19. A Hero Who Needlessly Exaggerated His Heroics
Maynard Smith’s fake heroic rescue was a plot twist that nobody saw coming. The scandal of the fake heroism tarnished his reputation, and dulled the shine of his real wartime heroism. Some even questioned whether the aerial heroics that led to his Medal of Honor had been real, or whether Smith had juiced up that story too. By the time the mess was over, Smith had done days behind bars. He kept out of the headlines from then on, and gradually grew less bitter about his wartime experience.
Smith retired to Florida, started attending veteran reunions, and became active in his local VFW post. He also began to embellish his heroism, which needed no embellishment. He had fought a fire inside his B-17 while firing at the German fighters outside. He added the false claim that he had also taken over from the injured pilot and flown back to base, despite never having flown before. The man was certainly not Hollywood’s idea of a hero, but despite all his shortcomings, he deserved his place among the ranks of America’s bravest. He died of a heart attack in 1984.
Read More: Some of History’s Most Unexpected Plot Twists.