Jesse Adam Macbeth is a former soldier who tried to make himself a leader in the anti-war movement by claiming to have served in Iraq. He also claimed to have committed war crimes including killing civilians in a Fallujah mosque in 2005 and he also claimed to have received the Purple Heart. In reality, Macbeth was discharged from the Army in 2003 after only six weeks for, according to his discharge forms “his entry level performance and conduct.” Macbeth received a fair amount of notoriety and acclaim on anti-war blogs and media when he came forward with his fictional story of war crimes and post-traumatic stress disorder.

But Macbeth did not stop with his anti-war work. He took his falsified paperwork and made up stories of service and dishonor to the Veterans Administration and collected a reported $10,400 in benefits. Benefits he was clearly not entitled to receive. Macbeth reportedly has a criminal history including charges of fraud, domestic violence, and trespassing. The anti-war organizations that once took Macbeth under their wings and gladly used his story to push their anti-war agenda, have since tried to distance themselves from his lies. Macbeth is currently facing charges of using or possessing a forged or altered military document and one charge of making false statement to the Veterans Administration.

What truly upsets me about this story is not that the anti-war movement was so anxious to get a former soldier on board that they failed to properly vet this man, or even the fact that Macbeth is so selfish as to steal benefits from injured veterans who truly need ongoing care and support. What is most upsetting to me is the fact that this self-centered, myopic individual was willing to bring dishonor to this country and to those who are putting their lives in danger every day serving this nation. His deception shamed this country in the eyes of our allies and in the eyes of our citizens. He brought the honor and morality of our military into question. He tarnished the true heroes who have received the Purple Heart by attempting to become one of them and by claiming to have committed atrocious war crimes. His true crimes go far beyond doctoring a piece of paper and lying to the Veterans Administration. But there is no law on the books for sacrificing the dignity of your country and the valor of the men and women who serve it.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 11th, 2007 at 8:11 am and is filed under General Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.