Why does someone who has a stellar career in the Army/Air Force have to lie?  I’m not a shrink so I can’t answer that question.  Ego maybe?  Colonel Arnald D. Gabriel (Retired) is the latest addition to the seemingly never-ending soldiers who have lied about being in Normandy on June 6, 1944.  He has brought Stolen Valor to a whole new level of ugliness.  

He didn’t have to lie, that’s the sad part.  He was in heavy combat from October 16, 1944 on.  Two of his good friends were killed right next to him in January 1945. 

Gabriel says this “I recall that sometime in the early 2000s, I noticed associations between my service in the 29th Infantry Division and the landing on Omaha Beach on D-Day.”  Do you want to know why?  I can tell you why, because he lied on tape.

Lies on Tape for Gabriel from the American Veterans Center and from the DOD From D-Day To Destiny.

Gabriel released a statement today July 11, 2019.  In the statement he says this “inaccurate information.”   This wasn’t “inaccurate information.”  He lied about the lie.  There are interviews saying he was on Omaha Beach right from the horse’s mouth.  He is trying to salvage his reputation but that ship has sailed. 

He lied to his son who wrote a book about his career.  Gabriel then says this from his statement “However, I did not know how to go about correcting this information on the internet and in print.”  Maybe not lying to the world might have helped.

Over the past two years two other men were outed as not being in Normandy.  They took the most honorable way and admitted they lied, but not Gabriel.   Even in his statement he doesn’t mention that he left the US September 11, 1944 and arrived in Europe September 19, 1944. 

From the articles I have read and listened to he has a few French awards as well.  Problem is that he never fought in France (or Holland for that matter).  He came into Co I of the 175th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division October 16, 1944.  By that time the 29th Infantry was fighting in Germany. 

Gabriel conducted a band on June 6, 2019 on Omaha Beach, the ultimate insult to the men who fought and died there that day.  He took the glory from the men who were there and put it on himself. 

There will be some who defend what he’s done.  This is how far our country has fallen when people try to defend someone like Gabriel who dishonored Omaha Beach on the 75^th Anniversary.  Please go right ahead and defend someone who lied.  It’s what we are all about now anyway.  Honor doesn’t matter now, just “I want to be famous too” mentality. 

This hit very close to home for Upstate New Yorkers as Gabriel grew up in Cortland, New York before the war and went to Ithaca College after the war. 

I've never dealt directly with a Stolen Valor recipient before.  It was disturbing to say the least.  When people are exposed like this it’s not very becoming is it?  Here is the last email I sent to Mr. Gabriel pm July 2, 2019;

Mr. Gabriel,

You are trying to blame this on me?  I didn’t even know you until 2 days ago.  Someone reached out to me and wanted more information about your time in the Army.

(The "Someone" is Joseph Balkoski, the 29th Infantry Division Historian)

I reached out to you by email and you called and were very defensive.  That told me right there that I was on the right track. 

Here are two links about men in your position and how they dealt with it.  These two men were called out by other researchers in 2017 and 2018.    

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/04/26/wwii-vet-who-appeared-obama-admits-d-day-fabrications.html

https://nypost.com/2017/08/23/96-year-old-vet-hailed-as-a-d-day-hero-admits-to-being-a-fraud/

Any explanation besides the truth is a complete waste of time.

This is going to come out one way or another, if not by me then most likely by the people who requested this research. 

There is no need for further communication as the facts speak for themselves, even if you won’t.      

Brian

Then on July 11, 2019 I receive an email from a Ms. Lisi a Publicist in the D.C. area;   

“Mr. Siddall -

Below and attached please find a statement Colonel Arnald D. Gabriel has issued regarding a discrepancy in his military background. Col Gabriel's family asks that you please refrain from contacting him at any time in the future. if you have any questions please feel free to contact me and I can share them with the Gabriel Family.

Thank You,

Chris Lisi”

Here is my response to Ms. Lisi;

To Ms. Lisi,

I know what you do for a living and that your job is to “massage the truth.”  This wasn’t “inaccurate information” it was an outright lie by Gabriel.  Please, if you haven’t already watched it you can go to the link below.  It will show at 6:25 where his lies start and then went on for minutes.

Lies on Tape for Gabriel from the American Veterans Center and from the DOD From D-Day To Destiny.

In a way, even worse is that he disparages other men from his Company by saying some of them screamed for their mother at 9:45 and ran away from the battle.

Your email was almost comical except you are trying to tarnish my reputation by saying the family said please don’t contact him again.  I told Gabriel in no certain terms via email to not contact me again.  That was done on July 2, 2019 at 1:09 p.m.  He obviously doesn’t listen because he and his family used you to contact me once again.

 A larger article is coming out about him in the next few days, so keep your eyes peeled for that.  The one from last night was just the most basic information explanation about what he did and didn't do in WWII.

Brian N. Siddall
(I did leave off one paragraph for privacy reasons)

In the end he lied.

Brian N. Siddall

July 11, 2019
(Updated July 13, 2019)