Source of Fetzer's fake service photos identified

We now know that James Fetzer never served in the USMC (and could not possibly have served when and where he says he did). We know that the only "evidence" of military service he can offer is a handful of tiny, blurry photographs that do not resemble him.

And now, thanks to a contributor who has asked to remain anonymous, we also know the true identity of the young man in the southwest corner of that page: it is a manipulated photo of none other than the late senator John McCain (who, as we all know, did serve).

When the features are overlaid together, it's clear that these are the same person:

Pretending to be a veteran is tasteless, but to steal valor from such a distinguished American veteran is truly reprehensible. It's not too late for Jim Fetzer to retain some of his dignity and admit his history of military impostorship. And, I genuinely wish that I was wrong and that Fetzer would provide some convincing evidence that he served. But I am not hopeful for either of those outcomes.

A note on finances

The question has been raised, in comments on Professor Fetzer's blog, whether I in fact have the financial means to make the award I have offered. I can offer this:

While I need to protect my financial information, my finances are the last thing you need to worry about. The offer stands: $10,000 to the individual, or $20,000 toward James Fetzer's legal fees (whichever the recipient prefers), to the first person who produces convincing and verifiable evidence that James Fetzer served in the United States Marine Corps.

An evaluation of James Fetzer's "evidence" of military service

Previously in this blog I presented evidence which shows that James Fetzer's claims of military service are, to put it kindly, questionable. In a recent article on his blog, Professor Fetzer takes great offense to these findings. He talks a great deal about how smart he is and how much he's achieved, but unfortunately, he never gets around to presenting any evidence that he served.

In fact the only thing he does present is a photo collage, purporting to show him in military dress:

Except for the photo in the upper-left hand corner, none of these people resembles James Fetzer. The photos of service members are too blurry to identify any specific person. 

Perhaps most absurd, Fetzer claims that the photo in the three o'clock position depicts him with his first wife. You will recall that Fetzer also claims that he somehow fathered a child in California in 1965 while serving in Japan, perhaps the most remarkable feat of conception since the Blessed Virgin Mary. Perhaps he'd care to explain why his son Bret resembles neither of the people in that photograph?

Interesting that Bret's male pattern baldness, which is genetically passed from one's father, somehow did not strike Professor Fetzer himself. Bret's true father may resemble one or more Pasadena milkmen; the former Mrs. Fetzer is invited to weigh in on this question.

A person who has truly served in the United States military will be in possession of a discharge document, or other service documents, or something - anything - that would substantiate their service. James Fetzer is in possession of none of these. It is bizarre that he continues to tell such transparent and obvious lies, and makes one wonder whether he's been lying about it for so long that today he believes it himself.