FORT WORTH — There has been a startling revelation in a widely-reported story.
Steven Woods claimed to be a disabled veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His story pulled on heart strings, with the community raising thousands of dollars for what he said was an assistance dog.
But Army officials now tell News 8 that Woods was never in Iraq.
For weeks, blogs, newspapers and TV stations reported the same story about a young Army veteran wounded by an explosion while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom outside Baghdad.
Woods said his pit bull comforted him through struggles with post traumatic stress disorder. "To get me back in the world, basically," he said. The dog, however, was accused of biting someone, and declared a dangerous dog. The dog faced euthenasia if Woods could not pay for the required insurance and fees.
Attorney Randy Turner took the case for free, calling his client a "war hero." He later explained he had no reason to doubt his client's story. More than $17,000 in donations poured in for the dog's care and release from the city animal shelter. As a result, the dog was able to return to Woods' home.
The city, however, continued to pursue another dog bite case against woods. An online petition was signed by more than 4,400 people urging the city to stop retaliating against Woods.
"Why don't we give some consideration to the sacrifices this man made for his country?" Turner asked.
Records show Woods did serve in the Arkansas National Guard. But now, we have confirmed there's no record of Woods ever serving in Iraq — or, for that matter, anywhere overseas.
After receiving that information from the U.S. Army and Arkansas National Guard, News 8 questioned Woods on Thursday. Woods, however, stuck with his story. "I served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and I was hurt over there in Iraq."
Woods signed a release, allowing Veterans Affairs to release the relevant records, but on Monday, a VA spokesman confirmed it shows that Woods never served overseas.
Woods, through his attorney, is now declining further comment. But last Thursday, we had this exchange with him:
REPORTER: "What do you think should happen to people who would lie about that kind of service; who would like about being deployed; who would lie about being hurt while serving their country?"
WOODS: "To me, as a former soldier of that, that's about as low as you can get."
Woods' attorney said Monday that, at the request of his client, all money raised on behalf of his pit bull and sent to the law firm has been returned to the Metroplex Animal Coalition.
Woods has asked that the donations be returned to the original donors.
The Metroplex Animal Coalition says donors can contact the charity if they want their money back.
The MAC also made it clear that donations never went directly to Woods; they were sent to his attorney to be spent on fees for the dog's care and release from the shelter.
E-mail chawes@wfaa.com
