Category: Phony soldiers

Our friends in the Air Force Pararescue business asked us to check into this Tim Ralston fellow, one of those guys on National Geographic’s “Doomsday Preppers” series. He claims that he was an Air Force Pararescueman in numerous venues like The Blaze

Coming from a military family, Ralston signed up for the Air Force’s Special Forces ParaRescue division. But after putting in his time, he said it wasn’t the life he wanted anymore.

Everyday Tactical;

What I did was I went right out of high school and into the service…Once I was there I volunteered and tried out for the Para Rescue Team in the Air Force.”

After making the team, Tim changed course and went into air traffic control and finished out his time in the Air Force in Florida.

And his LinkedIn profile;

Tim Ralston served for the United States Air Force from 1981-1985. He volunteered and qualified to be a part of the Para rescue program, one of the most elite, Special Forces group in the military. Tim then transferred to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) where he finished his military career as an Air Traffic Controller at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

The Air Force doesn’t remember it that way;

Ralston did spend four years as an Air Traffic Control dude, no PJ training, no assignments to PJ units, just an E-3 after four years. Too bad that he didn’t think enough of his service to just stick to the truth.

And, oh, he shot his thumb off during the show.

Our partners at Military Phonies share their work on William Bowen Gantt (it looks like he shut down his Facebook page while I was typing this) who claims that he was a US Navy SEAL among other things;

The Navy asks “Who?”

The folks at MP could find no active duty for Gantt from 1984 to 2018.

Just another goofball of the 99%.

According to the Citizen Tribune, Donald Jerden Hunley was convicted of ripping off his local American Legion Post of more than $10,000 while he was pretending to be a highly-decorated veteran;

In a sentencing hearing before Judge Bob McGee, assistant district attorneys Willie Santana and William Bright explained to the Court that in December 2015, Hunley joined the American Legion Post #2 claiming to be a decorated veteran, Sergeant, and victim of combat-related post traumatic stress disorder.

In reality, Hunley lasted five weeks in the military and was medically discharged before he even completed basic training. Based upon his lies, Hunley obtained leadership positions in the Post that allowed him access to the Post’s bank accounts.

According to WBIR, he’d done it before;

In 2007, Hunley went to churches in Jefferson County and told a story abut being an Army Ranger, sniper, and decorated veteran who received an American flag from First Lady Laura Bush when he was airlifted to Walter Reed Medical Center. By sharing that story, he was able to collect $7,000.

He was convicted in 2008 for that.

I guess they don’t know how to use Google in Tennessee, because I found another arrest for receiving stolen property in 1998.

Now, his records. Actually, he had less than 5 weeks of active duty, He spent more time on DEP than active duty;

Our Partners at Military Phonies send us their work on Robert Jones who thinks that claiming he’s a Navy SEAL somehow makes him a better English teacher;

According to the Navy, Bobbie was a Marine, an AWOL Marine;

He went AWOL on March 23, 1982, Dropped From Rolls (declared a deserter) on April 23 and a year later, he was discharged.

No SEAL training, just another jarhead deserter.

Our partners at Military Phonies share their work on the fellow, Richard Pence, who claims that he went through BUD/S training, but he got in an accident the next day, so he never went to the teams;

However, the Navy doesn’t remember Richard going through BUD/S or his accident;

During the time he claimed to be in SEAL training he was stationed aboard the USS Trippe, FF 1075. There is no record of him being stationed in Coronado or even on the west coast. Richard Pence was never a Navy SEAL.

Edward Liroff applied for a government job in Port Saint Lucie, Florida and tried to pass himself off as a veteran with a bogus DD214 discharge certificate. Mike Lubek, the city’s assistant director of neighborhood services, wasn’t familiar with a DD214 so he asked Port St. Lucie police Officer Joseph Byrne to look at it. Byrne discovered that Liroff claimed awards that he couldn’t have earned.

Byrne noticed several irregularities on the form and concluded that Liroff never served in the military.

Among the discrepancies Byrne noted were that the Distinguished Service Medal was only awarded to four U.S. Army soldiers between 1983 and 2013 — Liroff was not among them — and that his Silver Star Medal was spelled incorrectly.

Byrne also discovered that Liroff was registered as a veteran with the Department of Veterans Affairs and had been receiving health care from the VA.

A warrant was issued for Liroff’s arrest and he was booked into the county jail.

Liroff also had Purple Heart license plates and a life membership in the VFW according to ABC News 10;

Liroff thought very highly of his lack of military service according to the police department;

Listed on the DD214 presented by Liroff it has listed that he is the recipient of:
• Distinguished Service Medal
• Silver Star Medal
• Legion of Merit Medal
• Bronze Star Medal
• Purple Heart Medal (Second Award)
• Air Medal for Valor
• Army Commendation Medal
• Army Achievement Medal
• Good Conduct Medal
• Nation Defense Medal
• Southwest Asia Service Medal
• Kosovo Campaign Medal
• Afghanistan Campaign Medal
• Iraq Campaign Medal
• Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
• Armed Forces Service Medal and Award for Operations Relating Former Rep. Yugoslavia
• Humanitarian Service Medal
• Several Service Ribbon
• Combat Infantryman’s Badge (Second Award)
• Combat Medical Badge
• Air Assault Badge

Our partners at Military Phonies share their work on this Scott Fitser fellow who claims that he is a Navy SEAL and a Chief Petty Officer (E-7). His claims dominate his wardrobe, apparently, which includes the big, ugly SEAL cap so popular among phonies;

The truth is that he was a Navy diver for about eight years, but he never attended BUD/S, and he was never a SEAL;

Scott’s summary sheet shows he was active duty Navy just shy of 8 years and was discharged as an IC1 (E-6) and not a Chief Petty Officer (E-7). He did complete 2nd class dive school and earned that NEC for 2nd class Diver and NOT SEAL. He never went to BUD/S, was never stationed at a SEAL Team nor did he earn the Trident or Chief anchors.

Our partners at Guardians of the Green Beret share their work on this fellow, Joel Thompson who claims to be a 27-year veteran of the US Army Special Forces.

Here is his really embarrassing video that you have to see to really hate this goofnut.;

Joel Thompson Fake Green Beret from Guardians Of The Green Beret on Vimeo.

But he’s a real fashionista;

Here his fiance tells all of their friends that poor Joel is going back to Iraq again.

In order to go “back…again” you have to go once before, and Joel here hasn’t.

He spent about 20 months in the Army more than 30 years ago and he was discharged as an E-1 12B leg-ass dump truck driver. The only fighting he did in uniform was in prison scuffles while wearing an orange jumpsuit and I’m pretty sure they don’t award CIBs for that. His criminal records are pretty extensive and they’re posted at the GOTGB. All of that stuff on his uniform shirt is bogus, I don’t think that he’s even eligible for VFW membership.

ADDED April 3rd, 2018; Joel got his discharge upgraded to Honorable, but I still don’t think he’s eligible for membership in the VFW;