Gerald Bluefeather Smith
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No man by the name of Gerald Glenn Smith.... was ever with any
one of us, the authentic 661 surviving POWs of the
Vietnam War. Nor are they known by the Department of Defense in
this regard. For the Defense Department official listing of all
3,797 MIAs (to include 725 POWs), go to:
You can confirm this information with the Department of Defense: Mr.
Greer, Public Affairs Officer, can be reached at 703-699-1169.
Call during normal Washington, DC working hours.
Sincerely,
Captain John M. McGrath, USN (Ret)
POW 5 years 8 months in NVN
NAM-POW Historian
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Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 21:39:28 -0500
From: Chuck and Mary Schantag <pownet@asde.com>
Organization: P.O.W. Network
Subject: "NATIVE AMERICAN WOMAN....
Amanda,
We are gravely concerned with the contents of an article that we have
seen that has your by-line on it.
You talk about a Native American Vietnam Veteran, POW returnee
by the
name of Gerald Bluefeather Smith.
According to all available records from the United States Government,
posted publicly on the Internet, Mr. Smith was never held, captive,
escaped, detained, rescued or missing in action for 2 hours nor 2 days
nor ANY AMOUNT OF TIME during the Vietnam War. He was never on covert
ops, secret missions, his papers were not burned in St. Louis, nor did
he beg to be kept off the lists for privacy sake. He is not a
"lost
Sheep" nor a member of the group of legitimate returnees -- and
we have
contact with all of them. If he has made statements to this
effect, he
has disgraced the honor of the many that served, the families that
still
wait, and those that have returned.
Please feel free to call the Pentagon and verify the above statement.
We
have also contacted the President of the organization of returnees,
Capt
Mike McGrath, USN RET, for further verification of the fraud and
misconception by Mr. Smith or his wife. An article by Capt McGrath is
attached.
Should you need further verification, ... WITHOUT Mr. Smiths
permission,
we can request his military records. We can GUARANTEE, no POW/MIA status will be found. In addition, if Mr. Smith wears medals he is not entitled to, has POW plates on his car, is receiving VA benefits under this guise, or has altered his DD214 - he may be subject to Federal prosecution. If he continues to insist on his legitimacy, and does not admit he is lying - he will find himself on the HALL OF SHAME among the many other phonies and wannabees.... We eagerly await your reply - and hope that the story is NOT allowed to
be published containing the false statements it now has.
Mary and Chuck Schantag
P.O.W. Network
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5/23/99
From:
Amanda Y. Kidd
Attn.: xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Fort Payne Native American Veterans Festival-- Coordinator
I am writing in regard to a serious situation that involves the plans for
the annual Fort Payne Native American Veterans Festival which is
scheduled to
take place this October.
Several months ago, I was approached by Mrs. Donna Fireshadow Dean Smith
of Rico, Georgia with a request for my publicity assistance regarding
plans
she has made to dance in prayer for America's military servicemen who
remain
listed as Prisoner of War and Missing in Action from Vietnam.
Although I am aware that publicity for such a
ceremony requiring
traditional Jingle Dress attire would be inappropriate under normal
circumstances, Mrs. Smith's intentions were not for self-recognition,
but
rather as an invitation to all POW/MIA family members and activists in
an
effort to encourage as many as possible to attend this event
prayerfully as
well.
Unfortunately, it has been brought to my attention that Mrs. Smith's
husband, Gerald Bluefeather Smith (aka "Smitty") has no
information in his
military records to support the evidence of his claims as a former
Prisoner
of War. Several national databases have been thoroughly
searched-- as well
as his original military file on record at the National Military
Personnel
Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
For this reason, I ask that Mrs. Smith's plans not
be allowed to proceed
under the terms of publicity that they have recently received for the
upcoming festival scheduled for October. I am aware that it
would be a
violation of Mrs. Smith's religious rights to insist that she not pray
for
this cause at all, but due to the circumstances, I would suggest that
she do
so independently and privately-- without public reference to her
husband as a
former POW.
In addition, I would like to ask that
you notify the festival's
Organization Committee about the false claims of her husband, Gerald
Bluefeather Smith, and insist that he not be allowed to participate in
this
(or future) events. Failure to do so will gravely tarnish the
integrity and
hard work of all who strive to make the Fort Payne Native American
Veterans
Festival a respectful gathering place for participants who are truly
sincere
in their pride for those who did serve our country proudly and
honestly.
Please be assured that this misunderstanding is in
no way the fault of
the coordinators of the Fort Payne festival--- Such incidents
are frequent
and common within the veteran community as a whole, although this is
my first
encounter within our immediate Georgia / Alabama area. Nor do I
feel that it
responsibility lies with Mr. Smith's wife. I remain sympathetic
to her lack
of knowledge of her husband's false POW claims and and place
responsibility
on his failure to have truthfully and fully informed her of his
military
background prior to their fairly-recent marriage.
However, Gerald Bluefeather Smith will continue to
disgrace America's
veterans, the POW/MIA cause, and the Indian Nation as a whole if
action is
not taken immediately to secure the Fort Payne festival, as well as
similar
events, from Mr. Smith and similar individuals who glean undue
recognition
under false, illegal pretenses....
It is of great regret that I notify you of this
discovery and I encourage
you to feel free to contact me or the above-listed individuals for
information regarding ways to insure that similar incidents do not to
continue to occur among our Veterans, organizations, and within our
Native
circle.
Respectfully,
Amanda Y. Kidd (Lower Muskogee Creek)
Freelance Journalist
Relative of CMSgt. James A. Preston-- USAF-- Georgia-- MIA-- Vietnam
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Date: Thu, 3 Jun 1999 22:05:01 EDT
Subject: Can You Give Advice About This?
Dear ________________ Wanted to write and thank you for returning my call the other day, and to
apologize for not being home to speak with you. I did get the
message you
left on my answering machine however, but have not had a chance to
contact
you again by phone yet. Have had quite a busy and hectic
schedule lately!
I was wondering if you would be willing to contact me via e-mail soon and
possibly give me a bit of advice about how to go about obtaining
military
information through the Warrior Society on a Native American Vietnam
Veteran
in our area who has recently been found making false claims of having
been a
Prisoner of War in Vietnam.
This discovery came as an extreme shock to me a couple of weeks ago as
the result of a newspaper article I had written in good faith
pertaining to
Gerald Smith (or Smitty) as he's known by most of us who attend the
local pow
wows regularly. The article was done upon invitation by the
publisher of New
Jersey's state newspaper of Vietnam Veterans of America.
Unfortunately, a
military background check was done through St. Louis and no records
were
found to substantiate his POW claims. Nowhere in his full,
complete military
file is he listed as having been missing for any length of time during
his
military service.
Since then, I have been working with Mary Schantag of the POW/MIA Network
in Skidmore, Missouri to help locate his Warrior Society records in
the hope
that they may be obtained in order to see if there is any indication
that
they have been altered.
However, I am not familiar with Warrior Society
policies regarding public
release of their record files... and I am not certain of which chapter
would
list his membership. But if such records can be obtained, it
would be an
immense help in providing the information we need.
Any information you might be able to provide that
might help me through
these channels would be greatly appreciated.
In addition, I was wondering if you might be
willing to discuss the best
way to go about dealing with this situation at the local pow wows in
our area
from here on. Several local Native American vets are already
aware and have
expressed their displeasure regarding his claims, but no one seems to
know
how to go about requesting (as a safety precaution) that he no
longer be
allowed to attend. The closest I have come so far has been to
notify my
ex-husband
who is a member of the Georgia State Defense Force
through which he and several others frequently work security at the
local
festivals. State Defense members in general have informed me
that they can
only directly intervene if violence erupts, but they do not have the
authority to prohibit Gerald Smith's attendance or participation
altogether
unless it is requested by the pow wow coordinators.
As a respected tribal Chief, Elder, Vietnam
Veteran, and friend, your
advice and suggestions on this matter would be GREATLY welcomed.
Thank you so much for all your help.
Amanda Kidd
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It was good to hear from you again. I hope you can find time to
visit us
during our gathering which runs from 6/13--6/20. If you do come
by during
that time just drive on back on the gravel driveway until you see us.
We'll be near the back of the property.
I'm not sure if I can be of much help on your other problem or not.
If the
records in St Louis indicate that he was not a POW it's about 99% sure
that
he was not. I don't think the Warrior Society will be of any
help because
to my knowledge they do not attempt to verify military records.
My advice
would be to request a copy of his records through the newspaper that
you
mentioned and then give them to the chief of the warrior society and
ask
him to get involved. I think he would want to have the
opportunity to take
care of this himself. If he doesn't then I would present the
copy of
records to Smitty and ask that he not participate in the POW WOW.
I think
that he will disappear from the scene from embarrassment of being
caught in
this charade. Other than that it would be up to each POW WOW sponsor
to
handle his participation as they choose. Last, but most
important, pray
for him. He certainly needs that!!
I hope this helps. I hope to see you at our gathering.
Blue Crow
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Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 00:48:44 EST
Subject: NATIVE AMERICAN PHONY
I'm copying to you both on this... and Mary, I
really appreciate your
letting me know that we have another Native American "wannabe
hero" on the
loose. If there's anything that I can do to help, you know
that I will.
Tom, I really apologize for not responding sooner,
but I often get quite
behind on e-mail... I always answer, but it takes a little while
sometimes. Thanks
for the patience.
In short, I'm the POW/MIA family member (Relative
of James Preston~ MIA~
Laos) that Mary mentioned to you earlier who has been dealing with a
very
similar problem here in Georgia with another Native American veteran
who has
been making false POW claims. In fact, our situations are
practically
identical, so please feel welcome to contact me any time you need some
suggestions. Perhaps you can help me in the process also !!
After reading your e-mail that Mary forwarded to me
(included below), it
seems to me that you've already begun to handle it quite well... The
Hall of
Shame is where Dickison's name SHOULD be... I'm Native American also,
and I
agree that it's a blasphemous disgrace for him to use the Native
Circle as a
place to do his grandstanding. Anywhere is disgraceful for that
matter, but
the Native Circle is like a Church !!
If there's any suggestion that I could make that
might help, it would be
to advise that some sort of security precaution be taken beforehand if
you
intend to expose him publicly at a Native gathering such as a pow wow
or
other event. You're also wise to want to have something solid
and official
in writing so that you'll have the evidence in your hand when he's
exposed.
The less room that he has to argue, the better.
The reason that I suggest that you take some
sort of security precaution
is because of the experience that I went through here. After
doing a bit of
homework, I soon learned that our phony here in Georgia has an
extensive criminal
history as well as a background of domestic violence.
Although there were
others who had suspected his false claims for quite some time, it was
basically a rumor, and he had never been directly confronted. I
was the
first to insist that it be done, but had no idea what type of reaction
that
I'd be met with if he attempted to defend his claims. (Which he
did... and
unfortunately he's been quite successful in swaying the Native
community into
believing that he's been falsely accused. Instead, I'm the
"villain" for
making such a "mistake" and for bringing such
"embarrassment" to a
"respected" Elder.)
Perhaps it would have been much easier otherwise,
but our phony's name is
Gerald Glenn Smith (a.k.a. Gerald Bluefeather Smith, or
"Smitty.") There's
another Gerald Smith on the Hall of Shame as well, and Smitty has been
successful in convincing the Native community here that Mary and I
have
mistaken his identity. ...
Tom, hopefully you won't have this kind of trouble,
but it can't hurt to
alert the Elders before you confront him so that everyone will know
what's
going on... Also, if he's prone to violence, those who work security
at the
pow wows might need to know so that they can be standing by just in
case.
People like this are emotionally disturbed and don't always accept
this type
of public exposure quietly...
Also, it couldn't hurt to have a copy of Mac's
Facts 22 handy...
Actually, I printed out the entire list of legitimate POW returnees
from Mike
McGrath's page... It's really helped to have it nearby in case we run
into
others who make similar false claims...
Tom, I hope these suggestions help... Mary, feel
free to jump in with
others... Our nightmare hasn't completely ended here... It's just
reached a temporary
"lull" because it's winter and pow wow season doesn't start
again until
Spring... But it'll resurrect itself again eventually...
Good luck Tom... Please feel welcome to get in touch anytime...
I'll help
in any way that I can and will try not to be so slow in answering next
time...
God Bless...
Amanda Kidd
Relative of CMSgt. James A. Preston~ MIA~ Laos
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C R H V Committee to Restore Honor to our Veterans To: Mr. Gerald G. Smith August 13, 2007 From: C R H V Re: False Claims of Military Service Copy: All committee members, POW Network Mr. Smith: For at least eight or more years you have professed
(both in public and in private) to have been a Prisoner of War during
the conflict in This is a compilation of the story you tell anyone who is willing to listen: We were on a mission in If all this were true, it would be a harrowing
story of bravery and heroism during a very difficult time in our
history. Unfortunately, in
your case, there is not one ounce of truth to any of it.
The story has been thoroughly researched and documented by the
POW Network, The National Personnel Records Center (Military Records
Division, 2 Feb 1968 Entered the Army Co E US Army Receiving Station , Ft Jackson, SC
12 Feb 1968
Basic Combat Training
Co D 10Bn2Bde
Ft
22 Apr 1968
Duty Soldier
HHC Specialized Training: ATF 21-114, Code of Conduct, Military Justice, C&R Tng 6 Feb 1969 Casual Duty Enroute USARPAC (US Army, Pacific) 21 Mar 1969 Electrician 697th Engineering Co, USARPAC
30 Jun 1969
Patient
MHC USAH, Ft 25 Aug 1969 Casual Duty Enroute to Hunter Army Air FH Co 17 Sep 1969 Pipeline Spec HQ&SVC CO SCHBDEUSAANVSEHAFGA 13 Feb 1970 REFRAD Para 185SO USAF TC at Ft Stewart, GA (DISCHARGED) Decorations and awards: Sharpshooter (Rifle, M14), Vietnam Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal. Note: (NDSM issued to all persons in service during Vietnam War – VSM issued to anyone who was within territorial boundaries of Vietnam (and others) during the conflict) Nowhere in your records is there any mention of POW status. You also claim to have been wounded. Nowhere in your records is there any mention of authorization to wear or claim the Purple Heart as you have done many times. Unauthorized claims to this medal is a FEDERAL CRIME. On at least two occasions you were questioned as to the validity of your “story”. Your response was “It all got swept into the cracks”. On both occasions you indicated that you were going to “get it fixed”. Two years have now passed and you have done absolutely nothing to repair the damage to your “honor”. You have continued to parade around like the hero you wish you were. You have continued to accept the gratuities of an unknowing public at powwows and in other places. First of all, the minute you returned your base, you and the other four who also returned would have been thoroughly debriefed ( remember, four men died). The Army wasn’t in the habit of sweeping a matter such as this under the rug. There are over 50,000 names of men who gave their all on a black granite wall. Many of those men were, in fact, on secret missions deep in the jungle. Where are the names of those honored dead whom you purport to dance for? What are the names of the four with whom you returned? Where are the After-action Reports? And lastly, what was an electrician, attached to a Pipeline Support Group doing on a “mission” in the jungle? You see, Mr. Smith, none of your story holds water. You have, in fact, dishonored the very men who you claim to honor. You have also dishonored the uniform of the US Armed Forces and every man who ever wore it. You now have several choices. 1 - You can stand up, like a man, at the upcoming Euharlee Veterans Powwow, and apologize to all of the people you have deceived over the years. Or 2 - You can resign from your honored duties as Head Veteran/ Headman Dancer and leave the powwow circle FOREVER. Or 3 - You may wish to continue the charade, in which case other measures will be taken. The time for “hemming and hawing “ is over. You have fifteen (15) days from receipt of this letter in which to make up your mind as to your course of action. Unless you respond your intentions IN WRITING, further repercussions will result – Including, but not limited to, requesting the FBI to open an investigation into your claims. Suggest you review HR Bill 3352 (Stolen Valor Act of 2005) and US Code Title 18, Part 1, Chap 33 – Sect 704 before you make your decision. It’s up to you. COMMITTEE TO RESTORE HONOR TO OUR VETERANS SEND YOUR RESPONSE TO the RETURN ADDRESS on the ENVELOPE Failure to respond within the prescribed time will result in option #3 above Email copy to all committee members – File: Smith, G G 82007 |
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From: momma32763@comcast.net To: info@pownetwork.org Subject: Smitty Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:36:00 +0000
Look
I do not know who you are and I honestly do not give a shit, but I
have been to your BOGUS website and I am fed up with the bullshit.
For one you are messing with my "Family", for two you are
only posting what you wanna post. It is only half truths and I want
to know where you get your information from due to the fact that
this info is classified information so evidently YOU DO NOT KNOW
WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!!
So
I am telling you to back off of my family, this includes
Smitty,Donna,Joey,Dink and anyone else you may want to include! Now
I am trying to play nice but please don't make me play bad! I am fed
up with the lies and bullshit you and your friends seem to want to
post on the internet. Just because this Amanda person and her
husband have family members lost in action and they are suffering
does NOT give them the right to make others miserable. This email is
to also be known to Sara,Travis, and all of these other so called
friends on the pow-wow circuit. You can not harm me for you have
nothing on me, nor have I ever claimed to be anything so
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I am who I am take me or leave me but back the fuck
off of my friends! This also includes Keith,(sorry Keith).
Signed,
ONE PISSED OFF
BITCH
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In a message dated 4/24/2008 11:18:33 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
momma3271963@aim.com writes:
To Whom It May Concern, Freshour, Vickie (Watson) momma32763 @comcast.com |
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Date: Mon, 12 May 2008 10:53:15 -0700 (PDT) From: Mark Davis <thunderhawk2062@yahoo.com> Subject: Your website To: info@pownetwork.org X-SpamScore: 0 X-MailHub-Apparently-To: info@pownetwork.org
To Mary and Chuck Schantag
To let you know, I am using a friends computer as I do
not own one.
After countless efforts to get you to remove me, my
name, my photos and any military records that you may
have from your website, you leave me no choice.
You have posted my name, photo's and partial records
as well as my location on your website without my
express verbal and/or written permission. The freedom
of information act does not mean you can invade some
ones privacy and make the claims that you are making
public.
I have spoken at great length to the U.S. Attorney's
Office in Atlanta and I was advised that I can file
Federal Criminal charges against you, Amanda Prestin
(aka KIDD) and the "Committee to Restore Honor to our
Veterans, (aka Ted Schultz). If charges are filed,
there is a great chance that your website will be shut
down and you will lose the right to own or use a
computer again. I will give you 3 days from today to
remove any and all information that concerns me from
your site.
Gerald Smith
CC: David E. Nahmias
U.S. Attorney's Office
Northern District of Georgia
Paul Suddes
Acting Deputy Director
U.S. Attorney's Office
Washington, D.C.
Marie O'Rourke
Victims Rights Ombudsman
U.S. Attorney's Office
Washington, D.C.
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Date: Mon, 12 May 2008 19:03:27 -0500 To: Mark Davis <thunderhawk2062@yahoo.com> From: "P.O.W. Network - Chuck and Mary Schantag" <info@pownetwork.org> Subject: Re: Your website
Hey Smitty - about time you signed your name! We're not mind
readers.
Please pass our contact on to the U.S. attorneys offices as soon as possible. We want them to understand the claims you've made for years (for personal gain) about being a Prisoner of War in Vietnam that are prosecutable under the STOLEN VALOR ACT. We'll get them in direct contact with the FBI Agents on this case. Mrs Preston will make an excellent witness, as will Mr. Schultz. Meanwhile, we have passed your note on to those same FBI agents.
Mary and Chuck Schantag
P.O.W. Network
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Date: Tue, 13 May 2008 05:32:21 -0700 (PDT) From: Mark Davis <thunderhawk2062@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Your website To: "P.O.W. Network - Chuck and Mary Schantag" <info@pownetwork.org>
Chuck and Mary
I am answering for Smitty with his approval. Ask your
self why is Ted Schultz making so much noise.
Answer::He himself has something to hide and is trying
to draw attention away from him. As for Amanda Prestin
(Kidd) and her husband, they should learn to deal with
it and get over it. I lost a brother and two cousins
in Vietnam, my brother was listed as MIA as well as
one of my cousins, my other cousins remains came home
in the early 80's. Our family has learned to live with
it as should the Prestins. My mother and aunt and
uncle crossed over not knowing what happened or where
they were. I am 56 and yes, I'd like to know before
it's my time.
The people you have on your site can, individually or
collectively could file suit against you in federal
court for invasion of privacy, slander, defamation of
character. IF the FBI were involved as you state, they
would have talked to all concerned by know. In case
you didn't know, they have a habit of investigating
those who make reports to them first, so you, Ted
Schultz and the Prestins, so I hope you have nothing
to hide.
There is some one here in Alabama that you can have
some real fun with, a bigger catch than those you are
now harassing.
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