We've Finally Got It: New Video Proves Nathan Phillips Himself Lied About Being Vietnam Vet
It’s been a rough week for Nathan Phillips, and he has nobody to blame but himself. The lies of this now-famous American Indian activist are quickly catching up to him.
Earlier this week, Phillips’ version of events surrounding the confrontation with the Covington Catholic High School boys near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington was shown to be false. A full video of the encounter reveals it was Phillips who approached the boys, painting a stark contrast to his initial account of being surrounded.
Now, Phillips’ fantastical military claims are coming under fire.
Despite his once calling himself a “recon ranger” in a Vogue article, reports are now surfacing that Phillips had a much less glorious job: refrigerator mechanic.
Before these revelations, Nathan Phillips had a habit of hinting that he was in Vietnam without outright saying it.
Using terms like “Vietnam times veteran,” he technically avoided lying while still shoehorning in a reference to one of America’s most defining wars. But a video of Phillips now making the rounds on social media is about to change all of that.
The clip was posted to Twitter by Phil Kerpen, and captures Phillips saying four damning words- “I’m a Vietnam vet.”
🚨Nathan Phillips, January 3, 2018🚨
“I’m a Vietnam Vet. I served in Marine Corps 72 to 76. I got discharged May 5, 1976. I got honorable discharge and one of the boxes shows peacetime or, what my box says is that I was **in theater**. I don’t talk much about my Vietnam times.” pic.twitter.com/nIoYxGoPqM
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) January 24, 2019
“I served in the Marine Corps ’72 to ’76. I got discharged May 5, 1976. I got honorable discharge and one of the boxes in there shows peacetime or, what my box says is that I was in theater,” Phillips can be heard saying on the video.
“I don’t talk much about my Vietnam times.”
Considering how much Phillips did talk about being a Vietnam times vet, his last line appears to be just another dishonest fabrication.
In another video posted to the same account, Phillips can be seen giving a confusing explanation for living in a Section 8 house. Once again, he hints at wartime glory that simply never happened.
More Nathan Phillips January 3, 2018:
“Be honest, I got a Section 8 home because I’m a veteran, a wartime veteran like that, honorable, in theater.” pic.twitter.com/Jmu6uGYNRM
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) January 24, 2019
With the last few word being disconnected and common military jargon (used incorrectly, no less), it’s a surprise nobody called Phillips out on his claims earlier.
Phillips also posted pictures of his “veteran stuff” to his Native Youth Alliance Facebook page, but a little research shows the items are in no way military issued or awarded.
Here’s the post with the “Vietnam War Veteran” medallion in context, posted to his page on Veterans Day 2018. pic.twitter.com/JJ0HAwYRjh
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) January 24, 2019
While these may look official to the uninitiated, they are anything but. The POW/MIA and Vietnam war veteran coins appear to be mass-manufactured tokens, not challenge coins given by military units.
The “Warriors Medal of Valor” appears to be a certificate handed out by a Native American group. Few posts exist detailing it online, and the group’s domain is now defunct.
In 1975, tales of “recon ranger” missions in dark and dangerous Vietnam jungles would have been impossible to fact check. But in 2019, telling lies like this can be a near-instantaneous disaster.
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