JOHN HARLEY ROBERTSON THIS GUY POSING AS ROBERTSON HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO BE A FRAUD BY THE FBI. BE AWARE!
THE FORGOTTEN SOLDIER
20 May 68- Robert D. Plato, MSG E-8, Hatchet Force, KIA-RR John Hartley Robertson, SFC E-7, USASF, FOB-1, Phu Bai, Ops 35 and a Vietnamese Pilot, Co-pilot, and door gunner names unknown) SFC Robertson and the Vietnamese, MIA-Presumptive finding of death. (These individuals were on a kingbee helicopter, CH34, 4 miles inside Laos, south of A Shau; on a medical evacuation helicopter and to resupply a recon team and hatchet force in combat with the enemy when the helicopter came under intense enemy fire, smashed into the trees, and caught fire in the A Shau Valley, Laos. SFC Robertson was the Covey rider who supported RT Alabama on 4 May 68).
This info from SGM (R) Billy Waugh, MACVSOG
in searching out those making false claims, agree with Mark Smith, that his Caucasian male in Cambodia, is attempting to fraud the USG. The USG has completed several actions involved with this man (according to info I have received)
I regret (that) the Faunce brothers, and several other fine American citizens, are taken in by these actions. I surely regret that the real JHR is not alive, for I worked in the same project as did this fine man.Click--> Defense of Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office's Official Report dated 19 February 2009 to view their report on this fraud, which was reviewed by DPMO,
Just think, their claim is that a supposed SF guy who had the intelligence and language aptitude to earn a Green beret, would totally lose his ability to speak or understand English just because he had not spoken it in years and he was a Sergeant First Class so he was not some young kid and in his 30's when he was lost. It would be impossible for him to forget his basic language, even after 44 years.
Statement from Major Mark Smith (Zippo) who has dealt with this fraud for many years when he tried to impersonate other lost Americans fromt he Vietnam war: In a message dated 5/1/2013 5:14:55 P.M. Central Daylight Time, [email protected] writes:
Perhaps Robert it is best to look at the trail of this from the beginning.At the time I was the bodyguard for a Cambodian Princess(Khety Tiolong) who was a Deputy director of UNESCO.The first inclination something was afoot was in 1991 and continued through the first part of 1994. First came the blood with a picture of the individual in question(very hazy) shown providing the sample.The claim then was that he was Larry Stevens and I took the sample to America and a fine patriot paid for Gladys,Larry's mother,to go through the process which proved,via DNA,that this individual was not her son.I was angry that this wonderful lady and her family were put through this and I helped get that done.
During the same time frame half-French Claude Clement(e) was being shopped by this same crew but he quietly told me who he was and I took him away from the Vietnamese Intelligence operatives trying to shop him(this after many years in 're-education'. They were the same ones shopping 'Stevens' above.I warned them then but they felt that they were close enough with Hun Sen and his police chief Hok Lundy to pull about anything but Hun Sen has always been shy about taking me on because I also know his true background('buffalo boy' my fourth point of contact).
I finally met the individual,in the latest pictures,being then shopped as 'Colonel John L. Robertson,USAF',who was also missing and along with Stevens and Lundy was one of the subjects of the "Three Amigos Photo" which also came out.I sat next to this individual and talked to him in Vietnamese and by his features alone It was obvious that he was not Colonel Robertson. He had no trouble speaking Vietnamese and when I told him that he was a fraud,his response and that of Cambodian General Minh was that ethnic Lao Khambang(bailiff of Judge Hamilton Gayden in Nashville) thought he was indeed Colonel Robertson.I then threatened to shoot him if he ever tried this again. This then led to the rumor that my 'real job' was that of an assassin to kill POWS(that I had been one myself seemed lost on all).I later was able to meet with the late Debra Robertson Bardsley(sp) and alert her to the scam prior to her traveling to Cambodia and they failed to scam her.
This latest iteration started when they contacted Billy Waugh my old friend and I was able to intercede before more money was invested in this but it obviously did not work.I told everyone,who would listen that this guy had already failed one round of DNA testing and was then told that this same individual was 'John H. Robertson' but this was put aside by most, outside the circle of brethren within SF, because of my new reputation as the "CIA assassin" assigned to 'kill all the live POWS.'
The folks involved in this film at some point,in my opinion,ceased to be well-meaning' and became part of just trying to at least recoup their monetary losses.What they actually achieved is to assist Vietnamese authorities in providing ongoing bogus data to derail any serious effort to ascertain what truly happened to missing Americans.
The true tragedy was/is that the United States Government has always happily sat by while honest folk burn themselves out on false leads,trails and big-nosed Jarai Montagnards like this guy. I shall be forever ashamed that I put Larry Steven's momma through DNA tests before I ever saw this same fellow.That made me forever vigilant and after nearly fifty years these folks do not 'all look the same' to me. The worst thing is that many of us know that men were left behind and those like Claude and this Jarai are the products of Vietnamese Intelligence continuing to muddy the waters of intelligence.
Thank you for all you and others did to expose this latest episode in chicanery.
I am copying Billy,Don et al on this.
Mark Smith(Zippo)
If Billy W or any of the others want to contact reporter directly to add quotes or detail they can call or email him today. This article will be accessed by others in the future and this is the best chance to get the story accurate and bulletproof.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2317464/Revealed-Vietnam-veteran-alive-jungle-44-years-exposed-FAKE-ex-special-forces-secretly-collected-DNA-22-years-ago-prove-it.html----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday,
May 01 20133PM
By
James
Nye
PUBLISHED:| UPDATED:
The
astonishing claims of a 76-year-old man found living in Vietnam who says he is a
U.S. war veteran presumed dead 44-years ago have been exposed as a hoax.
The
story of Sgt. John Hartley Robertson as told by a new documentary 'Unclaimed'
gripped the world on Tuesday - raising the astounding possibility that an
American POW escaped from his Vietnamese captors and began a family in secret
with a local woman - while his wife and two children grieved back home.
However,
it can be revealed that the man is not Sgt. Robertson, rather he is a conman who
has attempted to suck in members of the Vietnam MIA/POW community and that the
CIA performed a secret DNA test on him 20-years ago that confirmed his lies.
Scroll
Down for Video
A
2009 Defense Prisoner of War Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) memo sent to the
MailOnline on Tuesday acknowledges that the man, known as Dang Tan Ngoc, came to
the attention of U.S. personnel in Vietnam in 2006.
He
was claiming to be Sgt. John Hartley Robertson, who is thought to have died in a
special forces op mission over Laos in 1968.
He
was interviewed and under questioning admitted that he was not Sgt. Robertson
but a Vietnamese citizen.
However,
in 2008 he again tried to pose as the MIA veteran and was taken to the U.S.
Embassy in Phnom Penh where he was fingerprinted.
They
were evaluated by the FBI, which, in a February 2009 report, concluded Ngoc's
fingerprints did not match those in Sgt. Robertson's official records.
They
believed that these attempts to claim the identity of a MIA solider were to
defraud the U.S. Government of money in military back-pay.
These
revelations follow swiftly on from the release of 'Unclaimed', a new documentary
that questions whether Ngoc - found living in south-central Vietnam, could be
Sgt. John Hartley Robertson.
In
the course of the film, 76-year-old Ngoc, claiming to be Sgt. Robertson, is
shown to be unable to remember his birthday, his American children’s names, or
how to speak English.
Despite
this, he manages to convince a number of people, including Sgt. Robertson's
80-year-old sister, Jean Robertson Holley.
The
climax of the film is a tearful meeting between Robertson Holley and Ngoc -
during which she unconditionally accepts the man is her brother back from the
dead.
According
to best selling author and former special forces soldier Don Bendell, the
individual who claims to be Sgt. Robertson, is most probably a Vietnamese-French
man who has been manipulating vulnerable veterans searching for MIA/POWs since
1991.
Mr.
Bendell served in Vietnam assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group from 1968 to
1969 and counts influential friends such as fellow veteran and former member of
the Reagan administration, Orson Swindle as friends.
In
an email seen by the MailOnline sent to the organizer of a veterans film
festival that will show 'Unclaimed', Mr. Bendell says, 'The man seen in the
documentary posing as John Hartley Robertson is a guy from France, an impostor,
who has been used to scam money from well-meaning veterans and others who would
LOVE to see any POW rescued.'
Reports
suggest that Ngoc has been attempting to impersonate Sgt. Robertson since 1982.
Senior
members of the special forces veterans community have also made it clear to the
MailOnline their disgust at the man's claims expressed through the new
documentary.
It
is thought that the individual has possibly scammed tens of thousands of dollars
from well meaning veterans who want to believe him.
Indeed,
Mr. Bendell reveals that influential former POWs Major Mark 'Zippo' Smith and
Orson Swindle - who was Senator John McCain's cellmate during their
incarceration by North Vietnamese forces - are aware of the fraud the man
claiming to be Sgt. Robertson is attempting.
Soldier:
Robertson is pictured left in 1968 - the year he was declared missing after his
helicopter crashed
NOTE: After this article was published with the abovce picture, I received this email:
In a message dated 5/1/2013 7:07:24 P.M. Central Daylight Time, [email protected]
writes:
In your article you have a photo that is of four young men. The man on the left is Identified as John Robertson. His real name is William "Billy" Wilson. I am the person on the extreme right and I own the photo. It appears the film maker took the photo from an article written May 25, 2006 by reporter Charles Webster for the Trentonian a newspaper in Trenton, New Jersey. The article was about a SOG soldier that went missing on February 11, 1969 by the name of Harold "Bill" Kroske who was from Trenton. There can be no confusion about the identities of the people in the photograph as they are listed in the article as well as identified me as the source of the photo. This particular photo was taken in early 1969 so it could not be of Robertson. None of the people in the photo arrived before September 1968 and since SFC Robertson went missing in May of 1968 there is no way that it could be of Robertson. If you would like to contact the Trentonian to confirm any thing that I have said tell them it was "The Trentonian Special Advertising Section-Hometown Heroes" published May 25, 2006. As an aside I served with Captain James Nye. |
In
fact, 'Zippo', who currently lives in Thailand and and legendary CIA
Paramilitary Operations Officer Billy Waugh, traveled to meet the man portraying
Sgt. Robertson in 1991 to find out the truth for themselves.
Mr.
Waugh is a renowned former Special Forces Sergeant Major who was instrumental in
the capture of terrorist Carlos the Jackal and tracked Osama bin Laden for a
year in the mountains of Tora Bora, in Afghanistan following 9/11.
Mr.
Bendell reveals that 'Zippo' and Mr. Waugh came to the conclusion that it was a
total scam and crucially - collected DNA.
Such
is the anger aimed at the imposter inside the Special Operations Association (SOA)
veterans group, Mr. Bendell claims the Vietnamese man is well advised to stop
making these claims.
Put
simply, members of the SOA are adamant that if the individual in Vietnam was
their missing comrade, he would have been welcomed back with open arms.
Retired
special forces Captain Robert Noe, the owner and editor of Vietnam veteran
website MACVSOG explains the reservations his fraternity have always had over
Ngoc.
'One
of the things that struck me first was that he had forgotten how to speak
English,' said Noe, who served in Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, North
during the conflict.
'Robertson
was a special forces soldier which would have meant he had specific language
capabilities and he was a Sergeant 1st Class in his 30s.
'No
one forgets to speak their native language after that long. The claims are
bulls**t.'
Email
exchanges seen by the MailOnline reveal it is the deepest wish of the ex-special
forces community and U.S. government that Sgt. Robertson be found.
'There
are lots of us who would love to find a POW and bring him home, many willing to
accept less due diligence just to show as proof the American government left men
behind, but we are not willing to accept some obvious fraud who has already been
exposed,'Captain Robert Noe to Mr. Bendell
in an email to Mr. Bendell.
The
documentary makers, led by Emmy award winning filmmaker Michael Jorgensen have
made it clear that they are making no judgement about the claims of the man who
says he is Sgt. Robertson.
Their
film is about the journey of one Vietnam veteran, Tom Faunce, as he seeks to find the truth
behind the astounding claims.
The
makers of the documentary were approached for comment by the MailOnline - but at
the time of publication had not responded.
However,
despite the potentially astonishing discovery made during the course of the
documentary, Sgt. Robertsons two daughters - refused to take a DNA test to prove
his identity.
The
wife and daughters of Sgt. John Hartley Robertson, a one-time Green Beret,
initially agreed to participate in DNA testing, before changing their minds last
year, according to Jorgensen, whose documentary asks whether the man is indeed
who he says he is.
'Somebody
suggested to me maybe that's (because) the daughters don't want to know if it's
him,' said Jorgensen. 'It's kind of like, "That was an ugly war. It was a
long time ago. We just want it to go away".
'I
don’t know. What would compel you not to want to know if this person is your
biological father?'
The
tearful meeting between Ngoc and Robertson Holley is the climax to the
documentary.
The
scene was filmed in Edmonton, Canada, because Ngoc could not gain a visa to
enter the United States.
According
to Michael Jorgensen, 'Jean says...There’s no question. I was certain it was
him in the video, but when I held his head in my hands and looked in his eyes,
there was no question that was my brother.'
A
simple DNA test could confirm the claims of Ngoc once and for all, but she said
she does not need to take the test to know the man is her brother.
Is this missing US Army Vet Sgt. John Hartley Robertson?
Indeed,
Sgt. Robertson's name is etched along with 60,000 others onto Washington D.C.'s
poignant Vietnam memorial, but the documentary questions whether he is actually
alive and well.
The
now exposed fake, 'Sgt. Robertson' tells Emmy-award winning filmmaker Michael
Jorgensen that when his flaming helicopter crashed to the ground during a
firefight on a Laos mountaintop, he was captured immediately by North Vietnamese
soldiers.
Stunning story of a Vietnam vet shot down in 1968. See
the...
'They
locked me up, high in the forest, in a cage,' he claims. 'I was in and out of
consciousness from torture and starvation. The North Vietnamese soldier hit me
on the head with a stick, shouting, "American!"
'Then
he would hit me even harder; I thought I would die. I never said anything,
though they beat and tortured me.'
According
to his story, he escaped after four years, hid in the woods and was found in a
field by a woman who nursed him back to health and then became his wife.
He
said he borrowed her late husband’s surname and birth date and was registered
as a French-Vietnamese resident named Dan Tan Ngoc.
The
couple then had children but no recorded attempt was made to contact his wife or
children back home in America.
The
main focus of the documentary is the quest of Vietnam veteran Tom Faunce as he
seeks to prove that the man he first heard about in 2008 while on a humanitarian
mission was indeed a fellow serviceman.
Fonce
contacted Jorgensen to see if the filmmaker would follow his story to establish
that Robertson was still alive - but at first the director was cautious.
'The
MIA story was pretty unbelievable, pretty grandiose,' he said to the Globe
and Mail.
'I was very skeptical.'
However,
what struck Jorgensen more than the idea a Vietnam veteran could have stayed
undetected for 44 years was Faunce's own journey as a soldier, alcoholic and
victim of child abuse.
Jorgensen
said he was inspired by how Faunce would 'go all the way in helping someone he
didn't even know.' He added that 'no matter how the story turned out with John,
I knew there was just a great "once upon a time" with Tom.'
In
Vietnam, Faunce tracked down the man who was locally rumored to be a former
American Green Beret who had never returned home.
'Tom
went to meet him and was very skeptical, grilled this guy up and down trying to
get him to break, to say, "Oh, no, I’m just making it up." And he
was adamant he was that guy,' Jorgensen told The
Toronto Star.
Read more:
From: Thomas Faunce <[email protected]>
Date:
Sunday, January 18, 2009, 9:26 AM
The Forgotten Soldier
I am
sitting here at home after a long and tiresome trip to South East Asia. It
is very cold here, subzero temperatures, not like the heat I became
accustomed to in South East Asia. This trip has been both a great trial and
a challenging test. I have been working in Cambodia and the Vietnam border
now for a while. We have been putting wells in villages that are in need of
good water. This has given us an open door to minister the gospel to those
in need. About a year back I was told by the Cambodia Christians and the
Vietnamese that there was an American from the Vietnam war that was still
living in the highlands of Vietnam. I, like many veterans, have heard
similar stories and took this one with a grain of salt. However, by the next
trip there was more interest on their part to let me know of this man; so I
did acquire who he was and what his name was. I was given the name: "John
Hartley Robertson". I came home and checked into this information and found
out that this man was shot down in a helicopter on a mission into Lao. I
returned alone to Cambodia to see if I could make any contact. I did meet
with some individuals who brought me some photos and information. I was not
sure of these men, I felt they were middle men using the situation for their
own gain. These men had been contacted by the church members because of the
information they had in their possession. However, the church had no
dealings with them up until this time. I made arrangements for another trip
in so that I could meet with John. They told me they could bring him into
Cambodia. I agreed and headed back home. My return trip was with my cousin
Joe who is from San Antonio, Texas. Joe has gone to many places with me and
is a very strong part of the ministry of Frontline Outreach. Joe also was
with me on the well projects in this area.
|
Edward T Mahoney, 234 Deer Drive, Ruckersville, VA 22968-3161, [H] 1-434-985-1918, [Cell] 1-434-996-4775
[E-MAIL] [email protected]
To: Congressman Dana Rohrabacher.
Please help me to get someone in the appropriate US agency’s to examine the finger prints taken at our US Embassy in Cambodia that were sent to Washington DC for verification. These finger prints were not examined in Washington DC and need to be, to determine if they belong to SFC John Hartley Robertson. The letter below was sent to Ambassador Carol A Rodley.
Thank you for any consideration you may provide. This letter will be sent to every US Senator.
Edward T Mahoney
Subject:
MIA/POW: SFC John Hartley Robertson. MIA in Laos on 20 May 1968 while riding on a covey SOG supply helicopter to secret outpost in Laos. MIA/POW case #1184, Army serial number #56299302.
20 May 68; Robert D. Plato, MSG E-8, Hatchet Force, KIA-RR. John Hartley Robertson, SFC E-7, USASF, FOB-1, Phu Bai, Ops 35 and a Vietnamese Pilot, Co-pilot, and door gunner (names unknown) SFC Robertson and the Vietnamese, MIA-Presumptive finding of death. These individuals were on a King bee helicopter, CH34, 4 miles inside Laos, south of A Shau; on a medical evacuation helicopter and to re-supply a recon team and hatchet force in combat with the enemy when the helicopter came under intense enemy fire, smashed into the trees, and caught fire in the A Shau Valley, Laos. SFC Robertson was the Covey rider who supported RT Alabama on 4 May 68
SFC John Hartley Robertson. Causality Office Case # 1184. US Army serial number # 56299302, born on 25 October 1936 at Birmingham, Alabama. Entered U.S. Army on 15 June 1954
This correspondence is to corroborate my two associates Mr. Thomas Faunce and his Brother Mr. Joseph Faunce’s visit to our US Embassy in Phnom Pehn on 9 January 2009. Your personnel members “ Mary and Pete” were presented with a person who claims to be SFC John Hartley Robertson {later promoted to MSG after the helicopter crash, hereafter referred to as the “person“} for additional vetting to ascertain the comprehensive truth as to his identity.
This person presented to “Mary and Pete” was in fact the same person who two years prior to this visit was simply vetted one day {while he was locked in a room for 24 hours} and not found credible in spite of that no finger prints were taken during this time period. The person’s fingerprints that were taken at our Embassy in the presence of Mr. Thomas Faunce and Mr. Joseph Faunce and were sent to Washington DC for certain recognition . Later a answer concerning the fingerprints of the person that was in attendance was not “credible evidence” with reference to the person in question. Ironically the fingerprints of the person in question were not examined at all by some one in Washington D.C.
“Mary and Pete” were persuaded by Mr. Thomas Faunce and his Brother Mr. Joseph Faunce that this person was too tall to be a Vietnamese man and had functioning memory of details concerning his crash. Both Mr. Thomas Faunce and his Brother Joseph Faunce and myself are convinced that this person is MSG John Hartley Robertson. This person may well be another American soldier, a very tall Vietnamese man or an impostor. Please keep in mind that this person suffers from memory recall and his language translated from Vietnamese to English may be misinterpreted. Upon photographing this person to disclose the extent of his stomach injuries sustained in the helicopter crash it was discovered that he was circumcised! How many Vietnamese men do you suppose were circumcised in 1936?
The widow of MSG John Hartley Robertson as well as a former retired NCO in Delta Company 1/503 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg NC were not able to positively identify the photo that I sent to the both of them. As of today I am the only person who identified the photo as SFC John Hartley Robertson. During the period from 8 Jan 1959 to 1 August 1961 I served in the same platoon as Sfc John Hartley Robertson { then a Staff Sergeant}
My initial e-mail sent detailing all present and past information with reference to SFC John Hartley Robertson to our Embassy in Phnom Phen during the occasion Mr. Thomas Faunce and his Brother’s visit was opened but not answered. All further e-mails sent to our Embassy at Phnom Pehn were sent back as undeliverable but were sent to four e-mail locations in Washington DC.
It is very disconcerting that as an American citizen expressing his Constitutional rights concerning this incident to have my e-mails go unanswered or very possible not sent to your attention. regarding this event.
In conclusion it is crucial that you absolutely substantiate the identity of this person as it is in he best interests of our nation. As you know the POW/MIA issue must not be glossed over and deemed “not credible” considering the considerable effort in time and money in returning an American MIA/POW in question, home where he belongs. Dismissing this issue concerning the true identity of SFC John Hartley Robertson will not be tolerated by persons in our government who are responsible to insuring that all vetting takes place when logical uncertainty is presented concerning any POW/MIA
Respectfully,
Edward T Mahoney