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Fake? Ranger

kissgoodnightkissgoodnight Member Posts: 4,063 ✭✭✭
I ran into a guy who claims to have been a Ranger.
His story smells.
How can I check the status of his claims.
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Comments

  • BlackgunsBlackguns Member Posts: 496 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    How does his story "smell?" I would say check his DD-214, but I imagine it wouldn't be to hard for him to produce a fake (maybe freedom of information request might work?). Eventually the fakes make such outrageous claims that you can be pretty sure they are lying.
  • kissgoodnightkissgoodnight Member Posts: 4,063 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Yes he is making outrageous claims. How did you know?
  • BlackgunsBlackguns Member Posts: 496 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It is always the little things that get these guys. One time I was listening to a guy talking about his confirmed sniper kills at Guantanamo, the stories sounded a little fabricated. I asked him what unit he was a part of and he says Marine "Forest Recon." He had obviously misheard the Force part, so I told I knew a guy who was part of the "Beach Recon" team, which he had worked with! That is usually the best way to bust these guys. Just make something up and when they confirm it you know they are full of sh@#t!
  • towgunner0352towgunner0352 Member Posts: 1 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I had a guy i worked with saying the same kinda stuff cracks me up. He was saying he was a Ranger bla bla bla. We were talking movies when he enterd the room as we were talking "Black Hawk Down" he said he's never seen the movie cause he was there. All we know about this guy was he was Guard. Not anytype of SF he later tells us he was pulling guard at a check point at "SOCOM" Yah sorry I've been to Iraq and other countries i've never seen any SF pulling Guard any where unless it was out side the wire. We finally got a new guy who is a retired SMG. from ranger BAT who was all up his but when he started sputing all his lies and called him out and never the less he never graduated from ranger school. Oh my favorite lie he was a Russian interp for SF but when asked all he knew was "NO" on russian....
  • JuggernautJuggernaut Member Posts: 719 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    There are alot of fakes that claim to be MFR, SF and SEAL when we would go to the clubs or bars sometimes fakers would come up and I was either in MCDB or civilian attire and they would say something along the lines of how they were MFR, SF or SEAL and blah blah blah their bs stories which were usually completely ridiculous, and I am thinking well first of all I have no idea who you are or why you are telling me this and they generally always failed miserably at the lie detector test such as Blackguns described and so I came up with the term Navy SEAL Ninja Snipers and how they were best of the best, best, best as a sarcastic insult of course, never tried it as a bs test response, but you never know and would be a great op if you could pull it off and not bust out laughing. Most of this crap is spawned by movies and is completely overrated and it seems that when a movie comes out that has MFR, SF or SEAL's or whatever in it then the fakers come out of the wood work; if they really are that into it then they should just go enlist and become their dream as its not impossible or anything. Never heard Marine Forest Recon, that is original, I thought Beach Recon was Shore Patrol, lol.
  • skssniper01skssniper01 Member Posts: 1 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Juggernaut
    ...I thought Beach Recon was Shore Patrol, lol...


    AWESOME! I actually laughed when I read this part...

    There's a site for reporting BS'ers
    http://www.pownetwork.org/phonies/phonies1095.htm

    use it!
  • osubullriderosubullrider Member Posts: 23 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    All you have to do is ask him a few direct questions and based on his answers, you will be able to easily figure out his BS. Ask him what the Identifier is for Ranger school. Very few BS'ers know anything about indentifiers, let alone the "Victor" for Rangers. I am truly enraged when I hear people BSing about the military. I have done my fair share of stretching the truth on long shots or the quality of girl that I took home that night (when I was single!), but don't say you have done something that you don't have the guts to do. Good luck and make him feel like a fool and then introduce him to a recruiter!
  • pipe7pipe7 Member Posts: 911 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by osubullrider
    All you have to do is ask him a few direct questions and based on his answers, you will be able to easily figure out his BS. Ask him what the Identifier is for Ranger school. Very few BS'ers know anything about indentifiers, let alone the "Victor" for Rangers. I am truly enraged when I hear people BSing about the military. I have done my fair share of stretching the truth on long shots or the quality of girl that I took home that night (when I was single!), but don't say you have done something that you don't have the guts to do. Good luck and make him feel like a fool and then introduce him to a recruiter!


    VERY NICE, BUT IM SURE HE WILL CRAP HIS PANTS IF YOU TOOK HIM TO A RECRUITER. IF HE DID GET IN HE WOULD ONLY BE A "PX RANGER"
  • pipe7pipe7 Member Posts: 911 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It seems like more and more of these wannabes are coming out of the woodwork. I stoppd at a stop and rob the other night for a cup of coffee being I work the graveyard shift. Clerk inside asked about a patch on my uniform. After I explained what it was for, he began to regale me in the fact that he was prior service as a Navy Seal, that he had been released from active duty because of a knee injury. Ok I can see that but it gets better. This guys is 19, does not have a high school diploma or GED (Good Enough Diploma). First says he was deployed to Central Baghdad for 36 months with Seal Team Six. Then said he was deployed to the same place from 07-08, and helped take out one of Sadams palaces. using 6-blocks of C4 to take down the front door. I had to leave to keep from laughing, says he wants to put in for the next police academy. I sure hope so, however he will need to get a high school diploma[:D]
  • jsuggsjsuggs Member Posts: 110 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The identifier for Ranger is Romeo, Airborne Ranger is Victor. Rangers started out as leg commandos in WWII.
  • Dark Mountain RiflesDark Mountain Rifles Member Posts: 1 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    SQI for Ranger is "G"
    SQI for Airborne is "P"
    If you have both, your Identifier is "V"
  • wittynbearwittynbear Member Posts: 4,518
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by pipe7
    It seems like more and more of these wannabes are coming out of the woodwork. I stoppd at a stop and rob the other night for a cup of coffee being I work the graveyard shift. Clerk inside asked about a patch on my uniform. After I explained what it was for, he began to regale me in the fact that he was prior service as a Navy Seal, that he had been released from active duty because of a knee injury. Ok I can see that but it gets better. This guys is 19, does not have a high school diploma or GED (Good Enough Diploma). First says he was deployed to Central Baghdad for 36 months with Seal Team Six. Then said he was deployed to the same place from 07-08, and helped take out one of Sadams palaces. using 6-blocks of C4 to take down the front door. I had to leave to keep from laughing, says he wants to put in for the next police academy. I sure hope so, however he will need to get a high school diploma[:D]

    6 BLOCKS OF C-4, that must have been one heck of a front door. He is 19 with no diploma he was never in the Navy let alone a SEAL. He might have been in the delayed entry program, and they threw him out when he failed high school. Don't worry he won't make it to the police academy nobody will hire his sorry butt.
  • jsuggsjsuggs Member Posts: 110 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    i dont know about the Navy or Marines, but in the Army to be special forces or delta you have to be at least a sgt-E5 before you can even apply. which is bad for them because they miss out on alot of good soldiers because they get married and dont want to train for about a year with very few brakes. then to be a ranger you have to be atleast a spc-E4 to go to ranger school from another unit, or be a pfc-E3 if assigned to a ranger regiment. and now you have to be 18 by the time you graduate infantry school, you remember that big child soldier thing a few years ago. atleast these were the rules in 2005 whern i got out.

    so lets do some simple math

    18 years + 18 months (min to E4) + about 6 months (time for pre ranger course and ranger school) = at least 20 years old
    long gone are the days of the 18 year old airborne ranger E5

    18 years + 24 months (min to E5) + 1 year 6 months min (selection and training)= atleast 21 years old to be special forces or delta and a 6 year manditory commitment to the Army. so atleast 27 years old when they would get out.
  • pipe7pipe7 Member Posts: 911 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by wittynbear
    quote:Originally posted by pipe7
    It seems like more and more of these wannabes are coming out of the woodwork. I stoppd at a stop and rob the other night for a cup of coffee being I work the graveyard shift. Clerk inside asked about a patch on my uniform. After I explained what it was for, he began to regale me in the fact that he was prior service as a Navy Seal, that he had been released from active duty because of a knee injury. Ok I can see that but it gets better. This guys is 19, does not have a high school diploma or GED (Good Enough Diploma). First says he was deployed to Central Baghdad for 36 months with Seal Team Six. Then said he was deployed to the same place from 07-08, and helped take out one of Sadams palaces. using 6-blocks of C4 to take down the front door. I had to leave to keep from laughing, says he wants to put in for the next police academy. I sure hope so, however he will need to get a high school diploma[:D]

    6 BLOCKS OF C-4, that must have been one heck of a front door. He is 19 with no diploma he was never in the Navy let alone a SEAL. He might have been in the delayed entry program, and they threw him out when he failed high school. Don't worry he won't make it to the police academy nobody will hire his sorry butt.

    Ya thats what I thought too, like I said I had to leave before I died laughing. Then again what do you expect, our society is filled with people who dont have the Honor or Integrity to wear the uniform but want to share in its accomplishments. Your right he wont make it in life much less the police academy. I dont really expect him to ever attend ours, at least while Im still working here
  • wildeman.7.62natowildeman.7.62nato Member Posts: 201 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I was never in Special Forces but I'm proud to have had the opportunity to be a Marine. I have the utmost respect for those who go above and beyond. I've never understood people who lie about stuff like that. * who hang out in bars outside bases and run thier mouths! The military is a small world. When I was down in Mexico I had some yayhoo tell me he was a Marine too. When I asked him about it he couln't remember where he went to boot. I said it ain't hard Paris Island or MCRD San Diego. He couldn't remember 'cause it was a couple o'years back. At least he paid for all our drinks, you know, becuase it's a Marine thing.
  • BaseJumperBaseJumper Member Posts: 5,570
    edited November -1
    SF dudes I have know personally (even the retired ones) or worked with are entirely too professional to "talk up" their SF careers. Gotta a lot of respect for you guys that do that job. Anyone who brings up that in a conversation unprompted, I would be suspect.
  • grumpygygrumpygy Member Posts: 48,464 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Have ran into more than a few. The common thing about them is they are all from Recon, sniper, Special Forces. They are never one of the other fields in the Military.

    But if you know the military its the other fields that havethe most people. Real Recon/Special Forces are few.

    From an old retired Marine Engineer Mech.
  • Lucky_LeftyLucky_Lefty Member Posts: 7,971
    edited November -1
    I know nothing about the rangers schools or training but when I got home from Ft knox guys at local bar told me all about it, I actually started to laugh in their face. These were guys that washed out of BCT and my little sister knew them, When she told them who I was they stopped and wanted to know if I ever killed anyone. I hate kids.
  • shilowarshilowar Member Posts: 38,811 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    for the record...Rangers are NOT Special Forces or SF...they are Special Operations...not making any qualitative judgment, but my Ranger buddy would take issue with being called SF.
  • shilowarshilowar Member Posts: 38,811 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    In response to Pipe...it is my understanding that Delta and Rangers handled Iraq and Afghanistan while the SEALS..including SEAL team 6 stayed in Afghanistan....this coming from an Ranger E-7 that spent 5 combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
  • oldfedoldfed Member Posts: 42 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Not so Shilowar!

    Buddy of mine I grew up with was Deputy and Acting Commander, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula during Iraq 2 as a Seal LT Commander. Google Ryan Zinke for his MT State Representative web site to read about this great warrior.
  • rotarymetertecrotarymetertec Member Posts: 30 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    As a MP supplied security for the 10SF in 87 Very good time great bunch learned a lot from them and seen alot.[ They did it I watched]
    Useally you have to pry stories out of them unless it was over leave experiences.
  • pipe7pipe7 Member Posts: 911 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by shilowar
    In response to Pipe...it is my understanding that Delta and Rangers handled Iraq and Afghanistan while the SEALS..including SEAL team 6 stayed in Afghanistan....this coming from an Ranger E-7 that spent 5 combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

    Thats probably very well true, like I said this was a 19year old stop and rob clerk who hadnt finished high school or have a GED. It just goes to show how many wannabe are coming out of the wood work wanting to claim so form of fame without putting boots on the ground. I knew he was full of sht because real professionals do not boast or brag about their accomlpishments, and they only talk about what they did with fellow operators or close friends
  • RepomanRepoman Member Posts: 11 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by kissgoodnight
    I ran into a guy who claims to have been a Ranger.
    His story smells.
    How can I check the status of his claims.

    Coin check him! Then tell him to "find a tree". If he looks at you with blank look on his face he is full of poop.
    If he makes it past that, ask him to recite the Ranger Creed. No poser would take the time to learn that and no Ranger would ever forget it.
  • kumatekumate Member Posts: 2,314 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If he talks about it he probably didn't go through it or he was a peace time prade ground puzz
  • CanThoCanTho Member Posts: 4 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I used to work with a guy who claimed he was a sniper in Nam. He said he was wounded also. Showed me a scar on his stomach that looked like he had his appendix out or something. The guy lived in town his whole life and everybody knew that he was never even in the service. I was gonna fire some questions at him, just basic ones like his mos or where he flew into the country, his unit or can I see your dd-214 but why bother. I think he really believed his own story.
  • woodguruwoodguru Member Posts: 2,850
    edited November -1
    I've known a fair number of different elite forces types, they had one thing in common. It seemed like the more deep and serious their abilities the less they had to say and the less you are going to find out. They are quiet, confident, and didn't need to impress anyone. My army brother was in intelligence at Ramstein in Germany and a lot of his friends are involved in some hairy political black ops. These guys are under the radar in all respects. He was just telling me the last time I saw him that you can't get much out of them either, except one frind of his is the record holding sniper and has been used in some hostage situations where he has taken down multiples. Not a bragger, his military record precedes him in intelligence circles. I forget the number of confirmed kills he has but it is extreme.<br>
    <br>
    One friend of mine was without a doubt one of the most interesting mercenaries I have ever been personally close with, he was civilian, never active duty but he was involved in the craziest level of black ops I've ever heard of. He told me generalities even though I had never seen him brag or say anything to anyone else. He had a huge guy picking a fight with him in a bar with me one night and he never once warned the guy about training or how lethal he was, I backed the guy off and told him he was going to wake up in a hospital trying to figure out what happened. He just thanked me and said he appreciated the interference.<br>
    <br>
    This guy was civilian and cleared for every helicopter you could imagine including slicks and full out gunships including cobras when they were the deal, I don't imagine many civilians have a gunship certification. He had millions of dollars in the bank and had told me he had done missions with a gunship that the government would completely deny if he were caught. He never told me a single hard mission but he did say he got paid as much as two and a half million dollars for one single night's work. I can only surmise, he never told me a thing that would or could be directly linked or had one specific detail come to think about it. He did fly elite civilian mercenary teams into operations where they were usually left to get themselves out.<br>
    <br>
    One way I think you could tell a guy is blowing smoke is if you are well versed with different military and government defense styles, you could ask some questions about training that would leave him a bit stranded.<br>
    <br>
    I don't know, unless maybe this guy is real young and green I don't think he'd be making a very big deal about it.<br>
    <br>
    A real close friend won't even tell me what he was in Vietnam, just undesignated elite forces that worked in teams of two to half a dozen. When I pushed him he said he was only going to tell me one thing and it was never to be pushed again. He said he and three guys went into a mission two days out and he was the only one that made it back, and he closed with that was all he was ever going to say.
  • woodguruwoodguru Member Posts: 2,850
    edited November -1
    I just thought of a similar situation when I was about 20, I worked with a Vietnam vet who was a part time police officer. He spent hours telling me about the hairy stuff he did as a helicopter gunner, shooting water buffalos and all kinds of things. He'd come into where I worked and open up with, there we were and launch into the new story. I said something to his brother about the hairy poop his brother had been through and he looked baffled, he said Mike was a supply sargeant and hadn't even been issued a rifle. I played along and led him into even hairier stories than he was doing on his own by asking in enthralled and impressed tones "did you ever..... he bit hook line and sinker, I finally told him he was so full of crap and he laughed his * off. I think we both knew what he was doing and we had had fun with it.
  • troy2198troy2198 Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    When I was at Walter Reed recovering from my injuries I ran into a guy that was part of some cav unit. Forget which one he said but he was all decked out in his spurs and the hat. When me and my buddy asked him why he was there, he said some huge story about how he was on a mission with some black ops guys, and during that mission he got hurt some how but since it was a mission that was off the books that he couldn't be awarded his purple heart. My guess was that he fell off of a truck and just didn't want the embarrassment of being medivac'ed for it. Anyone ever heard of anything like that? doesn't make much sense to me. So after that, kinda like what one of the guys on here was saying earlier, we made fun of him saying he was a special forces cook. Some people actually believed it haha.
  • losttraillosttrail Member Posts: 185 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Before I went Active Duty, I was in the National Guard, BCT and AIT at Ft. Knox as 63N.

    At that time, ALL my DS's were VN vets. Senior drill was a clone of Billy Dee Williams and a 3-tour Airborne Ranger Pathfinder.

    I learned to ultimately respect anyone wearing those special patches and never would impune their reputation by fabricating BS stories.

    While I was active duty, I started filling out the applications for SEAL training, but never submitted them since I met my wife then and didn't want to subject her to that lifestyle.

    It was bad enough being 19K, just finished transition training from M60A3 to M1 when we got married and being gone so much to play withour new toys.

    I have friends that were SEAL's, SF, SO. None are the type to go around bragging.
  • xranger3rdbattxranger3rdbatt Member Posts: 6 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Repoman is right, I have busted countless posing meanies with the good old Ranger Creed. It can also show you whether or not they were just a tabbed Ranger or actually served in a Ranger Bn ( last words in 1st Stanza) So many times I hear on the news some story about a Ranger from the such and such unit, there is only one Ranger unit. Thats a whole other discussion. I only drop my coin if I think the guy really was in a Ranger Bn, so far over the last 16 years I'm 3 for 3 there. Always GREAT to talk to someone who is there as was there too.
  • woodguruwoodguru Member Posts: 2,850
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by wittynbear
    quote:Originally posted by pipe7


    6 BLOCKS OF C-4, that must have been one heck of a front door. He is 19 with no diploma he was never in the Navy let alone a SEAL. He might have been in the delayed entry program, and they threw him out when he failed high school. Don't worry he won't make it to the police academy nobody will hire his sorry butt.


    6 blocks of C4....WOW
  • woodguruwoodguru Member Posts: 2,850
    edited November -1
    I knew a guy that was a tunnel rat in Nam, that was a game for guys that had more than half a screw loose. He had a little rat tattoo and a lopsided jaw from where it was broken from the butt of a rifle he was hit with. He got caught twice which would have been at least once too often for me.

    He told me a few stories about the blackest black imaginable and holding as still as possible trying to sense if there were other people in the tunnel with him. I couldn't even imagine volunteering for that and nobody was forced to go into a tunnel.
  • BIPBIP Member Posts: 71 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    ...I tell people I was a door gunner on the space shuttle when they don't know what me EOD badge is....
  • mytxjeepmytxjeep Member Posts: 5 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    From my experiences those that make outrageous claims or brag about their service or combat experiences are fakes or a want-a-be if you will. During my 21 year Army career, I have had the opportunity to be assoiated with a few guys that were former Rangers, Green Berets, etc. None of them EVER bragged about where they have been or done but rather kept a very low profile and drew no attention to themselves until the tactical situation required their expertise. My advice to you is ignore this pogue.
  • DaisyBBDaisyBB Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Ask him his class number https://www.benning.army.mil/rtb/photo.htm than see if he is able to point himself out.
  • kcmoorekcmoore Member Posts: 2 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by wittynbear
    I met a wannabe once in a bar in Jacksonville, NC who claimed he was Force Recon and just got back off deployment where he got a silver star. I knew this guy was full of it from the start because he was wearing a kick me shirt. I called a few friends to come hear his BS. He was talking about speacializing in hostage rescue and being a sniper and being first in the door. I asked why he would be first in the door as a sniper, he said his big gun would scare the enemy into giving up, if not he had one shot then he would go to his MP5. I asked what type of MP5 he used, the idiot had the nerve to tell me there was only one type, the MP5. He said he even had a special ID card. I asked him to see his ID card. He tried to tell me NonNCO meant NATO Nation NCO. I told him he was full of BS, He was not an NCO, He was not a sniper, and he was not Force Recon. He still insisted he was right so I asked him what platoon he was in, he told me 1023. I told him to get his butt back to Camp Geiger before it got kicked by 3 members of 2d Force Recon. He tried to tell me what unit I wasn't in. We kindly called the MPs and escorted him out of the Bar. They was looking for him he was UA from MCT.


    That's awesome.
  • couch commandocouch commando Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I only met one BS'er that I knew for a fact was a bs'er, that was on the plane ride from KCK to san diego, where I and 50 other guys were headed to enter bootcamp. This guy was telling everyone how he was the ONE that the marines were waiting for, he was the answer to their prayers, he was so great that he was gonna make general in no time at all. He claimed that he was much better than Chesty Puller, and that chesty was a ice cream compared to him. And I'm sitting there wondering: who the bleen is Chesty Puller?
    Well, this guy turns out to be the biggest crybaby and whiner you ever saw, could'nt run, march, do the obstacle course, always throwing up after meal time(well, a lot of guys did that. the food really sucked) After 2-3 weeks, MCRD had enough of this clown and discharged him as unsuitable for military service. When our DI told us, the whole platoon cheered. They were tired of his poop as well!
  • couch commandocouch commando Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I only met one BS'er that I knew for a fact was a bs'er, that was on the plane ride from KCK to san diego, where I and 50 other guys were headed to enter bootcamp. This guy was telling everyone how he was the ONE that the marines were waiting for, he was the answer to their prayers, he was so great that he was gonna make general in no time at all. He claimed that he was much better than Chesty Puller, and that chesty was a pu-sy compared to him. And I'm sitting there wondering: who the f-ck is Chesty Puller?
    Well, this guy turns out to be the biggest crybaby and whiner you ever saw, could'nt run, march, do the obstacle course, always throwing up after meal time(well, a lot of guys did that. the food really sucked) After 2-3 weeks, MCRD had enough of this clown and discharged him as unsuitable for military service. When our DI told us, the whole platoon cheered. They were tired of his sh-t as well!
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