Robert Daly, the head of Deadliest Warrior: The Game developer Pipeworks Software, today resigned from his position, saying he regrets misleading others into thinking that he was a Green Beret.
Daly, who has also appeared on the television show Deadliest Warrior as a former Green Beret, said he will no longer be on the show either.
"I utterly regret that I have misrepresented my role by creating the impression that I was a "Green Beret,'" Daly wrote on a website dedicated to former special forces soldiers. "I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Green Berets and my fellow servicemen, and I respectfully apologize to the Special Forces community."
The announcement was made on the ProfessionalSoldiers.com website but the site's owner confirmed it as legitimate. It comes a week after the Professional Soldiers site reported that Daly was misleading the public about his experiences as a soldier.
Jeff Hinton, owner of ProfessionalSoldiers.com, retired Army Master Sergeant and former Green Beret, says that to be a Green Beret you need to have both passed the Qualification Course at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, and also have served on an Operational Detachment Alpha. Hinton says that when a Green Beret is hired for their expert knowledge, it's knowledge of this real on-the-ground experience.
Hinton's organization is responsible for outing a number of Green Beret impersonators over the years. Some of those cased led to jail time.
In his open letter on the Professional Soldiers website this evening, Daly says that he was an intelligence analyst for the 12th Special Forces Group, but that he was never a Green Beret.
I am honored to have served with the 12th Special Forces Group as an Intelligence Analyst (96B) from 1991 until 1994. While I wore the green beret as part of my uniform, I utterly regret that I have misrepresented my role by creating the impression that I was a "Green Beret." I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Green Berets and my fellow servicemen, and I respectfully apologize to the Special Forces community. At this point in time for the best interests of Pipeworks Software and F9E I am voluntarily resigning my position of Studio Head of Pipeworks effective immediately. Furthermore I have no plans on appearing in any more episodes of Deadliest Warrior.
Very respectfully Robert Daly
Last week, Foundation 9's head, David Mann, told Kotaku that the ProfessionalSoldiers.com website, which includes more than 1,000 former and active Green Berets according to its founder, is wrong.
The point of contention is how one defines a Green Beret. Foundation 9, which Pipeworks is a part of, points to Daly's transfer order to the 3rd Battalion, 12th Special Forces Group U.S. Army Reserve, effective July 26, 1991 as evidence of his service in the U.S. Special Forces.
"Mr. Daly wore the Green Beret as a member of this unit and served as an intelligence support sergeant until 1994," said Mann. "Mr. Daly enlisted in the army in 1986."
We've confirmed that Daly has indeed stepped down from Pipeworks Software, but reached for comment, a spokesperson said that Foundation 9 is unable to comment on personnel issues.
A statement from Jeff Hinton of Professional Soldiers reads: "In this day and age it's nice to see an individual taking responsibility for their actions. In Mr. Daly's case it shows a moral courage we rarely see anymore."
You can contact Brian Crecente, the author of this post, at brian@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.