You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Fifth Column
Antiwar "veteran" is a fake
2006-05-23
A man named Jesse MacBeth is the latest hero to the moonbatosphere, telling lurid tales of American war crimes in Iraq. He claims to be a "Special Forces Ranger."

Citizen Smash presides over the debunking:


(Multiple updates to this story at MilBlogs and Hot Air)

JESSE MACBETH is a fraud. An imposter. A poseur warrior, and not even a very convincing one.

MilBloggers explain why:

BLACKFIVE: "The photo on the wall of this "ranger" is completely laughable."

JIMBO: "This spindly little weasel wouldn't have made it through 10 seconds of RIP, let alone Ranger school or life in a Ranger Batt. The pic on his wall shows the wrong t-shirt, wrong sleeves roll, wrong flash, this boy is so many flavors of wrong I can't keep up."

BUBBLEHEAD (compiling from several sources):

1. Special Forces Combat Patch (Wrong)
2. Two "Tabs" sewn above SF patch (Wrong- Only One)
3. No Ranger Tab
4. No Airborne Wings
5. No Unit Crest
6. No Sewn on Rank
7. No One in the Army rolls their sleeves like that.
Bonus: 8. Mustache is out of regulation by extending past the corner of the mouth.

McQ shows us what insignia MacBeth would be wearing, were he a real Ranger.

POSEUR WARRIORS are not a new phenomenon. A junior sailor from my first ship was busted in the San Diego airport for impersonating a Navy SEAL. He was wearing choker whites with ensign shoulderboards and a SEAL trident. A Naval officer spotted him easily, because the shoulderboards were attached upside down.

He was busted to E-1, and put on restriction for a month. But his real punishment was the years of ridicule that he got from his fellow Sailors.

ALLAHPUNDIT has the roundup. Stay tuned to MilBlogs headquarters for more developments.
Posted by:Mike

#23  Nice Ranger beret and Marine sleeves. A true Purple Suiter in the making. A GI Jarine.
Posted by: ed   2006-05-23 21:35  

#22  Stupid question -- has anyone ever come across a fake vet hawk?
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2006-05-23 17:48  

#21  Fake but accurate, man. It's got the ring of truthiness to it...
Posted by: Seafarious   2006-05-23 17:22  

#20  I was a ....uh...a Ranger/Seal, yeah, that's the ticket!
Posted by: Frank G   2006-05-23 17:05  

#19  Special Forces Ranger
They never claim to have been the company clerk, ya know?
Posted by: eLarson   2006-05-23 16:58  

#18  he got a lucky hat!
Posted by: Frank G   2006-05-23 16:47  

#17  Mac, we've been looking for a few good men like you! Welcome aboard.
Posted by: SwiftBoat VetsforKerry   2006-05-23 16:37  

#16  License to kill gophers...by the government of the United Nations...
Posted by: Jesse MacBeth   2006-05-23 16:33  

#15  Pajamas Media has a quick roundup here.
Posted by: Mike   2006-05-23 16:32  

#14  He had to resign, cause he's deepcover like me. Folks laughed when I recalled my days of swooping down on the enemy both minigunz blazing and doing crazy loops in AH-64 mini-gunship. You peoples should google Fascist Chas Johnsons site for my exploits. I'm deep covr now. Out!
Posted by: MiniGun   2006-05-23 16:31  

#13  Besoeker -- the funny thing is, Canada didn't deploy anyone to Iraq.
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2006-05-23 16:24  

#12  "They would sew you up and you'd have to just keep on going,"

Your mission Mac, should you decide to accept it... is to FIND that Canadian nurse and have her "sew up" your anas!"
Posted by: Besoeker   2006-05-23 16:21  

#11  Snicker, the trolls over in Democratic Underground are ripping their "hero" Jesse apart now that he's resigned from the Iraq Veterans Against the War and shown to be a fraud.

"I woulda gotten away with it, too, if it wasn't for you meddling milbloggers!"
Posted by: Mike   2006-05-23 16:19  

#10  I'm no lawyer, but I'd bet this clown crossed the treason line a few times.
Posted by: wxjames   2006-05-23 16:16  

#9  Don't know about illegal. But, judging by some of the comments (see #1 above) I've seen, definately unhealthy.

What a turd.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2006-05-23 14:43  

#8  Correct me, but isn't it a crime to impersonate a soldier/sailor/airman/marine? I would pay money to see this turd frog marched to the local police station for booking.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge   2006-05-23 14:34  

#7  Jesse has been running this scam for awhile. From Arizona Indymedia; April 2004, EFL:

Coffee Plantation Refuses Service to Black Veteran

In early March, a young veteran of the war in Iraq, Jesse MacBeth, 20 years old, was banned from Coffee Plantation, where he had he was enjoying a drink that he had bought. His crime? He was dressed in his informal military uniform, which had insignia on it, and he was told by the owner that he could not sit at the table dressed in it, that it was offensive.

Coffee Plantation has recently embarked upon a campaing of discriminating against, refusing service to, and banning people that the owners do not think fit its image, which the new owners want to “clean up.” While this discrimination is mostly targeted at homeless people, who are also being unfairly refused, the Coffee Plantation has also refused service to other “unsuitable” people, including Jesse, a fully employed and housed veteran!

While Jesse was drinking his coffee, he was approached by the owner of the store and a security guard. After being told that his uniform was not appropriate dress, he was asked to leave. He rightfully refused. Many other people at the restaurant began defending his right to be there and drink the coffee he had paid for. The owner and the security guard called the police on him, and, when asked to show identitfication, he showed his Military ID card. He was thus only escorted (and not directly arrested) from the property and told that he couldnÂ’t return to all of Centerpoint, lest he wish to go to jail. He asked the police officer if it was possible that the owners could legally refuse service to anyone, including people of color, for any reason, and he was told that they could. As a black veteran, he found this very disturbing.

Previously, Jesse used to go to Coffee Plantation “all the time,” and would spend $30 to $40 dollars a week there, buying hot chocolate and coffee, and playing chess. He started hanging out on Mill Avenue after coming back from Iraq because he wanted to get back into civilian society and civilian life.

Now, Coffee Plantation has a sign that says that they don't refuse service to veterans, but he still can't go in there, and he knows it is a lie.

For five nights in a row, Jesse held up signs near the Coffee Plantation that read, “Coffee plantation is anti-American,” “I fought and killed for freedom but I am not free to drink their coffee,” and “If I can fight and die for American freedom, then how come I am not free to drink coffee in America?”

Jesse talked about the injustice inherent in the whole affair. “If America is supposed to be about freedom, equality, and justice, that is supposed to be the country that millions of other soldiers and vets fought and died for then why are still supporting companies that discriminate against soldiers. Nowadays they can be considered terrorists, because who else would have something against the American soldiers if they are not terrorists?”

Coffee Plantation claims that it has never discriminated against any veterans.

The fact is, Coffee Plantation banned a veteran of the Iraq war from their property, who had already bought a drink and was sitting peacefully, telling him that his outfit (military garb) was not appropriate and that he had to leave!

Is this what “freedom” looks like?

Soldier struggles with memories of Iraqi war
By Pam Crandall, staff writer
Eastern Arizona Courier
11-03-2003
http://www.eacourier.com/articles/2003/11/03/news/news02.txt

The war in Iraq was officially called to an end a few months ago, but according to Private First Class Jesse MacBeth, 19, of Pima, the turmoil has just begun.

MacBeth, a ranger in the U.S. Army, returned to the states two-and-a-half months ago after sustaining an injury in his back. He spent 14 months serving in the Middle East -- first in Afghanistan and then in Baghdad. Formerly from Tucson, MacBeth now resides in Pima, where he has family, friends and a fiancé. He said that small-town life is the perfect remedy for the various traumas that he suffered during his service in the Middle East.

"Loud noises startle me," he said. "Its nice and quiet here. I live in a trailer out in the middle of nowhere." According to MacBeth, his reaction to loud noise stems from the horrible experiences that he had while in Iraq. After returning to Ft. Benning in Georgia, he was officially diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and received both medication and counseling to help him adjust to a non-combative environment.

"The Iraqis would stand in a crowd and shoot at us. We had to kill civilians to get to them because we were ordered to shoot anything that came at us," he said. "I keep having nightmares about it."

MacBeth and others in the 10-man unit in which he served were some of the first soldiers in Baghdad. He said his unit had a special duty to perform. "We had to clear the loyalists from the tunnels under the city. Some were from the Republican Guard."

MacBeth was shot in the back by an M-16 rifle while in a tunnel. He remembers that he had to continue fighting after a Canadian nurse quickly stitched up his wounds. "They would sew you up and you'd have to just keep on going," he said. MacBeth is haunted daily by the memories of his service in Iraq. "We didn't think about what was going on while we were there," he said, "but it's coming back in dreams. I don't like to remember it." He recalls watching his buddies die, which he said is nearly unbearable for him to think about at times. "I lost good friends that I trained with," he said. "I gave some dog tags to family members personally."

For MacBeth, one of the most important duties during the war was protecting those he served with. He said that after the traumas U.S. soldiers faced daily, loyalty became their main area of concentration. "It wasn't for the glory," he said. "We fought to protect each other."

He remembers the conditions that he and fellow soldiers faced in Iraq with much trepidation. "There was so much stress and pressure there," he said. "I saw grown men that I looked up to crying." MacBeth said that often American soldiers went for days without sleeping or eating due to the stress and paranoia brought on by the dangerous environment. "We never knew where the gunfire was coming from," he said, "and we were losing battles. A lot of my friends wanted to kill themselves over there."

According to MacBeth, the attitude displayed by Iraqi civilians further dampened the U.S. soldier's spirits. "Some people were grateful that we were over there, and that helped," he said. "But that was only a handful of people. Most of them hated us." The vehemence displayed by the Iraqi people is not completely unjustified, he said. "We wouldn't like it either if soldiers came into our homes with weapons and forced us to live a certain way."

MacBeth joined the army when he was 17 with hopes of defending America's security. He said that he felt a strong sense of duty and a desire to serve during his days of military training. After his experiences in Iraq, he said his feelings have changed. "All of the values like honor, pride and integrity don't mean anything in war," he said. "There's nothing honorable about killing kids. I did nothing heroic."

Though he has been scarred by the desolation of war, MacBeth said he wants to start a new life. He plans on marrying soon and wants to find work and buy a home here in the valley. Counseling sessions to battle his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are still on his agenda and he is undergoing surgeries to remove shrapnel from his back. In November, he'll attend a hearing for his medical discharge from the military. The battle in Iraq is behind him, but MacBeth said he will struggle with his memories of war for a lifetime.
Posted by: Steve   2006-05-23 14:33  

#6  Snicker, the trolls over in Democratic Underground are ripping their "hero" Jesse apart now that he's resigned from the Iraq Veterans Against the War and shown to be a fraud. Some of them think he was a plant to discredit the real anti-war soldiers. Heh.

Appears our friend Jesse has a criminal record for FRAUDULENT USE OF CREDIT CARD and another for VIOLATION OF A COURT ORDER (PROTECTION/OTHER) and ASSAULT IN THE FOURTH DEGREE.

Also his name may have been changed when he was two years old, Jesse Adam MacBeth appears to have been born as Jesse Adam Al-Zaid. That part may or may not be correct, but how many Jesse Adam MacBeths can there be? He does look like he's at least part arabic in this photo.
Posted by: Steve   2006-05-23 14:14  

#5  In regards to the sailor, who in his right mind would impersonate an ensign? Making LTJG was the happiest day of my life!
Posted by: Dreadnought   2006-05-23 14:05  

#4  If he tries, it will be fun to watch him get shredded by the msm under milblogger influence - or to have the msm shredded if they don't cover the story.
Posted by: lotp   2006-05-23 14:00  

#3  Yeah, CF, I wonder if this punk has his eye on a Senate seat somewhere.
Posted by: GK   2006-05-23 13:40  

#2  Winter Soldier anyone?

Same Shait Different Day
Posted by: CrazyFool   2006-05-23 13:24  

#1  Now he needs to be put in a room with real vets for some "Wall to wall counseling".
Posted by: DarthVader   2006-05-23 13:13  

00:00