Veterans with disputed status are people whose status as, or claims of being a military veteran has been questioned, disputed or debunked.
Such veterans have existed for as long as wars have been fought.
Types of disputed status
Various kinds of veterans with disputed status exist:
Exaggerated details
Soldiers who served in the military and exaggerate parts of their experience, such as saying that one was in combat for 50 days when one was only in combat for 10 days, or that one had been 100 miles behind enemy lines when one was only 10 miles behind the lines. This is the most common type of falsehood.
Falsified details
Soldiers who served in the military but lie about awards medals or honors; prisoner of war status; membership in elite groups; or participation in battles. If a veteran claims to have earned a purple heart when in fact he never received one, for example, that veteran is falsifying details.
Fraudulent status
People who claim to have served in the military but never did, or who did serve in the military for a time but were not discharged properly and are not considered veterans in a legal sense.
Disputed veteran status as a cultural phenomenon
"They're a nationwide epidemic," says Mary Schantag, who, with her husband Chuck Schantag, operates The POW Network, a web site dedicated to honoring American prisoners of war. "We've documented over seven hundred phony prisoners of war from Vietnam - more than the total number of POWs who were repatriated in '73. Every time we expose an imposter, it seems like we get reports of two or three more. Their numbers just keep growing and growing."
The Schantags now spend most of their time not honoring real POWs, but exposing fake ones -- their list of phonies is thousands long and they long ago stopped counting. Similarly, Doug Sterner, who runs the Medal of Honor tribute site from his Pueblo, Colo. home, routinely fields calls from people and reporters trying to expose frauds.
Many experts believe that people who either pad their military records or fabricate them outright do so not only due to low self-esteem, but also because of the military's high status since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
These local groups like the Schantags carry much of the burden of exposing phony veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs only gets involved and presses charges if someone has illegally received veterans benefits as a result of the deception.
In the United States the giving of government aid to Veterans has long provided incentives for men to lie about such things as their ages, the cause of life altering injuries, and their financial state. In addition, there have been impostors who claim to have served but did not.
Men falsified their ages in order to qualify for pensions especially during the Depression, and some people also claiming to be vets were in fact dishonorably discharged or went AWOL.
More recently B. G. Burkett wrote a book called Stolen Valor in which he discovered a large number of people claiming to be veterans who were not. Using the Freedom of Information Act and military personnel records, he claimed to find these 'fake vets' in every walk of life, from VA hospitals to university professors.
POW Network
The POW Network is itself disputed. Mary Schantag, who holds herself out as a purported guardian of military matters, tried to run for the office of Adjutant General of the , a legitimate POW organization. Schantag herself had never been a POW or a member of the organization. She was not elected. Many veterans are outraged by the charges listed on their website, asserting them false.
Such veterans have existed for as long as wars have been fought.
Types of disputed status
Various kinds of veterans with disputed status exist:
Exaggerated details
Soldiers who served in the military and exaggerate parts of their experience, such as saying that one was in combat for 50 days when one was only in combat for 10 days, or that one had been 100 miles behind enemy lines when one was only 10 miles behind the lines. This is the most common type of falsehood.
Falsified details
Soldiers who served in the military but lie about awards medals or honors; prisoner of war status; membership in elite groups; or participation in battles. If a veteran claims to have earned a purple heart when in fact he never received one, for example, that veteran is falsifying details.
Fraudulent status
People who claim to have served in the military but never did, or who did serve in the military for a time but were not discharged properly and are not considered veterans in a legal sense.
Disputed veteran status as a cultural phenomenon
"They're a nationwide epidemic," says Mary Schantag, who, with her husband Chuck Schantag, operates The POW Network, a web site dedicated to honoring American prisoners of war. "We've documented over seven hundred phony prisoners of war from Vietnam - more than the total number of POWs who were repatriated in '73. Every time we expose an imposter, it seems like we get reports of two or three more. Their numbers just keep growing and growing."
The Schantags now spend most of their time not honoring real POWs, but exposing fake ones -- their list of phonies is thousands long and they long ago stopped counting. Similarly, Doug Sterner, who runs the Medal of Honor tribute site from his Pueblo, Colo. home, routinely fields calls from people and reporters trying to expose frauds.
Many experts believe that people who either pad their military records or fabricate them outright do so not only due to low self-esteem, but also because of the military's high status since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
These local groups like the Schantags carry much of the burden of exposing phony veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs only gets involved and presses charges if someone has illegally received veterans benefits as a result of the deception.
In the United States the giving of government aid to Veterans has long provided incentives for men to lie about such things as their ages, the cause of life altering injuries, and their financial state. In addition, there have been impostors who claim to have served but did not.
Men falsified their ages in order to qualify for pensions especially during the Depression, and some people also claiming to be vets were in fact dishonorably discharged or went AWOL.
More recently B. G. Burkett wrote a book called Stolen Valor in which he discovered a large number of people claiming to be veterans who were not. Using the Freedom of Information Act and military personnel records, he claimed to find these 'fake vets' in every walk of life, from VA hospitals to university professors.
POW Network
The POW Network is itself disputed. Mary Schantag, who holds herself out as a purported guardian of military matters, tried to run for the office of Adjutant General of the , a legitimate POW organization. Schantag herself had never been a POW or a member of the organization. She was not elected. Many veterans are outraged by the charges listed on their website, asserting them false.
Lewis Rainer is an actor, born in Up Holland (near Wigan), who has starred as Ross Duncan in the television series Grange Hill and also made a one of appearance on Hollyoaks.
Playing Ross Duncan in Grange Hill is Lewis' first major role. Lewis described his character as "a bit of a geek at first and is rather in the background, but he comes out of his shell as the series goes on and his character becomes more central," Even though this was his first series (series 30 in Grange Hill) he was offered £14,000, after impressing at the auditions.
http://www.grangehillfans.co.uk
Playing Ross Duncan in Grange Hill is Lewis' first major role. Lewis described his character as "a bit of a geek at first and is rather in the background, but he comes out of his shell as the series goes on and his character becomes more central," Even though this was his first series (series 30 in Grange Hill) he was offered £14,000, after impressing at the auditions.
http://www.grangehillfans.co.uk
The Mountain Firework Company are a folk/country group from Brighton, UK led by northern-Irish songwriter Gareth McGahan.
They have one album entitled a rough guide to feeling rough which includes favourites "sometimes" and "the exit's at the back".
Their music has been used for Channel 5's award winning youth programme RAD: The Groms Go Down Under and LOCKDOWN projects' short film from Russia with gloves - both about snowboarding.
band members are
gareth mcgahan - guitar,banjo
simon c. russell - double bass
grant allardyce - drums
luke smith - mandolin
matt oldfield - guitar
mike simmonds - violin
They have one album entitled a rough guide to feeling rough which includes favourites "sometimes" and "the exit's at the back".
Their music has been used for Channel 5's award winning youth programme RAD: The Groms Go Down Under and LOCKDOWN projects' short film from Russia with gloves - both about snowboarding.
band members are
gareth mcgahan - guitar,banjo
simon c. russell - double bass
grant allardyce - drums
luke smith - mandolin
matt oldfield - guitar
mike simmonds - violin
While it is impossible to determine objectively the greatest television show of all time, it is possible to list television shows considered the greatest ever by a sizeable populace of the TV-watching community or, more commonly, by critics. The criterion for inclusion in this article is that the television show is considered the "greatest" in a quantitative survey – be it a critics' poll, popular poll or number of awards. For a list of longest running television series, please see the corresponding article.
In particular genres
Animation
* The Simpsons was voted the best television show of the 20th Century by TIME magazine and has won more Emmys than any other animated television show.
* Neon Genesis Evangelion was voted the greatest anime of all time in a reader poll by Newtype USA and in the Japan Media Arts Festival.
* Gundam was found to be the best anime of all time in a survey conducted by the television network Animax.
* Sazae-san is the longest running animated series of all time.
Comedy
*The Phil Silvers Show was voted the best sitcom by Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy in 2003.
* Frasier was named by UK's Channel 4 as the best sitcom of all-time by other comedians.
* Last of the Summer Wine is the longest running comedy series of all time.
Drama
* Guiding Light is the longest running drama series of all time.
Educational
* Blue Peter is the longest running educational show of all time.
Game show
* The Price is Right was voted best game show ever by TV Guide.
Science fiction
* Star Trek was deemed the greatest cult television program of all time by TV Guide magazine on a list of the 50 Greatest Cult Television Shows.
* Doctor Who is the longest running science fiction series of all time.
In particular countries
Australia
* The Graham Kennedy Show was voted the greatest Australian television show in Channel 9's 50 Years/50 Shows special.
* Four Corners is the longest running television series in Australia.
United Kingdom
* Fawlty Towers was first in a 2000 list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute.
* Only Fools and Horses was voted Britain's Best Sitcom
United States
* Seinfeld was named the greatest television show of all time when it topped TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time in 2002.
* Cheers and ER both received 117 Emmy award nominations during their runs, more than any other show.
* I Love Lucy is the only show to be inducted into the United States Television Hall of Fame.
In particular genres
Animation
* The Simpsons was voted the best television show of the 20th Century by TIME magazine and has won more Emmys than any other animated television show.
* Neon Genesis Evangelion was voted the greatest anime of all time in a reader poll by Newtype USA and in the Japan Media Arts Festival.
* Gundam was found to be the best anime of all time in a survey conducted by the television network Animax.
* Sazae-san is the longest running animated series of all time.
Comedy
*The Phil Silvers Show was voted the best sitcom by Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy in 2003.
* Frasier was named by UK's Channel 4 as the best sitcom of all-time by other comedians.
* Last of the Summer Wine is the longest running comedy series of all time.
Drama
* Guiding Light is the longest running drama series of all time.
Educational
* Blue Peter is the longest running educational show of all time.
Game show
* The Price is Right was voted best game show ever by TV Guide.
Science fiction
* Star Trek was deemed the greatest cult television program of all time by TV Guide magazine on a list of the 50 Greatest Cult Television Shows.
* Doctor Who is the longest running science fiction series of all time.
In particular countries
Australia
* The Graham Kennedy Show was voted the greatest Australian television show in Channel 9's 50 Years/50 Shows special.
* Four Corners is the longest running television series in Australia.
United Kingdom
* Fawlty Towers was first in a 2000 list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute.
* Only Fools and Horses was voted Britain's Best Sitcom
United States
* Seinfeld was named the greatest television show of all time when it topped TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time in 2002.
* Cheers and ER both received 117 Emmy award nominations during their runs, more than any other show.
* I Love Lucy is the only show to be inducted into the United States Television Hall of Fame.