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I enjoy watching a T.V. show on Animal planet called "pit bulls and Parolees". The last episode I watched had a touching story about a US Veteran who moved across country and begged the Villalobos Rescue center to transport his dogs for him because he wasn't able to. He on Camera and on the Phone claimed to have been deployed to Afghanistan for 9 years, had PTSD and was a USAF veteran.

This immediately set off my bull excrement sensor so I looked into it. And I came across his professional Resume
http://joshuabaines.com/experience/


Can any USAF Veterans give me a heads up, I know for a fact that in the USMC you can't deploy for 9 years straight but maybe the airforce is more hardcore then i thought

its stolen valor btw because he is using it in a professional resume and used it to gain a benefit from the T.V. show to transport his dogs

Maybe he just was in army for 9 years and had deployments during that time rather than being deployed for 9 years without break?

In before we find that he spent 9 years "deployed" as a drone pilot.

ETA:

His "job description" is basically ripped directly from the USAF website:

http://www.airforce.com/careers/detail/combat-control-males-only




...which doesn't necessary indicate foul play, but I'll call BS on anybody claiming to have done "hundreds" of combat jumps. In addition, he says he got his training at Andrews AFB, while the USAF link clearly does not list that location as a place where they do combat controller training.

 NuggzTheNinja wrote:
I'll call BS on anybody claiming to have done "hundreds" of combat jumps.

Heck, my dad was in the 82nd from 2000-2008, and I don't think he did any combat jumps

 LordofHats wrote:

 NuggzTheNinja wrote:
I'll call BS on anybody claiming to have done "hundreds" of combat jumps.

Heck, my dad was in the 82nd from 2000-2008, and I don't think he did any combat jumps

According to this:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/airborne-jumps.htm

The last combat jump was 3 July 2004.


And to parrot the point a bit from Nuggz... if we base anything on the claims.... In order to get "hundreds" of combat jumps, he'd have to have over 44 combat jumps with other countries, spanning all the way back through WW2.... Yeah, Sorry, but there's simply no way anyone can serve from WW2 through the present

So judging by the responses my BS detector seems to be working just fine. So what do you all think about the "Stolen Valor" claim then? Do you consider receiving favors or consideration for a job to qualify as fraud?

 Ghazkuul wrote:
So judging by the responses my BS detector seems to be working just fine. So what do you all think about the "Stolen Valor" claim then? Do you consider receiving favors or consideration for a job to qualify as fraud?

Might as well. The guys on the Stolen Valor FB group live for stuff like this. They aren't going to drag a good guy through the mud, but if the guy is going to go on TV then he warrants investigation.

 Ghazkuul wrote:
So judging by the responses my BS detector seems to be working just fine. So what do you all think about the "Stolen Valor" claim then? Do you consider receiving favors or consideration for a job to qualify as fraud?

If you say you served/did something and it turns out you never did it, it's obviously fraud. I think whether that merits firing/dismissal will depend on the employer and what it is they expect of the employee. Does anyone really care that a UPS delivery man said he served when he never did (aside from the initial outrage of "you lied to me!")?

 LordofHats wrote:

 Ghazkuul wrote:
So judging by the responses my BS detector seems to be working just fine. So what do you all think about the "Stolen Valor" claim then? Do you consider receiving favors or consideration for a job to qualify as fraud?

If you say you served/did something and it turns out you never did it, it's obviously fraud. I think whether that merits firing/dismissal will depend on the employer and what it is they expect of the employee. Does anyone really care that a UPS delivery man said he served when he never did (aside from the initial outrage of "you lied to me!")?

Actually no, according to the supreme court, lying about serving in the military is protected by the 1st amendment. So it is completely legal to act like a donkey cave. However, they came out with a law about Stolen Valor which says that the second you gain a benefit from your lie you are committing fraud. So would the Resume and the benefit of having his dogs shipped across the country (Free of charge) be enough to be found guilty of fraud?

Did you guys also think he is overexxagertaing himself? Maybe he used "Hundreds" because to the layman that could be considered impressive. And again, he could have meant over nine years he has been deployed.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Did you guys also think he is overexxagertaing himself? Maybe he used "Hundreds" because to the layman that could be considered impressive. And again, he could have meant over nine years he has been deployed.

"I was deployed to afghanistan for 9 years" kind of hard to misinterpret that. Also, a Combat drop means dropping into hostile territory by parachute. Even in 04 it wasn't really a combat drop. He is attempting to say he was USAF special forces.

 Ghazkuul wrote:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Did you guys also think he is overexxagertaing himself? Maybe he used "Hundreds" because to the layman that could be considered impressive. And again, he could have meant over nine years he has been deployed.

"I was deployed to afghanistan for 9 years" kind of hard to misinterpret that. Also, a Combat drop means dropping into hostile territory by parachute. Even in 04 it wasn't really a combat drop. He is attempting to say he was USAF special forces.

And the Special Operations community just loves to out these guys.

It's almost as when you're retired from that community, you're bound by blood oath to be some combination of fitness instructor, private military contractor, weird outdoors nut recluse, author and token Special Forces (tm) celebrity on mainstream news outlets, or Youtube celebrity who spends his days outing posers.

So who would you go to in order to put them on this guy's trail to see if he is legit?

Relapse wrote:
So who would you go to in order to put them on this guy's trail to see if he is legit?

I contacted his Local Police Department and the USAF to let them know

Wow dude, Really?

 Ghazkuul wrote:

"I was deployed to afghanistan for 9 years" kind of hard to misinterpret that.

Afghan lasted for 16 years so it it theoretically possible. I met an US Army RSM equivalent in Iraq in 2009, just before the UK withdrew, who had deployed there almost continually since 2003; IIRC he said that he had only spent about 18 months at home in 6 years.

and how split up where those months? depending on how he was deplyed, it could feel like 9 monthe

 Silent Puffin? wrote:

 Ghazkuul wrote:

"I was deployed to afghanistan for 9 years" kind of hard to misinterpret that.

Afghan lasted for 16 years so it it theoretically possible. I met an US Army RSM equivalent in Iraq in 2009, just before the UK withdrew, who had deployed there almost continually since 2003; IIRC he said that he had only spent about 18 months at home in 6 years.

14 years as of right now. not 16. Also after the invasion of Iraq the main effort switched and Afghanistan was on the back burner until about 08-09. And even with continuous deployments the rule we have is double time. For every day you are deployed they have to keep you in the US For 2 days. If they dont they have to pay you extra. Also, in the US military you earn leave at 2.5 days a month so this guy would have wracked up an incredible amount of leave and Deployment leave. Don't get me wrong, the USMC never cared if you wasted your leave (Only allowed 60 days of leave on the books, anymore was literally wasted). And lastly, this guy was USAF,they don't deploy that much, even during the height of the wars. And even more importantly he claims to be SF, the USMC and US Army SF do multiple deployments but they are always short deployments due to OP tempo. So it would have been impossible to deploy that often

In this end this guy is a Donkey cave who got caught on national television lying.

 Ghazkuul wrote:
Actually no, according to the supreme court, lying about serving in the military is protected by the 1st amendment. So it is completely legal to act like a donkey cave. However, they came out with a law about Stolen Valor which says that the second you gain a benefit from your lie you are committing fraud. So would the Resume and the benefit of having his dogs shipped across the country (Free of charge) be enough to be found guilty of fraud?

The big issue here is can you prove that the resume, and specifically the claim about military service, is what got him the job?

 Ghazkuul wrote:

 Silent Puffin? wrote:

 Ghazkuul wrote:

"I was deployed to afghanistan for 9 years" kind of hard to misinterpret that.

Afghan lasted for 16 years so it it theoretically possible. I met an US Army RSM equivalent in Iraq in 2009, just before the UK withdrew, who had deployed there almost continually since 2003; IIRC he said that he had only spent about 18 months at home in 6 years.

14 years as of right now. not 16. Also after the invasion of Iraq the main effort switched and Afghanistan was on the back burner until about 08-09. And even with continuous deployments the rule we have is double time. For every day you are deployed they have to keep you in the US For 2 days. If they dont they have to pay you extra. Also, in the US military you earn leave at 2.5 days a month so this guy would have wracked up an incredible amount of leave and Deployment leave. Don't get me wrong, the USMC never cared if you wasted your leave (Only allowed 60 days of leave on the books, anymore was literally wasted). And lastly, this guy was USAF,they don't deploy that much, even during the height of the wars. And even more importantly he claims to be SF, the USMC and US Army SF do multiple deployments but they are always short deployments due to OP tempo. So it would have been impossible to deploy that often

In this end this guy is a Donkey cave who got caught on national television lying.

Not saying this guy is or is not telling the truth but I;m fairly sure that our LDHD personnel (Low Density/High Demand) were violating the double time rule at multiple times the last decade plus (and if his resume is accurate he was). It got so bad the entire AF automatically got an increase in carryover leave that is only now going away.

Jerram wrote:

 Ghazkuul wrote:

 Silent Puffin? wrote:

 Ghazkuul wrote:

"I was deployed to afghanistan for 9 years" kind of hard to misinterpret that.

Afghan lasted for 16 years so it it theoretically possible. I met an US Army RSM equivalent in Iraq in 2009, just before the UK withdrew, who had deployed there almost continually since 2003; IIRC he said that he had only spent about 18 months at home in 6 years.

14 years as of right now. not 16. Also after the invasion of Iraq the main effort switched and Afghanistan was on the back burner until about 08-09. And even with continuous deployments the rule we have is double time. For every day you are deployed they have to keep you in the US For 2 days. If they dont they have to pay you extra. Also, in the US military you earn leave at 2.5 days a month so this guy would have wracked up an incredible amount of leave and Deployment leave. Don't get me wrong, the USMC never cared if you wasted your leave (Only allowed 60 days of leave on the books, anymore was literally wasted). And lastly, this guy was USAF,they don't deploy that much, even during the height of the wars. And even more importantly he claims to be SF, the USMC and US Army SF do multiple deployments but they are always short deployments due to OP tempo. So it would have been impossible to deploy that often

In this end this guy is a Donkey cave who got caught on national television lying.

Not saying this guy is or is not telling the truth but I;m fairly sure that our LDHD personnel (Low Density/High Demand) were violating the double time rule at multiple times the last decade plus (and if his resume is accurate he was). It got so bad the entire AF automatically got an increase in carryover leave that is only now going away.

Trust me I know, my MOS in the USMC was LDHD as well, and the entire USMC got the same increase in leave, I think it went to 90 days, but its gone now as well. But, nobody would be deployed 9 years in a row, hell I knew personnel who have 1 deployment in those same years and in a LDHD job.

 Ghazkuul wrote:
So it is completely legal to act like a donkey cave. However, they came out with a law about Stolen Valor which says that the second you gain a benefit from your lie you are committing fraud. So would the Resume and the benefit of having his dogs shipped across the country (Free of charge) be enough to be found guilty of fraud?

Hmm. While we don't have the same laws here there are employers who like their male employees to have done their mandatory service (and the police actually demand it), and some also give you an extra dose of "benefit of a doubt" for leadership positions if you produce your reserve officer credentials. But it's all inofficial (except the police) so they couldn't really kick a guy just for lying about his military record. The only fraud we've seen is some scum dressing up for Veteran collections and pocketing the money they manage to collect, which is a criminal offense.

Getting a free dog lift could qualify as fraud, but it does depend on whether the provider does it free for any veteran or was just talked into it by a nice story. Would they have done it for a poor single mother, or a disabled child? Do they actually have any criteria listed for giving someone a freebie?

Spetulhu wrote:

 Ghazkuul wrote:
So it is completely legal to act like a donkey cave. However, they came out with a law about Stolen Valor which says that the second you gain a benefit from your lie you are committing fraud. So would the Resume and the benefit of having his dogs shipped across the country (Free of charge) be enough to be found guilty of fraud?

Getting a free dog lift could qualify as fraud, but it does depend on whether the provider does it free for any veteran or was just talked into it by a nice story. Would they have done it for a poor single mother, or a disabled child? Do they actually have any criteria listed for giving someone a freebie?

No, they handle it on a case-by-case basis. However, they are hemorrhaging money like its going out of style (they never turn down a dog, and don't make alot from the adoptions). My wife and I actually just sent a box of throw blankets for the dog's kennels.

So if he's being a lying scumbag, not only is he committing fraud, but he's putting an amazing rescue/rehabilitation program that much further in the hole.

If the guy is being honest about what is AFSC was (thats MOS to you non USAF types), then you seriously do have egg all over your face, particularly if he was part of the 24th STS.

Im also not seeing where it says he was deployed for 9 years.

 Ghazkuul wrote:
And even with continuous deployments the rule we have is double time. For every day you are deployed they have to keep you in the US For 2 days.

At the height of our rotations in the army, it was quite common for a unit to go year on, year off. They only really started cracking down on "down time" when they instituted the absurd 15 month rotation. The nice thing with those rapid deployments was that during my second one, the army instituted "administrative leave" where you could go from your base 60 days leave, to 90, depending on how long and how often you had deployed since 03.

chaos0xomega wrote:
If the guy is being honest about what is AFSC was (thats MOS to you non USAF types), then you seriously do have egg all over your face, particularly if he was part of the 24th STS.

Im also not seeing where it says he was deployed for 9 years.

Im just lauhing that he is getting so worked over over one thing which could be an exaggeration and 2 which may be mis-remembering.
I mean really, there are people out there that put this much effort into exposing someone as a fraud(that they dont know) that they never met.

Exaggerating and mis-remembering in order to gain free things from charitable organizations. And in a time where there is less and less help to go around to veterans. I'd hardly say it is a laughable thing, hotsauce.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

chaos0xomega wrote:
If the guy is being honest about what is AFSC was (thats MOS to you non USAF types), then you seriously do have egg all over your face, particularly if he was part of the 24th STS.

Im also not seeing where it says he was deployed for 9 years.

Im just lauhing that he is getting so worked over over one thing which could be an exaggeration and 2 which may be mis-remembering.
I mean really, there are people out there that put this much effort into exposing someone as a fraud(that they dont know) that they never met.

On the flip side of that, there's paperwork for EVERYTHING in the military, and I'd bet the AF is no different. If he really did deploy, he'd simply have to look at his record brief to see how long it was. For instance, If I forgot that I spent just a hair under 2 years in Iraq, I could look at the last copy of my ERB (enlisted record brief) to see that time. Also, in that regard, I tend to say I was deployed for "about 2 years", because honestly it's easier to say than "21 months"... and I hate it when people do that gak with their kids, so rounding is just easier.



Also, while I'm just a casual commenter in this thread, I think you'd be VERY hard pressed to find an actual vet who didn't know the exact number of months (if not days) they spent "in country"

Yeah, I could care less about people claiming to do this or that when it comes to military service. But if they claim it to take benefits that should be going to people that serve it's a different story.

As a sidenote it always amazes me how many people try to claim they were in some form of special operations.

 Hulksmash wrote:
As a sidenote it always amazes me how many people try to claim they were in some form of special operations.

It's a good story, and some people just have to tell stories. Some of them are called pathological liers. We had one at work who even seemed to believe his own stories about his qualifications for this and that better job, but in the end he was just an overweight uneducated man. Foreman for airport security, harbor diver in Barcelona... Last I heard he was selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door.

Ofc, a few of these veteran impersonators claim they do it out of respect for the service. Maybe, possibly, if they don't use it to get free food or other benefits.