Brian Dennehy rose to fame through memorable roles in films such as First Blood (1982), F/X (1986), and Romeo + Juliet (1996). Alongside his acting career, he served in the US Marine Corps from 1958 to 1963. However, he drew a lot of criticism for falsely claiming to have served in the Vietnam War. His repeated lies were especially painful to those who had actually survived the challenges and sacrifices of that conflict.
Stolen valor
Cases of individuals exaggerating or fabricating military service—known as stolen valor—are, regrettably, all too frequent. People concoct these stories for various reasons, such as seeking financial benefits, public sympathy, or the admiration usually reserved for true war heroes.
The expansion of online platforms has made it easier to obtain military medals and uniforms, while social media allows people to construct whatever identity they choose. Even before the internet, impersonating military service was relatively easy due to the difficulty of verifying such claims. After all, who would suspect someone of pretending to be a war veteran?
Although it may seem unlikely for a celebrity to engage in this kind of deception, history demonstrates that it can—and does—occur.
Beginning of Brian Dennehy’s career
Brian Dennehy began his Hollywood career in 1977, appearing in two films and three television series. His big break came with the first Rambo film, First Blood, where he portrayed Sheriff Will Teasle. This role became one of his most iconic performances, opening the door to numerous opportunities in the years that followed.
Dennehy garnered the respect of audiences around the globe, with his military service adding to his well-earned reputation.
Service in the US Marine Corps
Here’s what we know about Brian Dennehy’s time in the US Marine Corps. He enlisted on September 15, 1959, and was stationed in Okinawa for part of his service, where he played football. Dennehy left the military on June 4, 1963, just shy of four years later, before the Vietnam War had intensified.
Throughout his career, Dennehy claimed to have served in Vietnam. In an interview with Playboy, he spoke of a five-year tour during the war, describing minor injuries he said were sustained in combat. He elaborated further to The New York Times, stating that these injuries were caused by shrapnel and included a concussion.
Dennehy also reflected on the mindset of those confronting the realities of killing in combat, telling Playboy, “As for killing someone, anyone in combat would agree that it’s pretty much accidental. It’s not what you’re thinking about. You spend a considerable amount of time just trying not to be in a combat situation. You’re trying to avoid coming face-to-face with anything. So when something bad happens, it’s usually accidental.”
He added, “But the implication in war movies is that war has this rational beginning, middle and end. And of course none of it does. It’s absolutely f*****g chaos. Apocalypse Now is the movie. Even more interesting is that it was made so soon after the war was over. It was and is the most sophisticated overview of the experience.”
Brian Dennehy was called out in 1998
The truth is, Brian Dennehy never served in Vietnam. In 1998, he issued a public apology after being called out by B.G. “Jug” Burkett, a real veteran dedicated to exposing cases of stolen valor. Dennehy told The Globe:
“I lied about serving in Vietnam and I’m sorry. I did not mean to take away from the actions and the sacrifices of the ones who did really serve there…I did steal valor. That was very wrong of me. There is no real excuse for that. I was a peace-time Marine, and I got out in 1963 without ever serving in Vietnam… I started the story that I had been in ‘Nam, and I got stuck with it. Then I didn’t know how to set the record straight.”
As CBS News notes, the closest the actor ever got to “action” during the war was portraying Marine Sgt. Ned T. “Frozen Chosen” Coleman in the made-for-TV movie, A Rumor of War (1980).
Brian Dennehy lied… Again
Despite his admission, Brian Dennehy began repeating the same falsehoods less than 10 years later. In 2007, he told a journalist at The Wall Street Journal that he’d served in Vietnam. As The Denver Post reports, it was more than clear he didn’t feel that bad about stretching the truth of his service and wasn’t truly sorry.
Apart from facing backlash from veterans and the families of servicemen who saw combat, Dennehy’s professional career saw little impact following his confession of stolen valor. This could be attributed to a lack of complete understanding among the wider population on the gravity of his lies or to the common leniency towards such behavior in the entertainment industry.
Want to become a trivia master? Sign up for our Today In History newsletter!
Each case of stolen valor deserves equal scrutiny, no matter the status of the person involved. Such claims diminish the true bravery of veterans who courageously served and sacrificed for our freedoms, and deserve recognition and thanks, regardless of their deployment in Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, or any other conflict.