The King of Stolen Valor (Documentary) 

So I always thought that telling my story would be horrific. No, not if the right person helped me. Thank you Adam. "Fatal Fantasies" was the springboard for "The King of Stolen Valor". You gave me a voice & most importantly significance. HIV is merely the backdrop for who I am today. Adam, you helped stop the stigma & defined me as a person not a statistic. 👍👏✌️

The mental image of a fully grown wannabe man-child rolling up to a repo man's house, walking up to the door with a pizza box, and throwing it at a little girl while screaming "YOU'VE BEEN SERVED" could easily be mistaken for a Family Guy clip rather than real life.

If Jack never saw Green Berets and became a military LARPer, I’m convinced he would’ve just become a serial killer instead

The fact she was tortured for days and knew her life was on the line but still wanted to save her pets(and she still shows great sadness over not being able to) tells me Penny is an infinitely braver person than Jack could ever be. I hope she has found some peace and that she sees Nina and Tiko in heaven someday.

Jack threw a pizza box at a 5-year-old girl because he was mad at her uncle. Jack was showing abusive behavior even before Afghanistan. The idea that anyone could consider him a victim boggles my mind.

Starts as a goofy story about a fake specials forces guy...ends as a story of the most horrific things a human being could do

'Life was good. I had a house, a dog, a hot tub, a new turbo-charged Grand Prix, a great job, and a beautiful wife. My old enemy, the Soviet Union was extinct. Still, everything was grand. Then the fucking terrorists blew up New York.' Is the funniest line ever put to print.

I spent 19 years in special forces with 3 tours in Afghanistan. Thank you for putting this story together. This is some crazy stuff. I remember hearing about him in the early two thousands and we all thought he was a quack.

Jack: “it’s okay to torture civilians.” Afghan police: “Okay civilian, get in the torture chamber.” Jack: :O

Going through Oki’s catalogue is such a wild ride. At first it’s like “Ha ha! Funny man thinks we went to mars to fight vampires” and then it’s like “Fuck. An actual psychopath went to a war zone.”

The weirdest part is that he was actually special forces for a little while. But instead of taking that achievement, maybe gone into law enforcement (which given his personality, thank god he didn't) or became a legit contractor. But he was so determined to be IRL Sam Fisher that instead of just working with what he had, he decided to sneak into Afghanistan, lie to authorities, start a paramilitary, and torture people. If the guy was just 20% more motivated and 100% less insane, we might remember him as "Jack Idema - Former Green Beret and military contractor" rather than "Jack Idema - Psychopathic war tourist."

The _”fake it till’ you make it”_ trope pushed to insanity levels. It would almost be impressive how he managed to fool the entire world into believing he’s an actual _green beret_ if it wasn’t for the fact that we was a sadistic bastard that tortured _Afgani_ civilians for his own pleasure.

“They were tortured.. uh… the food leaves something to be desired.” What a way with words that lawyer has.

This is the greatest documentary you've ever made

This dude and Steven Seagal would make great friends.

My god. The ending, Penny had me tearing up. And after everything else she gave the church the building and still had only wanted to do the right thing, she's a light in this world for good.

Jack: "I want to make a humanitarian documentary in Afghanistan." Also Jack: "I'm going to fucking kill every Afghan that I see." About sums things up.

Started with laughing at the complete incompetence of the US and Afghanistan government, ended with tears and hoping Penny lives a long happy life after all the horrific shit she had to endure. The real proof of her strength is the fact that she's still here and he isn't. Incredible production as usual Oki. Nobody on RU-vid even comes close.

It takes an unbelievable amount of narcissism to consider 9/11 as a personal slight.

"He was the dumbest fk I ever met" made me cackle and its a great summary of this guy. I too, was on probation in Fayetteville, NC, in the 90's. Im so glad i never ran into this human trash.

It started as a black comedy about a military-LARPing, incompetent con artist... and ended as a heart-rending tragedy with Penni's testimony about Jack's thorough psychopathy. What a foul human being he was, and what a strong, big-hearted woman she is to have lived through that years-long ordeal, and still be able to remember some good times between the horrors.

It’s pretty scary how easily he got away with all this and for how long.

To hell with Jack, the one who deserves a movie is Penni. What an unspeakably intense ordeal. Jack embodies the sheer derangement that runs through American foreign wars...he was just enacting all those cultural delusions on a micro scale. Disappearing into fantasies, lawsuits, drugs and violence because he couldn't simply live with himself. Bravo for bringing this essential story to light in such a masterful way.

I thought, "I vaguely remember this guy, I'll watch a few minutes then get to working on things around the house." An hour and a half later, I'm sitting on my couch absolutely gobsmacked. Excellent, excellent work. It always amazes me just how many con jobs bullshit artists can get away with, and the magnitude of people they can get to support them. America loves its narcissists.

This is genuinely the first youtube video I've seen that felt like it was telling me a new story, with investigation into the topic that was previously unavailable to the public at large. You should be extremely proud of the work you're doing, not just as a content creator, but as a new breed of journalist, and as a human being. This was more than a weird story, it was wonderful storytelling. *Standing ovation.*

The stuff he did in Afghanistan had me rollin. My guy was out here straight committing war crimes in Afghanistan on horseback with the bois like he was Snake and Kazuhara

What the hell, this is better quality than a netflix or HBO documentary. You did actual investigative journalism, well done. That's an easy subscribe right there lol.

Thanks you for this tremendous documentary. I wasn’t prepared for the heartwrenching twist with Penny and her abuse. Her part in the story is the worst, but I’m glad that she found some support and friends to help her cope and enjoy her life now.

It's simply unbelievable how the media made a frenzy of how he shouldn't be tried in Afghanistan due to a kangaroo court likely giving him the death penalty, yet he was given only a couple of years in a hotel suite. This dude arrested and tortured civilians he merely "suspected" of being terrorists and his punishments was an extended staycation. If he was simply tried and locked behind bars for decades then he wouldn't have been allowed to hurt people anymore, including doing almost exactly what he was locked up for in the first place.

I legit sobbed for this woman. Going back for her dog and cat, I can just feel that they saved her all those years. Good video, jesus man you've got me crying on a saturday morning

I’m baffled and astonished at this guy’s level of confidence in himself. Some people really go through life with zero fear of consequences.

I know some people are going to take Jack's obsession with Green Berets as an example of media causing violence, but the only reason this all happened was because Jack clearly couldn't distinguish fiction from reality. That's what makes him psychotic.

With the rise of true crime there is a lot content that is extremely exploitative but this documentary doesn't just show the spectacle but also the actual fallout and how it has affected his victims. This is probably one of the most ethical true crime documentaries I've seen and you can really see the love, care and effort you put into making this. To make it even more transparent it would be good to, in the future, have the sources you used listed somewhere. I am truly in awe at this story, thank you!

I love that you allowed Penny to speak without interruption. For victims, this is so important, because often their voices are silenced by their abusers and the courts and I’m sure in this case, forgotten in the scandal of his demise and infamy.

Holy shit, that plumber is a hero. I can't imagine going through the hell that Penni experienced.

The pain Penni went through is staggering - if it was in a film or book no one would believe it. I'm so glad she's safe and doing so much better and I hope she continues to heal and find all the peace and happiness life can give. She truly deserves it.

This story went from Tropic Thunder to Apocalypse Now real fast. Amazing work, as always.

Wow he absolutely shattered Penny's life, and listening to her tell the story of trying to get out and piece her life back together is heartbreaking. That poor woman.

She was so good at telling her story that despite her being healthy and right there telling her story, I was still dumbfounded she had survived.

Penny is the real warrior in this story. The strength and grace of this woman is amazing. This documentary deserves an outstanding journalist award. Also how the heck does this have 2.2m and not equally as many subscribers?! 😵‍💫

Jesus Christ... this is really Penny's story with a footnote actor of an opener... you did a huge service to her story and the subject.

You deserve more attention dude. Massively underrated.

"Jack" spent a good chunk of his life trying to manufacture an image of being a "bad ass" while a random plumber and his assistants proved they were bad ass in a day by helping somebody who was truly in need out of a terrible situation. To paraphrase the Geto Boys, you don't need to flex metaphorical nuts if you know you have them.

The birthday video has left me feeling...hollow. The man did horrible things and got away with many of them (mainly the whole making connections and getting a successful thing going after making his way into the Middle East.). His actions against Penny are...difficult to listen to, and they cause anger within me to listen what he did to her. But her words about the birthday video, and seeing it myself as she talked...i can understand what she means. What she wants to remember, despite all the bad around it. And i respect and am thankful that such a good time or memories of her Jack exist for her to focus on. I will shed no tears for the death of Jack, but i am glad to see Penny has found her own way after (and continuing to) surviving.

It's interesting how in the end Penni is just a million times more strong then Jack even though his whole aspiration was to appear strong, his whole life is sort of marked by his deep sort of weakness in that he can't accept the reality of who he is and his failures and is always trying to escape himself in these hyper masculine fantasies, where as Penni is just 100% true to herself and her weakness and survives and accepts so much stuff while still maintaining the good in herself

Oki, thank you for editing out Penni's crying and focusing more on her words. I have never noticed before in a documentary, most film makers let the person cry on camera. But you edited her in a respectful way.

I thought this documentary was going to be a lighthearted look at people claiming veteran discounts at restaurants but I've ended up feeling disgust and sadness. Always high quality, Oki.

My heart breaks for penny, yet I can't help but be in awe of her. What an extraordinarily strong woman. I want nothing but the best for her. Amazing documentary Oki.

This is beyond incredible. I was l brought to tears by the interview- you should be very proud!!

Knowingly giving someone you supposedly love (actually not just somebody you love-ANYBODY) HIV/AIDS is one of the most disgusting and infuriating things I've ever heard of. I know it's not as fatal a disease as it was years ago but it's like one of the worst things you could ever do to somebody. I feel for that woman. I wouldn't even piss on that prick if he was on fire.

This guy's life just sounds like several possible Mac storylines from It's Always Sunny mashed together back to back

I thought people were exaggerating about his height up until the birthday video, he's standing up from his chair and i'm expecting him to rise further but he's fully up

Penni has to be one of the strongest people I've ever been introduced to. She has lived through the worst humanity has to offer, and she never gives up on herself or others. I wish nothing but the best for her.

Just an additional detail that someone else might have already commented, but the 'cover' name for the compound being 'universal exports' is straight out of James Bond books, it's his cover. Just more of jacks roleplaying

It's crazy how this jackal got away with so much just because he had lied to the right people and had the money to carry out his bull**it actions. As a veteran myself, I think about how badly his actions damaged relations between all the different factions he dealt with, the people he hurt and how the inaction of the intelligence and Special Ops communities just helped feed his narcissistic fantasy-life. Excellent work on this documentary!

My dad served at Ft. Bragg (Fayetteville), NC. He became a security guard after he ETS’d. His boss was a super-soldier, SF dude that treated apartment complexes like Beirut. Antagonizing residents, doing police work without the authority, etc. Dude was a Grade-A douche with a military/war fetish. I remember watching the news a few years after my dad quit and seeing the guy being arrested. Turns out, his former boss was a fake/fraud/liar. Watching your video reminded me that this @$$hole was the guy my dad worked for.

That judge that said Jack's best defense would be an insanity plea should've sentenced him to psychiatric hospitalization.

Hearing Penni's account of what happened to her is so heartbreaking. Jack was such an awful person

Absolutely blown away by Penni’s story and I hope she remains well for a long time to come. God bless. And to Sir Edward Artis as well. Not only did he recognize a dangerous narcissist, but it seems like he also took the initiative to try and warn others and keep tabs and mend the destruction in jack’s wake. If it were me I would’ve avoided anything to do with someone like that.

It would have been really easy to tell this story and just clown on this dude for an hour. I appreciate how you much you focused on Penny. Really drives it all home. Insane video. Thank you Oki.

The intelligence community really dropped the ball by not hiring this guy. The fact that he was able to find his way out of his mom's basement is a showcase of superior tracking/evasion skills.

If he did this to his wife, can you imagine what he did to those poor Afghan men?

God bless you Penni, no one should have to suffer the abuse you experienced and the fears you still deal with everyday. I wish you all good things for the future and that your life gets better and easier everyday!

Man what a wild ride, when Penny is introduced it really does create an intense mixture of emotions. Great job on this documentary and for how respectful you were with Penny.

This is easily your finest film to date. More than a RU-vid video, you have transcended the medium in a way that I believe lends far more credibility to it as a whole. You have raised the bar high, and it's worth it.

As I watch this I'm at a veteran's memorial site in Wisconsin. I can't help but realize that all these tributes are what this Jack guy wanted for himself. He wanted to be the hero that these men and women and even service animals actually were. I'm sorry to everyone who suffered the actual military service that was anything like Jack wanted his entire life to be. I'm grateful that my service was relatively peaceful and "boring" (which as a nuclear power plant operator is exactly what you really want out of a job where an exciting day is equivalent to a really bad day). That said I did suffer also a tragic experience while I was in service and struggle with romantic interests and enjoyment of life in general. Luckily for me I made good choices in response to it, didn't lose money to an attempt to scam me, and nothing came of it. Thanks for sharing Penni's story and thank you to Penni for sharing it.

When the interview with Penni started, I didn't think I was going to have much sympathy for somebody who would start a relationship with somebody like that, but as she went on, I related more and more to her story. Abusive relationships don't start out abusive, and even the worst people have happy moments in their lives. I really can relate to her talking about how she hates him, but wants to remember him for the happy times. People aren't black and white, and its hard to know somebody that you had happy times with could hurt you so badly. In my experience, its really confusing to have loved somebody when they did such terrible things to you, and its so hard to look back and sort through all the conflicting feelings. Thank you so much for another amazing documentary, but even moreso for sharing Penni's story

Look, I'm just gonna say it: Women like Penni are genuine keepers. Any chick that's down to go outside and play swords is a queen

Penny seems like such a nice lady. I wish her a long and prosperous life. I’m sorry you met that man. You don’t deserve this. Congratulations on the diagnosis. That’s amazing

Once Penni came into the story I was captivated. She's an amazing story teller despite the horrors she has endured see she still seems strong. I wish her nothing but the best for the rest of her days.

I'm always impressed with every video you make. This one is on of my favourites yet! I'm bewildered by how my feelings shifted from light schadenfreude to mortified. What a monster this man was and I'm so sorry to Penni and everyone else that got caught in his tracks.

This is one of the most underrated stories I feel this story has depth & meaning its so impactful even just watching is hard to stomach some of these details. I just wanted to say you are legit a beast keep up the amazing work, I go back every once in a while and give this a watch just to pay tribute.

I hope that Penny is healing and taking care of herself. I can't imagine the pain and trauma she's been through. I wish her nothing but the best, she is so strong. Sending strength and love to Penny and her loved ones.

What you did at the end there - sending the final documentary to Penni to review - shows true journalistic integrity. This should be standard for ALL documentaries on real/true crime. It is so hard to know if we are being manipulated when watching well made entertainment. Allowing a victim to voice their opinion after all of the editing and music just gives so much more credibility than the shitty docuseries we see on Netflix.

I'm in tears hearing Penni's story. I'm so glad she made it out, but it's horrible that Jack put her through so much physically and mentally

This channel is really something special. As far as i can tell you don't attempt to massage the stories into a story structure that people might expect and be used to in films and television and even documentaries... Instead you present the stories the way they happen in reality. Things happen and they keep happening and they don't always make sense but it's raw and real and compelling because it is reality. Not some workshopped "story".

Check out a guy called Lafayette "Laf" Keaton. He was a guy who'd come to my high school, and others in my area back between 2006-2010. He claimed to have fought in WW2, Korea, Vietnam and (sometimes) other wars as well. He'd come all dressed up and tell his stories to tens of thousands of kids throughout the years. Thing is, the stories were absolutely insane, I remember one where he claimed an entire unit of VC were killed by lightning right before his eyes. Guy acted as head of at least one veteran organization as well. In 2012 he was convicted of numerous charges relating to fraudulent statements. He made everything up. It's worth looking into, if you haven't already.

i'm an abuse survivor myself, and i went back to my abuser multiple times despite everybody telling me not to. i really resonated with penni talking about her story. this sort of thing is something that defies logic and common sense and everything else. "up until [he died, i loved him]. now i hate him" is my experience exactly. it doesn't really hit you until you've gotten some distance. sending you love and solidarity. thank you for making this documentary and penni if you're reading this thank you for your story. sending you both love and solidarity from kentucky

The delivery of "...play swords by himself" at 1:01:20 is perfect. That whole anecdote was so much fun to listen to.

This should be a cautionary tale to us men The rising trend of Gun obsession and military adulation can have a very dark outcome If your life sucks Work on yourself don't focus your life on imaginary enemies. Peace.

knowing penni has no trace of hiv is the most amazing thing, i haven't cried this hard in years than listening to her story. thank you, i am so greatful for the people that have helped her.

I'd actually read a lot about Idema in a book about PMCs, and what stuck out most was a quote from an Afghan bartender who said "The only thing Idema could kill was his bar tab."

Penny is one of the strongest most perseverant souls I’ve ever seen. I’m so happy her health is improving, I wish nothing but health and happiness for her.

This has to be the most honest, understanding, positive woman I have seen do an interview about something so complicated and deeply set in her heart. She didn't over dramatize. She didn't try to make this man into something he was not. She didn't try to give excuses, but took total responsibility for her actions and choices... often to a fault. I hope she finds real peace.

Penny is so well spoken. Really didn't expect her to turn out to be the rising star of this documentary!

I decided at the beginning of this video that I’d wait until I’d finished it in its entirety before I’d make a comment. I expected to have a basket full of snide comments about “Jack”, but that’s not the case. Penni Idema is the only person of which I’m left thinking after watching this. To have had everything stripped away from her in such a way, by having been initially conned by that man into a relationship, and then being left with the feeling that she will never be able to have a fully rounded level of intimacy with anyone has to be one of the most difficult things anyone could ever face. And, yet here she is, showing such grace while facing these challenges head on each and every day. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen someone so astounding and inspiring before in my life. Penni, I wish nothing but the absolute best for you. I hope that your life continues to be better and better as each day passes, and that you know how uplifting your story is for so many people in this world. As much of it as is highlighted within this documentary, that is. So many people will see that struggles and difficulties can be overcome by hearing your story. You are an amazing woman. Thank you for sharing your story with us. And, thank you to this channel, Oki’s Weird Stories, for ensuring that it was Penni who was given a voice…not only a voice, but also that it was she who your audience is left thinking about at the end of this amazing documentary.

The fact that the us government just took his word that he was special ops from the pentagon is scary and insane

The production value's increase truly is remarkable. These video essays are so impressive.

This is your greatest production to this day. What an amazing story, amazing production. Incredible!

Penni is leagues stronger than Jack ever pretended to be.

Penni seems like such a sweet woman. What a tragic situation. She is very strong. If I can only be half as strong as her, I think life will be okay. 🙏

Penny's testimony is one of the most difficult things I've ever listened to. The fact she is still so strong and able to tell her story is nothing short of a miracle.

1:10:12 the moment that broke my heart Edit: thank you oki for giving her the chance to tell her story. No one else would. You are a one of a kind content creator

What a fucking monster. It started out as me laughing at this man for his ridiculousness and by the end I just feel bad for Penni. It takes an unbelievable amount of courage to stand up like she did and bring her side of the story to so many people and I seriously commend her for that. And thank you Oki for making another phenomenal video, I and many others, would never have known of Penni or Jack otherwise.

This is a long time after the fact, but if ever Penny should read this: Your endurance, strength, and categorical refusal to quit is nothing short of incredible. Your capacity to be alive is stronger than mine. Thank you for sharing. I hope you surround yourself with loving friends and family, you deserve to be loved. We well

Great documentary. I had this in my RU-vid downloads randomly last summer while on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska. I downloaded just because of the thumbnail and long runtime to keep me busy during days off out on the water with no service. What a treat. Excellent storytelling, excellent documentary.

Wow this turned from a somewhat goofy story, like John McAfee, to something actually evil. I wasn't expecting this

The Penni interview was hard to watch in a deeply visceral way, thank you for putting it in in the way you did, I'm glad she's managed to recover as much as she has and I'm glad you gave her a voice like this

This should actually be on television, broadcasted worldwide. Such an incredibly and professionally made documentary, especially for someone that does not have the kind of funding those kinds of projects do.

This is the weirdest story I've ever heard. Penny's impressions of him are hilarious. What a strong woman she is. I hope the pets ended in positive situation.