Dual Survival star Joe Teti sues Mykel Hawke, Special Forces Association for defamation

By Jason Schwartz
December 20th, 2014

In another spectacular turn of events in an ongoing feud between two television celebrities, Dual Survival star Joe Teti recently filed a one million dollar defamation lawsuit against former 'Man, Woman, Wild' star Mykel Hawke.

The suit, filed Nov. 26th in North Carolina Superior Court, claims that Mykel Hawkeye, popularly known as Mykel Hawke, conspired with four other individuals to defame Joe Teti and intentionally deprive him of valuable sponsorships with Cabelas, TOP Knives, Casio and several other companies.

Joe Teti

Photo credit: Discovery Channel

At the heart of the matter are public statements from Hawke claiming that Joe Teti lied about his military qualifications, impersonated a combat veteran, and due to negligence, caused the death of three people during the filming of a TV show that was originally scheduled to air on the Discovery Channel last year.

Here is one of Hawke's public statements:

"This is not about a man (Cody Lundin) who was hired for not wearing shoes for 20 yrs and 4 seasons on a show (Dual Survival), and then fired for the same thing. It's about what changed. That change (Joe Teti) came with a truck load of falsehoods. Those got 3 men dead. Now this real survival guy (Lundin) has been fired. 

It is easy to see the fake drama created to make the new 'expert' look like a hero, but his real record is anything but, and now, he continues to risk more folks' safety. Sorry, truth hurts sometimes. Anyway, next article in the installment of soap opera drama, and somewhat belittled again, by the media, failing to grasp the real issues. Nonetheless, I share, as was shared with me. Judge as you will."

Teti claims in the lawsuit that he did not embellish his military record. He says the real reason Hawke, his old friend and former commander, started the smear campaign is because he had "tried and failed to initiate a television career based upon his military service" and was "driven by the motive of jealousy to destroy Mr Teti's successful television career."

The suit further claims that Hawke enlisted the help of Special Forces Association President Jack Tobin, Special Forces Association member George Davenport, 'Military Phonies' website creator Scott A. Hughes, and a private individual by the name of Monique Haina to carry out the defamation campaign against Teti.

The Special Forces Association website:

"CIVIL CONSPIRACY"

According to the court filing, Teti's attorney, former Special Forces Officer David Redding, says Special Forces Association president Jack Tobin and Special Forces Association member George Davenport assisted Hawke in his defamation campaign by intentionally giving false information to the Army Times regarding the cancelling of Teti's membership.

The article in question, titled "Dual Survival star stripped of SF Association membership," was widely circulated in internet forums and made major news headlines when it was released on October 1st. (NOTE: It appears the Army Times has taken down the article as of this writing).

Teti's attorney says Tobin and Davenport were not being honest when they implied that Teti was kicked out of the Special Forces Association, after soldiers that Teti served with came forward to them with allegations of his misconduct.

Davenport was quoted as saying "He’s an embarrassment to the Regiment, because of the falsehoods, lies and embellishments he’s used in association with his Special Forces qualifications. I personally checked with the Special Forces schools and he did not go to those courses. There is no record of him attending.”

Special Forces Association President Tobin was quoted in the article stating "Mr Teti is no longer a member and cannot rejoin."

Davenport, who also runs the “Special Forces Poser Patrol” Facebook page, added Teti to the group’s “Wall of Shame” September 30th after the Special Forces Association's decision to discontinue his membership.

Redding says that all Teti did was miss paying his annual dues, causing a lapse in membership. When Teti went to make a payment to reinstate his membership, he was told he could not re-join the group. 

According to Teti's attorney, Tobin and Davenport spun the story into something much more serious when they spoke with the Army Times regarding Teti's membership being discontinued.

Going into more detail in the suit, Redding says:

"Mr. Tobin refused to comment further on the specifics of Mr. Teti's disassociation from the SFA in order to implicitly affirm Mr. Davenport's slanderous statements about Mr. Teti. By the conduct of Mr. Tobin, the SFA has adopted the slanderous statements of Mr. Davenport. 

As a result.....the public is left to conclude that the disassociation was based on Mr. Teti's conduct...when in fact....it was (done) without cause and was done by the SFA in violation of its own constitutional due process requirements."

Casting an even wider net, the lawsuit names 'Military Phonies' website owner Scott Hughes, whom Teti says defamed him by publicly accusing Teti of stolen valor, and Monique Haina, a private individual who apparently posted numerous critical posts about Teti around the internet.

Hughes reacted to the suit by telling the Military Times "I'm not worried about it,"I'm actually glad to see it, because hopefully this will force him to show his DD-214 and his NGB-22, which is what we've been asking all along. There's a lot that will come out in court, if it comes to that."

Haina denies she was enlisted by Hawke, telling the Military Times "I don't believe I defamed him. We've simply been asking for him to prove his claims."

The Plot Thickens- Hawke Family granted permanent protective order against Teti in Texas 

The lawsuit also reveals that Mykel Hawke was able to secure a permanent protective order against Joe Teti in the State of Texas on the grounds that Teti stalked Hawke and his family. The protective order caused Teti to lose his rights to own firearms due to federal law.

Mykel Hawke and The Special Forces Association's reaction to the Lawsuit

Jack Tobin and the SFA "did not respond to repeated requests for comment," according to an article in the Military Times. Davenport also declined to comment, pending consultation with his attorney.

The Times article states that Joe Teti declined to comment, but Teti has been posting photos on his Facebook page to counter critics who say he hasn't completed certain training, such as Combat Diver School (link to photo).

Mykel Hawke, however, has not remained silent.

When asked about the suit, Hawke told the Military Times "We actually are looking forward to a court case so we can subpoena his real records and finally show the truth."

Hawke also took his argument to his Facebook page, telling his fans "According to this (lawsuit), we are all liars conspiring out of jealously and only one man is honorable? The same man who makes military valor claims to the public for profit, but says his records are too secret to show and prove his claims."

Teti's attorney David Redding, says Teti will seek more than $1 million in damages in the suit.

ADDITIONAL READING:

Has "resume embellishment" returned to Dual Survival? Bloggers claim Joe Teti is not a combat veteran

Facebook War Erupts between Mykel Hawke and Joe Teti

Former 'Man Woman Wild' star Mykel Hawke speaks out about the firing of Cody Lundin

Major sponsor drops 'Dual Survival' star; Teti fires back at critics

TOPS Knives Drops Joe Teti

Military Times- Discovery survival stars take fight to the courtroom

CNN iReport- The Hawke Family FINAL STAMPED LIFETIME PERMANENT PROTECTIVE ORDER (PPO)

Courthouse News Service- Discovery Channel Star Files Defamation Suit

Dual Survivor' star Joseph Teti denies he lied about military service as sponsors retreat

UPDATE! - Joe Teti drops lawsuit, records released by the Army indicate Teti may have embellished service record

About the author

Jason Schwartz is the founder and senior editor of Rocky Mountain Bushcraft. He is a former Red Cross certified Wilderness & Remote First Aid Instructor, and has taught bushcraft and wilderness survival techniques to the Boy Scouts of America, interned with the US Forest Service, and studied wilderness survival, forestry and wildland firefighting at Colorado Mountain College in Leadville, Colorado. Jason has also written for magazines such as The New Pioneer and Backpacker, including writing the "Tinder Finder" portion of Backpacker's "Complete Guide to Fire," which won a 2015 National Magazine Award (NMA). Email him at rockymountainbushcraft @ hotmail.com (without spaces)

Running into a childhood hero: Dan Haggerty AKA "Grizzly Adams"

Last January when I was covering SHOT Show, I had the good fortune to run into Dan Haggerty, star of the 1970s TV Show "Grizzly Adams." Dan was at SHOT on behalf of Young Adventurers, an organization that helps young people build character, hope and vision through outdoors experiences.

Dan on the cover of TV Guide in the late 1970s

For those not old enough to remember Grizzly Adams, it was a TV show about a guy who lived during the mid-1800s who had to "bug out" and live in the mountains to escape charges for a murder he didn't commit.

While making his way into the mountains, Adams ran across an orphaned Grizzly Bear cub stuck on a ledge. He felt bad for the stranded animal and decided to rescue it. The cub and Adams quickly bonded and became lifelong friends.

As outlandish as the story sounds, it was actually based on the real life story of "John Capen Adams," a famous mountain man and grizzly bear trainer who traveled the west during the mid-1800s with his pet grizzlies.

Dan Haggerty's portrayal of a grizzled yet warm-hearted mountain man struck a chord with millions of Americans and left an indelible print on American culture.

Evidence of this enduring influence can be seen in movies such as "Happy Gilmore," where in one scene, Christopher McDonald's character, Scooter McGavin, mouths off to Adam Sandler's character Happy Gilmore, saying 'Yeah right, and Grizzly Adams had a beard!"

Here are some photos of Dan I took while he was at the Young Adventurer's booth, joined by actor Darby Hinton, who starred on the popular TV show "Daniel Boone":

(click any photo to enlarge)

I had a great time talking with Dan, and got to share with him the influence Grizzly Adams had on me as a kid. Dan was really down to earth and had a great sense of humor. He was even gracious enough to offer to let us interview him, so check back again as Spring draws closer and hopefully we'll have an interview posted.

Cheers!

Jason

For more information about Dan, as well as the Young Adventurers organization, please visit www.youngadventurers.org/dan-haggerty.html

About the author

Jason Schwartz is the founder and senior editor of Rocky Mountain Bushcraft. He is a former Red Cross certified Wilderness & Remote First Aid Instructor, and has taught bushcraft and wilderness survival techniques to the Boy Scouts of America, interned with the US Forest Service, and studied wilderness survival, forestry and wildland firefighting at Colorado Mountain College in Leadville, Colorado. Jason has also written for magazines such as The New Pioneer and Backpacker, including writing the "Tinder Finder" portion of Backpacker's "Complete Guide to Fire," which won a 2015 National Magazine Award (NMA). Email him at rockymountainbushcraft @ hotmail.com (without spaces)

Field Testing the Fiskars X15 Axe

Me field testing the Fiskars X15 Axe back in 2012. Man could that synthetic-handled axe chop!

Cheers, Jason

Leah K, editor and unsung hero of Rocky Mountain Bushcraft

Thanks again for all your hard work Leah!

-Jason

Leah's Corner: Coghlan's Folding 7" Sierra Saw Test and Review

 

Photo credit: Jason Schwartz/Rocky Mountain Bushcraft

Hey everyone, it's Leah, the senior copy editor of RMB. I don't post very often, since I usually work more behind the scenes editing Jason's articles and reviews, but thought it would be fun to share one of my favorite pieces of gear- Coghlan's folding 7" Sierra Saw. 

Although I don't have Jason's experience when it comes to testing gear, I do enjoy trying out many of the cool products that we review here at RMB in order to get a better perspective when editing.

One of the products I've grown to love is Coghlan's Sierra Saw, which I first got about a year ago.

My yard ends in woods, and years ago someone planted English Ivy that was left to overrun the place. The ivy vines running up the tree trunks were inches thick. I had tried using other tools to combat the evil invader, but to no avail.

The Sierra Saw was light and small enough to maneuver under and around the vines, and strong enough to cut through stems the size of a tennis ball without getting stuck. I don't have a ton of arm strength, so when I use a saw I have trouble with the blade getting stuck, it's usually followed by more than a few choice words! The Sierra Saw doesn't ever seem to stick.

With the holiday season upon us, I had a reason to put my Sierra Saw to good use again for preparing the Christmas tree, so I thought I'd take a few photos with the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S5 Active Phone that I'm testing.

Christmas is still weeks away, so I wanted to put the tree in some water to help keep it fresh. I thought I'd pull out the Sierra Saw to trim a slice off the bottom. This used to be a struggle. Saws would get stuck, the tree would move, the cut would be uneven. Not with the Sierra Saw! It probably didn't even take a full minute to cut a slice off the bottom and put the trunk in a bucket of water!

Even if you never go hiking, get yourself a Coghlan's Sierra Saw. It's as useful in the suburbs as it is in the woods. In fact, I liked it so much that I even gave one to a friend as a Christmas present last year!

Happy Holidays!

Leah

For more information, visit: www.coghlans.com/products/sierra-saw-8400

Tips & Tricks: Batoning logs with a small fixed blade knife

Who says you need a big honkin' survival knife to baton logs?! In bushcrafting, it's all about making the most of what you have. If you have a shorter knife, but need to split logs in an emergency to get to the dry wood, just whittle down your log by batoning the outside edges first. The log will gradually reduce in circumference and become more manageable.

The thin pieces you baton off can then be used for kindling, fireboards, crude digging trowels, utensils, trap-making, or anything else you can think of.

I'd say this Elk had a really bad day!

While I was out taking photos for some upcoming tree identification articles, I ran across this:

I'd say this poor elk had a really bad day!

Gear Review: 'Camp Chow' Camp Food - Boundary Waters' Finest

Last month, I attended the 2014 Winter Camping Symposium in Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota. After the Symposium, I made my way northward to Gunflint Lake, Minnesota, an area on the US-Canadian border renowned for its beauty and pristine wilderness.

A friend, who accompanied me on the trip, had some family property on Gunflint. She was well-versed in the area's cool attractions. One of the places she wanted me to visit was the Trail Center Lodge, a historic locale which she said had an "amazing breakfast." Boy was she right! The breakfast there truly WAS amazing. Their pork sausage gravy was literally the best sausage gravy I had ever eaten.

After breakfast in Trail Center's restaurant, my friend tugged at my sleeve to check out their "Camp Chow" brand camp food, which was on display at the gift shop. She said Camp Chow had a great reputation with the locals, and that we should consider grabbing some to take back to Colorado.

Impressed by the breakfast I had at the restaurant, I took her advice and grabbed a couple of the Camp Chow meals to take home with me. 'Shrimp Chowder' and 'Wild Rice Casserole with Pork' looked interesting, so I settled on those.

Back home in Colorado, I fired up my stove and tried them both. Wow, were they delicious!

Definitely a nice change of pace from Mountain House Backpacking Food. Although I like Mountain House, the Camp Chow is on a whole other level. Camp Chow tastes like high quality restaurant food and takes only a little more effort to make than an instant Mountain House meal. Foodies that like to camp and backpack, take note!

Impressed by the taste of Camp Chow, I decided to get in touch with Sarah Hamilton, the owner of Trail Center and the genius behind Camp Chow.

Sarah decided to start the Camp Chow brand after listening to thousands of comments from her restaurant patrons. Fresh from hiking the Gunflint Trail or canoeing the Boundary Waters, these wayward travelers often complained of dehydrated backpacking food that was bland, too salty, or over-processed.

So she used her expertise, from years of serving delicious foods at her restaurant, to create an alternative to the less than stellar backpacking pabulum her patrons had been eating.

Camp Chow quickly became a favorite with local outfitters. In fact, her Camp Chow 'Pork Gravy' recipe became so popular that Sarah now uses it in her restaurant!

After speaking with Sarah, she very graciously offered to send Leah and I some of her Camp Chow food to sample. Yes folks, she really had to twist our arms on this one!

Most of Camp Chow's food is easy to make (i.e. just add to boiling water), and quick, taking just 5-7 minutes for most of the breakfast meals and 8-15 minutes for a dinner entree. In keeping with Sarah's philosophy, Camp Chow meals tend to be slightly less salty than average, allowing users to tweak them to perfection with a touch of salt if desired.

I've now sampled several new Camp Chow meals that Sarah sent. These have included her Chicken Alfredo, Beef Stroganoff, Broccoli and Cheese and James' Rice Pudding. They were all outstanding-- fresh, flavorful, delightfully complex, you name it.

And then there are Sarah's pork gravy breakfast meals. I tried her 'Sausage Gravy with Scambled Eggs' and 'Grits with Pork Sausage.' Both of these meals were every bit as good as I remember from Sarah's restaurant-- in other words-- fantastic!

Sarah has many more meals listed on her site, including soups, creative camp breads (bushcrafting bannock lovers, are you listening?), lunch entrees, side dishes, and desserts, which you can check out here- http://shop.trailcenterlodge.com/Dinner_c22.htm

Conclusion

Although none of the Camp Chow meals are exactly cheap ($6 to $10 per meal), they taste great, portions are very generous, and the ingredients are fresh and very high quality. In fact, I bet you could really impress your significant other on a day hike if you whipped out some Camp Chow for an impromptu lunch on the trail.

For more info visit Trail Center's Camp Chow page at www.shop.trailcenterlodge.com/Dinner_c22.htm

New Arrivals: CountyComm "Companion Compass" and "Brass Match Container w/Compass Capsule"

CountyComm, maker of ultra-cool "James Bond" style gadgets and tools for the US Government and Military, has just come out with two new survival products-- the "Companion Compass" and "Brass Match Container w/Compass Capsule. " Both made in the US of A! 

As some of you may recall, we reviewed CountyComm's SERE and ThumbTac Compasses last May and loved them. Both of these products bear the same high quality build as the SERE and ThumbTac compasses.

CountyComm's 'Companion Compass' is a simple, no-frills, high-quality micro-compass that can be stashed in a small survival kit for emergency use.

Their 'Brass Match Compass Capsule' can be used to store matches, money, a sparker, first aid or tinder.

The Companion Compass:

 Companion Compass Specifications:

Height: .45"

Diameter: .8"

Weight: 20.5 Grams

C360 Free Machining Brass ( Buttery Smooth )

Size comparison next to CountyComm's SERE Compass, which we reviewed last May. The Companion is slightly larger and a bit heavier than the SERE Compass, but has more precise directional indicators:

Brass Match Container w/Compass Capsule:

(photo credit: CountyComm)

Brass Match / Compass Capsule Specifications:

Height: 3.15"

Diameter: .8"

Weight 82.5 Grams

C360 Free Machining Brass ( Buttery Smooth )

For more information visit www.countycomm.com/brasscompass.html

Gerber to release Made in the USA "StrongArm" Survival Knife

Hey Gerber knife fans, check it out. Come January, Gerber plans to release a new US made survival knife called the "StrongArm."

Sporting a 4.8" fine edge blade made from 420HC Stainless, the StrongArm appears to be based on Gerber's hugely popular serrated-edge Prodigy Survival Knife. Fans of the Prodigy have been begging Gerber for years to introduce a fine-edged version of the Prodigy. Could this be the knife they've been hoping for?

Gerber Prodigy Serrated-Edge Survival Knife

Although the StrongArm was created with military survival in mind, it has great potential to be a no-frills, functional survival knife for civilian use like the Prodigy.

The StrongArm's sheath is reminiscent of the Prodigy's, but with a slimmer profile, ala' Cold Steel's Secure-EX sheaths.

Although Gerber is listing the StrongArm's MSRP at $75.00, Knife Center is already taking pre-orders for this knife at $39.95. At this price, it could be the deal of the century for a quality, name brand survival blade that's made right here in the good ol' USA.

The StrongArm will be available in both fine and serrated edge versions. The official word from Gerber is a release date of January 1st. Check back here in January and we should have a review posted on the StrongArm, including a direct comparison with the Prodigy.

GERBER GEAR'S OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:

Gerber StrongArm Fixed Blade

Gerber has been making survival knives for the US Military since 1968. The StrongArm Fixed Blade knife carries on our legacy of tough-as-hell fixed blade knives for combat and survival applications. Featuring a fine edge, full tang 420HC blade with black ceramic coating, the knife was designed around the fundamentals of military survival training. Obtain a solid grip on this knife in all conditions with its diamond texture rubberized handle.

ONE SHEATH, MULTIPLE MOUNTING OPTIONS

The StrongArm’s modular sheath system is as important as the knife itself. With the sheath’s snap-together components, the operator can mount the knife vertically on MOLLE, horizontally on a standard 1.75” tactical belt, or in a traditional drop-leg belt mount fashion. The StrongArm Fixed Blade is proudly built in Portland, OR. MSRP: $75.

FEATURES

• Fine edge, full-tang 420 HC steel blade
• Ceramic blade coating
• Rubberized diamond texture grip
• Striking pommel
• Nylon webbing for drop-leg carry and secondary retention
• Detachable belt hoops for horizontal belt carry
• Snap-in MOLLE strap
• Made in USA

TECH SPECS

• Blade steel: 420 HC
• Handle material: glass-filled nylon with rubber overmold
• Blade length: 4.8” (12.2 cm)
• Overall length: 9.8” (24.8 cm)
• Knife weight: 7.2 oz (204 g)
• Overall weight: 10.9 oz  (309 g)

UPDATE!- Comparison: Gerber StrongArm vs the Gerber Prodigy

About the author

Jason Schwartz is the founder and senior editor of Rocky Mountain Bushcraft. He is a former Red Cross certified Wilderness & Remote First Aid Instructor, and has taught bushcraft and wilderness survival techniques to the Boy Scouts of America, interned with the US Forest Service, and studied wilderness survival, forestry and wildland firefighting at Colorado Mountain College in Leadville, Colorado. Jason has also written for magazines such as The New Pioneer and Backpacker, including writing the "Tinder Finder" portion of Backpacker's "Complete Guide to Fire," which won a 2015 National Magazine Award (NMA). Email him at rockymountainbushcraft @ hotmail.com (without spaces)

New Arrival: Nikon D5300 DSLR Camera

Rocky Mountain Buschcraft would like to say a big thank you to Nikon for sending us their new D5300 DSLR Camera to test and review.

As longtime readers know, we love to capture great images to put into our reviews and articles, so it will be a real treat to use the D5300 after using an aging 10-year-old Canon PowerShot for so long to take photos here at RMB.

The D5300 has some really cool features like 24 Megapixel image quality, 'EXPEED' 4 image-processing engine, built-in 1080/60p Full HD Video Camera, and 3.2-in. vari-angle LCD monitor, as well as built-in WI-FI and GPS capability. The lens that came with our test unit is a Nikkor 18-140mm lens:

According to my research, this lens is highly recommended by Nikon camera enthusiasts if you're looking for a lens that can handle a wide range of activities, such as long range, close up (macro shots), wide angle, and portrait shots.

Since I'm not a camera reviewer, I don't plan to write a technical review of the D5300. What I do want to find out is -- Does it take great photos and video in different outdoor lighting conditions? Is it easy to use? Is it reliable? How long does the battery last? How well does the Nikkor 18-140mm lens handle various outdoor adventure shots?

My first impression of the D5300 camera is definitely favorable. The user manual is easy to understand. When set in auto mode, I found it works like a simple point and click camera that quickly adjusts for different light conditions. To give you a better idea, here are some photos I took with the D5300 right after it arrived, using the auto mode:

Closeup shots:

(click to enlarge)

Low light shot at dusk:

Gear shot:

More photos of the D5300 taken with our AT&T-sponsored Iphone 5:

To quote Austin Powers, "This is one groovy camera baby!"

Cheers, Jason

For more information, check out Nikon's website at http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/dslr/d5300/index.htm

Update- Since our initial review of the Nikon D5300 DSLR Camera, we have been looking for a rugged case that would allow the D5300 to withstand harsh vehicle rides into the backcountry for our gear testing sessions. After a bit of searching, plus asking the advice of a local wildlife photographer, we ended up selecting Pelican's IM2100 Storm Case:

Pelican Storm Cases are water resistant, dustproof, and crushproof. Due to their rugged and reliable construction, they are widely used by the military, law enforcement and professionals in TV, film and journalism to keep sensitive electronic equipment safe from damage while in the field. 

Pelican Storm Cases are made in the USA and come with a lifetime warranty. 

For more information visit: www.pelican.com/cases_detail_storm/Case/iM2100/