Lies Debunked: L. Ron Hubbard was a War Hero

Scientology's doublecross

Scientology's® Claims

The Scientology organization likes to demand that their messiah L. Ron Hubbard was a war hero and that he was seriously wounded in battle to the point where his recovery was a miracle. The whole reason for making the claim that Hubbard experienced a miracle of healing is because the organization wants people to believe that Hubbard's "science of the mind" was what cured him. (And thus begins the basis of Scientology quack medical frauds.) Indeed, the organization makes these and many other like-minded claims on a number of their web pages. Reproduced here in Fair Use extract from one of their web pages we find the organization stating these very claims:

When the US entered World War II (1), Mr. Hubbard was commissioned as a lieutenant (2) (junior grade) in the US Navy (3) and served as a commander of corvettes. (4) He saw action in both the Atlantic (5) and Pacific, (6) and thoroughly distinguished himself in the eyes of those who served beneath him. (7) Yet he was not a man who enjoyed war, (8) and having seen enough killing to last him a lifetime (9) -- and the effects of that bloodshed on men's sanity (10) -- he vowed to redouble his efforts to create a saner world. (11) With this same sense of compassion, he also did all he could to safeguard his crews... (12)
http://www.whatisscientology.org/to/part01/chp03/pg0118.html

I numbered the claims. Out of the 12 claims in that one sentence, we find that there are 8 outright lies which we'll get to. For now, let's take a look at how the Scientology organization continues to represent Hubbard's war record:

In 1945, left partially blind with injured optic nerves (13) and lame from hip and back injuries, (14) Mr. Hubbard was hospitalized at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in Oakland, California. (15) Among the 5,000 naval and Marine Corps patients at Oak Knoll (16) were hundreds of former American prisoners liberated from Japanese camps on South Pacific islands. (17) Many were in terrible condition from starvation and other causes, unable to assimilate protein. (18)
So complete was his recovery, (19) that officers from the Naval Retiring Board reviewing Lt. Hubbard's case were actually upset. (20) After all, they reasoned, how could a man physically shot to pieces at the end of the war (21) pass his full physical examination? (22) The only answer, they concluded, was that L. Ron Hubbard must be somebody else. (23) And when they found that all was in order, they designated him fit for active duty. (24)

These claims might be forgiven if Hubbard's Navy record wasn't a matter of public record, available through the Freedom of Information Act. Hubbard was a pathological liar and a con man so it would be understandable if the Scientology organization accepted his bizarre claims at face value. Unfortunately, however, Hubbard's war record is available to anyone who submits FOIA requests for them and the Scientology organization has done just that. Instead of accepting the fact that their messiah was a pathological liar and a con man, the Scientology organization promptly labeled their mad messiah's Navy record a forgery.

So what does Hubbard's war record really look like? Researcher Mr. Chris Owens decided to find out and, after acquiring all of the available Navy records, he wrote a book covering the truth about Hubbard's war record, a book called Ron The War Hero which offers all of the detailed. And yes, Scientology is once again proven to be deliberate liars. A review of the 28 claims they make in the extracts above breaks down this way:

1: The United States entered World War 2. TRUE Yes, it's quite true that the United States entered World War 2. Hubbard himself managed to enlist regardless of the fact that his poor eyesight would normally have kept him out of the service. At the time the United States needed people to sign up so they "scraped the bottom of the barrel" as it's called and allowed him to sign up.

2: Mr. Hubbard was commissioned as a lieutenant. TRUE Yes, that was his starting and ending rank.

3: Hubbard joined the United States Navy. TRUE That's true, too. So far the Scientology organization is three for three. Here's where the organization suddenly hops off into never never land, however.

4: Hubbard served as a commander of corvettes. FALSE No, Hubbard never even served aboard a corvette, leave alone having ever commanded one. The Scientology organization knows that Hubbard never commanded any corvettes yet they deliberately lie anyway.

5: Hubbard saw action in the Atlantic. FALSE The phrase "saw action" is intended to mean that Hubbard was involved in battles against the enemy. This is false as Hubbard never saw any battles and never fought in any. The closest he came was dropping a bunch of depth charges on a magnetic rock deposit and shooting up the Coronados Islands in Mexico.

6: Hubbard saw action in the Pacific. FALSE No, Hubbard never "saw action" anywhere. When it looked like he might have to actually serve aboard a ship that would see actual fighting, Hubbard's Navy record shows that he contrived medical problems or asked for transfers to avoid battle.

7: Hubbard thoroughly distinguished himself. FALSE Hardly. Hubbard was a screwup and his Navy record shows a review wherein it is recommended that the Navy find a place they can store him where he can be closely supervised because he's a pathetic screwup. Hubbard shelled and shot up a Island belonging to Mexico and -- equally idiotically -- one of his crew assembled a deck gun so badly that he wound up shooting off his own ship's antenna. The attack on the magnetic rocks off the coast of Oregon was a good indication of just what this "officer" was all about and other ship commanders who Hubbard called in to do battle against the rock formations also got a good look at the idiot. Eventually Hubbard was relieved of command -- fortunately before his stupidity and incompetence got anyone killed.

8: Hubbard was not a man who enjoyed war. TRUE Quite true. He hated it so much that he did whatever it took to avoid going into battle. Hubbard was insane yet not totally gone; at least not back then. Aside from that, few people actually enjoy war.

9: Hubbard saw enough killing to last him a lifetime. FALSE Well maybe but if so, it was done from a safe distance. He himself never killed anyone during any war. The homicides which occur with periodic regularity within the Scientology organization he created later could probably be attributed to him yet it's doubtful that he himself ever pulled the trigger. Since he never engaged in any fighting himself, if he saw killing, it was from the safety of newspaper and radio coverage of the war.

10: Hubbard observed the effects of bloodshed on men's sanity. FALSE Well maybe, but if so, that was also done from a safe distance. This is part of the basis for the quack medical fraud, however, in that the Scientology organization wants people to believe that Hubbard created a scientific breakthrough which some how fights against insanity. To claim that Hubbard saw people being driven insane means they can claim he conducted research -- which he didn't -- into mental health.

11: Hubbard vowed to redouble his efforts to create a saner world. FALSE Hubbard's history paints an entirely different picture. After Hubbard was relieved of command he bounced around from place to place and engaged in a number of exploits, chalking up a number of criminal convictions for a number of petty crimes. He met up with Alester Crowley, abandoned his wife, married another woman without divorcing the old one, and pretty much devoted his life to being a con man. If he vowed to do anything, it was to rook as many people out of every last dime possible.

12: Hubbard did all he could to safeguard his crews. FALSE Not according to Hubbard's Navy record, no. He and the crews that served under him never saw battle however attacking magnetic rock deposits off the coast of Oregon can be considered hazard duty -- more so with a madman in command. By pretending to sink Japanese submarines and dropping live ordnance, Hubbard put at risk the health and safety of the crew that served under him. It is true that the goats that lived on the Coronado Islands he attacked were unarmed and thus couldn't shoot back, of course. So maybe attacking unarmed animals is what Scientology is talking about when claiming he had concern for the safety of his crews.

13: Hubbard was partially blind with injured optic nerves. FALSE Hubbard was never wounded. His eye sight was poor going in to the service and his eyesight degraded over the years. Scientology likes to demand that Hubbard was blinded and crippled after having picked up an unexploded shell that had landed on the deck of his ship. Hubbard himself liked to claim that he had had both feet broken due to concussions running through the deck of his ship during a battle. All of these claims are outright fabrications -- and Scientology along with their "Volunteer Ministers" -- knows it.

14: Hubbard was lame from hip and back injuries. FALSE At worse Hubbard had stomach problems and suffered from a sexually transmitted disease. Hubbard's medical records from the Navy show no such injuries.

15: Mr. Hubbard was hospitalized at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in Oakland, California. TRUE Yes, Hubbard complained about non-existent medical problems to avoid shipping out on war ships that would have put him in to battle. His stomach problems were controlled though a change in diet and it's curious that the Navy allowed him to goldbrick so much. Possibly the Navy felt that keeping him out the way would be the safest thing to do so they let him slack off some place where he wouldn't be able to shoot up Mexico any more.

16: There were 5,000 naval and Marine Corps patients at Oak Knoll. MAYBE It's possible yet one has to ask where the Scientology organization got this information. The number of casualties being treated are not matters of public record so it's almost certain that this claim is a lie. We'll give them the benefit of the doubt, however, and allow that maybe they're telling the truth about this one, anyway.

17: The Hospital where Hubbard stayed had former American prisoners liberated from Japanese camps on South Pacific islands. MAYBE This claim seems unlikely as well. The idea is, I believe, to set up a situation where the Scientology organization can claim that Hubbard had access to brainwashed and insane ex-prisoners so that he could "conduct research" on them and thus develop his amazing "scientific breakthrough." So it's almost certainly another lie. We'll give them the benefit of the doubt again and say "maybe."

18: Many were in terrible condition from starvation. MAYBE This seems marginally possible -- if, in fact, there really were ex-prisoners at that hospital.

19: So complete was his recovery... FALSE Hubbard didn't "recover" from anything. Even the stomach problems he complained about which got him put into the hospital were being controlled through medication and an altered diet. He was not cured of his stomach problems which plagued him the rest of his life. Hubbard also suffered from mental difficulties and he begged the Veterans Administration to help get him into a mental clinic. He was most certainly never cured of any of the problems he suffered from.

20: The Naval Retiring Board reviewing Hubbard's case were actually upset that Hubbard some how was cured of being a blinded cripple. FALSE Not only is there no indication that Hubbard was ever wounded anywhere in Hubbard's Navy records, there's no indication anywhere in the record that anybody -- leave alone any official review board -- was some how "upset" with Hubbard unless they were upset about his gross incompetence and goldbricking.

21: Hubbard was physically shot to pieces at the end of the war. FALSE He wasn't.

22: Hubbard passed his full physical examination. TRUE But then anybody who's relatively healthy and not suffering from any serious problems who none-the-less checks himself into a hospital is expected to pass a physical examination.

23: The Board concluded that L. Ron Hubbard must be somebody else. FALSE There's no record of any of this fantasy ever having happened except, perhaps, in L. Ron Hubbard's pathologically insane mind.

24: The Board designated Hubbard fit for active duty. TRUE Which seems reasonable since he was never hurt in the first place.

The Scientology organization wants you to believe that their "Volunteer Minister" program is anything other than more of the same well documented bunko lies that are so often repeated in the rest of the Scientology organization's web pages. Can you think of any real religion which engages in such deliberate deception?

After reviewing Hubbard's real Navy history at Ron The War Hero, you might also check out the rest of his life both before and after his unfortunate Navy career. Bare-Faced Messiah not only covers Hubbard's Navy career, you'll find copies of FBI documents covering Hubbard.

For hundreds of original documents covering Hubbard's Navy career, you'll find photographic scans of the information that the Navy provides for Freedom of Information Act Requests of Hubbard's record.

Mr. Mike Jackson also noted:

The highly respected POW Network is now listing Layfette R. Hubbard as a phonie in it's extensive list of phonie war heros. The POW Network has extensive connections within the government and the military and works to verify the status of those who wear some of this nations highest military awards. They are also in contact with other veterans organizations who share information to expose phonie war heros.

http://www.pownetwork.org/phonies/phonies49.htm

Layfette R. Hubbard is in good company!!

The views and opinions stated within this web page are those of the author or authors which wrote them and may not reflect the views and opinions of the ISP or account user which hosts the web page. The opinions may or may not be those of the Chairman of The Skeptic Tank.

The name "Scientology"® is trademarked to the "Church" of Scientology. Neither this web page, nor this web site, nor any of the individuals mentioned herein assisting to educate the public about the Scientology organization's "Volunteer Minister" program are members of or representatives of the Scientology organization. Quotes used within this web page and within this web site are used according to the Fair Use laws of the United States.

If you find anything inaccurate or otherwise mistaken on this web page, please send a correction to COSVM at the e-mail address offered below -- with our thanks.

Back to the start of the Volunteer Minister web site

COSVM Web Site

1: The United States entered World War 2.	TRUE	Yes, it's quite true that the United States entered World War 2. Hubbard himself managed to enlist regardless of the fact that his poor eyesight would normally have kept him out of the service. At the time the United States needed people to sign up so they "scraped the bottom of the barrel" as it's called and allowed him to sign up.
2: Mr. Hubbard was commissioned as a lieutenant.	TRUE	Yes, that was his starting and ending rank.
3: Hubbard joined the United States Navy.	TRUE	That's true, too. So far the Scientology organization is three for three. Here's where the organization suddenly hops off into never never land, however.
4: Hubbard served as a commander of corvettes.	FALSE	No, Hubbard never even served aboard a corvette, leave alone having ever commanded one. The Scientology organization knows that Hubbard never commanded any corvettes yet they deliberately lie anyway.
5: Hubbard saw action in the Atlantic.	FALSE	The phrase "saw action" is intended to mean that Hubbard was involved in battles against the enemy. This is false as Hubbard never saw any battles and never fought in any. The closest he came was dropping a bunch of depth charges on a magnetic rock deposit and shooting up the Coronados Islands in Mexico.
6: Hubbard saw action in the Pacific.	FALSE	No, Hubbard never "saw action" anywhere. When it looked like he might have to actually serve aboard a ship that would see actual fighting, Hubbard's Navy record shows that he contrived medical problems or asked for transfers to avoid battle.
7: Hubbard thoroughly distinguished himself.	FALSE	Hardly. Hubbard was a screwup and his Navy record shows a review wherein it is recommended that the Navy find a place they can store him where he can be closely supervised because he's a pathetic screwup. Hubbard shelled and shot up a Island belonging to Mexico and -- equally idiotically -- one of his crew assembled a deck gun so badly that he wound up shooting off his own ship's antenna. The attack on the magnetic rocks off the coast of Oregon was a good indication of just what this "officer" was all about and other ship commanders who Hubbard called in to do battle against the rock formations also got a good look at the idiot. Eventually Hubbard was relieved of command -- fortunately before his stupidity and incompetence got anyone killed.
8: Hubbard was not a man who enjoyed war.	TRUE	Quite true. He hated it so much that he did whatever it took to avoid going into battle. Hubbard was insane yet not totally gone; at least not back then. Aside from that, few people actually enjoy war.
9: Hubbard saw enough killing to last him a lifetime.	FALSE	Well maybe but if so, it was done from a safe distance. He himself never killed anyone during any war. The homicides which occur with periodic regularity within the Scientology organization he created later could probably be attributed to him yet it's doubtful that he himself ever pulled the trigger. Since he never engaged in any fighting himself, if he saw killing, it was from the safety of newspaper and radio coverage of the war.
10: Hubbard observed the effects of bloodshed on men's sanity.	FALSE	Well maybe, but if so, that was also done from a safe distance. This is part of the basis for the quack medical fraud, however, in that the Scientology organization wants people to believe that Hubbard created a scientific breakthrough which some how fights against insanity. To claim that Hubbard saw people being driven insane means they can claim he conducted research -- which he didn't -- into mental health.
11: Hubbard vowed to redouble his efforts to create a saner world.	FALSE	Hubbard's history paints an entirely different picture. After Hubbard was relieved of command he bounced around from place to place and engaged in a number of exploits, chalking up a number of criminal convictions for a number of petty crimes. He met up with Alester Crowley, abandoned his wife, married another woman without divorcing the old one, and pretty much devoted his life to being a con man. If he vowed to do anything, it was to rook as many people out of every last dime possible.
12: Hubbard did all he could to safeguard his crews.	FALSE	Not according to Hubbard's Navy record, no. He and the crews that served under him never saw battle however attacking magnetic rock deposits off the coast of Oregon can be considered hazard duty -- more so with a madman in command. By pretending to sink Japanese submarines and dropping live ordnance, Hubbard put at risk the health and safety of the crew that served under him. It is true that the goats that lived on the Coronado Islands he attacked were unarmed and thus couldn't shoot back, of course. So maybe attacking unarmed animals is what Scientology is talking about when claiming he had concern for the safety of his crews.
13: Hubbard was partially blind with injured optic nerves.	FALSE	Hubbard was never wounded. His eye sight was poor going in to the service and his eyesight degraded over the years. Scientology likes to demand that Hubbard was blinded and crippled after having picked up an unexploded shell that had landed on the deck of his ship. Hubbard himself liked to claim that he had had both feet broken due to concussions running through the deck of his ship during a battle. All of these claims are outright fabrications -- and Scientology along with their "Volunteer Ministers" -- knows it.
14: Hubbard was lame from hip and back injuries.	FALSE	At worse Hubbard had stomach problems and suffered from a sexually transmitted disease. Hubbard's medical records from the Navy show no such injuries.
15: Mr. Hubbard was hospitalized at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in Oakland, California.	TRUE	Yes, Hubbard complained about non-existent medical problems to avoid shipping out on war ships that would have put him in to battle. His stomach problems were controlled though a change in diet and it's curious that the Navy allowed him to goldbrick so much. Possibly the Navy felt that keeping him out the way would be the safest thing to do so they let him slack off some place where he wouldn't be able to shoot up Mexico any more.
16: There were 5,000 naval and Marine Corps patients at Oak Knoll.	MAYBE	It's possible yet one has to ask where the Scientology organization got this information. The number of casualties being treated are not matters of public record so it's almost certain that this claim is a lie. We'll give them the benefit of the doubt, however, and allow that maybe they're telling the truth about this one, anyway.
17: The Hospital where Hubbard stayed had former American prisoners liberated from Japanese camps on South Pacific islands.	MAYBE	This claim seems unlikely as well. The idea is, I believe, to set up a situation where the Scientology organization can claim that Hubbard had access to brainwashed and insane ex-prisoners so that he could "conduct research" on them and thus develop his amazing "scientific breakthrough." So it's almost certainly another lie. We'll give them the benefit of the doubt again and say "maybe."
18: Many were in terrible condition from starvation.	MAYBE	This seems marginally possible -- if, in fact, there really were ex-prisoners at that hospital.
19: So complete was his recovery...	FALSE	Hubbard didn't "recover" from anything. Even the stomach problems he complained about which got him put into the hospital were being controlled through medication and an altered diet. He was not cured of his stomach problems which plagued him the rest of his life. Hubbard also suffered from mental difficulties and he begged the Veterans Administration to help get him into a mental clinic. He was most certainly never cured of any of the problems he suffered from.
20: The Naval Retiring Board reviewing Hubbard's case were actually upset that Hubbard some how was cured of being a blinded cripple.	FALSE	Not only is there no indication that Hubbard was ever wounded anywhere in Hubbard's Navy records, there's no indication anywhere in the record that anybody -- leave alone any official review board -- was some how "upset" with Hubbard unless they were upset about his gross incompetence and goldbricking.
21: Hubbard was physically shot to pieces at the end of the war.	FALSE	He wasn't.
22: Hubbard passed his full physical examination.	TRUE	But then anybody who's relatively healthy and not suffering from any serious problems who none-the-less checks himself into a hospital is expected to pass a physical examination.
23: The Board concluded that L. Ron Hubbard must be somebody else.	FALSE	There's no record of any of this fantasy ever having happened except, perhaps, in L. Ron Hubbard's pathologically insane mind.
24: The Board designated Hubbard fit for active duty.	TRUE	Which seems reasonable since he was never hurt in the first place.