was a highly decorated Marine!" the release states. "He is taking a stand for what he believes is right, and yes he has five Purple Hearts."
The Canadian troops were glad to see the Marine at the war memorial and allowed him to guard the northern side of the monument for the day, but the senior police officer was initially perturbed, telling Sinke he should not have been there by himself.
"He says, 'God man, you got more balls than brains don't you?' " Sinke said. "So I said, 'Well actually, sir, I was kind of hoping that one of those scum-of-the-earth radicals would show up and take me on because, to tell you the truth, I have always dreamed of being able to confront an evil-doer and run him through with this damn sword.' So he kind of liked that, you know."