Fake Soldiers Used In RNC Video

Patriotic Montage Shown At RNC Featured Actors Hired For One Day Shoot, Not Military

(CBS)  CBS News Investigative Producer Michael Rey wrote this story for CBSNews.com.

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It was a video that was supposed to elicit soaring patriotism and real emotions about the Pledge of Allegiance. But to do that, it used fake soldiers and a staged military funeral instead of the real thing.

On Tuesday night, 15-year-old Victoria Blackstone, a sophomore at the St. Agnes School in St. Paul, led the crowd at the Xcel Energy Center in the Pledge of Allegiance. The audience heard her 434-word essay, “Pledging myself to the Flag of the United States of America,” an essay she’d entered in the “Wave the Stars & Stripes” essay contest and won. The RNC turned that essay into a three and a half minute video, a visually stirring montage rolling over Victoria’s words about sharing the Pledge with Americans who have stood at important moments in history.

There’s the Continental Congress…A real WWII vet…Photos of workers at Ground Zero. A close-up of a folded flag presented to a grieving widow at a military funeral… profiles of soldiers swelling with pride in slo-motion.

But CBS News found that the footage of the ‘funeral’ and soldiers is what is called ‘stock’ footage. The soldiers were actors and the funeral scene was from a one-day film shoot, produced in June. No real soldiers were used during production.

The footage, sold by stock-film house Getty Images was produced by a commercial filmmaker in Chicago. Both Getty and the production company, Mr. Big Films, confirmed that the footage was shot on spec and sold to the Republican National Committee.

One of the actors, Perry Denton of Chicago, Ill. also confirmed that he was hired on a day-rate as an actor for the shoot and told CBS News he was surprised to learn the footage was shown at the convention.



A veteran’s advocate said that with soldiers still deployed and in harm’s way, there is an obligation not to sugar coat reality.

“What it does reveal is a serious lack of understanding and a lack of personal connection to the military,” said Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Rieckhoff, who is at the convention with a contingent of veterans added that a video tribute to Medal of Honor winner Michael Monsoor, a Navy Seal killed in Iraq, shown on Tuesday night, used combat video that appeared to him and several other veterans of the Iraq war to have been staged.

After a Web search of videos played at the Democratic National Convention last week, CBS News found no obvious use of stock footage.

The RNC did not respond to CBS News’ request for a comment.

[whatithink1]

BREAKING: Sarah Palin DID NOT end up selling the airplane on Ebay. It was sold through the normal channels AT A LOSS. Why did she even mention this during her speech? What a load of hot air!

[fightfascism]

Posted by jerr11

what??? you mean we should elect leaders based on qualities other than looks, pandering to religous fears, and texas twangs??

[jerr11]

Fake soldiers.

What else is new from the repubs.

Now we have a fake VP candidate whose only qualification to the job is her Miss Congeniality title.

When the battery on the animated corpse finally runs out, we''ll have a beauty queen in the white house.

And when the phone rings at 3 am, she''ll be looking for her lipstick.

Who was it who said we deserve the government we get?

[fightfascism]

Posted by clovisbuford

exactly, better liberal (like george washington, lincoln, and fdr) than broke from being too stupid to budget. i can see trhe russians and chinese licking their lips like wolves hoping we have 4 more years of this irresponsibility.

[clovisbuford]

I watched an interesting piece the other day between bill moyers and the annenburg foundation on comunication ..and how we frame politics , I found my views being took to task way more than what I was used to . but it was fair. one of the things that intrigued me if every issue is framed as a moral issue ( we wont go into who likes that frame) then there is no compromise ..who wants to compromise their moral standards? .. we have run a war on terror on credit , instead of liberals posing it as a burden on our grandchildren , which it is debt , or the republicans posing it as a motal imperative in our time ..the truth is its 10 billion dollars a month.err we have been in Iraq going on 6 yrs? could republicans at last have a budget for the war? I mean you know 6 yrs in ..should we not make this part of our budget ? its a monthly expense ? you are committed to it right? so willing to pay for it right ? lets do like american families do .. yanno like braces .. i paid for them for 3 yrs .. we are into our 3rd set of braces almost .. and its not a budget item .. we act like that 10 billion dollars a month is outside our budget.. a surprize?.. really? we dont know we are there ?

[fightfascism]

beryleyes: scared much?

[fightfascism]

typical republicommie goosestepper move. why am i not surprised by this despicable propaganda tactic from the same party that sends our soldiers to die fro their profit motives?

[clovisbuford]

The main stream media, Oprah''''s show included, has disrespected these 2 candidates Posted by retmilspouse at 11:20 PM : Sep 05, 2008
err sarah palin just got the nomination wed night? no one knew she was gonna be it ... minor question how did oprah disrespect her before then? and give me a quote showing it .. facts do still count right ? just saying .

[clovisbuford]

.......demand that she invites Sarah before November!

I hope she does not go on the show. The main stream media, Oprah''''s show included, has disrespected these 2 candidates and someone needs to stand up to them" orah has commented on her position on the presidential race and has openly supported obama .this whole discussion about palin on her show is a a manufactured issue , go to her site and read her position on it and on candiates appearing including palin and obama . dont watch her show if you are that pissed over her support of obamma , she has been up front over it and wont mind if you quit watching ,,this is still a democracy eh . I still like that lil gal(elizabeth? ) on the view even though politically she sucks , or even sarah palin , i think she gives a good speeech but I dont agree with her politically ,nothing personal , doesnt make her evil or the anti christ , in america I can still think you are screwed on your positions and not hate you ... maybe just maybe some of the wingnuts that post here should try some of that

[user168-2009]

Why not, fake smile, fake message, fake soldiers... and fake pregnancy too. Ha Ha, some people just like it fake.

[retmilspouse]

.......demand that she invites Sarah before November!

I hope she does not go on the show. The main stream media, Oprah''s show included, has disrespected these 2 candidates and someone needs to stand up to them. She had as many or more watching her on Wednesday night as Obama did last Thursday, with 4 less networks providing feed. Oprah is a non issue and not needed. Let her drown where she belongs with less ratings from women like those in my family that have chosen months ago to not watch her show at all. We''ll watch HGTV or The Food Network instead.

[retmilspouse]

............ I certainly recall being told when I was in the military that it was not OK to be a part of partisan campaigning when in uniform.

Exactly, you just made our point by trying to be obsurd.

[praiseallah1]

Is Oprah a Racist, or part of the liberally biased media, or is she just discriminating against moms with special needs kids?

Oprah refuses to interview Sarah Palin on her TV show because she choses her race over her gender! What happened to Equal Opportunity? Oprah interviewed Obama, Clinton, but refuses Sarah Palin the first woman in history to be nominated as a Republican VP? Maybe Oprah is just racist or prefers to not support other women? This is absolutely divisive. I''m going to Oprah.com to email them and tell them what I think. I hope everyone goes to Oprahs website and emails her to demand that she invites Sarah before November!

[devangel77b]

The military is supposed to be nonpartisan. I don''t understand why it''s OK to parade them around as if they are serving the Republican cause - stock footage, actors or not. I certainly recall being told when I was in the military that it was not OK to be a part of partisan campaigning when in uniform.

[devangel77b]

The military is supposed to be nonpartisan. I don''t understand why it''s OK to parade them around as if they are serving the Republican cause - stock footage, actors or not. I certainly recall being told when I was in the military that it was not OK to be a part of partisan campaigning when in uniform.

[pansycritter]

Fake soldiers? And I suppose CBS offers us real, supported by facts, unbiased, news with real people reporting? Yeah, I guess "real" is in the eye of the beholder and the fake soldiers did more for me than CBS has done in years so take a number CBS and go to the back of the line.

[slaybelle]

"Fake Soldiers" ??? You might as well say of a war movie that "Fake Soldiers" were used in the movie. They were Actors! A moving, stirring, patriotic video was created. Shame on you, CBS. Sorry wording, sorry reporting.

[retmilspouse]

.......... THEY''''RE NOT BEING PATRIOTIC, THEY ARE STUPID!!!!!.

You must be as well if you fell for this lame article. If you are in the military you should know that you are not allowed to be an active participant in a political party. So that is why I will assume you are not what you say you are. And as for the stock of the funeral, are you kidding me of course that was staged to make a point.

[plowboy52]

I cannot believe CBS has stooped as low as they have!!
what about reporting on how well she did on her essay!

[plowboy52]

I cannot believe CBS has stooped as low as they have!!
what about reporting on how well she did on her essay!