A veteran who claimed to be a member of the first U.S. Navy SEAL team has admitted he fabricated his entire military record.
Earlier this month, Fox News profiled John Garafalo, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and glass artist who crafted a presidential seal for Donald Trump.
Fox reported that Garafalo, 72, also received two purple hearts along with more than a dozen medals during his service.
Navy veteran, John Garafalo (pictured), 72, admits to lying about military record after Fox News airs segment
Fox News was forced to retract its story on John Garafalo on Friday morning after airing a segment on him on October 8
But on Friday, the 24-hour news network was forced to amend its story after it was revealed that Garafalo had doctored nearly all of his military history.
‘All of Garofalo’s claims turned out to be untrue,’ Fox’s correction stated on its website.
‘The fact is that he did not serve in Vietnam. He was never a U.S. Navy SEAL. Even though he showed us medals, Garofalo was not awarded two Purple Hearts or any of the other nearly two dozen commendations he claimed to have received, except for the National Defense Service Medal.’
Garafalo said he served as one of America’s first Navy Seals and receivced two purple hearts for his service
The Navy Times was the first to report the fiction after a former Navy Seal and members of Garafalo’s own family came forward to reveal the truth.
Garafalo did serve in the military, enlisting in the Navy and serving from Sept. 6, 1963, to Sept. 6, 1967, where he worked on an aircraft carrier near Rota, Spain.
Speaking with the military publication, Garafalo expressed remorse for his actions, apologizing for the lies he’s told for years.
‘It got bigger and bigger,’ Garofalo told Navy Times in a telephone interview. ‘What I did I’m ashamed of, and I didn’t mean to cause so much disgrace to the SEALs.’
Fox News said it would run an on-air correction on Sunday, according to The Washington Post.
The segment, originally airing on October 8, garnered over 1.5 million views when Fox posted the story on its Facebook page.
Garafalo has presented his hand crafted presidential seals to former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.
Garafalo is a glass artist who has presented hand crafted presidential seals to both Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush