Dave Canterbury posted an apology vid on his channel.

[KiljoyKutlery]

1st wearing a huge cross for everyone to see

2nd excuses his “embellishments” by saying he didn’t do it to hurt anyone (fact: pretending to be a Ranger and an SRT Sniper is called stealing valor, and it hurts the veterans, widows, and orphans because he used it to get a job that should have gone to someone else who really earned that tan beret, and it’s despicable. He excuses it, saying he did it for his family. Stole valor for his family? He even says, “No harm, no foul.” That’s like saying you cheated on your taxes for your family.)

3rd “Everyone in the world makes mistakes.” Really?

4th Starts whipping out the bible and talking about how no one is perfect.

5th He did not start lying about his military background with DS. He was doing it for years before, starting with his first website. And he did it for profit and to increase his legitimacy.

6th He has used his fake background to try to get special favors in the past. He was kicked out of a prominent bushcraft community because he refused to follow their self-promotion and advertising rules, believing himself to be exempt because he’s the famous “Pathfinder.”

7th Tried to hide the real reason why he got canned for over a year. He was openly stating that he just wanted to spend more time with his family and with his Pathfinder school.

8th I believe from the bottom of my heart that the only reason why he’s coming clean now is because the heat is coming on big time now and finally hitting his bottom line, and folks who do business with him are starting to pull out.

9th I agree that the chemistry between him and Cody was part of the draw of the show, but do you know why? Because he acted like a bullheaded, trashy moron. That’s why he was always fighting with Cody.

10th Go ahead and forgive him and defend him. I know why. It’s because you probably like him for “who he is.” Well, let’s address that: “Who he is” is the guy in points 1 – 9 above. You probably think he’s just a real sweet, manly man and a heck of a guy you’d love to have a beer with. Good luck with that. You’d end up paying for his beer as he was hightailing it away. But DS did the right thing (just like numerous people before this all came into public light) by kicking him to the curb and cutting their losses. Now he’s hoping he can keep making money and save his crumbling business built on his lies.

I was regular Army, Infantry. I was just a lowly grunt, and I agree with the above statements. There is not enough love to go around for all the real vets, and guys that did amazing things for their fellow soldiers in combat in the last 100 years of American history....we as a nation spend way to much attention to media and celebrity. I liked Dave on the show, but I gotta say, he didn't even try to say sorry in that video, he started out saying as much.

 

[baldtaco-II]

I have mixed thoughts about this whole issue. Dave seems like a good guy and without a doubt he does have plenty of experience in his field.... but I think he is apologizing just because he got caught. Even then, his apology didn't really sound like an apology, it sounded more like he was rounding off the edges to make it sound less severe. He never explained what exactly those "embellishments" were, and the message he sent was, "hey everybody does it, so it's not that big of a deal". I have known people in the past and still know people currently who "embellishes" their resumes about having a college degree when they didn't. I also know people who boasts about having gone to a prestigious college when in fact he took ONE non-credited class there. When someone claims they accomplished something when in fact they didn't, it takes away a lot from the people who worked hard to EARN it.

Same kinda place as that. I'm all for accepting apologies but there is a necessary factor for that apology to stand a chance with me, and that factor is the state of being contrite. It's not always going to be sufficient but it is a prerequisite necessity. I'm not convinced I saw genuine contrition there. I saw a bunch of woolly, vague, and ill defined apology padded out with an invoked deity and “my family”, but nothing really precise..............................Do I care about him doing that, not a lot. As powernoodle touched on, there is a lot of hypocrisy amongst this stuff. It's difficult to take any of it seriously when so much of this TV stuff is fabricated, manipulated, or just flat out lies from the start. I don't think the kinda people that this particular “gotcha” would have worked on to such an extent they are emotionally moved by it should really be watching TV without adult supervision. Quit investing your feelings in TV celebrities and you'll be as indifferent to this guy's story as I am to how many miles of gnob Kardashian X chugged to get on TV. That said, stolen valour is Stolen Valour, and if you do that you are a cheat advancing yourself at the expense of others, many of which have families too........................................... And I have to say that I do have a pet peeve at the moment with folks that set themselves up in public life as special, reap all the advantages that come with that, but when they get caught red handed with their mitts in the cookie jar just get reshuffled to the back benches while the smoke clears, and then they're back again. Here I'm thinking specifically of dodgy politicians that somehow cling to public life, but the same sort of thing applies to TV celebrities too. Their agents get them to keep their heads down while they do a Max Clifford on the story. Then they show up apparently “born again” on Big Brother or I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out after some alleged epiphany. They always manage to wrangle self-serving and an apology into the one presentation, and that doesn't present as contrition to me. Prostrate yourself, take your beats, and get the hell out of public life, then I might remember you a little more compassionately.

 

[panzertroop]

I have a hard time accepting the apology. I know a lot of folks like him and forgive him, that's cool. But a lot of things don't add up like Magnaminous_G pointed out. I just choose not to support his business.

 

[mwhich50]

He seems like a con to me. He makes so many excuses and then he mentions no detail about the lies that he told. As a military retiree I have no pity for the rising number of military pretenders. He has made a lot of $$ with his false credentials. If he is truly sorry he needs to donate a chunk of that dirty money to the "Wounded Warrior" foundation. Scum.

 

[Rotte]

... What I’ve learned however is that everybody does make mistakes, some more serious than others. However, for the less serious (of which I consider this whole Dave Canterbury drama), you can write them off (the easy road), or you can offer the support of forgiveness and encourage them to use their mistakes to learn, improve and share with other to avoid (the more difficult road).

Some of the most successful enlisted leaders I know have made very similar mistakes early on in their careers that Dave did, but on a much less public scale. ....

I hear ya ROCK, but Dave is old enough to know better.

It's not my place to forgive or condem Dave, but his actions will certainly form the basis of my assessment of his character. It's hard to trust a man who who trade on someone else's achievements. He got caught in a snare of his own making; I hope he turns things around and does well.

 

[plattj1]

Only time will tell if Dave's apology is sincere or just another ruse. If it is true then I wish him the best, if it is just another tactic in an effort to improve his business then it will fail. Until then we should be cautiously accepting.

Biblical forgiveness does not mean you should cast your judgement aside and accept whatever is offered, it does mean that grace should be offered to those who ask.

We will know him by his fruit.

Should one decide not to do business with him until one is certain that the change is evident? That is a decision each person must make for themselves, and the answer can only be decided by each of us individually.

Personally I wish Dave all the best, and if in a few years time he has proven to be truthful and sincere I will gladly support him and even look forward to his testimony.

 

[ROCK6]

I hear ya ROCK, but Dave is old enough to know better.

That is true Rotte; he is old enough to know better and also should have known that people will dig into your past. I also know "old enough to know better" doesn't always mean too old to not make mistakes. As I said though, there's no excuse for what he did and regardless of his contributions to the community, it does leave a black mark and I'll be the first to acknowledge the damage this type of action and behavior causes...even if he never meant to do so maliciously. He lied, he embellished his service record and took credit for very questionable action and he ultimately lied to a very tight-knit community and his fellow brothers-in-arms. However, I'll take his apology at face value. It's time to move on, learn from the past mistakes and use them to make us more experienced to avoid the same mistakes in the future.

ROCK6

 

[zpstl321]

He not only apologized, he explicitly asked for forgiveness. I was totally blown away. When have you EVER seen that from a public figure?

I counldn't say it any better than this.

 

[ROCK6]

But that's not even what I disagree with the most. You say that this is "less serious." Actually, I'm pretty sure it's "more serious." Every time he gives advice (admittedly, some of it good, but some of it bad), someone listens to him. Why? Because he was a bad mofo Ranger and Sniper, a pipe-swinging bad mofo. And they take it as gospel. And that gets people hurt. Not to mention the millions upon millions of dollars he swindled companies out of based on his fake resume. I wouldn't consider this "less serious" This is solid "more serious" territory.

I know the "less serious" you're talking about, and I understand where you're coming from. I did a short stint at HRC before they moved to Ft Knox, my friend. Most of the guys claiming medals and training they didn't receive are just trying to get a little extra benefit money. They're hoping for a few extra hundred bucks a month. Not swindling the whole world out of millions of dollars. And not trying to get *other* people to try survival techniques they didn't really learn in Ranger school.

I guess it’s just from my perspective, but I also see where you’re coming from and don’t disagree. This whole drama is a great example of how a little lie can grow. It’s easy to embellish your military career to those that don’t know and on a smaller scale (even like Youtube), it gets over-looked. Once you go prime time, your record and achievements will be under the microscope and errors will be flagged. My disappointment is that Dave could easily have corrected all those initial embellishments; he had a solid school and skills-based achievements. He didn’t need to allow his falsified career to substantiate his reputation. It’s sad all around and we can agree to disagree on his apology. I’ve worked for a few senior leaders who refuse to apologize even when they know they’re wrong…it’s not in their nature. They do admit to the error, but rarely take responsibility…they weren’t bad leaders either; just the typical A-type personalities who don’t like to admit their actions weren’t the best (I’m not referring to anything immoral, unethical or illegal, just decisions that could have been better).

I don’t want to downplay the seriousness of what he did; it is, and as you accurately pointed out some people do take such instruction and advice as experienced gospel. Of course, I always caution that resumes don’t always equal experience, but your point is well taken. In fact, I’m always leery of anybody establishing credibility from their past achievements; I care less about what is on paper than what you can do…that’s what Dave should have stuck with and I hope he is truly humbled by this whole mess he was responsible for, yet I hope he continues to stick with what he knows and be a part of the community. Many will not forgive him and will blacklist him…that’s the price he deserves, I just choose to forgive and hope this turns into something positive.

ROCK6

 

[jerseytex]

I saw a real man apologizing. A humble human being. Proud, not arrogant. He could be my battle anyday.

 

[Allen R.]

I too am an Army Vet (rangers) and I hear people BSing about they were SF all the time, I tell people I was in the Army but no need to brag I was a ranger, I think I've said it 3 times here on the forums, Just because I was talking to fellow Vets, usually I just say I was an Army vet, As far as Dave goes, He did the right thing , admitted his wrongs and all should be forgotten, the man has knowledge that al ot of people can learn from, I support Dave and wish he and his family good health and happiness, God bless Dave, and yes we've all done our share of bad things in this life, but it takes a real man to own up to your wrongs.

 

[Hammer67]

Who's Dave Canterbury?

 

[Allen R.]

Who's Dave Canterbury?

Dunno if your serious or not so gonna refrain from posting If you are serious google is your friend my friend

 

[Hammer67]

Definitely not serious.

I just find this thread to be ridiculous, and it seems there is no limit to how much all of these guys - Canterbury, Teti, Lundin et. al. are willing to milk the drama for all its worth. And, apparently no limit to the number of people willing to suspend all critical thinking and take it seriously.

 

[tidefan]

Only time will tell if Dave's apology is sincere or just another ruse. If it is true then I wish him the best, if it is just another tactic in an effort to improve his business then it will fail. Until then we should be cautiously accepting.

Biblical forgiveness does not mean you should cast your judgement aside and accept whatever is offered, it does mean that grace should be offered to those who ask.

We will know him by his fruit.

Should one decide not to do business with him until one is certain that the change is evident? That is a decision each person must make for themselves, and the answer can only be decided by each of us individually.

Personally I wish Dave all the best, and if in a few years time he has proven to be truthful and sincere I will gladly support him and even look forward to his testimony.

I think this is the best post so far. Forgiveness is giving up the right to punish, it does not mean to accept bad behavior. If he is sincere, we will know, if he is not, we will know. As for bringing up the Bible, I respect someone who admits and repents of his sin and it's no one but God's judgement that matters on that. If you don't want to support his school, that is completely understandable, but Biblical forgiveness is required when it is sincerely asked. Remember this, Jesus said,"if you don't forgive your brother, God will not forgive you". Sin is sin, if you are guilty of the least, you are guilty of the whole. No sin is greater than another,so...he that is without sin cast the first stone. When the men who came to stone Mary heard these words, they were honorable enough to admit imperfection...are we?

 

[CWL]

Just to set the record straight, here is a list of DC's claims (in bold) vs. reality. That's more than a little embellishment. I don't know if he was motivated to do this to get on TV and the attraction of $$$, but that's more than telling a few tales to his buddies at the bar.

Here are the facts about David Michael Canterbury. He has had a couple of aliases, but we will use the name on his military records. I have acquired a copy of his military records, through the POW Network, via the Freedom of Information Act.

Claims by Mr. Canterbury, from his own words on this site, as well his biography on Discovery and his personal site (some of these items disappeared the last week of June 2010, but I have PDF files of his Airborne, Air Assault & Ranger claims HERE). His claims are in bold, followed by the facts as presented in his official military records.

1. Over 20 years of Combined Military and Civilian Survival: No survival training annotated in military records.
2. US Military Veteran 1981-1988: Actual dates of Service: 12/03/1981 to 11/25/1987.
3. Airborne: FALSE
4. Air Assault: FALSE
5. Ranger: FALSE
6. Sniper: Not US Army Sniper. He DID attend a local 4th ID Sniper/Counter-Sniper Class (2 wks - 1986).
7. Scout: FALSE. He only attended the Law Enforcement 95B Course. He was an MP ONLY, not a 19D Scout.
8. SRT Member: He did attend the local 4th ID Course (2 wks – 1986).
9. SRT Coordinator and Instructor: He could have been a coordinator, but until doctrine changed in 1993 (after he was out), you had to be an E-6 (SSG) in order to be an instructor. Canterbury never attained this rank.
10. Performed Security Escorts for Military Equipment in Korea for Specialized Equipment to Forward areas near the DMZ between North and South Korea 1983-85: According to his military record, while stationed in South Korea, he was an “ID Badge Clerk.”
11. Squad Leader 4th ID 1982-1983: Not unless they make Privates squad leaders.
12. Instructor in Close Quarters Combat in US, Central America and Korea: See #9.

From bushcraftusa website where this was first exposed in 2010.
http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/showt...bout-Dave-Canterbury-The-quot-Pathfinder-quot

 

[tidefan]

Sorry for the double post.....

Only time will tell if Dave's apology is sincere or just another ruse. If it is true then I wish him the best, if it is just another tactic in an effort to improve his business then it will fail. Until then we should be cautiously accepting.

Biblical forgiveness does not mean you should cast your judgement aside and accept whatever is offered, it does mean that grace should be offered to those who ask.

We will know him by his fruit.

Should one decide not to do business with him until one is certain that the change is evident? That is a decision each person must make for themselves, and the answer can only be decided by each of us individually.

Personally I wish Dave all the best, and if in a few years time he has proven to be truthful and sincere I will gladly support him and even look forward to his testimony.

I think this is the best post so far. Forgiveness is giving up the right to punish, it does not mean to accept bad behavior. If he is sincere, we will know, if he is not, we will know. As for bringing up the Bible, I respect someone who admits and repents of his sin and it's no one but God's judgement that matters on that. If you don't want to support his school, that is completely understandable, but Biblical forgiveness is required when it is sincerely asked. Remember this, Jesus said,"if you don't forgive your brother, God will not forgive you". Sin is sin, if you are guilty of the least, you are guilty of the whole. No sin is greater than another,so...he that is without sin cast the first stone. When the men who came to stone Mary heard these words, they were honorable enough to admit imperfection...are we?

 

[Karda]

I think what bothers me most about his seeming nonpology is that he feels the need to bring god and religion into it like its what will absolve him of his wrongdoing. What ever happened to acting and thinking as a christian before you make poor decisions that get you into trouble?
I've met too many pious people whom seem to believe that they should not be judged, yet constantly judge others. They are happy to preach the word to others, yet allow themselves to commit any sin they feel like and feel they are jusified in doing so. Only when they are caught in their hypocrisy do they repent and ask forgiveness.

 

[SubaruSTi]

He seems like a con to me. He makes so many excuses and then he mentions no detail about the lies that he told. As a military retiree I have no pity for the rising number of military pretenders. He has made a lot of $$ with his false credentials. If he is truly sorry he needs to donate a chunk of that dirty money to the "Wounded Warrior" foundation. Scum.

They are anti gun

 

[baldtaco-II]

Sorry for the double post.....I think this is the best post so far. Forgiveness is giving up the right to punish, it does not mean to accept bad behavior. If he is sincere, we will know, if he is not, we will know. As for bringing up the Bible, I respect someone who admits and repents of his sin and it's no one but God's judgement that matters on that. If you don't want to support his school, that is completely understandable, but Biblical forgiveness is required when it is sincerely asked. Remember this, Jesus said,"if you don't forgive your brother, God will not forgive you". Sin is sin, if you are guilty of the least, you are guilty of the whole. No sin is greater than another,so...he that is without sin cast the first stone. When the men who came to stone Mary heard these words, they were honorable enough to admit imperfection...are we?

This concept of sin malarky just serves to obfuscate what is obvious. Strip the crap out and what we have left at best is his appallingly bad behaviour and at worst perhaps crimes for which he should be prosecuted..................Like I said above, I really don't care so much because these people are irrelevant to real life, but it is clear to me that if they did exert any effect on my real life I would be extremely annoyed. Clowns like that are a liability to a team, period. If I found someone I employed now BS to that extent I'd sack them with extreme prejudice, and look into having them prosecuted too. I think most people would feel the same way if it wasn't some ethereal distant bloke on the TV that was shafting someone else. I wouldn't want a dentist that BS about his credentials to that degree, and what if it was a surgeon performing eye surgery on your woman. I'd want the GMC to strike the fekker off, and some jail time on top................This is about honesty, integrity, dignity, bad behaviour and perhaps crime. No concept of sin is required. I don't know why he didn't sit amidst a troop a freckle faced kids in Hello Kitty T-shirts and clutching puppies if he was going to try to tap into the heartstrings when going that route. Mind you, it looks like he has had a margin of success with it.