OTHER TIMES FOR MONEY. WERTHEIM IS THE REAL DEAL. >> YOU'RE NOT GOING TO THE NAVY, YOU ARE GOING TO THE MARINE CORPS. DAN: HE WAS AMONG THE FIRST 20,000 AFRICAN AMERICANS TO SERVE IN THE MARINES, THE LAST BRANCH OF THE U.S. MILITARY TO INTEGRATE. THEY TRAINED AT MONTFORD POINT, A SWAMPY SECTION OF CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA. AN ABC DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHTED THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THESE MEN IN WORLD WAR II. >> WITH THE UNITED STATES NOW FIGHTING A WAR IN EUROPE AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC, THE DECISION CAME FOR THE MONTFORD POINT MARINES TO BE DEPLOYED OVERSEAS. WORTHAM FEARS: AND WE KNEW THAT WE COULD POSSIBLY MAKE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, AND FOR THOSE OF US WHO LIVED THROUGH IT, THANK GOD FOR IT. DAN: REVEREND FEARS IS PROUD OF THE STRIPES HE RECEIVED AS SERGEANT FIRST CLASS AND WOULD NOT THINK TO WEAR MEDALS HE DID NOT EARN. WORTHAM FEARS: I CANNOT UNDERSTAND, THE VICTORY MEDAL, OTHERS, THOSE ARE THE ONES I AM ENTITLED TO. LARRY: THE KEY FIGURES IN THE MONTFORD POINT MARINES ASSOCIATION HAVE BEEN LYING ABOUT THE RECORDS. >> I SERVED IN PLACES, WAS THERE AT THE END OF VIETNAM. DAN: ONE TOLD STORIES ABOUT SERVING IN VIETNAM DURING AN APPEARANCE WITH A NONPROFIT. >> I SAVED A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND WHEN I CAME HOME IN NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, I WAS CALLED A "BABY KILLER." SPENCER: I CONFRONTED JOHNSON WITH THE MILITARY RECORDS I OBTAINED UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT, AND HE ADMITTED HE NEVER SERVED IN VIETNAM. >> I MISSPOKE. I WAS WRONG FOR SAYING THAT. DAN: YOU DID NOT MISSPEAK, YOU MADE UP A STORY, CORRECT? >> THAT WOULD BE CORRECT, SIR. DAN: YOU UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE WHO SERVE AND THE FAMILIES OF THOSE WHO ACTUALLY SERVED IN VIETNAM AND DIED, THIS IS A GREAT INSULT TO THEM DID YOU GET THAT, RIGHT? >> YES I DO, SIR. DAN: BUT THERE IS MORE -- >> WHEN I WAS 39 YEARS OLD, I WENT TO DESERT STORM. DAN: JOHNSON CLAIMED TO SERVE IN THE GULF WAR AND WORE A VIETNAM HAT. >> WE ACCOMPLISHED, WE CAME BACK, AND WE SURVIVED. DAN: HE WORE MEDALS AND RIBBONS SAYING HE WORE BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN THE MIDDLE EAST WHEN HE ACTUALLY REMADE IN CALIFORNIA. HOW DID YOU GET THE RIBBON, ACTUALLY? DID YOU PURCHASE IT ONLINE? >> THE RIBBONS WERE DONE ONLINE, YES, AT A SHOP IN SAN DIEGO. DAN: AT THE END OF A CAMPAIGN, AT THE END OF YOUR SERVICE, YOU DON'T BUY IT ONLINE, YOUR SUPERIORS GIVE IT TO YOU AT THE END OF YOUR SERVICE TO >> AT WOULD BE CORRECT. YES, I WAS WRONG FOR THAT. OF SAM CARLOS. JAMES: SOME OF THOSE ARE MONTFORD POINT MARINES, AND IT TOOK THEM YEARS TO HAVE THE COUNTRY, YOU KNOW, RECOGNIZE THEIR SERVICE AND RECOGNIZE THEIR FIGHT AND THEIR STRUGGLE, AND NOW THIS GUY PUTS ALL OF THEM AT RISK? DAN: I WATCHED AS BROWN CONFRONTED BILLY RAY'S ZIMMERMAN, WESTERN LEGION PUBLIC OFFICER, NOTE THE MISSPELLING. >> WELCOME THIS REMARKABLE MAN TO THE STAGE, SERGEANT BILLY R ZIMMERMAN. DAN: IN PUBLIC APPEARANCES, ZIMMERMAN CLAIMS TO HAVE A 25 YEAR IN THE CORE AS A DRILL INSTRUCTOR AND SERGEANT MAJOR, WITH A RACK OF METALS HE WORE, EVEN WHILE MEETING THE COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE OR, INCLUDING ONE FOR BEING INJURED IN COMBAT, ANOTHER FOR VALOR IN DESERT STORM. >>, SO THAT IS YOUR PURPLE HEART DID WHAT ABOUT YOUR BRONZE STAR? >> THE RADIOMAN GOT HIT TO IT I WENT BACK TO GET HIM, THAT'S WHEN I GOT HIT, EVEN WITH THAT INJURY, EVERYBODY'S SAVING MY UNIT. DAN: EVEN AFTER BROWN REPEATEDLY PRESSED ZINNERMAN, HE STUCK TO HIS STORY. JAMES: ALL OF MY CAREER, VERIFIABLE. YOU MAY NEED TO GO AND DO YOUR RESEARCH AGAIN. DAN: HERE IS WHAT HE PROVIDED SEVERAL VETERANS GROUPS WHEN HE SOUGHT ADMISSION, THE DIFFERENT TYPEFACE ON HIS NAME, SOMEBODY AWARDS APPARENTLY CUT AND PASTED. THEN I USE THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT, SHOWING THE MARINES DISCHARGED ZINNERMAN DUE TO MISCONDUCT, FREQUENT, PRIVATE FIRST CLASS, NOT A DRILL INSTRUCTOR OR MAJOR, I DID NOT EARN ANY OF THOSE METALS HE EARNED -- WAR, EVEN TO A FUNERAL OF A REAL MONTFORD POINT MARINES. AFTER WE ASKED QUESTIONS, THE NATIONAL OFFICE OF THE MONTFORD MARINE ASSOCIATION EXPELLED ZINNERMAN AND ALLOWED MICHAEL JOHNSON TO RESIGN. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO EXPOSE THESE, DO YOU THINK? >> IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY EARNED THOSE METALS. ANYTIME SOMEONE PERPETRATES A FRAUD, IT ALLOWS AMERICANS TO QUESTION, OH, IS THIS ANOTHER FRAUD? DAN: JUST YESTERDAY, I LEARNED THE PRESIDENT OF MONTFORD POINT WESTERN REGION, SERGEANT MAJOR CHARLES COOK, ALSO WERE MEDALS HE DID NOT EARN A THREE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATIONS, TWO COMBAT ACTION RIBBONS, AND A VIETNAM GALLANTRY MEDAL. DID YOU EVER SERVED IN COMBAT, ACTUALLY? >> NO. DAN: IN AN INTERVIEW, COOK CLAIMS HE NEVER SAW COMBAT AND CLAIMED IT WAS A MISTAKE WHEN HE BUYS HIS METALS, A MISTAKE HE DID NOT CATCH. >> IT WAS NOT A MISTAKE, I JUST DID NOT VERIFY MY MEDALS FROM THE ORGANIZATION THAT PUT THEM TOGETHER FOR ME. DAN: I DO NOT THINK PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BUY THAT YOU DID NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE WEARING ON YOUR CHEST. >>
