Tim Poe Attempts to Exploit Military Sentiment Through Country
For years corporate country has been commercially exploiting military sentimentality amongst the masses by offering a incessant and mawkish parade of tribute songs and tripe that is shielded from most mainstream criticism because people are afraid of being chastised for not supporting the troops, when in reality many of these “tributes” are even more of an insult to the troops than saying nothing because of the deceptive motivation behind them.
However some of these country music tributes are heartfelt, and many country stars big and small have given of their own time and money, thrown benefit concerts, and have flown all around the world to entertain and give back to the service members who are willing to lay down their own lives.
Unfortunately it was the exploitative version on display this Monday (6-4-12), ironically from a former service member himself.
This week NBC’s reality TV show “America’s Got Talent” showcased a country singer named Tim Poe. Poe claimed to be an 14-year military veteran who had been injured by a rocket propelled grenade in Afghanistan, suffering a broken back and brain damage that gave him stuttering disorder that could only be controlled when he sang.
“There was a guy who came up with a rocket-propelled grenade. I saw it coming down, and by the time I turned and went to jump on top of my guys, I yelled ‘grenade’ and the blast had hit me,” said Poe who got all positive grades from the judges and received a standing ovation after singing Garth Brooks’ “If Tomorrow Never Comes” Monday night.
The problem is, according to numerous reports, Tim Poe’s story is a sham. Rickey.org, a reality show blog first reported that according to a statement from Tim’s superior officer Lt. Col. Kevin Olson, he only served 9 years in the Minnesota National Guard instead of 14, and was not injured in his tour in Afghanistan in 2009, never received a Purple Heart, and never reported an injury. Since then The Associated Press has followed up finding no record of the claimed injury, and his ex-wife in Texas told the New York Post she never heard him stutter and, “There were no combat injuries. I think he developed a ‘feel sorry for me’ stutter.”
NBC filmed a detailed feature on Tim Poe in Austin, TX delving into the details of his military injury story that aired before his performance, but apparently never checked up on his back story. At this point, NBC has offered no comment on the controversy, but Tim Poe swore to TMZ that it is all still true, though has offered no evidence to corroborate his claims.
****UPDATE****UPDATE****UPDATE****UPDATE****
6-7-12 – TMZ has discovered the combat photo of Tim Poe NBC used in their setup story is not him, but Staff Sgt. Norman Boone of El Paso, TX. The same picture can be seen archived on the Department of Defense website, clearly marked as Boone, and not Tim Poe. “First thing that came to my mind was ‘Why would this lying son of a bitch do this?’ I’m absolutely furious. Been seeing red all day.”
Norman Boone has reached out to the military’s legal department to explore his options. Meanwhile Tim Poe and NBC have offered no further comment.
6-8-12 – It has now been revealed that Tim Poe only served 1 month in Afghanistan before leaving due to an ear infection. He is also back-pedaling on some elements of his story, blaming them on memory loss due to the head injury which still has not been verified by the military, or people close to Poe. He told E Online:
It may not have happened exactly like I said it did. I really do not remember a lot of things since the accident. I would like to take the time to tell the American people how truly sorry I am that they had to endure the incomplete facts. I understand how they feel.
According to Howie Madell, one of the show’s judges, Poe will not be removed from America’s Got Talent, but will be allowed to continue and face an anticipated firing squad for being a liar. “I was blown away that I was totally taken in,” said Mandel. “I’m really angry with the guy.”
June 6, 2012 @ 4:27 pm
I’m I’m I”m I’m Fu Fu Fu Fu Full of of of shit and a so so so sorry son son son of of a a a a bi bi bi bitch …… i cant believe this sorry lying son of a bitch has taken away glory from the real heros if you watch the video he stutters bad and then he talks with speech thats just fine. I’ll keep my country artists with class and not liars sorry for the rant but this makes me sick
June 6, 2012 @ 4:51 pm
If this turns out to be the case I’d rather spit on him than drop a nickle in his guitar case. I got a feeling “Faketiots” like this are gonna become all t common.
June 6, 2012 @ 4:55 pm
Hes ripping off Mel Tillis
June 6, 2012 @ 5:09 pm
Hey now. Mel is solid folks.
June 6, 2012 @ 5:43 pm
Oh no doubt, an all-timer who recieves far too little recognition. Who knows, maybe the guy really stutters and maybe he got hit in the back by an RPG. But if not, I think I know where he got stutter as ya talk and smooth as ya sing idea
June 6, 2012 @ 6:05 pm
If it turns out that he lied…holy SHIT!! That is one of the worst insults to our military I’ve ever heard. Sickening!!! If he’s telling the truth, he’d better get to proving it in a hurry.
June 6, 2012 @ 7:03 pm
As a veteran myself, (never had the honor of deploying) i have real friends who have gone through that real situation. i have friends currently serving in the middle east and bases all over the world. If this guy turns out to be fake, i would love to see the news coverage of the “leaked” video of some true American vet swiftly placing a combat boot straight up this guy’s hind end.
June 6, 2012 @ 8:06 pm
Welcome to corporate country music, Tim. You’ll fit right in.
June 7, 2012 @ 5:53 am
i’ve actually been watching the show this year only because howard stern is a judge. my wife and i were amazed by the guys ‘act’. too bad he’s an ass hole. albeit he’s a vet folks like this should be tarred and feathered as they are run out of town no matter how well they can sing. they make a mockery of the veteran community. thanks for running this story here, trig.
June 7, 2012 @ 6:21 am
I can’t believe how people are defending this POS. To listen to his lies and for America to allow him to take away from real Soldiers that have gave up so much for this country, just makes me sick to my stomach! I served 10yrs in the 101st and went to Iraq for 38 months for this country and nothing else, and to sit here and watch America believe this POS’s lies makes me think all of our sacrifices were and are for NOTHING! Don’t let this Poser get away with this America, please…. This just isn’t right!
June 7, 2012 @ 9:16 am
They should keep him on the show and bring him out next week. Let’s see how it goes this time. I be Howard would have a question or two.
Maybe they could truck in some vets and put them front row. “Military Appreciation Night on America’s Got Talent” Come on out Tim, sing us another, and really put your heart into it.
June 7, 2012 @ 3:20 pm
I like this idea. The vets could be supplied with a huge pile of rotting veggies and dead skunks, and Mr. Poe could come out wearing a target on his shirt. For the first time, I would watch one of these reality teebee programs.
June 7, 2012 @ 9:52 am
So he is a fake? How sad he played that card. he takes away from the real heroes
June 7, 2012 @ 9:58 am
This is where we are as a society now. People see how easy it is to make a quick buck by lying and manipulating others for their own benefit. This very website points to the problem, not just with country music but the entire entertainment industry. That problem is no one is real anymore, everybody is fake. Just watch an episode of the Kardashians or those horrible Bachelor & Bachelorette shows and you’ll see what I mean.
June 7, 2012 @ 10:18 am
Sad stories help the contestants the sadder the story the more sympathy votes they get. If this story is true he is kick off the show.
June 7, 2012 @ 11:10 am
shocking—something on “reality” tv had nothing to do with “reality”
pathetic
June 7, 2012 @ 11:25 am
Stolen valor is a big problem. The Armed Forces are a great thing, but that don’t mean that the military is not dealing with a large number of dipshits that are just so small minded that they just have no respect for the magnitude of, or the ultimate sacrifice that far to many soldiers have made.
Combat Vets just don’t go on TV and start talking about shit like that. It is just to personal to them.
June 7, 2012 @ 11:27 am
Crappy music aside…
Should it turn out that he did lie, a much bigger issue to think about is that a large television network ran an entire feature on him and put him on their TV show. Think about the number of people and amount of money involved in producing a large-format program like this. Then think about none of them doing any fact checking, or doing just enough fact-checking to confirm their marketing desire to pull at America’s heart strings with a story that nobody could dislike.
Consider for a second what this implies, as well. It means that most people who watch TV, in general, do not question whether what they’re seeing is real. They assume it’s factual…simply because it’s on TV. And that is a very, very dangerous thing to have going on here. Remember that old joke, “I saw it on the Internet, so it must be real!”. Yeah, pretty much the same here, except the joke is on who-knows-how-many-people.
June 10, 2012 @ 5:52 am
Not to mention how the network will “milk” this issue to increase their audience and self-profits. Also, if I am correct, wasn’t this guy’s wife standing at stage-left crying all of the time while he was talking/singing? In MHO, she must have been in on the whole scam too.
Semper Fi, to all who have served with honor and to those who support all of our Vets.
Jack
GySgt. U.S. Marine Corps, retired
June 7, 2012 @ 11:33 am
with where we are in our country now; i’m betting little, if anything, will come of this. there are few, if any, consequences anymore for actions like this (or of any kind) due to fear of lawsuits (no matter how frivolous). this guys actions are an affront to our troops and the terrible thing is, something more outlandish will happen tomorrow and this will all be forgotton by the majority of people (which is probably why the network, show, etc. are declining comment-waiting it out). our reality show/celebrity obsessed society is in a sad, sad state when stuff like this is allowed to fly. does nbc employ a research department?
June 7, 2012 @ 11:37 am
from what i’ve read the show and producers don’t check any ‘facts’ about the contestants until they get to the final 48. they got to the final 48 in april in vegas. they still aren’t commenting.
June 7, 2012 @ 11:43 am
to lie about something that big on national television during the internet age makes me kind of think he did get some brain damage somewhere along the line
June 7, 2012 @ 12:11 pm
NBC needs to act here, and fast. They have a completely plausible apology at the moment. “We screwed up. The guy lied. Maybe should have looked into his background a little more.” But as time goes on, it looks more and more like THEY are trying to hide something. Has Howard Stern said anything about this? They may be hoping to hold out until the weekend when the news will be buried. The photo is very interesting because it is a stock photo. As a producer is putting together a video piece, it is just as plausible NBC procured the photo as Tim Poe did. He did serve in Afghanistan and I’m sure he has photos of himself from there. So why use one of somebody else?
June 7, 2012 @ 12:16 pm
Yes Howard did respond I heard a clip on tv. Said he said he didn’t know how Poe could keep a straight face and he would like to interview him. Howard isn’t a happy camper over this
http://www.examiner.com/article/howard-stern-sickened-by-agt-war-veteran-fraud-tim-poe
June 7, 2012 @ 9:12 pm
This is interesting, because this lie being exposed has drummed up even more publicity for their show. It wouldn’t surprise me if the network knew it was a sham to begin with.
June 8, 2012 @ 1:35 pm
It’s just more of the same. We behave (myself included) as though the media owe us some sort of duty. They don’t, really. We aren’t the customer. The advertiser is the customer. We are the product (or more accurately, our attention is the product).
I try to operate from the assumption that all media is a lie … Present company excepted, of course!
June 10, 2012 @ 2:35 pm
What amazes me is the fact that most of NBC’s non-dramatic offerings (other than Dateline), whether it’s news or reality shows, are staffed in a manner which makes them resemble freak shows in a carnival.
Who would watch Howard Stern or Sharon Osborn?
Or Matt Lauer or Ann Curry?
Or Chris Matthews (I know, based on his ratings, pretty much no one does watch him) or David Greggory?
Or Saturday Night Live (which jumped the shark at least 15 years ago)?
Tim Poe’s fraud happened under my personal radar, because the show it happened on triggers my gag reflex.
American Idol and Dancing with the Stars (don’t know or care what network(s) they are on) are also freak shows (think, Meta World Peace).
June 10, 2012 @ 4:27 pm
I still can’t believe poe thought he could get away with lying on such a large scale.
June 11, 2012 @ 8:32 am
“The bigger the lie, the more it will be believed.” Joseph Goebbels
June 16, 2012 @ 3:00 am
wow. my feelings don’t get hurt easily at all, but this sack of crap really got to me. I in fact DID do 14 years in the military, and thank God, never saw more than a week or two of combat back in the ’90s (remember Kosovo?). I’m grateful for all those who’ve given some, or all they have to give… unlike this fag.
I’d like to kick him in the jaw until he quits stu-stu-stuttering.