Garrison St Clair, search and rescue community hero turned criminal vandal. Now, though, he’s viewed as a notorious con artist and fraud. Clair commanded the elite 1st Search and Rescue Group (1SRG) during a high-profile mission in Australia. The decorated military veteran had a remarkable backstory. He was convicted of falsely claiming he was a retired lieutenant-colonel in the U.S. Army Special Forces. He bragged about his combat tales from both the Vietnam and Gulf wars. The lies that built his persona ultimately caught up with him, leading to an attempted suicide in a trailer away from the spotlight he desired.
St Clair’s known reputation as a brash, bombastic leader would later earn him the call sign “Gunslinger.” Known for his cowboy-like bravado, he successfully navigated high-stress rescue missions, including a particularly notable search for Robert Bogucki in the Great Sandy Desert of Australia. His pomposity, arrogance, and military jargon won over the public though, creating a perception of reassertion and competence. This portrait was inherently flawed, full of imperfections that would prove all but certain to spell his end.
While St Clair made significant contributions to 1SRG, questions regarding St Clair’s claims of military valor were raised by service members. Stories of his claimed service started to sound alarms, leading journalists and others to question the legitimacy of his résumé. As Crain’s past was pulled apart, it turned out that St Clair’s elaborate deception was just a cover for the real St Clair.
The Search for Robert Bogucki
In the early 2000s, Garrison St Clair assumed leadership of the Crossroads Farm Host 1SRG team. They joined a crucial search mission for Robert Bogucki, an American who went missing in Australia. His commanding presence and fervent speeches fired up team members, burning confidence and urgency into their mission. He famously stated,
“Ray, let me tell you. I started my military career during Vietnam and I ended it during Desert Storm, and during all that time, I never lost a man in combat. I’m not about to lose one out here in the Great Sandy Desert.”
His proclamation resonated deeply with his team, as well as the media. It portrayed him as a strong man of action, prepared to take on the most dangerous scenarios.
Soon concerns over St Clair’s credibility started to emerge. Curtis Morgan, a fellow rescuer, reflected on St Clair’s style:
“He was so over-the-top military … I’ve got a lot of military people in my family; they don’t speak that way. And there was something that was just … a little too good to be true.”
This sense of unease only deepened when more people who were part of the initial rescue effort started posting their worries. David Kovar noted the initial thrill of working alongside someone who seemed highly organized and competent.
“The way that he came across was very well organised, and I really wouldn’t have gotten on a plane … to go looking for somebody with a man that I didn’t think was credible.”
During the mission, St Clair’s swagger sometimes came at the expense of his team’s safety precautions. His insistence on going bigger on risk started raising the alarm bells of other members of the coalition.
The Crumbling Facade
Though Garrison St Clair was enjoying the spotlight that came with his leadership position, chips were starting to show in his purposely crafted persona. The longtime media executive’s financial past was riddled with bad checks and evictions. In 1994 he had a stoush with the owner of The Beacon hotel. Because of this, he was charged with felony criminal mischief. In addition, a lawsuit dating back to 1989 uncovered that he had more than $16,000 in unpaid debts.
The deeper people dug into St Clair’s background, the more they challenged his military story. His statements about being a veteran of both the Vietnam and Gulf wars started raising questions. Once the investigation expanded to include his background and training, colleagues stated that they were shocked to learn they had trusted him.
Geoff Fuller shared his shock upon discovering inconsistencies in St Clair’s story:
“This article, when I read it I thought, ‘Oh my God, that can’t be right.’”
As St Clair’s lies were exposed more and more, he was shunned by the very community that used to worship him.
“I think a number of us were very disappointed when this story started coming apart. Disappointed in him, but also disappointed in ourselves for sort of falling for it.”
Ironically, it was Garrison St Clair’s world-famous mission to Australia that proved properly the last straw. The discrimination due to exposing his invented military history and threatening litigation it prompted made him leave 1SRG. Deprived of his veneer as a leader/hero, he continued to be cut off from former friends and colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
The Downfall and Final Years
St Clair spent his last years in solitude in Mexico, haunted by guilt over the villains he’d created. Survivors’ accounts suggest he had difficulty forming and sustaining close relationships, increasing his sense of isolation as his friends and family wore thin from his abuse.
The question opens the door to a philosophical discussion about the blurred lines between heroism and fraud. It is deeply upsetting to think about the ways in which St Clair’s fraudulent persona impacted those that trusted him.
Robert Bogucki reflected on St Clair’s complex persona:
“You hear stories about how he wasn’t who he said he was … but does it really matter?”
The question highlights the blurry line between heroism and deception, leaving many to ponder the impact of St Clair’s false identity on those who believed in him.
