A Connecticut man fighting for Ukraine on the front lines has lied for a long time about being an American war hero – even to his once loyal wife, who confirmed to The Post on Monday that she had dumped him.
James Vasquez, 48, has turn into one of the high-profile Americans to race for help after the Russian invasion, sharing dramatic photos from the front lines – and even sparking diplomatic controversy by claiming access to US weapons.
He has repeatedly claimed to be a decorated US Army sergeant, heroically sharing his invaluable skills from his travels in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“I used to be in Kuwait during Desert Storm and I used to be in Iraq after 9/11… It’s a totally different animal,” Vasquez boasted in one online interview, asking for funds to assist with the war effort in Ukraine.
Nevertheless, since then a renovation contractor from Norwalk confessed to The Recent York Times that he had misrepresented his military history for a long time – and had been kicked out of the Army Reserves before he even went to war.
The Pentagon confirmed that he had never been drafted and was a non-public top quality—one in every of the bottom ranks in the military—not a battle-tested sergeant.
![James Vasquez in Ukraine.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000010089619.jpg?w=795)
“I needed to lie 1,000,000 times to get ahead,” Vasquez said, refusing to clarify why he was kicked out of the military, where he specialized in fuel and electrical repair relatively than combat.
“I didn’t understand it was going to come back to that,” he said of the exposé.
His confession got here as an even greater shock to his ex-wife Tina Vasquez, who proudly told The Post when her husband flew to Ukraine for the primary time that war was “in his DNA.”
“He did the identical thing after 9/11, rushed to assist. That is what he’s – he’s my hero,” she marveled on the time.
She told The Post on Monday she was “just as shocked as everyone else” to see her ex’s confessional.
![James Vasquez with his then proud wife Tina.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000010089612.jpg?w=768)
“It was just devastating for me. He tricked everyone,” she said.
“I believed him. The war stories that allegedly took place brought tears to his eyes. I felt terrible for what [he said] he needed to undergo it and survive – after which come to the conclusion that it was all only a lie,” she said.
“Here I’m, I have been with him for 11 years and I do not even know the man I married.
“You’re thinking that you recognize someone and it just explodes in your face,” she said, saying that “it seems like a dream.”
![James Vasquez poses with then-wife Tina wrapped in the Ukrainian flag.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000010089615.jpg?w=768)
She filed for divorce for “other personal reasons” last July, when Vasquez announced he was returning to Ukraine for the second time after several months in the US. The divorce is now finalized.
The Post couldn’t immediately contact Vasquez, who has since deactivated the Twitter account he used to share his dubious stories about the conflict with the far-right Ukrainian Da Vinci Wolf Battalion.
![James Vasquez in Ukraine.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000010089618.jpg?w=768)
“He’s a ghost now – nobody knows where he’s,” his ex-wife said, saying former friends have also been unable to contact him but imagine he has returned to the USA.
“He needs help and I hope he gets the assistance he needs. I pray for him day by day,” she said.
![James Vasquez's ex-wife Tina proudly holds up her Ukrainian image before finding out her husband has long lied to her about his past.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000010089611-2.jpg?w=1024)
Vasquez admitted to the Times as part of a bigger exposé of Americans aiding Ukraine’s war effort despite a troubled past.
They included a retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel who is under federal investigation for potentially illegal exports of military technology, and a former Army soldier who defected to Russia.
The Times also reported how Vasquez helped a volunteer group called Ripley’s Heroes raise over 1,000,000 dollars to purchase war munitions.
Founder Hunter “Rip” Rawlings IV confirmed this figure for Kyiv Post on Sunday, attacking “Twitter slander and lies” and “accusations” of obstructing his efforts.
His group also defended their “friend”, Vasquez, writing: “We wish him welland pray fervently that he’ll work for his personal good.”
Vasquez was also supported by MSNBC commentator Malcolm Nance, who has worked extensively with Legion members fighting in Ukraine.
“James [Vasquez] He wasn’t fake, he was nervous” Nance wrote supportive tweets.
“He has done loads for Ukraine, but he has challenges that he has to face. Respect what he has done,” he wrote.
“He’s a soldier who needs care on several levels. That is all. Let him handle it, Nance said.