Timothy Poe: American Hero or Fraud Trying to Find Fame?

One of my favorite parts of America’s Got Talent is the plethora of inspiring back stories that contestants bring along with their talent. Tonight, one of the most touching stories this season, in my opinion, was told. It was that of Timothy Poe.

When Timothy was first introduced, he has a pretty obvious stutter. He soon explained that he had served in the military for 14 years, until he was hit by a grenade and, as a result, had brain damage. One of the most lasting effects from the blast was a stutter. Before his accident, he wasn’t very musical. It wasn’t until his speech therapist suggested he sing in the shower that he discovered a love for singing. Here is his audition and story (grab some tissues. Everyone at my house was tearing up by the end):

Was he the best singer? Not by any means. But what I felt his voice had was a lot of spirit, and it’s incredible that he can sing without the stutter. I think this is the typical “rising from the ashes and overcoming” stories.

But, before you get to attached, keep reading.

As I’ve been trying to find a little bit more about him, I discovered that there is a little bit of controversy going on about Poe in comment boards. Apparently, he may not be the man he claimed to be on the show. I discovered these comments  on another website:

I was Timothy Poe’s sergeant in Afghanistan. The story he is telling is a LIE!! He was never injured over there. Instead he was medevaced back to the states because of a hearing problem he attributed to a training accident while we were still in the U.S. He never even left the base in the few weeks he was over there! Timothy Poe is a FRAUD!

and another:

Timothy Poe is a fraud. He did not hurt his back in Iraq or any other country abroad. His lies tonight were a slap in the face of all soldiers that fight for our country. To the soldiers who do, thank you for fighting for my country. To you, Tim Poe, you should be ashamed of yourself. Faking a lisp so people will feel sorry for you? Your fiancee and children should be embarrassed of you. You are a disgusting human being. The truth will come out. I wish AGT checked background [sic] stories so he would never have been put on tv.

Quite the accusations, huh? If he truly is a fraud, I agree with the second commenter — that’s a slap in the face to all those soldiers out there righting for America. When he was doing his after-interview, my sister commented that he didn’t appear to have his stutter anymore. If his story is true, it’s pretty terrible that people are accusing him of lying. I found this article about a charity golf game he recently participated in that helps injured veterans get back into the work force. He tells a similar story in the article.

I’m not sure what to say. I like to believe that someone would go on TV and completely lie, especially a story like this, but I’m not sure why anyone would try and spread lies about someone who was injured while the service, if he indeed was. I’m guessing we’ll find out soon enough the truth. Any readers out there know the real story? I’d love to find out the real story!