Dana Telschow the fake Green Beret was sent to us when someone saw a video of him a local radio station 97.5 in Michigan did with him. They do a "May We Thank You" blog where they interview Vets and thank them for their service.
It seems like an admirable project if you get people that tell the truth and not those that claim to be a Green Beret falsely. Below is a screenshot of the since-deleted YouTube video 97.5 did with Dana Telschow the fake Green Beret.
Article when we were first contacted.
You can hear a portion of the interview here, along with his confession:
👉Video of his claims w/ his Phone confession👈
We reached out to 97.5 Y-Country yet weren't successful in getting them to call him a second time. After we got his phone confession, 97.5 Y-Country reached out to us and wanted to correct the issue.
We aren't sure who got things rolling but it looks like they did indeed remove the article.
It looks like they finally removed it.
Pretty straightforward case. Was he a Green Beret? NO
Did he hurt his knees from too many Parachute jumps? NO
Did he lose his ability to run across the battlefield because of too many Parachute jumps? NO
It seems like these guys are only sorry after they get caught. He had claimed to be a Green Beret for years. Had we not exposed his lie, he would still be a Green Beret tomorrow.
If you look at his first 2-1, it looks like he went AWOL and he does indeed confirm that over the phone. We're not sure what happened his first time in, but the second time, he could have been proud of what he did. Few people serve. He served as a 31V and could have/should have stood on that service.
Edit to add on 7/21/21:
After this article was published, Matt Malone (who conducted the interview), reached back out and explained the processes they had to take in order to rectify the situation. Though Dana’s actions were clearly wrong, his interview has implications on others who are not directly involved with his misjudgment—like his employer, other sponsors as well as other staff of the radio stations. The interview has since been removed from their social channels, website, and podcasts and Matt Malone also issued a statement to recognize and apologize for the falsehood from Dana’s interview. The May We Thank You Tour is a well-meaning program meant to celebrate those who have served our Country and Matt assured us that the radio station will continue to do the tour and highlight our Veterans while upholding the standard of honesty and integrity.
👉97.5 Y-Country follow up post👈
QUOTE:
“Knowing only from a civilian perspective of what it takes to be a Green Beret, I can absolutely understand the infuriation that must be felt when someone claims to have gone through the same path and challenges that an actual Green Beret has gone through to earn that title and rank when in reality, they didn’t. You put in the work. You made those sacrifices. You put yourself in incredibly dangerous positions to be called a Green Beret. From the bottom of my heart, I apologize to all Green Berets for this interview of false information. As a radio station that prides itself on supporting our servicemen and women, we would never knowingly air an interview that was misleading or filled with lies. I want the May We Thank You program to continue to honor our military and give our listeners a peek into the life of someone serving in the military and to help our audience gain a deeper appreciation for their service. That is the intent, not to spread lies of service. Thank you to those who have served our Country and those who continue to serve our Country. We appreciate your service, sacrifices, and the sacrifices your friends and family had to make during your service as well.”
—Matt Malone