This ‘decorated Green Beret’ is a total fraud
By Stephanie Pagones and Danika Fears
December 14, 2017 | 7:45pm | Updated December 15, 2017 | 4:38pm
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Papotia Reginald Wright Guardians Of The Green Beret
Brooklyn Army vet Papotia Reginald Wright’s resume was impressive by any standard.
He boasted of a Purple Heart, Bronze Star — and a slew of other medals as an elite Green Beret that got him into swanky galas and even field access to the Giants.
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But Wright is nothing but an accomplished fraud, it was revealed Thursday.
He never served with Special Forces, never served in any combat role — and never rose above the rank of “specialist,” according to military documents obtained through FOIA by Guardians of the Green Beret.
Wright even lied about how long he was in the Army, claiming he served 25 years when he was really only enlisted from 1982 to 1990, the documents show.
He spent most of his time as a driver, with stints far from any battlefield in Alaska, Egypt, Georgia and Texas, according to his papers.
While living his lie, Wright became a prominent figure in the local military community. He even started an organization to help vets in Brooklyn last year, calling it the 8th Special Forces Regiment New York Honor Guard.
In his bio on the group’s website, which has since been taken down, he wrote:
“In August of 1982, [Command Sergeant Major] Wright was ordered to Fort Bragg, N.C., where he became a member of the U.S. Military Special Operations Command for over 25 years.
“CSM Wright circumnavigated the world while performing his duties when it pertained to defending America and her citizens for his actions.”
He even tried to look the part.
Photos show Wright — who was arrested in 2015 in South Carolina for obtaining property by false pretense — at the Giants game and other events in his phony Green Berets uniform, complete with a Special Forces patch and Purple Heart medal.
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Papotia Reginald Wright (right) Under the Stolen Valor Act, it’s a federal crime to lie about military heroics for monetary or other tangible benefits.
Representatives for the Guardians of the Green Beret, which is made up of current and former Special Forces, said they began investigating Wright after receiving tips through the website.
“It bothers us. Stolen valor is an epidemic. We cannot keep up with the cases sent to us,” one member of the group said.
“Wearing fake stuff — wearing a Ranger tab, Special Forces tab, those things are hard to earn. Wearing a Purple Heart…that stuff’s unforgivable there.”
Jeff Johnson, 37, who served over 11 years in the Army, worked at Wright’s organization in November and said he felt duped.
“It wasn’t confirmed to me until three or four days ago when I got a call from one of the members of the unit who was heartbroken,” he told The Post.
“For a while I just started chuckling. It was like this uncomfortable chuckle. That’s when I realized I was played for a friggin’ fool.”
Johnson said Wright told wild stories about his Army days, once recalling how someone ran up behind him, cut him open and removed his kidney.
“He said he was living off half a kidney,” the aspiring actor said. “He’s an amazing storyteller because he will get into details.”
Wright, who ran the vets organization with his wife, gave Johnson a Special Forces patch to put on his uniform, claiming he’d filled out all of the appropriate “paperwork” so it was above board.
“I did feel odd wearing it,” he said. “There’s a sacred aura to it.”
Wright would also refer to Johnson as a “colonel” when they were in public, which made him feel awkward since he was a major.
During his stint with the organization, he attended a Johnson & Johnson gala with Wright in New Jersey, and another gala for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, which was attended by Meghan McCain and retired General David Petraeus.
“When I look back on it I realize why he needed me there — to make it look legit,” Johnson said.
Wright did not respond to requests for comment. An Army spokesperson declined to comment.
Veteran Thomas Miskel, who has volunteered with Wright’s Honor Guard group for several months, said he’s still processing the accusations.
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“He started to appear before football games and all that and the flags and all that,” he told The Post. “He sort of blew my mind a little bit when I found out that bugle he was blowing was a recording.”
He said Wright hasn’t paid his rent at the Armory building in Park Slope, where the group’s offices are located.
“What he’s been doing is supposedly setting up burial details,” Miskel said. “So that he could train a group of people to basically stand at the casket, fold the flag, play the bugle.”
“I thought it was not a bad idea at all… he said it was run out of West Point,” he added. “I don’t know why West Point.”
Wright’s group has stopped posting on Facebook since he was exposed.
“Information has been posted on the internet which we were not aware of until this month of November 2017. As a result we will look into the matter, therefore we will be closing our social media until further notice,” reads a post from Nov. 29.
Additional reporting by Mackenzie Lowry
‘decorated Green Beret’ is a total fraud
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Originally Posted by Oscar Wilde
