Lobsterman helps put the crimp on phony Navy SEALs

By Jerry Harkavy

Associated Press

SOUTH THOMASTON, Maine — Steve Waterman makes his living trapping lobsters. But his passion is trapping phony SEALs.

As many as 300 times a week, Waterman receives an e-mail message: Someone — a co-worker or an employee, a boyfriend or ex-husband, a guy in a bar — has bragged that he was a Navy SEAL, generally during the Vietnam war.

Was he lying?

Waterman goes to the computer at his home on Maine’s coast. With a few mouse clicks and keystrokes, he checks to see if the alleged SEAL can be found in a database listing all 9,600 graduates of the underwater demolition course that SEALs must complete to wear the trident of the elite Sea-Air-Land force.

In some cases the names match, indicating the individual was a SEAL. But far more often, it turns out that he is a wannabe who is posing as a SEAL to try to enhance his reputation.

"These guys are slime," Waterman says.

On average, the 55-year-old Waterman — a lobsterman, photographer, commercial diver and computer consultant — devotes an hour a day to unmasking bogus SEALs.

Two years ago, Waterman and some of his SEAL buddies traveled to Massachusetts with a BBC crew in tow and knocked on the door of a man who claimed to be a Vietnam-era SEAL who had won the Navy Cross and received three Purple Hearts. After being dressed down, the man vowed never again to lie about his military record.

But mostly, Waterman just posts the names of "outed" fake SEALs on the Internet (cyberseals.org) on a "Wall of Shame" that spells out their transgressions. A one-star rating goes to "keyboard commandos" who make anonymous claims online. The worst offenders, who are given five stars, are those who lie for personal gain, in some cases to burnish a campaign for public office.

Two Everett men are listed on the site, as well as others from around Washington state.

Some entries offer comments: "Incorrigible." "Apologized." "Makes claims to all who will listen." "Still at it, now has shaved his head. Guess he was too well known from his photos here."

Waterman served in Vietnam as a photographer with Underwater Demolition Team 13, and underwent much the same training as the SEALs. He is the only non-SEAL among the small group of Navy veterans who have access to the SEAL database.

Although there were only 200 SEALs in Vietnam while he was there, Waterman said the number of pretenders runs into the thousands.

"Most of these people were the innocuous beer-hall Rambos, who were just blowing hot air," he said. But he said they also include three college professors, four or five doctors and a surprisingly large number of ministers.

Steve Waterman’s phony SEAL site: http://cyberseals.org