He claims to have been a “US Navy Master Chief” was observed participating in a Remembrance Day event in Westmount / Montreal on 5 November 2023 while wearing a US Marine Corps Master Sergeant’s uniform.
His incredible group of medals / insignia and his slovenly dress caught the attention of a number of individuals and they contacted us with their concerns.
The personal awards that Mr WEST, the name he provided to the Remembrance Day organizers, was photographed wearing include the Navy Cross, US Navy’s second highest award for heroism in combat and the Airforce Cross, the USAF’s second highest award for heroism in combat along with the Silver Star, the United States 3rd highest award for heroism in combat.
Also in mix, the Navy and Marine Corps Medal is the Navy’s highest award for bravery in a non combat situation. This medal was awarded to former US President Lt John F Kennedy for his actions after the sinking of PT 109 and US Navy SEAL Senior Chief Don Shipley for heroism during a search and rescue mission and US Navy Master Chief Carl Brashear for recovering a lost nuclear weapon.
These high level awards prompted us to take a deeper dive into his claims. He’s also wearing the Bronze Star awarded for valour / meritorious service and the Purple Heart indicating he was wounded in action.
We searched the US DoDs data bases of Navy Cross and Air Force Cross recipients including those of the Viet Nam War era, amazingly, no one named West / Greyfeather / Oneinjun is listed…
We have been tracking Wahya / Cameron since November 2022 when a number of articles were published in the New Hamburg, Ontario region detailing the impact of his claimed combat service in Afghanistan and the personal struggles that followed.
There were a couple of red flags in the stories including the confused details of casualty producing incident occurring in early July 2007 while the nomenclature used to describe his claims caused us to have a closer look.
“One day, when Gagage Wahya was serving in the armed forces during the Afghan war in July 2007, his troop’s (COR342) convoy was ambushed.
“We had an IED that was buried in the ground and in the middle of the road that went off,” recalled Wahya who’s now a fire keeper at Crow Shield Lodge in New Hamburg. Then there were gunfire exchanges for about 20 minutes.
“I struggle with PTSD, with complex trauma,” Wahya said, recounting one of the most troubling experiences he faced in the military. Two people died and six were injured as a result of the incident. “And that’s where a lot of my PTSD comes from,” said Wahya, who still undergoes counselling…
…Wahya was 18 years old when he joined the military and served for almost five years.
The first two years were with the armed forces and the last two and a half were with the Royal Canadian Air Force.
The Anishinaabe man was a victim of the Sixties Scoop, a term that refers to the mass removal of Indigenous children from their families into the child welfare system.
“Those were the types of things that I had to go through with verbal abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, and sexual abuse for years and years and years until I emancipated myself and unfortunately went down a path of coping that wasn’t healthy, which was drugs and alcohol,” Wahya said.
He went into service as a teenager thinking it’d solve some of his problems, but instead they “exacerbated” them…
Somewhat impossible for this individual to have served in Kandahar during the timeframe he claims that he was involved in an IED strike as he was busting the moves in these images from June / July 2007!
Why do individuals like Wahya / Cameron create a faux military persona and claim to have been followed home by the demons of Kandahar and what do they gain from their actions?
Over the course of the past 10 years, it’s become apparent that the vast majority of individuals reported to us are nothing more than grifters & con artists who lie, cheat or steal for their own personal gain.
They have used their “special status” to attend armed forces ceremonies and parades, military themed galas and high profile sporting events as VIP guests. Some have participated in fully funded overseas pilgrimages & adventurous expeditions, more have “advocated” on veterans issues without the requisite knowledge, experience or service.
Many have used their fake military narratives and tales of battlefield injuries to advance their employment opportunities & political aspirations.
Others are involved in intimidation, theft, fraud including accessing veteran/military discounts, questionable charity schemes, embezzlement and dating scams.
It’s our position that Wahya / Cameron is an imposter, he has absolutely no military service andwould likely have difficulty finding Kandahar on a map.
His military themed fairy tales, created for his own personal gain, insult the service and sacrifice of legitimate veterans and it’s long past time for him to get on his knees and apologize for his reprehensible actions.
SVC received this note on 12 January 2023 from Mr Wahya. We consider the matter closed and trust that he’ll sort himself out and continue his work supporting his community and the veterans within it…
We were asked to review a number of images of an individual who has been claiming for several years to be a highly decorated US Navy SEAL Captain. The placement of his Trident / Budweiser badge and the combination of medal ribbons he’s been rockin’ raised a number red flags for us.
The SEAL Trident – The anchor signifies the Navy as the branch of service. The eagle symbolizes the air and holds an item in each talon. In the right talon is the trident, which symbolizes Neptune, the Roman God of the sea. In the left talon is a cocked flintlock pistol, which symbolizes land warfare and a state of constant readiness. If worn as the primary insignia, the trident is positioned / centred above ribbons or medals.
Most unusual was the Distinguished Flying Cross ribbon in the group… Not surprisingly, he’s not listed as a recipient on the DFC Society website. https://www.dfcsociety.org/
The ribbons of the Defense Superior Service Medal, Navy Distinguished Service Medal, DOD Distinguished Service Medal are also problematic as there is no record of these prestigious medals being awarded to anyone named JOYAL.
As per our long established SOP, in every case in which someone claims to be a US Navy SEAL, we contact our friend Senior Chief (Ret’d) Don Shipley and his lovely wife Diane and ask them to run the individual’s name against the data base of all Navy SEALs. Below is their response in regards to Patrick JOYAL that we received on 10 January 2023.
Based on our research, It’s our opinion that Mr JOYAL is a flat faced civvy lacking any military service and the question becomes – why would he be pretending to be a highly decorated naval officer?
SVC is prepared to assist Mr Patrick JOYAL in determining his truths.
A number of individuals have been charged and convicted under s419 Criminal Code of Canada, our “Stolen Valour” law including Toth, Lemmond, Gervais, Cooper, Janssens, Fancy, Donoghue, Kelso, Gervais, Hastings, Miller, Osborne, French and Simon Rothschild (aka De Rothschild, McDonald, Surfer, Meyer, Weinstein, Costello…)
They are showcased on our platforms and eventually they’ll be featured in this gallery.
FYI, Our research is provided to the Law Enforcement Agency having geographical jurisdiction. What they do with it, is up to their leadership and/or the Crown Prosecutor, and those decisions are made based on departmental caseloads, higher priority files, budgets, time lines (charges must be laid within 1 year of the alleged offence).
SVC is pleased to report that we have played a significant role in the investigation of many of these cases including a fake who received one of the largest fines in Canadian history for “stolen valour”.
Of course, the best case scenario is the individual being charged and prosecuted and convicted, next is having the individual surrender the bogus items and provide a written apology for their medallic fuckery™.
Considering that no one was being charged for stolen valour until 10 years ago, we’re doing pretty well…
Mr Lupton wears the QSJM in his expanded group. 7,000 were awarded to members of the Canadian Forces. There is no evidence of Lupton being a legitimate recipient of the QSJM in the Canada Gazette which records the names of all awardees.
In our World, there are posers, fakes and embellishers.
By far embellishers are the lowest of the low as they know the rules regarding medallic fuckery™️.
SVC is prepared to assist Mr Robert Lupton, who has claimed to have served on LGen Romeo Dallaire’s personal staff during the Rwanda Genocide, in determining his truths regarding the eight additional medals that have appeared in his group since 2015. Of course parachutist wings and a sniper tab are also in play…
So, we contacted our friends / supporters, reviewed open source documents including tour books and regimental web sites and immediately discovered several red flags in the group of medals that he has worn at Remembrance Day events in the Hamilton, Ontario area in 2021 and 2022.
NATO Meritorious Service Medal Firstly, there’s absolutely no record of Lupton being a legitimate recipient of the NATO Meritorious Service Medal which was instituted in 2003 as a personal award of the NATO Secretary General. The Alliance awards only 50/year, all Canadian recipients are known and Lupton isn’t one of them.
UN Observer Mission Uganda – Rwanda (UNOMUR)
This mission was established on 22 June 1993 to monitor the Uganda/Rwanda border and to verify that no military assistance reached Rwanda. The focus was placed primarily on transit by transport of lethal weapons and ammunition across the border as well as any other material which could be of military use. Upon completion of the task, the Mission was terminated in October 1994.
The CAF doesn’t maintain a comprehensive, researchable “master list” of members who are recipients of United Nations medals, they are only recorded on an individual’s personal records. Our research has produced conflicting results – one source indicates that 5 medals were issued to Canadian Forces members another states 3 medals while the Dallaire Foundation has communicated to us that Dallaire is likely the sole CF recipient…
UN Advance Mission in Cambodia (UNAMIC)
The medal was awarded for 90 days honourable service between 01 October 1991 and 15 March 1992 in preparation of the United Nations Transition Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC). Only 7 CF members / 1 RCMP member are recipients of this medal, there’s absolutely no evidence that Lupton is amongst the seven.
Although, Mr Lupton is the legitimate recipient of the UN Forces in Cyprus (UNFICYP) Medal and the subsequent awarding of Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal (CPSM) for his deployed service with 3 RCHA there’s no evidence that he has any entitlement to the 9 other medals he wears.
There is also no record of him being posted to a designated para billet that would permit him to wear wings with a white maple leaf…
Several months ago, in early 2022, we received an image from a Royal Canadian Navy Captain’s retirement ceremony being held in the United States in 2020.
The sender had a number of concerns with the military narrative and the medals/insignia that “Captain(N)” Marianne Knai was wearing and asked for our assistance in clarifying the situation.
We were advised that she moved to the US in 2017 while claiming to still be in the CAF and seconded to the US for assistance with human trafficking issues until her retirement in 2020.
Now, the medals…
The first medal in the group is the Medal of Military Valour, of which 90 have been awarded since its inception in 2001. All recipients are known, less 5 individuals who are not publicly named due to operational security issues.
There’s the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in the mix, she’s not listed as an awardee.
The last medal in the group is the Ebola Medal for Service in West Africa, all Canadian Forces recipients are known / documented, she’s not one of them…
As to her claims of being wounded in action in Afghanistan, that could have resulted in the award of the Sacrifice Medal, she’s not wearing it.
She’s also wearing the the dolphins awarded to Navy Clearance Divers (CD). The RCN divers specialize in mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, battle damage repair and hydrographic reconnaissance. All CDs are known and while there are women who have serve in that occupation, Knai was never one of them.
There are no Navy Captain / Colonel (O6) Social Work Officers in the CF however, she’s wearing the distinctive maroon stripes on her shoulder boards bearing the rank insignia of a Navy Captain. The SOCW occupation is capped at the Commander / Lt Colonel (O5) level and that individual is the clinical practice leader based in Ottawa.
After a deeper dive
What we do know, Knai was a navy reservist for approximately two years (2010-2012) as a Maritime Surface Officer. She then transferred to the regular force as a Social Work Officer (2012-2017) serving in CFB Esquimalt until she took her release and relocated to the US in 2017.
She had one short deployment to Kuwait in 2015. The service in Kuwait could have entitled her to the General Service Medal – EXPEDITION however, that medal is not included in the pictured group.
Her 7 years of service both Reserve/Regular precludes her from wearing the Canadian Forces Decoration (CD), which is the long service and good conduct medal awarded to all ranks of the CAF after 12 years of service.
We can find no record of her being a qualified parachutist.
The mascot of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, Corporal Cruachan is permitted to wear the medals that the Regiment has earned, so this wee fella wears (L to R) The Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan, The Common Security and Defence Policy Service Medal (EUFOR Althea), The UN UNFICYP (Cyprus) medal, The Ebola Medal for service in West Africa, the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal and is a recent recipient of the Queens Platinum Jubilee Medal.
This Shetland Pony has a legitimate entitlement to the Ebola Medal unlike Marianne Knai the social worker phoney!
Ex Corporal Robert J McKinnon first came to our attention in the Spring of 2022 and has been shopping his trinkets around to medal mounting companies in an attempt to juice up his 3 x legitimately awarded medals with un-named, store bought replicas and junk British commemorative medals.
No surprise that he wouldn’t / couldn’t produce his MPRR or any other documentation when the medal mounter requested to confirm his medallic entitlement. The questions were asked after it was discovered that the group contained medals that should have been named and weren’t.
Thanks to the professionalism of the Calgary area medal mounting community, who are protecting the integrity of the honours system, this poser isn’t having any success in preparing his Remembrance Day embellishments.
It’s now time for McKinnon to surrender his bogus medals and publicly apologize for his reprehensible actions…
He knows how to contact us.
CHIMO!
March 2022 McKinnon’s collection of legitimate medals, unearned replicas and store bought trinkets.
October 2022 McKinnon’s collection of legitimate medals & unearned replicas.
Over the past several years SVC has received dozens of complaints of fraudulent and most likely criminal wear of medals and military insignia by Sudbury area residents.
We’ve also heard the military themed fairy tales from jungle fighters, sole survivors, Prince Philip’s bodyguard, prisoners of war and even a participant in a secret firefight involving the Royal Newfoundland Regiment against Hezbollah on the slopes of Golan Heights…
With absolutely no appetite shown by the area police departments in pursuing criminal charges under s419 of the Criminal Code of Canada, concerned veterans have discretely contacted the many individuals who were wearing unearned medals and insignia and successfully negotiated the surrender the items for appropriate disposal action.
This met the SVC goal of separating the individuals from the items that they had no entitlement to wear however, many high profile, stolen valourists continue their live action role playing / medal wear with impunity.
Who is providing top cover to fake Vietnam POW Kenneth Laroche and why?
Laroche claims to be a highly decorated US Marine and Vietnam POW is connected with a number of so called veterans support group. He has been active with the War Pensioner’s Canada (WPC), he routinely carries their organizational flag in parades and has been a frequent flyer on our media platforms.
There have been others who have been showcased for their medallic fuckery™️ yet, despite their exposure as fakes, posers and embellishers they continue to insult the service and sacrifice of our wounded and fallen by juicing up their military themed fairy tales with unauthorized US military medals or privately purchased fantasy medals that lack any official standing.
Now, an embellisher and military fantasist who is regularly featured in the local press has resurfaced. His claim to fame – service with the US Military during Op Urgent Fury, the invasion of Grenada in 1983.
Ex Corporal Paul Abbott has been showcased as a “super special soldier” who routinely crows his combat service in Grenada.Disgustingly, he continues to participate in military themed events while fraudulently wearing the US Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (non-US service personnel are ineligible to receive US campaign medals) and Combat Infantry Badge as a member of the Royal Canadian Legion and the Sgt Charles Golden “Silver Star” Rifle Team.
Why do the so called leaders of Sudbury area veterans organizations permit posers, fakes and embellishers to be members of their groups? Perhaps, a deeper dive into their membership is warranted?
The Silver Star is the US military’s 3rd highest decoration for valour in combat. Why are these military fantasists wearing it?
A notorious scammer has resurfaced in the Qualicum Beach, BC area. This dude claims to be an infantry Captain, chef, engineer, sniper and pilot with 30 years of service. He tells a tale that he was recently recalled to duty as a Brigadier General assigned to sort the “current situation in the CAF”.
Apparently, his military file, some of it written in blood, is top secret, sealed and guarded.
Additional details will be provided as they become available. (SVC 3/7/2022)
