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Discovery Channel’s “Dual Survival” reality star Joseph Teti, a former Army and Marine Corps special operator, has been disavowed by the Special Forces Association and stripped of his membership with the group.
“He is no longer a member and cannot rejoin,” retired Army Col. Jack Tobin, president of the association, told Military Times.
The association’s National Board made the decision after some two dozen current and former Special Forces soldiers came forward with allegations of misconduct against Teti. In the group’s 50-year history, only 10 members have gotten the boot.
Although Tobin declined to discuss the specifics of Teti’s removal, the group’s bylaws allow for membership to be revoked for lying about their Special Forces credentials or any “actions, deeds, or behavior by a member which brings discredit, humiliation, or embarrassment upon the Association.”
Teti and Discovery Channel did not respond to several requests for comment.
Teti, however, was clearly proud of his membership with the group. Until recently, it was the first entry listed under “professional affiliations” in the biography section of his personal website.
Teti has been at the center of a growing storm over his military and combat duty claims since joining Dual Survival last year. He replaced David Canterbury, another Army veteran on the popular survival show, after allegations surfaced that Canterbury lied about sniper and airborne qualifications.
Teti has faced far more controversy, however, including allegations that he misrepresents himself as a “combat veteran” despite never serving in combat while in the military.
In an April interview with Military Times, Teti defended his claims to combat experience, saying he served as a contractor in a highly classified special operations unit.
Teti said he served in Force Recon as a Marine and later served as an enlisted Green Beret in the Army National Guard, leaving military service shortly after the 9/11 attacks to pursue work as a private contractor.
“Never have I said that I served in the military in Iraq or Afghanistan,” he said at the time. “I want to clear the record right now. I was in a government counterterrorism unit doing direct action missions right alongside Tier 1 assets.”
He insisted the government unit in which he served was so secret that he was barred from even discussing it. “Don’t even guess about it because that will get you in big trouble. Don’t even take liberties at guessing because you’re actually crossing a legal line right there. ... I am not at liberty to discuss — ethically, legally, morally — who I worked for,” he said.
Special Forces Association members are applauding the move to take Teti off the group’s rolls.
“He’s an embarrassment to the Regiment, because of the falsehoods, lies and embellishments he’s used in association with his Special Forces qualifications,” says retired Army Sgt. Maj. George Davenport, a “life member” of the organization.
Among Teti’s lies, says Davenport, are claims that he was a graduate of the Special Forces Combat Diver and Special Forces Sniper courses.
“I personally checked with the Special Forces schools and he did not go to those courses. There is no record of him attending,” says Davenport, founder of the “Special Forces Poser Patrol” Facebook page, which added Teti to the group’s “Wall of Shame” Sept. 30 in the wake of the SFA’s decision.
http://www.armytimes.com/article/20141001/OFFDUTY02/310010083/-Dual-Survival-star-stripped-SF-Association-membership
“He is no longer a member and cannot rejoin,” retired Army Col. Jack Tobin, president of the association, told Military Times.
The association’s National Board made the decision after some two dozen current and former Special Forces soldiers came forward with allegations of misconduct against Teti. In the group’s 50-year history, only 10 members have gotten the boot.
Although Tobin declined to discuss the specifics of Teti’s removal, the group’s bylaws allow for membership to be revoked for lying about their Special Forces credentials or any “actions, deeds, or behavior by a member which brings discredit, humiliation, or embarrassment upon the Association.”
Teti and Discovery Channel did not respond to several requests for comment.
Teti, however, was clearly proud of his membership with the group. Until recently, it was the first entry listed under “professional affiliations” in the biography section of his personal website.
Teti has been at the center of a growing storm over his military and combat duty claims since joining Dual Survival last year. He replaced David Canterbury, another Army veteran on the popular survival show, after allegations surfaced that Canterbury lied about sniper and airborne qualifications.
Teti has faced far more controversy, however, including allegations that he misrepresents himself as a “combat veteran” despite never serving in combat while in the military.
In an April interview with Military Times, Teti defended his claims to combat experience, saying he served as a contractor in a highly classified special operations unit.
Teti said he served in Force Recon as a Marine and later served as an enlisted Green Beret in the Army National Guard, leaving military service shortly after the 9/11 attacks to pursue work as a private contractor.
“Never have I said that I served in the military in Iraq or Afghanistan,” he said at the time. “I want to clear the record right now. I was in a government counterterrorism unit doing direct action missions right alongside Tier 1 assets.”
He insisted the government unit in which he served was so secret that he was barred from even discussing it. “Don’t even guess about it because that will get you in big trouble. Don’t even take liberties at guessing because you’re actually crossing a legal line right there. ... I am not at liberty to discuss — ethically, legally, morally — who I worked for,” he said.
Special Forces Association members are applauding the move to take Teti off the group’s rolls.
“He’s an embarrassment to the Regiment, because of the falsehoods, lies and embellishments he’s used in association with his Special Forces qualifications,” says retired Army Sgt. Maj. George Davenport, a “life member” of the organization.
Among Teti’s lies, says Davenport, are claims that he was a graduate of the Special Forces Combat Diver and Special Forces Sniper courses.
“I personally checked with the Special Forces schools and he did not go to those courses. There is no record of him attending,” says Davenport, founder of the “Special Forces Poser Patrol” Facebook page, which added Teti to the group’s “Wall of Shame” Sept. 30 in the wake of the SFA’s decision.
http://www.armytimes.com/article/20141001/OFFDUTY02/310010083/-Dual-Survival-star-stripped-SF-Association-membership
