Habitat for Humanity recipient lied about being vet, Navy Seal
Habitat for Humanity recipient lied about being vet, Navy Seal
By Chris Brawley Morgan
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Published: August 5, 2008
John Smith, who is acquiring a house through Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity in Oklahoma City, said Monday that he made up a past as a Navy Seal who was imprisoned when his helicopter was shot down during the Vietnam War.
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John Smith
Smith, his wife, Anthanetta, their house at 322 N Allen, and the volunteer work of the Tinker Top-3 organizations at
Tinker Air Force Base, were featured Saturday on the cover of
The Oklahoman's weekly Real Estate Magazine. Veterans and P.O.W. watchdog organization soon questioned Smith's claims.
Smith told
The Oklahoman on Monday afternoon that he didn't know why he made up the story.
"I apologize,” he said.
His confession surprised both
Ann Felton, who heads Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity, and
Master Sgt. Bernard Anderson, who has led the Tinker volunteers who are building the home.
Felton said that when the Smiths applied to participate in Habitat, John Smith wrote that he served in the
U.S. Navy. Sometime later, Smith told Habitat's volunteer coordinator that his service in Vietnam was more lengthy and heroic than it actually was, Felton said.
Monday, Smith said from his work site at
Goodwill Industries that the only part of the story involving the military that was true was his service in the Navy during the Vietnam War. Smith also rattled off his military identification number.
Since the electronic database was not established until the 1970s, it would take several weeks for the Navy to verify whether John Smith served during the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, said
Patricia O'Connor, public affairs officer for the
Naval Special Warfare Command in
San Diego.
Smith's military service is not an issue for Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity, since he and his wife met the criteria for participating in the housing program, Felton said.
"His qualifying for the program was based on need, on income, his willingness to partner with us and their willingness to put in sweat equity. And of course, they will be buying their house,” she said. "I'm just disappointed, but it doesn't make me want to help them any less.”
Felton said she thought it was a "good match” when she asked Tinker volunteers to work on the Smith home, west of downtown Oklahoma City.
Anderson said Tinker volunteers never confirmed Smith's story about past military service.
"That isn't our job. We wanted to build a house for Habitat, regardless of who it was for. It just happened to supposedly be a veteran and a Navy Seal,” he said. "For us, our goal was to build a home for the community and to give back to the community, and that's exactly what we did.”
He said Tinker volunteers will "absolutely” continue building Habitat homes.
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sort of heavy-handed to insist that he be punished beyond the present public humiliation. And, since his service had nothing to do with his qualifications for participating in Habitat, his made-up service should have nothing to do with it. Also, Habitat participants BUY the houses they acquire. To deny Smith the house would be like killing a fly with a sledgehammer.