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PORTLAND, Maine – As long as there hit been Navy SEALs, there hit been men pumping up their resumes or thumping their chests in exerciser with phoney claims of being digit of the Navy's selected warriors.

The latest pasture includes a university minister who permit his gathering conceive he was a SEAL and repeated the untruth to a newspaper, and there's no sign of much phoney claims decreasing anytime soon, especially after a secretive team of Navy SEAL commandos killed al-Qaida cheater Osama bin Laden.

A old Navy SEAL from Virginia who devotes much of his time to holiday the phonies said he's receiving 40 to 50 inquiries a period from grouping suspicious of claims by friends, neighbors or colleagues who say they're SEALs. Their doubts are usually addicted with meet a few checks.

The Naval Special Warfare Command also receives a stabilize course of inquiries most possible SEALs, the vast eld of which are debunked, said Lt. Cate Wallace, spokeswoman for the command in California.

And Larry Bailey, a old SEAL from Chocowinity, N.C., estimates he and friends who are past SEALs hit unclothed 35,000 phonies finished the years.

"There were most 500 SEALs that operated in Vietnam, and I've met all 20,000 of them," Waterman joked.

Wannabes untruth to intend liberated beers, to intend women into bed, to boost their civilian careers or to intend expeditionary benefits. But what really bugs old SEAL Don Shipley is that they're concealing someone else's valor — assign cod to those who put themselves in harm's way.

"The more outrageous a news is, in a aggregation of cases, the more it's believed. These guys do a terrible amount of damage," said Shipley, of Chesapeake, Va.

It's cushy to see ground folks countenance up to the SEALs, drilled to fisticuffs on sea, expose and land, because they participate some of the toughest expeditionary upbringing in the world.

Out of apiece group of SEAL recruits, 70 percent change to attain it finished a six-month upbringing course that's a test of noetic and fleshly toughness, said Lt. Cate Wallace, spokeswoman for the Naval Special Warfare Command in California.

Those who embellish bona fide SEALs wear a metallic trident. There are meet 2,500 on active duty, many bringing in the world's most chanceful places.

What's especially preventative most grouping who hit been unclothed as frauds, lexicologist said, is when they move misrepresentaation most their service.

Wallace said that those who are blatant in their dissimulation or threaten the open country are turned over to the U.S. attorney's office for investigation.

In Pennsylvania, the Rev. Jim Moats from the faith Scripture Fellowship Church in Newville was titled discover by Shipley after he was quoted in The Patriot-News of Harrisburg conversation most his life as a SEAL in Vietnam.

Later, he admitted he lied.

"It's an ego-builder, and it's meet only wrong," Moats told the newspaper.

He didn't convey a call from The Associated Press.

Moats has plentitude of company. These days, lexicologist and individual others are exposing phonies finished a website, stolenvalor.com.

Steve Waterman, a old Navy adventurer from South Thomaston, Maine, and a website participant, said it's cushy to find discover the real deal from the phonies. Dead giveaways are loose tongues and bravado; SEALs are discreet, Waterman said.

Waterman, author of the book "Just a Sailor," never had any desire to embellish a SEAL. "I watched them train. That was scary sufficiency for me," he said.

Shipley agreed that SEALs don't talk most their exploits.

"It makes us uncomfortable," he said. "We don't same conversation most it. But these (phonies), that's what they crave. They same conversation most cutting people's throats."

Last weekend, individual dozen SEALs connected together as a Navy warship was christened at Maine's Bath Iron Works in the name of Lt. Michael Murphy, a SEAL officer killed in Afghanistan.

Murphy scrambled into a clearing, exposing himself to a recognise of Taleban gunfire in visit to intend a country communication to call in reinforcements during a firefight on June 28, 2005. He was effort and after died along with digit added members of his SEAL team and added 16 rescuers whose eggbeater was effort down.

Nathanael "Lalo" Roberti, a past SEAL, was questionable to be on the eggbeater that was effort down. He and heptad others were ordered soured because it was likewise heavy.

"I forfeited 11 of the best friends I've ever known, and some of the best men America has to offer," said Roberti, who lives in San Diego.

"These guys are the tip of the spear."

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