- May 24, 2016
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Can't trust Fox, can't trust Hannity, Can't trust Trump, same thing everyday folks.
" The Trump campaign has confirmed to Hannity.com that Mr. Trump did indeed send his plane to make two trips from North Carolina to Miami, Florida to transport over 200 Gulf War Marines back home.”
— quote in article titled “200 Stranded Marines Needed A Plane Ride Home, Here’s How Donald Trump Responded,” Sean Hannity Show website, May 19, 2016
It seemed like such a sweet story — Donald Trump sending his personal plane down to Camp Lejeune, N.C., when 200 Marines were stranded after fighting in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. At least that is the story that Sean Hannity of Fox News has touted on his website for several months.
But a reader, Lazer Cohen of Brooklyn, was suspicious and asked The Fact Checker to check it out.
The Facts
The Hannity story mostly relied on the recollections of Cpl. Ryan Stickney, who was a squad leader in a Marine Corps Reserve antitank (TOW) company that was called up for duty for the 1990-91 conflict that took place after Iraq invaded Kuwait. After five weeks of airstrikes, the United States and its allies ousted Iraqi forces in a 100-hour ground assault.
The command chronology shows that 209 officers and Marines of the TOW Company (part of the 8th Tank Battalion for Operation Desert Shield) were activated on Nov. 26, 1990. The company arrived in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 22 and served through the end of March, before returning to Camp Lejeune. Stickney is listed as receiving a certificate of commendation.
After a few weeks in Camp Lejeune, the part-time troops were scheduled to return to their base in Broward County. An article in the Sun-Sentinel newspaper on the April 22 homecoming reported that it had been “marred by flight delays,” forcing well-wishers to wait for hours in the sun. The article said the Marines arrived on two flights, one at noon and one after 5 p.m.
“Stickney recalls being told that a mistake had been made within the logistics unit and that an aircraft wasn’t available to take the Marines home on their scheduled departure date,” Hannity.com reported. But then Trump supposedly came to the rescue: “The way the story was told to us was that Mr. Trump found out about it and sent the airline down to take care of us,” Stickney said.
He even took a photo:
Unfortunately, Trump's plane only has 24 seats and it made people wonder. Turns out it was a Trump shuttle under contract to the military and Trump had no say so in where it went or for who. But he had no problem taking credit and Sean Hannity had no problem pushing a phony meme. Read the whole story at the link. 4 Pinocchios Too good to check: Sean Hannity’s tale of a Trump rescue
" The Trump campaign has confirmed to Hannity.com that Mr. Trump did indeed send his plane to make two trips from North Carolina to Miami, Florida to transport over 200 Gulf War Marines back home.”
— quote in article titled “200 Stranded Marines Needed A Plane Ride Home, Here’s How Donald Trump Responded,” Sean Hannity Show website, May 19, 2016
It seemed like such a sweet story — Donald Trump sending his personal plane down to Camp Lejeune, N.C., when 200 Marines were stranded after fighting in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. At least that is the story that Sean Hannity of Fox News has touted on his website for several months.
But a reader, Lazer Cohen of Brooklyn, was suspicious and asked The Fact Checker to check it out.
The Facts
The Hannity story mostly relied on the recollections of Cpl. Ryan Stickney, who was a squad leader in a Marine Corps Reserve antitank (TOW) company that was called up for duty for the 1990-91 conflict that took place after Iraq invaded Kuwait. After five weeks of airstrikes, the United States and its allies ousted Iraqi forces in a 100-hour ground assault.
The command chronology shows that 209 officers and Marines of the TOW Company (part of the 8th Tank Battalion for Operation Desert Shield) were activated on Nov. 26, 1990. The company arrived in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 22 and served through the end of March, before returning to Camp Lejeune. Stickney is listed as receiving a certificate of commendation.
After a few weeks in Camp Lejeune, the part-time troops were scheduled to return to their base in Broward County. An article in the Sun-Sentinel newspaper on the April 22 homecoming reported that it had been “marred by flight delays,” forcing well-wishers to wait for hours in the sun. The article said the Marines arrived on two flights, one at noon and one after 5 p.m.
“Stickney recalls being told that a mistake had been made within the logistics unit and that an aircraft wasn’t available to take the Marines home on their scheduled departure date,” Hannity.com reported. But then Trump supposedly came to the rescue: “The way the story was told to us was that Mr. Trump found out about it and sent the airline down to take care of us,” Stickney said.
He even took a photo:
Unfortunately, Trump's plane only has 24 seats and it made people wonder. Turns out it was a Trump shuttle under contract to the military and Trump had no say so in where it went or for who. But he had no problem taking credit and Sean Hannity had no problem pushing a phony meme. Read the whole story at the link. 4 Pinocchios Too good to check: Sean Hannity’s tale of a Trump rescue
