In Tyler, TX, a man - Samuel M. Garrison Jr. - died in Nov 2011. For several years he was a very public local figure. The city even named a new VA Facility after him.

His notoriety was due entirely to his claim to have been a “Tuskegee Airman”. At various times he claimed to have been a P-38 pilot, to have been in many “dogfights” and to have “put 10 enemy planes out of commission”. He wore many different medals on his Red blazer along with both Cpt and Col rank insignia.

The public readily accepted his stories (as evidenced by their putting his name on the new VA facility) despite some voices questioning his claims.
This week a local reporter published a long exposé disproving almost everything this man had claimed, and the city is “re-considering” his name on the VA building. It can’t even be definitely established that he was ever in the military let alone the “Tuskegee Airmen”.

All along people questioned Mr. Garrison’s claims. None of the units comprising the “Airmen” (99th Pursuit/Fighter Sq., the 332d Fighter Grp; and the 477th Bomb. Grp - which didn’t go overseas) flew P-38’s; no pilot of these units shot down 10 enemy aircraft; the different ranks he claimed; there was much confusion about the medals he wore, some that weren’t from that era. The Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (the group that represents the “Airmen”) couldn’t verify his service. Yet the local people refused to hear anything but that he was a bonafide WWII hero.

There is speculation that Mr. Garrison suffered from dementia and may well have believed his tales.

That may be true but I think that the local people are using this as an excuse to explain their culpability.

Mr. Garrison did a huge disservice to the real Tuskegee Airmen, to WWII Vets and to all vets. People (especially media reporters) should stop taking our (Vets) “war stories” at face value, many (maybe all) of us embellish our service at times, it is human nature. After telling these “tall tales”, over and over, all too often we begin to believe them ourselves.
I have seen and heard reports for years where it is obvious, to anyone who is at all familiar with the subject, that the reporter did no research and had just taken the vets story as he told it. This failure continues the publics’ beliefs in many historical myths.

Thank you 'muscogeemike' for posting this.

"All along people questioned Mr. Garrison’s claims. None of the units comprising the “Airmen” (99th Pursuit/Fighter Sq., the 332d Fighter Grp; and the 477th Bomb. Group - which didn’t go overseas) flew P-38’s"

I think that Mr. Garrison is confused (possibly dimensia, etc.) the P-38 Lightning with the P-39 Aircobra! When the 99th FS arrive they flew P-39 Air Cobra.
The Tuskegee airmen (TA) left the USA early in 04/02/43 to Tunisia. No pilot of the 332nd shot down 10 enemy aircraft. They then moved to Libya then to Europe. Rammitely (sp?) Air base had three satellite bases Several miles away
Lt. Charles McGee was the only 332nd pilot was credited with 4/12 kills during the war. President George W Bush got a report challenging a lot of the information about many Black units in WW-2. A report that indicated that Lt. Charles McGee should have been credit with a full credit for a kill instead of the half credit he received for a combat action. The only ace in the 332nd Fighter Wing.
The 332nd was charge with staying with the bombers and not chase after Luftwaffe fighters. Just to kill them if possibly or destroy the aim of the Luftwaffe fighters. The top cover fighters destroyed the aim Luftwaffe fighters and the bottom group would tangle with the fighters after they came through the bomber groups. No one wanted to fly through the bomber formations, the gunners would fire on anything that came the formations.
Stars And Stripes was the first periodical that stated the TA had never lost a bomber. A few months later Col. Benjamin O. Davis stated in a interview that wing had probably lost bombers.

Ref;
As one who is fighting the effects of a stroke, I know the daily battle to remember things in your past life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskege...bat_assignment

NOTE -I am a little biased, my Pops -Lt. Stanley Harris of the 301st Fighter Squadron.

Originally Posted by AVON

Thank you 'muscogeemike' for posting this.

I think that Mr. Garrison is confused (possibly dimensia, etc.) the P-38 Lightning with the P-39 Aircobra! When the 99th FS arrive they flew P-39 Air Cobra.
The Tuskegee airmen (TA) left the USA early in 04/02/43 to Tunisia. No pilot of the 332nd shot down 10 enemy aircraft. They then moved to Libya then to Europe. Rammitely (sp?) Air base had three satellite bases Several miles away
Lt. Charles McGee was the only 332nd pilot was credited with 4/12 kills during the war. President George W Bush got a report challenging a lot of the information about many Black units in WW-2. A report that indicated that Lt. Charles McGee should have been credit with a full credit for a kill instead of the half credit he received for a combat action. The only ace in the 332nd Fighter Wing.
The 332nd was charge with staying with the bombers and not chase after Luftwaffe fighters. Just to kill them if possibly or destroy the aim of the Luftwaffe fighters. The top cover fighters destroyed the aim Luftwaffe fighters and the bottom group would tangle with the fighters after they came through the bomber groups. No one wanted to fly through the bomber formations, the gunners would fire on anything that came the formations.
Stars And Stripes was the first periodical that stated the TA had never lost a bomber. A few months later Col. Benjamin O. Davis stated in a interview that wing had probably lost bombers.

Ref;
As one who is fighting the effects of a stroke, I know the daily battle to remember things in your past life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskege...bat_assignment

NOTE -I am a little biased, my Pops -Lt. Stanley Harris of the 301st Fighter Squadron.

Mr. Garrison was not confused, even his own family knew what he was saying was false. He went to some lengths to support his story - mainly researching the "Airmen" and wearing medals a vet of the unit would have earned. Demensia my have played into this, especially near his end of life. But I think he simply told the lie so many times he came to believe it – something true of many of us are guilty of in later life.

If he was suffering from dementia Mr Garrison would he been able to recall these events and not drop clangers while telling them which would have been easily picked up. I would suggest that when he started this charade he new only to well what he was doing. When dementia reared its ugly head then he made mistakes and got caught out and blamed his illness for what he had been doing.

Originally Posted by LeEnfield

If he was suffering from dementia Mr Garrison would he been able to recall these events and not drop clangers while telling them which would have been easily picked up. I would suggest that when he started this charade he new only to well what he was doing. When dementia reared its ugly head then he made mistakes and got caught out and blamed his illness for what he had been doing.

Unless you hold a seat in public office, lying to cover another lie often leads to you shooting your own foot off.

This guy seems like a joke, I did a college paper on the real Tuskegee Airman about two years ago, very few are still around and from what I turned up none have emblazoned themselves with this much bravado for personal attention.

When you hear their stories it's normally the media chasing them, not the otherway around.

I'd like to see the real unit's reputation remain untainted by this man's antics.

Geez guys he died 6 months ago it is a bit late for a lynching and I really don't see the story getting any bigger.

Originally Posted by MontyB

Geez guys he died 6 months ago it is a bit late for a lynching and I really don't see the story getting any bigger.

Well then I suppose the damage control has taken care of itself then.

The VA lists the VA Clinic in Tyler, TX. as being named the Tyler VA Primary Care Clinic.

http://www.northtexas.va.gov/visitors/tylergeninfo.asp

I would also hope that the VA would have checked out the story of the person in question before doing something that is so very rarely done.

Very seldom are VA Hospitals and Clinics named after people.
I can come up with 5 off the top of my head.
Most VA Hospitals and Clinics are named after the town they sit in. The Town also has little or nothing to do with naming the VA Facility, or the unnaming of a VA Facility. That would be up to the Congress, and the Government has picked mostly Doctors, maybe a Senator or two.

There was a push to have the VA name a Hospital after General Bradley, seeing how he ran the VA after World War II. But General Bradley did not get one.

Originally Posted by Gator

The VA lists the VA Clinic in Tyler, TX. as being named the Tyler VA Primary Care Clinic.

http://www.northtexas.va.gov/visitors/tylergeninfo.asp

I would also hope that the VA would have checked out the story of the person in question before doing something that is so very rarely done.

Very seldom are VA Hospitals and Clinics named after people.
I can come up with 5 off the top of my head.
Most VA Hospitals and Clinics are named after the town they sit in. The Town also has little or nothing to do with naming the VA Facility, or the unnaming of a VA Facility. That would be up to the Congress, and the Government has picked mostly Doctors, maybe a Senator or two.

There was a push to have the VA name a Hospital after General Bradley, seeing how he ran the VA after World War II. But General Bradley did not get one.

The facility I posted is not the Clinic, it is a new facility.

Originally Posted by muscogeemike

The facility I posted is not the Clinic, it is a new facility.

New Federal VA Facility? VA.gov only listed one Facility of any type for the area.