Everybody loves a good story about a conman who impersonates his way into a position he
is in no way qualified for. It's the story of every job interview I've ever had. I think
these stories are so interesting because they tickle the part of our brain that wants to
know two things; how did this person manage to finesse their way into this situation,
and what happened when they inevitably had to do the job they were only pretending they
could do. The answer to first question is usually that
the person is charismatic, quick-thinking and able to talk their way in or out of anything.
The answer to the second question is usually that they do just that, talk their way out
of it. Well today, I'm gonna tell you a story about a conman who got caught in a situation
there was absolutely no way out of, no amount of silver-tongued talking was going to save
this guy. And to make matters worse, he was impersonating a surgeon.
Ferdinand Demara was born in 1921 in Massachusetts, USA. His family was initially well-off, but
came into financial hardship during the Great Depression. At the age of 16, Demara ran away
from home. When his parents found him, he had joined up with an order of monks. Realising
he was safe, and expecting him to quickly tire of the monk lifestyle and return home,
his parents just left him to it. I think if I had a family member disappear
to join a fringe religious group, the last thought in my head would be "oh yeah, I'm
gonna be seeing him again real soon", and sure enough, Ferdinand's parents were wrong,
and he stayed with the monks for a couple of years, gaining his hood and habbit. By
then the monks had come to the conclusion that Ferdinand Demara was not a good fit for
the order, and they forced him out. This did not deter Demara, and instead of
returning home, he drifted around trying to join various other orders. Finding little
success, he joined the army in 1941 at the age of 19. He tried to live a life of quiet
peace, but the bastards wouldn't let him, so he joined the military instead - ah, you're
doing God's work either way, right? Well, it turned out life in the army was not as
enjoyable as Demara had thought, so he went AWOL.
Instead, he joined up with the Navy. You'd think he'd probably want to stay away from
the military on account of being on the run from them, but Demara was using false identities.
He wanted to become a corpsman and passed basic medical training, but lacked the education
to progress. To overcome this, he falsified his qualifications. Unfortunately for Demara,
it was quickly discovered his documents weren't real, and so he faked his death and fled again.
Demara took with him the identity of navy officer Dr Robert Linton French, who was a
psychologist. Using Dr. French's details, Demara became a college teacher for several
years, until in 1945, the authorities caught up with him, and he was prosecuted for desertion.
Keep in mind this was at the end of World War II, not exactly the most convenient time
to be caught for desertion. Demara was sentenced to six years, but was released after 18 months
due to good behaviour. He then created a new identity, Cecil Hamann,
and enrolled in university to become a lawyer. He quickly got sick of this though, and just
forged a PhD. He was now Dr. Cecil Hamann and became a teacher at a Christian college.
He was supposedly instrumental in the college's conversion into a state-chartered university
in Maine. This university is still in operation to this day.
However, Demara was unhappy that he had not received a prominent role in the university,
and left. This was not before stealing someone else's identity however. Canadian doctor Joseph
Cyr was planning to set up a medical practice in the US when he met Demara, er, sorry, Dr.
Cecil Hamann. Seeing as Hamann was a lawyer, he offered to help Cyr with the paperwork.
He then made copies of all of his personal documents.
Now posing as Dr. Joseph Cyr., Demara got commissioned as a surgeon-lieutenant in the
Royal Canadian Navy. Having only basic medical training, Demara was clever in how he went
about his work. He approached another doctor on board claiming that he had been talking
to men who worked in lumber yards in remote parts of Canada who often didn't have quick
access to medical care and would greatly appreciate a guide that briefly explained medical treatments
in layman's terms. A sort of "Medicine for Dummies" booklet.
The doctor was happy to help - of course, this story had been entirely fabricated, and
his guide was only used by Demara to learn a little about the new world he was in.
In 1951, he was transferred to surgery on the HMCS Cayuga, a destroyer stationed off
the coast of Korea - yes, he was being sent off to the Korean War. While here, he let
his attendant handle all the issues on the ship, which were all minor. That was until
one fateful day patrolling along the coast. The Cayuga had stumbled across a handful of
South Korean combat casualties, some of whom were in pretty rough shape. As the ship's
only surgeon, Demara was faced with an unthinkable scenario; he was going to have to perform
surgery, and he was going to have to do it right this very moment.
So what did he do? Well, he didn't have a choice. He did the fucking surgery. So what
happened? Well, it turned out, he actually did a great fucking job, and every treatment
was a success - one of which was the extraction of a bullet in chest surgery. His work was
so impressive, he was recommended for a commendation and the story was reported in the press.
That means he did such a good job that even for a surgeon it was applaudable, and he wasn't
a sugeon, he was just a guy! He had gained all this knowledge while on the job! But in
an ironic twist, Demara's success was also his downfall.
The real Dr. Cyr had come across his story in the news. It must have come as quite the
shock to realise you worked your ass off all your life only for the crowning achievement
to your name to be earned by someone else, who wasn't even qualified. I probably would
have just ended it all at that point. Dr. Cyr informed the authorities of the impostor.
When the Canadian Navy found out, they quietly dismissed Demara and sent him back to the
US. They would have pressed charges, but well, if the sole surgical authority on your Navy
destroyer is just a random guy, who's fault is that? It was an embarrassment for the Canadian
Navy, and they would have prefered no one know about it.
That was a shame, because Demara then sold his story to Life Magazine in 1952. With his
newfound fame, Ferdinand Demara was forced to work under his real name and took on a
number of short-term jobs. Demara was unhappy with this reality, however. The reason he
had taken on so many identities that had seemingly nothing to do with eachother, was because
Demara just wanted to be someone, whether it be a priest, a lawyer or a surgeon. He
enjoyed the prestige. Unfortunately, outside of being an imposter,
Ferdinand Demara was a nobody. His real life became depressing for him, and he developed
a drinking problem. Eventually it became too much to bear, and in 1955, he disappeared
again.
The man who would re-appear, was Ben Jones, a guard at Huntsville Prison in Texas. He
was put in charge of the maximum security wing until a prisoner recognised him from
the Life magazine. Demara went on the run, but was caught shortly after and served a
six-month prison sentence. After this, Demara returned to the church
and became a pastor under his own name. He worked with various hospitals as a chaplain
or counsellor, jobs in which he was very well liked and appreciated. He had finally found
fullfilment in reality. In 1982, Ferdinand Demara died at age 60 of heart failure.
And that's the story. Well, not all of it - this guy was a fairly prolific imposter,
there's some frauds he did that I didn't even touch on. But if you want to hear more about
con artists, I have another video about a man who became a football star without actually
playing football, a woman who founded a fake car company and ran off with the money, a
man who impersonated missing children, and many many more videos. And if you wouldn't
mind seeing my content again in the future, why not subscribe? Thanks.