Need opinions on military back ground

[slowz1k]

I haven't posted in a very long time, but I have been lurking quite a bit.
I have an odd situation that I'm dealing with, and was wondering if any of you who have served might be able to help.

This is a "Stolen Valor" type problem.
My step son just got out of the Army after a little over 3 years. He did basic at Ft Jackson, and then soon got stationed in S. Korea at Camp Hovey, with the 4-7 Cav. His MOS was FO, but pulled most of his time in a Bradley.
After about 2 years he was brought back stateside and spent the rest of his time in Kansas at Ft Riley with the Big Red 1.
The issue:
Since he's been home, he's started telling us that he couldn't tell us at the time, but while in Korea, he was secretly deployed to Afghanistan and saw extensive action. Stories of IED's hitting his buds in the Hum-V in front of him, A sniper killing a friend 2' away from him, Pinned down for 7 hours, Spotting for a sniper who was a friend of his also stationed at Hovey.... The list goes on. Some of the stuff sounds plausible, some of it sounds like a reach. To add to this "issue", He has always been a huge drama queen, and when he goes into these stories, you can almost hear violins playing in the back ground.
I did some checking and I found that the 5-7 Cav deployed to Afghanistan out of Hovey in Jan 2013. I'm wondering if some of the guys got back and he adopted some of their stories as his own.
Now... Let me say that if he is telling the truth, I feel like a bowl of cold $h1t with whipped cream on top for doubting him. I have the utmost respect and admiration for anyone and everyone who served in uniform, and I hate going on a witch hunt like this. If he's BS-ing us on this, As I think he is, it's going to make me sick. I'm thinking I need to take him to the wood shed.

Any ideas on how I can find out if his stories check out?... Or should I just let it go.
Thoughts and comments welcome

[Sniper-T]

Seems to me that most soldiers I know, active and retired, are pretty tight lipped about their missions... actually I mean VERY tight lipped! I hope that he is the exception, and I hope it pans out. It is disturbing! I hope it doesn't come to the woodshed, but fully endorse the thought if it does! Your questions probably won't be answered on open forum, and that is understandable, but hopefully someone can get you the information you need to put your heart at rest!

Oh, and btw... Welcome back!! You've been missed too!

[ElevenBravo]

Slo, I hear ya bro... You hear stories, but some level of fantastic'o drifts in than gives doubt...

I spent 16 years in the National Guard (Im medically separated/Medically retired, for whatever thats worth). Ive run into all types in my time. Nearing age 50, my wisdom indicator is finally coming into the red.

When I was young, I was full of piss and napalm.. I'd believe anything I heard and enhance a story or two myself. I think, this is just a sign of being young and immature.

Its taken me a lot of years to realize just how immature I was, even after Ft.Benning and several years in uniform. Shit, I dont think I started to grow the 'f up until just a few years ago, honestly!!

Anywho... take this with a grain of salt, but my experience is.. the ones that were actually in the shit box choose to only talk about there experiences with others in arms. The ones that boasted the loudest were more likely to have been on CQ duty the entire rotation but wished they could have been in the heat.

I had no idea that in my own guard unit, was a few combat vets from Nam, the one I found out later to be very highly decorated, was the one I would have never guessed ever did anything with there life.

Your story reminds me of this one guy that used to work at out shop.. Claims of being a sniper and all sorts of other fantastic'o stories were a f'in daily cycle. I got to where I avoided this dipshit with great effort. Sure, he walked the walk and talked the talk, but I just never had positive vibes off this joker.

Id say use the adage "Trust, but verify". If someone was actually in da'shit, they should come back with a CIB tab, which is a Combat Infantry Badge. Sure you can get them at the PX, but a gov piece of paper will prove you have the RIGHT to wear the badge of honor. Start there, if you can SEE DOCUMENTS, there may be some truth.

Also the Army aint shy about issuing AAMs, or Army Achievement Medal. For f' sake, Ive earned 5 of them and never went to combat! Someone who showed the slightest bit of leadership or courage I would think, should have earned a few AAMs and on the award, it states in a paragraph structure why they earned it.

Hope that helps, good luck-
EB

[ANEURYSM]

DD214 every soldure has one and has copies of it. It has every school, medal, award, duty station, rank and where you were deployed to.

[ak474u]

DD214 every soldure has one and has copies of it. It has every school, medal, award, duty station, rank and where you were deployed to.

This.

I'd also be concerned that embellishing duty stories especially those that involve others being hurt, or the kind that have the flavor of "traumatic memories" may be some sort of call for help even if it's really not a PTSD issue.

[jamesneuen]

First off,HOLY FAILED OPSEC!!!! Any information such as that should have been addressed for non-dissemination during his debrief. As far as awards and documentation I dunno. I've done some oddball stuff in my 7 years so far that was above and beyond the normal scope of my job but awards have never been given.

At the very least, listen to him. He may need someone to simply vent to and confide in. PTSD presents itself in many ways. If he needs help please contact me. Send me a PM, I will give you all my info and discuss who he can turn to for help or even talk to him myself if you would like me to. I'm by no means an expert but I have been down that road before and sometimes it's hard to come back.

If it seems he is simply boasting about it then leave him be and let it roll off. It's not worth the effort to track that kind of information down and how would it make you feel any better KNOWING he is a liar rather than THINKING he is. Many things are just not worth the headache.

If what you are worried about is him claiming honor in service when he doesn't deserve it, take him to help with some wounded warrior programs. That will sober the shit out of anyone who came home with all his bits in the right place. He might think twice about how much his bravery is worth after seeing the men and women who really did "write the check for up to and including their life"

USCG, GM2 with 7 years and counting.

[slowz1k]

Hey guys,
Thanks for taking the time to address this. It's a touchy subject for sure. I think I'll just let it ride and hope it goes away. It's not something that happens all that often, but when it does, it's thick. I'm thinking the truth will eventually float to the top one way or another. At least I now have some solid advice and information to fall back on, if/when it's needed.

It's truly appreciated.
I'll update if anything ever comes of this.

[ElevenBravo]

Many things are just not worth the headache.

Of this entire thread thus far, this quote may end up being the wisest thing said!

EB

[Sniper-T]

^
If that were true... It would take a strong man to step back and allow the natural progression... for better or worse!

[bacpacker]

No easy thing to determine for sure. Best of luck, whichever way you decide.

I pray for the sake of your stepson, that it all comes out works out well for him.

[Stormfeather]

Sorry I didnt see this earlier, Im actually coming from Fort Jackson and Im currently at Fort Lee dropping off my son from Boot Camp to AIT here at Fort Lee.

Since we havent really talked, let me be the first to say hello, and very nice to meet you. Im also going to give you a very brief bio so not as to toot my horn, but to give you and idea that possibly, myself and a few others here may know a thing or two about military stuff besides all the porn we watch overseas, bad tattoos we got and ex-wives we have to show for it.
I joined the Marines in 1986, took the Recon Indoc 9x before I passed, yea, you read that right, 9x. At one point I actually learned to swim. Who knew that the word "Marine" was synonymous with water?... Jarheads need to know how to swim apparently. I was a Marine for 14 years, saw action in South American doing Drug Interdiction, Philippines in 1989 (Operation Classic Resolve, bet ya never heard of that one have ya?) during the coup in Desert Shield/Storm, operation Restore Hope in Somalia, Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia as a UN Observer, From there I left the Marines and was a government contractor from 2003 to 2008 in Iraq and Afghanistan. I specialize in Counter IED operations and Humint (Human Intelligence Collections) Then I rejoined the military iin the Army and I participated as a soldier in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Freedom Eagle (back to the Philippines again) I currently work in the special operations community but now I work as a Psychological Operations Tactical Detachment. If you dont know what that is, we're those guys that go out with ODA's, Seal Teams, MarSoc, JSOC, ect..dressed as the local population and convince bad guys to become good guys.. or convince good guys to act like bad guys so we can find other bad guys, We do some off the wall shit. When I say we play mind games, we have more games than Milton Bradley... and none of them are fun for the players when we always win. So, that being said, I AM NOT saying im all that and a bag of chips, Im just saying that the military offered me a chance to travel, and do what I was trained to do, as with many here.

I can tell you with pretty solid authority, that the there was no "Secret Deployments" anywhere from Korea, from ANY Cav unit, 4/7 or 5/7. Now.. if he wants to talk about people he knew, ask him names. The reason I say this, I knew the PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) group that got killed by that IED (It wasnt in a HumVee, it was a MRAP) SSgt. Christopher Ward, Sgt. Delfin Santos Jr., and Cpl. Wilbel Robles Santa. The three were part of the PRT’s security detail who was Anne Smedinghoff, she was a 25-year-old Foreign Service Officer. (dont ask, its a long story how I know this) Anyways, Just throwing that out there. Tell him this little nugget, the Army is a very small community, we all know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody. He may have known them, he may have not, but if he knew them, he sure as hell knows their names. Just Sayin.

Respectfully,
SFx3

[slowz1k]

Wow!
That's a HELL of a resume'
Thanks for the input. Though he rattled off the names of the guys that he was with, the only one I remember was Fleak, or Fleaker, (SP?) Something like that. He says that Fleaker just passed in a TX hospital after dealing with the IED injuries for over a year.
I get the feeling that he may have actually known the guys he mentions, but just not sure if they were actually hit, or he was with them if they were.
I'm going to let it ride, unless it gets obvious. My biggest fear is that I call him out and it turns out to be true. I don't want to disrespect him or the guys he was with.

Thanks again for the input, and thank you for your service.

[ElevenBravo]

My biggest fear is that I call him out and it turns out to be true

1) If you werent there, its hard to prove yes or no. People can say all kinds of things, some may be true... some maybe not. Without personal observation, can you really, I mean really... debunk the claims? Just food for thought to chew on.

2) Doing nothing is still an option. Again, food for thought to chew on.


Allow your gut to guide you, sometimes the brain dont work as well as the gut!

EB


Side note on point 1:
I try to teach my daughter to question everything... She has said before.. "They say so and so is true..." Ill ask "were you there?"... of course she says no, I ask how do you know this to be true then? I usually get "Hmm... you got a point". I dont want her to accept all things presented by media, news, other people to be the gospel truth. People lie, skew the truth, omit truth, etc.. You are free in your thoughts to meditate on the matter and make a decision later.

[slowz1k]

Side note on point 1:
I try to teach my daughter to question everything... She has said before.. "They say so and so is true..." Ill ask "were you there?"... of course she says no, I ask how do you know this to be true then? I usually get "Hmm... you got a point". I dont want her to accept all things presented by media, news, other people to be the gospel truth. People lie, skew the truth, omit truth, etc.. You are free in your thoughts to meditate on the matter and make a decision later.

That thought process should be taught in every school across America!

[ANEURYSM]

saw action in South American doing Drug Interdiction

Did you know a fellow marine by the name of Don Vermillion while you were down there ?

[Stormfeather]

Slowz1k, the easiest way to ascertain if he was where he says he was, would be to consult his DD214. It basically tells the story of a persons military career, where theyve been, what schools they attended, deployments, injuries, ending rank, dates of service and locations. Believe me when I say, there are no "secret operations" unless you are on a ODA, JTAC, Seal Team, CAG, ect. Those are considered Tier 1 assets, and they are the secret squirrel monkeys who get the secret missions. Myself, I work with Tier 1 guys all the time, and fall under Tier 1 command, but my job is actually listed as Tier 2/3 depending on where you go in the world. Just food for thought. I always tell people to go with their guts, most common sense folks know when their BS meter is getting pegged, and can know it. If this is something you just want to let ride, then by all means, do that. I would consider watching your son and keeping an eye on him, and watch over time if the details change, as this is a sure sign that stories are fabricated. Most of those who are dumb enough to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, remember those events extremely vividly, and those memories dont change with time. Im sure many fellow veterans here can substantiate this claim. Anyways, best of luck with it, and please, feel free to ask anything else if it comes up!

Respectfully,
SFx3


Did you know a fellow marine by the name of Don Vermillion while you were down there ?

Nope, name does not particularly ring a bell. (But I was a very young and impressionable Marine who was on his very first deployment outside of the country!) Funny story about down south, I got chosen based on my skin tone, not on my language skills, we had 2 mexicans, 2 white guys, all of whom spoke conversational spanish. Myself, I was the last choice, because of the other 3 guys and myself, I was the darkest complexion!

[slowz1k]

Hey guys,
I was really hoping that this horse was dead, but here I am, once again, asking for some insight.
Taking the advice offered above, I was able to "obtain" my Son's DD214. To my untrained eye, it looks as though he never stepped foot in Afghanistan under Army leadership. He also said he qualified as Marksman while in Basic and wore what I believe is the "Sharp Shooter" designation on his dress blues. (The photo is from a wedding he attended while on leave.)
Wouldn't the marksman or sharp shooter achievement show up on the DD214?
Below is an image of his actual DD214. Can anyone tell me with reasonable certainty that he's full of $h1t when he says that he saw combat or was even in Afghanistan?

Again... I do apologize for dragging you guys in on this witch hunt... This whole thing honestly makes me sick.

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk95/slowz1k/MGM1_zpsp1d6yesx.jpg (http://s278.photobucket.com/user/slowz1k/media/MGM1_zpsp1d6yesx.jpg.html)

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk95/slowz1k/RIFLE_zpsvy6gpype.png (http://s278.photobucket.com/user/slowz1k/media/RIFLE_zpsvy6gpype.png.html)

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk95/slowz1k/0589dc1e-3373-41ec-9421-e6c80b787b88_zpsilpskvye.jpg (http://s278.photobucket.com/user/slowz1k/media/0589dc1e-3373-41ec-9421-e6c80b787b88_zpsilpskvye.jpg.html)

[ElevenBravo]

I got more fruit salad in the National Guard, and I never left CONUS. Though, I was an outstanding soldier for 16 years and earned several AAMs...

EB

[ElevenBravo]

General Discharge, less than honorable. Something wrong there...

Appears he was overseas for a period, but no indication of awards that normally go with combat soldiers.
He got the AAM twice, so he was a good boy on two occasions. All the other awards you automagically
get for being in uniform, and some may be unit service ribbons just for being in the unit.

JFV is a medical related discharge, maybe or maybe not goes with the general discharge, but I was always under the impression you would still get an honorable with a medical problem. Appears the medical problem is NOT LINE OF DUTY related. If it was, I either missed it or dont know what Im seeing.

He wasted his time in the service, the only class or school he attended was combat lifesavers class, kinda a toned down EMT.

Observations: Just another flunkie in/was uniform. There are millions just the same..

Thats all I see...
EB

[Sniper-T]

I know nothing of military... especially not AMERICAN military... but that write up seems as wishy washy as wishy washy can be. It looks to me, like he achieved a 'participant' ribbon in grammar school, just for being there. Hopefully Stormy, or someone else active can chime in with current info. No offence, but I think he's... he's... Well shit... he's a shit! No offence. I don't envy you IF you chose to call him out... It will be dramatic, to say the least. Best wishes, bud!

[mitunnelrat]

I can't get it to expand on my phone, but beyond what EB has said, and on my own faulty memory, his shooting/ grenade/ etc badges should be listed near the lower right of the page. If needed I can check my own dd 214 to verify this.