Special Opps or Nutt Job

[Eagle Six]

I started BS with him and looking at his papers out of the corner of my eye, (I know not very ethical) I saw his MOS and later checked it out. He was a CLERK!

Some clerks type up the reports and commendations so they have access to lots of stories!

 

[M60A3TTS]

Years ago I served with a guy who was tabbed SF. Asked why he was in a tank unit, said he was tired of walking. Asked about him being SF, he said yup, all he said about it. He was a good trooper, one of the ones I miss loosing touch with all these years later. Did find out he was still in the reserves, made SGM.

 

[dhenry132]

From 1965 through 1972, as platoons from SEAL Teams One and Two conducted direct-action operations against the Viet Cong, the combined strength of the teams grew to close to 400 active SEALs, I’ve meet close to 5000 of them

 

[TTE]

JME: Folks with actual experience in this type of work tend not to start conversations with this information as their lead ...

I took a couple of Medal of Honor recipients on safari (different safaris).
Both of them were hesitant to speak about why they were given the Medal (but were not hesitant in pointing out that many others were not awarded a/the Medal).

 

[bugman]

can't resist

 

[Rick in Oregon]

While at the VA here a few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Bob Maxwell, a Medal of Honor winner from WWII who our facility is now named after.

After talking for a spell, Bob put out his hand and thanked ME for MY service. I felt insignificant in his presence, a gentleman and a true hero. (Threw himself on a live German grenade, saving his buddies in a foxhole....and lived.)

Like others here who encounter these jerks who claim stolen valor, it usually only takes two questions to reveal they are not only jerks, but stone-cold liars seeking attention.

 

[wyshadow]

I hired an older gentleman who was a handyman years ago to help me with projects around the house. After over a year of him helping me with odd jobs here and there, he brought another older gentleman named Frank to help us put up a wired fence. Throughout the day they told each other stories about the war in Vietnam, and I asked Anthony (that was his name) why he never told me he was a veteran? He tells me, "Because I never been in any combat while I was there. I was deployed to Vietnam when the war was about over and I never even shot my weapon. I mostly flew around the country side in a helicopter. I don't consider myself a vet."

 

[urbanrifleman]

Lying is so common now, that the exception is someone who doesn't lie.

I think most people prefer the liars.

 

[jelenko]

Lying is so common now, that the exception is someone who doesn't lie.

I think most people prefer the liars.

It's the ones who are focused on what others want to hear. They just say that.
Worthless pieces of xxxx.

 

[Eagle Six]

I hired an older gentleman who was a handyman years ago to help me with projects around the house. After over a year of him helping me with odd jobs here and there, he brought another older gentleman named Frank to help us put up a wired fence. Throughout the day they told each other stories about the war in Vietnam, and I asked Anthony (that was him name) why he never told me he was a veteran? He tells me, "Because I never been in any combat while I was there. I was deployed to Vietnam when the war was about over and I never even shot my weapon. I mostly flew around the country side in a helicopter. I don't consider myself a vet."

I understand his feelings. However, as a combat veteran I say he sure as hell is a vet.

 

[butchlambert]

About 60 years ago a new guy came to work with us,. Seems he knew everybody and had done everything. After about 3-4 years later, we found that he wasn't bull shitting. I had to add this as all the others were like the guy mentioned by the OP.

 

[akajun]

If you ever run across an actual compulsive liar, i mean literally cant stop lying, it can be interesting, some of them are good enough to make you question your sanity. Some I think really believe it, some are narcissists that want you to see them as important, some are sociopaths and psychopaths that lie as a means to an end.

One that sticks out in my mind, we had 3 open cases on the same suspect in the office at the same time, but none of us knew it and all three victims knew him by different names. Where it all broke was he gave one a business card with his street name on it which was phonetically similar to my case and it just kind of snowballed from there.
Anyway when we questioned him he talked, omg did he talk, but every word was a lie, even his kids names, I really don't think he could help himself. My partner got so frustrated that he asked him " have you said even one true word in this room today?" the guy looked up to the side, thought about it, and went, "IDK". at that point everyone in the other room watching the interview busted out laughing and it was hard for us to keep a straight face.

 

[rijndael]

If you ever run across an actual compulsive liar

I've worked with 2, one was my boss and the other was a co-worker across the hall.

The boss would lie about stuff that didn't even matter, like where he went for lunch. You name it, he'd lie about it.

The guy across the hall didn't know what was believable. One story was about how he spent his weekend training a DEVGRU guy about long range shooting. Another time it was how awesome of a cyclist he was. I was a pretty strong cyclist at the time and suggested he bring his stuff to work, we'd ride after. He didn't bite.

 

[Dave M.]

Several days ago, I was at our local shooting range playing around with a 223 bolt gun. At the 300 yard range, another guy at the far end and I were the only two shooting. I needed to check several targets down range and walked over to the other shooter. As I approached his table, I notice he was shooting several different hand guns.

I asked him if we could go cold on the range and after I asked the question, we started talking about guns. I told him I was playing around with a 223 but I do have an xc for target competition, and that's when it started to get weird. He starts going off about how he wish he could use his rifle he used when he was in the service. I asked him what rifle he was talking about and he said was part of a special opps sniper team who were trained to capture Saddam Hussein. He tells me this special rifle he used was based off a Russian sniper rifle the U.S. government stole and renamed it the A1 Sniper rifle that was chamber in 7.5 mm and not the 7.62 mm.

He was telling me he went on special missions around the world where he worked as an undercover assassin. He was telling me he could shot anyone in the eye through the scope up to a mile away with that A1. Since the government has retired his A1, he wish he could use the A1 in long range shooting and beat everyone but he can't use a classified weapon. All I said was "Cool," and walked down range.

Just tonight I thought about looking into what that guy said and googled "A1 Sniper Rifle" and was shocked to came across the USMC M40A1 sniper rifle. The M40A1 was built in the 70's and used until the 1999. I then looked up when Saddam Hussein was captured and this was in April 2003. So was I just talking to a hero or a nutt job? Could it be a possibility what he said is true since both time periods are close? I'm bad at guessing age but he looked in his late 60s and was in good health.

Guys that do highly classified special operations for our military RARELY talk openly about them, and certainly not to someone that have never met before. I can guarantee you, with 99.999999% confidence, the guy you were speaking was NOT a special ops guy.
My close friend was a special ops guy and I ask him stuff all the time and he generally says, I’m not at liberty to discuss that, or if I told you the answer to what you just asked and anyone found out I did, I’d likely be court martialed.
No way this clown would offer up such info. If you knew the lingo better or brought a true marine, army, navy, etc guy to talk to him next time, I bet they can sniff out his “stolen valor” ass in about 3 minutes.
Dave

 

[Dave M.]

This shooting past time/hobby/addiction certainly has its share of " shooting range commandos " who are quick to volunteer stories of their prowess in shooting when ostensibly in the service. Then again, most any hobby has its share of eccentrics. My wife and I belonged to a caged bird club when we lived in NC and I think the birds were more balanced than a number of the members!
The club range where I shoot will, at times, have members of the sniper team from the Ranger battalion that`s stationed at a nearby base come out to shoot. They are super nice young men, very polite, don`t talk about what they do. Lord, do they have nice toys!!

When strangers at the range as me if I compete, the last thing I do is offer up that my girlfriend and I have both won state championships in F class. Even though it’s true, I’d never say it at the range because it just sounds like some of the other BS things people have said around us at the range. Funny when you don’t want to answer the question with a proper response because in your own mind it sounds like a lie. It’s like the beer commercial where the young guys are talking football at the bar and the old guy (Joe Montana) says something and they treat him like an old guy that doesn’t know shit about the sport. Pretty funny. The best people and most accomplished people in most competitive sports or disciplines are generally very quiet and reserved, they don’t run around advertising they are the best. I’ve met some incredible people in the shooting industry and walked away from our conversations saying, holy shit I just talked to so-and-so for 30 minutes and he/she was so down to earth and willing to share their knowledge. Getting into F class shooting has changed my life. I hope to get the opportunity to meet some more of the great folks on this site face to face in the upcoming years.

Dave Monette

 

[D-4297]

Anyone Discharged from the latter Vietnam Era signed the Soldiers & Sailors Act of 1971 , and the normal response from those who did Clandestine Ops was / is , I don't remember , I just don't talk about it , or "It's above your Pay-Grade" ! Talking about certain types of weapons used , is one thing . Nobody who did any "Ops" talks about any of them , Ever . Especially to strangers .

 

[Dave M.]

Worked with a guy who claimed he was once a CIA op who killed people. How he wound up as a janitor in a car plant, I'll never know. The best was a fellow pilot who claimed he was a carrier jock in Vietnam. Kept that charade going quite a few years until some genuine Navy guys investigated his claims. He was never even in the service. There's all kinds out there.

What is a carrier jock???

 

[Turkeytider]

I hired an older gentleman who was a handyman years ago to help me with projects around the house. After over a year of him helping me with odd jobs here and there, he brought another older gentleman named Frank to help us put up a wired fence. Throughout the day they told each other stories about the war in Vietnam, and I asked Anthony (that was him name) why he never told me he was a veteran? He tells me, "Because I never been in any combat while I was there. I was deployed to Vietnam when the war was about over and I never even shot my weapon. I mostly flew around the country side in a helicopter. I don't consider myself a vet."

I`d say he was being unnecessarily critical of his service. Vets are anyone who wore the uniform and served.

 

[TTE]

I felt insignificant in his presence, a gentleman and a true hero.

I for sure know how you felt.

 

[Old Navy]

Saw a sticker the other day I really liked:
“ I WAS A VietNam Veteran before it became popular.”

Ain't that the truth! We were no good SOBs before 9-11.