Timothy Michael Poe Story 'All a Giant Lie'? Singer Confesses
Timothy Michael Poe wowed "America's Got Talent" judges with his powerful voice and moving story of being injured while in Afghanistan. But was it all an act for the judges? The Minnesota National Guard, where Poe served, says that his records do not match the account Poe gave on TV.
"Sgt. Poe's official military records do not indicate that he was injured by a grenade in combat while serving in Afghanistan in 2009 as he reports," Lt. Col. Kevin Olson, spokesman for the National Guard, told the Associated Press.
"We looked very closely at [Poe's] record, but we did not find anything to substantiate what he said," Olson added.
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Poe sang a rendition of Garth Brooks' hit "If Tomorrow Never Comes," and spoke about his time spent in Afghanistan.
"My (military) career was ended in 2009. I had got hit by a grenade in Afghanistan and it broke my back and gave me a brain injury, so that's the reason why I stutter," he explained.The audience, and judges, ate up Poe's story, passing him through to the next round of competition and giving him three standing ovations.
Howard Stern, one of the judges on "America's Got Talent," stated that the rumors surrounding Poe's story "really sicken me. You never lie about your military service. This lie is so wrong on so many levels," he stated on his Sirius XM radio show.
Now Poe admits that the grenade attack, which he claimed caused his injuries, "may not have happened exactly how I explained it because I don't remember a whole bunch." His words came in defense to AGTNews.com, who learned that Poe's squad leader in Afghanistan posted on his Facebook page that Poe's story is "all a giant lie."
Poe's wife, Kelly Ballard, a fellow veteran, previously told AGTNews.com and The New York Post that Poe had been injured during training exercises in Mississippi, not Afghanistan.
The military group Defenders of Freedom has severed ties with Poe after it came to light that he claimed he had been award the Purple Heart and Bronze Star at a golf tournament.
"It was just one of those things where you feel out of place and you want to feel like you were part of something," Poe told C.J. Grisham, host of the You Served podcast.
When asked if he had given any wrong information to NBC, Poe replied, "Sure. It was a show. It wasn't out there to make anyone feel bad."
