18 Years of Fraud: The Stolen Valor of David Hammer

Imagine the shock and betrayal of discovering that the person you've thanked for their service has never served. This was the harsh reality for thousands of people, including his wife, stepdaughter, and Marine Corps Veterans, whom 58-year-old David Hammer deceived. For over 18 years, he falsely claimed the title of United States Marine, a deception that not only profoundly impacted the community, but also left them in disbelief. 

My investigation unveiled the heart-wrenching personal stories of those directly affected by David's deceit. I had the privilege of speaking with his ex-wife, Tabatha, and his stepdaughter, Crimson, who were not just deceived but deeply hurt by his lies and others who interacted with Mr.Hammer. Their stories serve as a poignant reminder of the need for awareness and the devastating consequences of deceptive behavior. 

Fell In Love With a Liar 

Tabatha met David in 2009 when she enrolled her daughter in the Lewis and Clark Young Marines Program. Young Marines is a drug-demand reduction program for youth 8-18 sponsored by the Marine Corps League. This program is operated by volunteer staff and Marine Corps Veterans to show children what it takes to join the Marine Corps and its values and principles. It also provides endless Marine Corps knowledge so children know what they're getting into once they sign that contract. 

Tabatha and David became friends in 2010 and began dating in 2011. Both were very involved in the Young Marine Program. 

She never suspected a thing of his lies because why would you? Who in the right mind lies about being a Marine? To lie about such high valor within the Corps is astounding and complex to wrap your mind around.

David wore a Marine Corps Uniform and presented himself as a Marine Veteran in all aspects of life. He had many Marine Corps Veterans' friends and even spoke with some people he supposedly served with. There was nothing to second-guess about his service, as anyone who interacted with him knew David was a Marine and the "Real Deal."

The Plot Thickens 

    In 2014, David went to southern Nevada to support rancher Cliven Bundy in his Dispute with the BLM and the State of Nevada. During this time, he went from being a supporter to accepting a job as an armed personal Security Detail for the Bundy family. When David came back from this event, his ego was more extensive, and his stories got more violent and aggressive than ever. He claimed to have deployment on his mind and even got aggressive with his military friends.

     He was in a Facebook group called "efin boot" but suddenly left the group. This group prides itself on holding the standard of being a "Marines Only" group on social media. Members of this group were accusing David of complete Stolen Valor or at least not serving in the capacity in which he was claiming. With his Oorah Marine Corps attitude and the details of his stories changing, people began questioning his story legitimacy. Any questioning of his stories would only cause David to be more aggressive and gaslight those around him with responses like "I know what I'm talking about; why are you questioning me?" or get more aggressive the second someone said anything that might have the possibility to discredit his story. Multiple veterans were skeptical about his stories, which eventually caused David to leave the group. David's suspiciousness caused Veterans to question him and call him out, resulting in him having a downward spiral. The stories included but were not limited to, David claiming he went out on patrol with no Corpsman. Well, if you know anything about anything, you know that's not a thing as for the safety of the squad it is required that a corpsman be with the group.

      His aggression didn't stop him from being questioned. He claimed to be so many things. From being in Kuwait to being part of the war on drugs operation in Columbia. Convinced a Sgt Maj that he had saved his life in combat and told others he was a great hero to this Marine. He claimed he was Recon. He said he went to Camp Pendleton for his basic training and told many stories of his time there. His lies about being Recon are hard to believe as you must attend special training for this, and only so many people make it. So, the fact that he claimed that it was his only job and that it took him this long to be caught is beyond me. David stated he served from 1987-1991, but it was later discovered he was in jail during those times. 

      According to Hammer's ex-wife Tabatha, He has had no repercussions for his actions in any regard, including Lewis and Clark Young Marines allowing criminals to work with their children. According to Tabatha's research, Hammer's record makes her question why he was allowed to work with children in such capacities that he did, such as intensive training and physical training as punishment and rifle/ shooting qualifications and training.

 David never had a set of blues; he had told people his set was in storage at his mom's home, and he could not retrieve it. He wanted to get married in a set of blues as he was also folding a flag for Tabatha's grandfather. David has ordered a complete set of dress blues alphas with a custom ribbon rack with medals such as a Combat action ribbon and purple heart! I wonder why it is so easy for random civilians to get access to the U.S. Military uniforms without any proof of service. He put so much time into his appearance, but the man was the biggest fraud. His whole personality was based on the Marine Corps. His online profile and Facebook accounts only post about Marine-related content, never once   about his family, wife, and kids. 

"He had a God complex. Put himself on a pedestal." - Tabatha

Lewis & Clark Young Marines 

Hammer entered the Lewis and Clark Young Marine Program in 2009 under the impression he was a Marine. These are the stories from children and colleges he worked with. 

David was heavily involved with the Young Marines program and Lewis and Clark. Brain Hildebrant (LCYM Unit commander) put a lot of faith in David, allowing David more privileges and access to the program. Young Marines caught up with that; David had other charges that LCYM overlooked, such as identity theft.    

   David and Hildebrant Left Lewis and Clark and went on to find Marine Cadets of Washington. He became a unit commander of the program. One of the requirements of young marines was a DD214; MCWA did not require this. David liked the power he got from this billet. It made him feel vital since he did nothing with his life outside of either program; he preyed on the young minds of children and even went as far as to live out his delusional reality of having the audacity to treat children and minors like recruits

George Pobi was the OG commander of Lewis and Clark and had a group called Indian Creek warriors go out for a week camping and relaxing, these were all adult men military members. They give a plaque to the most outstanding motivator each year . All of the ribbons people have recieved from their time in service are put on a plaque to show the unity of the group. displayed on their plaque is the Combat Action  Ribbon,  and Purple Heart both supposedly belonging to David. 

Steven Stanley  (Former member of the Young Marine Program) 

Steven didn't have the best childhood, which made him easy prey for Mr. Hammer. Steven wanted to be a sniper because Hammer claimed to be a sniper. When Steven was about 16-17, he started smoking weed, which led him to be involved in "Hammer Time." 

"98% of the group was shady." 

Parents consented to their children going to this man's house and staying the weekend there. David and the kid(s) who are in trouble hit the river right by Hammers house for their intensive thrashing. Steven said they would go into the water, “becoming sugar cookies” by rolling in sand while wet, flung sand over their heads, get on the ground, and climb up a steep incline. It was so bad that his friend's shoe ripped apart, and they kept going. They climbed up, went back, did sugar cookies, then talked seriously. Hammer would say, "Do you understand why this happens?" If there was no understanding, there was more punishment. However, if you learned your lesson, it would calm down. Steven said David would throw sand and water at the children while they were doing this. 

He also stated that Hammer wasn't doing this with them; it was a punishment for the child not a team activity, he was only watching. 

"Wannabe Marine" 

"If a young marine didn't do what Mr. Hammer wanted him to manipulate them. " 

Steven explained how Hammer would tell him and the other Young Marines boot camp stories that were fake. 

As a kid, he believed it 110%, but he realized it sounded a little stupid as he got older. The biggest one he could remember was the "soup can." This story came from Hammer Time. He had said that another recruit when he was in boot camps  schlong was a "soup can" sized penis. "Don't tell other people". Hammer told a group of children this and then told them not to mention it. 

Steven did color guards, Iwo Jima flag-raising reenactments and flag foldings often with Mr. Hammer. They did memorials for marines. He personally, as a Marine, gives the flag to loved ones. "That's what hurt him the most. I was folding a flag and giving it to a fake Marine to give to a real Marine," Steven explains. He said it hurt because the amount of stuff I did for him left a sour taste in my mouth. There should've been an actual Marine doing it. 

"Young Marines have always been shady. I'm traumatized by the Young Marines. I would never trust them with my kids. I wouldn't trust them even with a background check."

Steven stated that the Young Marine Program knew David had a record.

"How could he be around and get so much respect?" 

Steven said that David prioritized Young Marines over his family and neglected his own family. He also claimed that Young Marines needed a body, and David was that body. So they overlooked everything because of that. The only photo Steven ever saw of Hammer that he thought was from David’s military days was one with a tricked-out rifle. He had no boot camp photos and no cac (Military ID). Hammer would lie to Steven and the other children and tell them elaborate stories about being a snipper and how he was bombarded in a wheat field, it seamed believable at the time.

 Rebecca (Former Member of the Young Marine Program ) 

Rebecca participated in the Young Marine program from sixth grade to her first year of high school. She said Hammer threatened kids with "Hammer Time," a punishment for kids with "bad behaviors." These behavioral habits included having a messy room, lousy attitude, poor grades, or even just being an average teenager. It was a way to teach "discipline." Rebecca said a staff member had always to be there since David was only a volunteer if it happened during unit hours.

"Train and store Marine Corps values into you." 

One of the ways he would do this is by making the children do sugar cookies. He would make minors ages 8-18 get into the water at the river by his house, sleep, roll on the beach, and then do push-ups. Parents honestly thought he was a Marine, so they trusted him with their kids. They didn't know he was lying. Nobody did. They thought it was the "Marine Corps way," not all false pretenses.         

Rebecca saw David as a father figure since she grew up without a dad. She thought he was an honorable man because he was always going on and on about "honor, courage, and commitment," but that all changed once the truth came out. 

Rebecca stated that after discovering the truth, she cried for about 2 hours. She couldn't believe it. Nobody could. Young Marines never ran background checks and had about 50 staff members around children 8-18. The leader of Young Marines never made David aRebecca saw David as a father figure since she grew up without a dad. She thought he was an honorable man because he was always going on and on about "honor, courage, and commitment," but that all changed once the truth came out. 

Rebecca stated that after discovering the truth, she cried for about 2 hours. She couldn't believe it. Nobody could. Young Marines never ran background checks and had about 50 staff members around children 8-18. The leader of Young Marines never made David an offical staff because he had a history of drugs and crime yet he became on the board of directors for MCWA and was in charge of children and finances.. This history with drugs was the reason David "enlisted" in the first place was what Rebecca believed. 

Anonymous Source (Parent of a child from Young Marines) 

Mr. Anonymous met Hammer through his children participating in the Lewis and Clark Young Marine Program. Hammer was helpful toward his eldest daughter when she was a senior in high school, and David volunteered for a school project she had to do. During Veterans Day, Hammer put on an assembly, telling his military stories and valor, and he even showed up to her graduation in his blue dress with her recruiter. He helped her join the Marine Corps by training her on what to expect in basic training and giving his words of wisdom from his time in USMC. Mr. Anonymous's daughter joined the Marine Corps after David told her of his time in service and how much the Corps could do for her. His direct influence and esprit de corps were her whole reason for joining. "It doesn't get more narcissistic than that." 

Anon even befriended Hammer over the years. David invited him to be at his wedding. One time, while vacationing in Vegas, Hammer told him elaborate stories about the war in Iraq. Claims of being "behind the lines," buddies killed," wanted to "kill himself," got "shot," recovered," and never made it back to the Marine Corps because after everything that had happened. Hammer stated that after the Marines, he started a life of crime. Anon sources also claimed that he was never an official at Young Marines because they were worried they would find out he wasn't an honest Marine. David admitted to having felonies. 

"He found his victims through this program and got a lot of jollies through punishing these kids. I assumed everyone was a veteran." 

    David's lying hurt Anon tremendously. One of his (anonymous speakers) daughters is 20 and joined Young Marines at eight. She called him, crying when the news first came out that he was fake. She was saying ", What's going on? I saw this on the internet." Anonymous went to defend David to his daughter. That's how much he believed him. 

    David would talk about his wife. Throwing her under the bus made Anon think she was a terrible person. David made sure Anon did not believe his wife and daughter. David's wife Tabitha had been trying to get help, but Anon ignored it. Anon had written a letter of recommendation for Hammer for him to stay in the Young Marines Program because of Hammer's background. Anon even went out of his way to find out what Hammer had to do to get an honorable discharge. He explained to Hammer the process of what it takes, to which Hammer responded, "I do not feel worthy of going back because I did horrible things." It is all an excuse to avoid the truth of his lies being outed.

"He gaslighted and manipulated me. He knew my weakness, and he knew how to play me." 

He played me against my wife. He said things about him and his wife, had arguments based on Hammer lying, and started arguments with his wife in his personal life. A youth from the Marine Cadets had committed suicide, and David spoke at the funeral. Annonomoyus.’s  daughter said how heart-filled it was when David told the family, “My buddies have your son in their arms,” you can't repair the distrust that this person said all these things only for it to be a delusion. Hammer claimed to have Generals thanking him for his service, but how would they even know him? 

Anon never questioned David, but he wished he had. 

"My daughter joined the Marine Corps and got raped, but that's the type of thing, the chain of events because he encouraged her to go in. I don't know how far it goes. There are so many people he deeply touched. The pain he caused will go on forever". 

Based on Military statistics, the Marine Corps has the highest number of female sexual assaults. 8/10 female marines have been sexually assaulted while serving. ( This is only from reported cases) 

Mo (David's Colleague from Young Marines) 

David is the one who initially got Mo involved in the Young Marines Program. After pestering Mo for about six months, he finally decided to join the youth program as an adult volunteer. Mo is a disabled Marine Veteran. David tried to connect with Mo on a deeper level by claiming a hole in his leg came from an AK47 round, but David later told the truth that the hole was just from medical issues from David's youth. 

One of Mo's first memories of Hammer is when he was wearing a Marine Corps lanyard, to which David approached him and said, "Did you earn this shit, or is it a fashion statement?" Which is entirely ironic, given what we know now. 

"Becoming very close comes out, it's all bullshit and lies. Loved that man like a big brother, like a mentor." 

Mo took part in Hammer Time, but not in the beginning. In the beginning, David was on his own. Hammer always kept the parents in the loop and allowed parents to be present during Hammer's time, at least when Mo was there. Mo said there was always permission from parents. He was involved in correcting kids and letting them know, "It sucks, but you gotta do it." Mo used Hammer Time as "tough love" but said David would always take it too far. Mo recalls arguing with David about pushing the kids past their limits, to which David would respond with"they gotta learn!". Mo would stop David, but these kids were alone before Mo came into the picture. 

"looked at David like, what the fuck is wrong with you." 

David loved watching the kids get red-faced and gasp for air. It fueled his press ego. The exercises never lasted more than 90 seconds to 2 minutes for cardio. Then, they would give a 45-second break and then go to another exercise to provide a break, but Hammer would often go beyond that. 

Mo had heard rumors that turned out to be true that David was lying. He even said people still defended this man after the truth came to light. He had everyone hooked on his bullshit. 

It was always about David, who had to be the center of attention.

Hammer Time 

Hammer time started as a unit form of punishment for the “bad kids” of the program. David was considered one of the toughest marines on deck and would have stern chats with the troubled youth. He would call it Hammer Time, but it is just a code name for hazing our youth. David is a likable person. That's what got him into the position. A former drug addict who got his life together was the story he sold to get parents to trust him with their children. 

The hazing, or as David liked to call it, "Hammer Time," consisted of running trails until children

would throw up. He would degrade them because he claimed "that's the Marine Corps way," but these are children, not Marines. David had them running 8 miles for doing the slightest thing wrong, and sometimes would even make kids swim and roll on sand. David had no real training to treat the kids like that, and the parents who trusted their children with David never signed any formal documentation that gave him the right to have their children. These parents fully believed David was trained in such disciplinary measures and could be trusted to keep their kids safe.

"Every person he helped built his ego." - Tabatha

Catching the Capper 

Tabatha and her daughter took everything to the FBI back in 2017. After a thorough investigation, it ended in nothing. The government's hands were tied since David never received any money directly for personal gain or a combination of his fake services. He never got money from the government, but he tried multiple times. David had told hundreds of thousands of people he was a marine; he told the local news channels and received awards from various veterans organizations such as VFW and American Legion, Presidential volunteer service awards, and even dared to fold hundreds of flags at military funerals and multiple events, one including Tabatha's grandfathers funeral. 

By 2019, Tabatha confronted David and said “you should respect me enough to tell me the truth.” David knew Tabatha came from a military family and her stepdad was also a Marine. He had folded hundreds of flags for military funerals; He has done flag raisings and foldings at weddings, graduations, and Veterans Day. He was speaking at high schools on Veterans Day and veterans organizations, all while convincing everyone his wife was crazy. David would gaslight anyone and everyone who questioned him. 

Tabatha had never seen a DD214 and had never seen photographs in service. She said he rebuilt his dress blues for their wedding ceremony. She needed answers, and by the following year, there was nothing, so she filed for divorce in 2020. He never had paperwork or pictures. He claimed everything was in his sister's trunk, but whenever it was brought up in conversation, his sister was always sick and unable to give him his so-called "stuff." Tabatha tried to find his DD214 records, but there was nothing. 'No, I didn't was all he could say.'" There are arrest records in the years he had served. So yes, he was serving, but he served time in jail, not in the United States Military.

Before he was with Tabatha, he was with another woman. That woman told Tabatha and Crimson that he had never watched war movies when they first started dating in 2004. One time while his girlfriend was watching an old war movie, He started crying in the middle and stated, " This reminds me of when my buddies got killed in war" "It's something I keep a secret from my past," Hammer said. She found this odd as he had never brought up military service or any hint that he may have served at any time nor did she ever question after the fact. 

He claimed to have a Dishonorable discharge so he couldn't retrieve his records. His reasoning for that discharge was he left the Marine Corps because his friends were killed in action. He claimed he went home on leave and never came back.by doing this he would have been considered UA (unauthorized absence). He believed After 30 days, you're a deserter, and they stop looking. However, if a service member does this, they will go to the brig (jail) if caught. Hammer would've been 100% caught because he was using his real name in service and post. It was just one lie after the other. 

His ex-wife stated that when she would confront him, he would gaslight the entire situation and get extremely mad when they would question anything. His Narcissistic traits blamed the questioning on PTSD, claiming it caused a lot of triggers, which led to Tabatha questioning her sanity. He divided the whole family along with the young Marines. 

David had gaslighted , a Sgt Maj, into believing that he saving the Sgt.Mjrs life in conflict . A lot of Recon marines said he was Recon and that they had served with him. He is not stupid, not ignorant. He would listen to the stories of others around him, gather info, and put himself into the story, saying, "I was there too," and,  "Do you remember..??" he would work his way into stories he was never a part of. There was an incident where David was talking about a bar fight, but every time he would re-mention the bar fight, he always added new details that were extremely close to the initial story he started with. Coincidently, another Marine on staff at Young Marines had stated the same story time and time before David added himself to it. 

In January 2022, David had a stroke and was hospitalized for months. He persistently told people of his time in service even without being asked about it. He even made sure there was a USMC flag on the wall of his hospital room. After he was released from the hospital, he returned to Tabatha and her daughter's home. He constantly sought validation for his military service and the stories he was telling people. 

 His best Marine Corps friend came over and David had made a snarky comment about Tabatha believing and trying to prove that David was stolen valor. His best friend, AJ, advocated finding David's "missing" DD214 and other documentation to prove davids innocence, but nothing was adding up as he searched for files. The dates did not match. Aj even looked up records in red books and went through Marine Corps records but couldn't find anything. David said he served under a different name and social security number,  which is convenient even though that has not happened since the 1960s. 

Tabatha went to confront him in late July of 2022. She claims it took 6 hours for him to confess that he has been lying to everyone and their mother for the last 18 years. It reached the point where Tabatha said, "You didn't serve, did you?"

Is He Sorry Or Sorry He Got Caught? 

The case is closed, and they did recognize it as stolen valor from the Washougal police dept and FBI but it is not currently considered a crime. No accountability was put into David . David never got monetary gain so it isnt considered stolen valor crime, but he got employment, scholarships, and discounts on vehicles based on the presumption he was a marine. 

    Mr. Hammer shows no remorse for his actions. He can say sorry all he wants, but it's clear as day he's only sorry he got caught. Tabatha claims David "Dropped an egg out of a carton," Hurting thousands of people. After a 6-hour of questions and answers about details of his "service,"  he finally revealed to Tabatha, Crimson, and Mo that all of his military background was a lie. After all of his lies had come to fruition and aired out, he told tabatha "I'm happy I got that off my back. I feel much better now." David finally said I'm not sorry for the abuse and the lies. All I cared about was the Marines and the kids. 

     He stalks his wife and texts her like nothing ever happened. He has had no repercussions for his actions. The response Tabatha ana Crimson received was insane; they were called crazy and ungrateful. David lied to multiple people, and the response was forgiveness towards him and that his wife and stepdaughter were just being petty and ungodlike. They showed people David was lying and deceiving an entire community of military members, their families, and friends with no remorse. In the end, people were mad at them and forgave David.

Tabatha works at a homeless shelter and has seen many veterans go hungry while someone like David was lying about his status and receiving free meals and accolades from places like Applebees and TGI Fridays on military holidays, it is disgraceful and disappointing. 

Most of David's friends were drug addicts, but to feel a sense of belonging, he faked an entire enlistment just to be accepted by a certain demographic of people. 

I'm sure you're wondering, Why? 

     David's dad was a Marine, but unlike his father, David didn't dare to take on the challenge of what it takes to become a United States Marine. He never went in, not even once, to talk to a Marine Corps recruiter. David's story of enlistment started with going into an army recruiter's office but ended up leaving because he needed his GED, so he decided to go to the Marines office. He claimed that once the Marine recruiter found out who his dad and adopted dad were, he could sign his contract with no problems. David told people that his dad served with a Chesty Puller in Kong during the Korean War, which was nonsense. It was an obvious lie, yet he got away with it for years. With such loser friends and ending up on drugs, nobody liked him. He didn't even like himself. He could turn his life around and become the person he so desperately wanted to be. A hero that everyone idolized. Instead, he took it upon himself to lie and deceive his own family and thousands of other families across the Pacific NorthWest. 

Final Thoughts 

     I am astonished that David was able to get away with being a fake Veteran for over a decade. Young Marines never bothered to ask their staff and volunteers for proof of enlistment and allowed dozens of children to be taken advantage of and hazed with no consequences. The lack of accountability grinds my gears because one thing I learned while being part of a cult of armed alcoholics is that accountability is everything.

      How will anyone learn in this world if they are not held accountable? So say his name. David Hammer. David Hammer faked being a Marine for 18 years, causing emotional damage and destruction to his ex-wife, his stepdaughter, his own Children his friends, The military community, the children from the Young Marine program, and all the children who chose to sell their souls to the United States Government. 

"Pulled off one of the greatest stolen valor scandals of all time. He had the power to convince over two dozen Marines that he had directly served with them." - Tabatha.

PHOTOS (By Tabatha)