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James Vasquez: Connecticut man who lied about being a US war vet while fighting for Ukraine dumped by wife

'He fooled everybody. I believed him. The war stories that had supposedly happened brought tears to his eyes,' said James' ex-wife Tina Vasquez

NORWALK, CONNECTICUT: James Vasquez, a 48-year-old Norwalk-based home improvement contractor who went viral after fighting for Ukraine, recently admitted to lying about being a US war hero, even to his wife. The latter recently confirmed to the New York Post that she has parted ways from her now ex-husband. Vasquez was first exposed for fraudulent claims by journalist Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, who also enlisted to fight in Ukraine. More recently, Vasquez admitted to The New York Times that he has lied about his military records for decades and was kicked out of the Army Reserves before ever going to war.

The Pentagon also confirmed that Vasquez was never deployed and only served as a private first class, one of the lowest ranks in the army, rather than a war veteran, the New York Post reported. Vasquez became one of the most popular names from the US in the Russia-Ukraine crisis and garnered a significant following on social media for sharing dramatic content from the front lines. He has since deactivated his Twitter account. His former wife told the publication that no one knows Vasquez’s current whereabouts.

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Who is Tina Vasquez?

Tina Vasquez is James Vasquez’s ex-wife, who recently shared that she was shocked after learning about her now-former husband’s lies. The couple were married for seven years and lived in Norwalk, Connecticut, the Daily Mail previously reported. At the time, Tina told the publication that Vasquez was her “hero” and she was proud of his decision to help Ukraine from the front lines. “I'm super proud of my husband, he's my hero and he's met a lot of great people over in Ukraine,” she said.

Tina said she decided to support her husband despite being worried because fighting for the welfare of a country was part of his DNA. “It's in his DNA, and he approached me, came to me after work, and said, ‘We need to talk, I can't watch this on TV, I need to go help these guys,"' she told the publication at the time. “Go ahead, just make sure you come home,” Tina recalled telling Vasquez before adding, “This is what he needs to do, and I need to support him.” She further mentioned, “It's been a struggle for me, worrying every day. He tries to call me when he can, but sometimes he can't and my mind goes a little worried.”

Unfortunately, Vasquez’s confession came as a shock to Tina. She told the New York Post that she “was just as shocked as anybody else” to see his confessional. “It was just devastating to me. He fooled everybody,” she said. “I believed him. The war stories that had supposedly happened brought tears to his eyes. I felt terrible for what [he said] he had to go through and endure and then come to find out it was all just a lie,” Tina shared.

“Here I am, I’m with him for 11 years and I don’t even know the man I married. You think you know somebody and it just blows up in your face,” she noted and said that ordeal “seems like a dream.” Tina filed for divorce from Vasquez over “other personal reasons” last July when the latter announced he was going back to Ukraine for a second time. Their divorce is now finalized. “He’s a ghost now — nobody knows where he is,” Tina told the outlet while speaking about Vasquez’s whereabouts. “He needs help and I hope he gets the help that he needs. I pray for him every day,” she added.

What did James Vasquez lie about?

Vasquez claimed to be a decorated US Army veteran while documenting his fight for Ukraine and presented himself as a US war hero with a remarkable skillset from his tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. “I was in Kuwait during Desert Storm, and I was in Iraq after 9/11… This is a whole different animal,” he bragged during an online interview.

However, it has now been revealed that Vasquez lied about his military records and was never sent to war after being kicked out of the Army Reserves. American journalist Sarah Ashton-Cirillo wrote on Twitter that Vasquez “is not and has not been” in ZSU, the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “As a soldier in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who has to live by the rules of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who has fought and fights at the front for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, I'm done w/ lies. James Vasquez is not and has not been in ZSU,” she wrote at the time.

Ashton-Cirillo said she also met Vasquez three times, during each of which he was a “civilian,” as per Newsweek. She also claimed that she privately communicated with Vasquez, and that he confirmed in writing that “he does not and has not had a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the publication noted. She said that although Vasquez was in Ukraine, he made false claims about going on missions. The reported mentioned that even though Vasquez “cared,” he was not a soldier.

James Vasquez raised thousands of pounds in donations for Ukraine

Amid his lies and fraudulent claims, Vasquez reportedly raised thousands of pounds in donations for Ukraine, the Daily Star reported. He helped a volunteer group called Ripley’s Heroes to raise more than $1 million to buy war munitions. The founder of the group, Hunter “Rip” Rawlings IV, even confirmed the figure while speaking to the Kyiv Post. Back in March, the Daily Star reported that Vasquez was still in Bakhmut now and crowd-funding money for war effort. No claims have been made doubting that the funds Vasquez raised did not go to the Ukraine war effort.

Why did James Vasquez lie?

Vasquez confessed his lies while speaking to The New York Times as part of an expose of Americans who were aiding Ukraine despite having problematic pasts of their own. “I had to tell a million lies to get ahead. I didn’t realize it was going to come to this,” he told the outlet. However, he refused to explain why was he kicked out the Army Reserve and only revealed that he specialized in fuel and electrical repairs in the army rather than specializing in combat. There is no specific explanation as to why Vasquez lied.

‘The lengths people go for attention’

The internet was quick to react to Vasquez’s confession. “Never lie about your service history,” one wrote. “The lengths people go for attention,” added another. “I knew he was a fraud from day one,” a third user commented. “I’ve always thought this was a funny thing, I have dear friends that are retired sf guys and they say they see this all the time,” another shared.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.