Tim Kennedy: war hero or stolen valor fraud?

Kennedy, a former MMA fighter and a Green Beret veteran who’s a pretty popular and well-known personality in the special warfare influencer space, is taking serious heat for accusations that he lied about his military service. According to a report shared by Yahoo News, Kennedy is under investigation:

UFC veteran Tim Kennedy admitted in a social media post on Monday to fabricating a part of his U.S. Army history, previously claiming to have received a Bronze Star Medal with Valor. The National Guard Green Beret is now reportedly under investigation following the news coming to light.

If you go on a podcast where the host asks you if you have a Bronze Star with a “V” device, and you confirm by saying “yep,” and then you regale the audience with the story of how you earned it, describing a combat situation where you sustained enemy fire before you “shot” a “bad guy” and saved the day—but in reality you only have a normal Bronze Star for helping with logistical planning on a deployed operations—are you a fraud?

Then you declare you “never” claimed you said that? Is that not one of the most insane examples of gaslighting you’ve ever witnessed?

I reached out to a military friend who actually has a Bronze Star with valor for his service on June 9th, 2010 when Pedro 66 went down in Afghanistan, and he said the difference between a regular Bronze Star and a Bronze Star with a “V” device is “major.” (And this is coming from someone who routinely diminishes his service, feeling like he’s been given honor and recognition that he doesn’t really deserve.)

This certainly isn’t to put down anyone who’s earned a Bronze Star without valor, but the contrast is stark: the Bronze Star is for meritorious service—even cooks can receive one—and the “V” device is specifically for heroism during actual combat.

Here’s another instance in which Kennedy claims to have “medals for valor” when he in fact has none:

Now, Kennedy issued an apology for the dishonesty—well, kind of. Is it really sincere when you don’t take full accountability for your words and actions? Here’s a link to his full statement, but here’s the crux:

I want to take full and unequivocal responsibility for a serious mistake.

Over the years, I made public statements and gave interviews in which I unintentionally misstated aspects of my military service. Most notably, I implied directly or indirectly that I had been awarded the Bronze Star with Valor. That is not true, and there is no excuse for it. I never received that honor, and I deeply regret ever suggesting otherwise.

“Unintentionally misstated”? “Implied”? What a jacka** cop out. When asked if he had one, he explicitly said he did, and then he claimed “medals of valor” on at least one other occasion.

Between Epsteingate and Tim Kennedy, is this just the year of the gaslighter?

Image from Grok.