Fox News has apologized after news surfaced this week that a 72-year-old man the network highlighted as a decorated Vietnam-era Navy SEAL was actually a faker.
The network aired a segment on Oct. 8 featuring John Garofalo, during which the Navy veteran showed off a glass and bronze presidential seal he made for President Trump.
Garofalo said he was a Navy SEAL who served in Vietnam and was awarded two Purple Hearts.
During the segment, Fox News reporter Bryan Llenas praised Garofalo for his service, which he said included seven years as a “member of the nation’s first Navy SEAL team.”
But Garofalo told Navy Times on Thursday that he neither served in Vietnam nor was a Navy SEAL. He also did not receive two Purple Hearts, but he did serve in the Navy.
“It got bigger and bigger,” he told Navy Times, which confronted Garofalo after obtaining his personnel record. “What I did I’m ashamed of, and I didn’t mean to cause so much disgrace to the SEALs.”
According to the Navy Times, Garofalo served in the Navy from 1963 to 1967 and worked as an aviation boatswain’s mate. He did a tour in Rota, Spain in 1966.
The Fox News correction said the network spent the last two weeks working with Garofalo’s family and the National Personnel Records Center to obtain further details about Garofalo’s service.
“We apologize to our viewers, especially veterans and servicemen and women,” Fox News said.
Llenas also issued an apology to viewers on the air Friday.
“There are lessons to be learned from this,” he said. “I should have done more to verify his information. I sincerely apologize to our viewers, especially our vets and service men and woman.”
