George Polk's Real WWII Record - The fictional career of a famous newsman (Another Liar Exposed)

The Weekly Standard ^ | February 17, 2007 | Richard B. Frank

[abb]

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This article is the product of extensive research in archives and secondary sources, as well as consultation with other historians who are specialists in naval air combat in the Pacific on both sides. Individuals like John Lundstrom, Barrett Tillman, and James Sawruk not only looked at the same official records I did but, in the case of Lundstrom and Tillman, also interviewed surviving pilots and read letters and diaries. For the sake of brevity and accessibility, this article does not attempt to discuss the sources in detail, but a much longer narrative, along with many of the key documents supporting the conclusions offered here, can be read at www.weeklystandard.com. There are, of course, hundreds of pages of documents that could be deemed relevant if one included all the records I and my colleagues looked at that do not mention Polk when they should have if he had done what he claimed.

The dedicated website of the George Polk Awards trumpets that the prize is "one of America's most coveted journalism honors-and probably its most respected." Bill Moyers and Russell Baker, among others, testify that the award means more to them than any other. The list of those cited since the award's inception in 1949 comprises a two-generation roll call of distinguished names in American journalism: Christiane Amanpour, Roger Angell, R.W. Apple, Homer Bigart, Jimmy Breslin, Walter Cronkite, Gloria Emerson, Frances FitzGerald, Thomas Friedman, David Halberstam, Seymour Hersh, Marguerite Higgins, Chet Huntley, Peter Jennings, John Kifner, Ted Koppel, Charles Kuralt, Joseph Lelyveld, Tony Lukas, Mary McGrory, Edward R. Murrow, Jack Newfield, Roger Rosenblatt, Morley Safer, Oliver Sacks, Harrison Salisbury, Sidney Schanberg, Daniel Schorr, Eric Severeid, Howard K. Smith, Red Smith, I.F. Stone, Nina Totenberg, and many others.

snip

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MUST READ!

[abb]

Ping

[SkyPilot]

A journalist who padded his military resume thicker than a feather bed. His colleagues repeated his lies about him being a "decorated Naval fighter and bomber pilot" - when in reality he wasn't even an officer nor was he a pilot.

This is a long article, but worth the read. It is shameful that this slime ball got away with his lie for so long that it persists even to this day.

Reporters are always, always, always trying to crawl into the spotlight reserved for our military heroes. They even hijack the words that belong exclusively to soldiers: bravery, valor, and sacrifice.

Shameful. Utterly shameful.

[nascarnation]

two-generation roll call of distinguished names in American journalism

more like a list of liberal propagandists

[abb]

A journalist who padded his military resume thicker than a feather bed. His colleagues repeated his lies about him being a "decorated Naval fighter and bomber pilot" - when in reality he wasn't even an officer nor was he a pilot.

This is a long article, but worth the read. It is shameful that this slime ball got away with his lie for so long that it persists even to this day.

Reporters are always, always, always trying to crawl into the spotlight reserved for our military heroes. They even hijack the words that belong exclusively to soldiers: bravery, valor, and sacrifice.

Shameful. Utterly shameful.

And the hell of it is the Drive-Bys have named what they claim is an "esteemed" award after him. Link in next post.

[abb]

http://www.brooklyn.liu.edu/polk/press/2006.html

[Brad from Tennessee]

Colleagues of Dan Rather used to refer to him as an "ex-Marine." In reality, Rather was discharged from Marine boot camp in 1954 after four months for being physically unfit.

Prior to joining the Marine Corps, Rather did serve in the National Guard during the Korean War and never left Texas. Rather is the guy who criticized both George Bush and Dan Quayle for serving in the Guard.

[potlatch]

L  iberal
I  deological
E  gotistical
S  ources

[george76]

bttt

George Polk Awards

[ikka]

Further, and tellingly, Polk's personnel records contain no indication he ever qualified to wear the coveted golden wings of a naval aviator or received the distinctive sequential number the Navy assigned to every individual who qualified as a pilot. Lundstrom points out that the first roster of all naval reserve officers prepared after Polk entered the Navy is dated January 1, 1943. This document lists Polk and shows his specialty as "AV-(S)" (Aviation Volunteer Specialist). The Navy assigned this title to "aviation officers, commissioned and warrant, including gunners, radio electricians, machinists, aerographers, and photographers qualified for special duties." By contrast, the designators for those who were qualified naval aviators were A-V(N) and A-V(G).

Long, but a must read ... it thoroughly and completely destroys Polk's claims.

[abb]

you need to see this one.

abb

[68skylark]

I've never heard of George Polk, and I'm not sure why these authors are going after him with such zeal. It seems like they've made their case, though.

[Born Conservative]

bttt

[Ole Okie]

when he wasn't even an officer nor was he a pilot.

He was a commissioned officer, an Ensign.

If I understood the writeup correctly, his work as an Engineering Officer at Henderson Field would have been meritorious in its own right.

He obviously had Naval Aviator envy, but quite evidently he didn't earn the wings of a Naval Aviator. Being checked out on an SOC didn't quite qualify for that designation.

abb, thanks for posting this.

[abb]

Richard B. Frank is one of the more respected WWII historians now publishing.

http://www.amazon.com/Guadalcanal-Definitive-Account-Landmark-Battle/dp/0140165614/sr=1-1/qid=1172024316/ref=sr_1_1/102-6182909-1468108?ie=UTF8&s=books

[PhilDragoo]

In cases such as this notify Hank Holzer coauthor with Erika Holzer of Fake Warriors. He's active with those exposing such fakes.

[Brucifer]

It is a long read, but the author really did some extensive research. My hat's off to him. You wouldn't want to tell any lies or BS while he's around.

Also, note to self... quit telling people that I got my Good Conduct Medal for pistol-whipping Ho Chi Min in a drunken bar fight. If Richard B Frank finds out, I'm a goner.

[potlatch]

Bump!

[abb]

This story is tailor made for Rush Limbaugh, imo.

[tubebender]

I am printing this out for the Widow of a Navy Pilot involved in many of those missions. I wish he were still alive to study this story. She is a 93 year old staunch Conservative as was her husband...