# "Vietnam Vet" Spits In Jane Fonda's Face **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 21, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vietnam-vet-spits-in-jane-fondas-face/300419 "2005-04-21T14:47:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vietnam-vet-spits-in-jane-fondas-face/300419/101 "2005-05-03T00:28:18Z")
**BMalion** I’d say the biggest Vietnam con artist was Joseph Yandle. He murdered a liquor store owner in order to get money to support his drug habit. He was sentenced to life in prison. Then, he fabricated his harrowing tale of combat and how it led to post traumatic stress disorder, etc. He never set foot in Vietnam. In the military, he was a supply clerk in Okinawa. Nonetheless, he was able to fool the Boston Globe, “60 Minutes”, his prison parole board and the Governor of Massachusetts into granting a pardon. Luckily this fraud was discovered and Mr Yandle is behind bars once again. And **Diane** Just thought I’d give my praise for what you do (and I’m glad to hear that the fakers are weeded out). ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vietnam-vet-spits-in-jane-fondas-face/300419/102 "2005-05-03T03:57:20Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > Thank you, **Diane** , it sounds like you do a thorough job of checking. I’ve recently read Mr. Burkett’s book and I was amazed at the number of people who were fooled and taken in by those fakers, including counselors, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, congressmen, senators and presidents. > > and thousands of journalists. ☹ > next question: > > What percentage of Vietnam vets are in need of medical/mental-health help as a direct result of their war experience? You would be surprised - or not - but agencies who don’t have the means to verify veteran status fall for it all the time. We get Congressional offices representing vets, state agencies trying to verify vet status, doctors, counselors, and expecially journalist who are shocked when we tell them that a vet’s story is a fabrication. This is why they call us for verification. As for your next question, I am not sure. I will find out from our Public Affairs Office. There are different levels of disability. There are quite a few with lower percentages of disabilities such as residuals of a broken finger, bum knee, or hearing loss. You don’t hear a lot about them. But then you have the more severe disabilities like amputations, severe PTSD (BTW, PTSD is not limited to Vietnam vets, we have WWII, Korean, Gulf War, Iraqi Freedom, and even peace-time vets with PTSD), etc. Most of them keep to themselves as far as publicity or being vocal. There are the few others who are very vocal. These are the ones you see and hear. I think most are truly veterans, but this is where you get the handful of fakes. ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vietnam-vet-spits-in-jane-fondas-face/300419/103 "2005-05-03T03:58:47Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > And **Diane** Just thought I’d give my praise for what you do (and I’m glad to hear that the fakers are weeded out). Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vietnam-vet-spits-in-jane-fondas-face/300419/104 "2005-05-03T05:01:42Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > **BMalion** > I’d say the biggest Vietnam con artist was Joseph Yandle. I remember that story. [Here’s a link](http://www.pownetwork.org/phonies/phonies4.htm) to the text of a 1998 AP story about him. And [here’s how the story is told](http://www.newsmax.com/articles/?a=1999/6/14/121208) in _Stolen Valor_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vietnam-vet-spits-in-jane-fondas-face/300419.md?page=5)