{"id":30659,"date":"2012-07-07T13:37:21","date_gmt":"2012-07-07T17:37:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/?p=30659"},"modified":"2014-01-03T18:55:29","modified_gmt":"2014-01-03T23:55:29","slug":"dallas-wittgenfeld-a-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/?p=30659","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Wittgenfeld \u2013 A Recap"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s been a lot of rambling and invective on the recent Wittgenfeld threads at TAH (here<\/a> and here<\/a>).\u00a0 As a result, it\u2019s been easy to lose track of precisely what claims our \u201cfriend\u201d Wittgenfeld actually has and has not made \u2013 and which of those claims are valid.\u00a0 Since he’s now entered in the Ballduster McSoulpatch Memorial Stolen Valor Tournament<\/a>, it’s probably best to have that info immediately available.\u00a0 So I thought I\u2019d take a shot at summarizing Wittgenfeld’s claims and their status.<\/p>\n

If anyone finds what they feel to be an error in the information below, please let me know and I’ll correct it – provided I agree, of course.\u00a0 (And if you’re reading this, Wittgenfeld, the only way I’ll accept corrections from you is if they’re accompanied with paperwork you haven’t provided previously.\u00a0 Like a copy of your CIB orders, for example.)<\/p>\n

The Legitimate Claims<\/strong><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld claims to have served on active duty with the US Army.\u00a0 That claim is backed by his DD214<\/a> and his FOIA report<\/a>.\u00a0 He served on active duty from Sep 1968 to July 1972.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 He claims to be a Vietnam Veteran. \u00a0 This claim appears valid.\u00a0 Per the assignments section of his FOIA report<\/a>, he served in-country from Aug 1969 to Aug 1970.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld claims to have seen combat in Vietnam.\u00a0 This claim appears accurate.\u00a0 Per the assignments section of his FOIA report, Wittgenfeld saw combat in Vietnam with 2 different units.\u00a0 The first was D Co 151st Inf (Ranger) \u2013 which was reflagged D Co 75th \u00a0Inf (Ranger) while Wittgenfeld was assigned to the unit<\/a> (Aug 1969 to Apr 1970).\u00a0 The second was HQ 2nd \u00a0Field Force Vietnam (HQ II FFORCEV) from Apr 1970 to Aug 1970.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld claims to have an Air Medal for his service in Vietnam.\u00a0 This claim appears accurate.\u00a0 He was awarded one Air Medal, NOT for Valor, while assigned to HQ II FFORCEV.\u00a0 (The orders for this Air Medal have been removed from their former location on-line.\u00a0 However, I personally reviewed these orders prior to their removal from their former location on-line; they appeared legitimate.\u00a0 I will attempt to coordinate with the owner of the site where they were formerly posted to have them re-posted.)<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld claims he has two Purple Hearts.\u00a0 This claim appears accurate.\u00a0 He was awarded \u00a0two Purple Hearts<\/a> while assigned to HQ II FFORCEV.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld claims to have been awarded the Army Commendation Medal with V Device (ARCOM w\/V).\u00a0 That claim appears accurate.\u00a0 Per his DD214 and FOIA Report, he was awarded the ARCOM w\/V, apparently while assigned to D Co 151st Inf (Ranger)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld claims to be Airborne.\u00a0 That claim appears accurate.\u00a0 Per his DD214 and FOIA report, Wittgenfeld is Airborne qualified.<\/p>\n

8.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld claims to have been a drill instructor.\u00a0 That claim appears accurate.\u00a0 After his return from Vietnam, per the assignments section of his FOIA report he served as a Drill Instructor (Oct 1970 \u2013 Jul 1972).<\/p>\n

9.\u00a0 Per his DD214, Wittgenfeld received an honorable discharge.<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0 Based on new information brought to my attention on 9 October 2012, it appears that Wittgenfeld’s CIB is legitimate as opposed to questionable.\u00a0 Apparently US Army Vietnam (USARV) –\u00a0 in an exception to Department of the Army regulation and policy of the day – authorized 05B RTOs serving with infantry units whose primary duties were to accompany infantry units on tactical operations to be awarded the CIB.\u00a0 While I have not yet personally located and verified the full text of the USARV exception, the exception is unambiguously referenced in a decision of the Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR)<\/a>.\u00a0 The ABCMR doesn’t tend to get things wrong.<\/em><\/p>\n

OK, so much for the “good”.\u00a0 Now for the “bad” and the “ugly”.\u00a0 And, finally, my attempt to make sense of it all.<\/p>\n

The Questionable Claims<\/strong><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld claims to have a CIB.\u00a0 This claim is questionable.\u00a0 In fact, Wittgenfeld\u2019s FOIA report <\/a>and DD214<\/a> both indicate he has a CIB.\u00a0 However, the assignments section<\/a> of his\u00a0 FOIA report indicates he never served in combat as (1) an infantry unit commander, (2) a formally-assigned advisor to RVN forces, or (3) as an infantry soldier (all his assignments in Vietnam were Radio Operator assignments in his primary MOS of 05B).\u00a0 His receipt of the CIB is thus highly questionable, as it appears to be invalid under the regulations of the day (para 96.a., AR 672-5-1, May 1961, w\/amendments<\/a>).\u00a0 Yes, it\u2019s in his records.\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s legitimate or not is another question.<\/del>\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

This claim is no longer regarded as questionable.\u00a0 As noted above, Wittgenfeld apparently does legitimately rate the CIB under a US Army -Vietnam exception to DA regulations.<\/em><\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld claims to be, and and promotes himself as, a former \u201cAirborne Ranger\u201d.\u00a0 This claim is arguably true, but – like Roger Maris’ single-season home run record – also comes with a rather large asterisk.\u00a0\u00a0 Per his FOIA report and the assignments section of same, Wittgenfeld\u00a0 was an Airborne-qualified soldier assigned as a Radio Operator to a Ranger Unit in Vietnam.\u00a0 However, per those same documents Wittgenfeld did not attend Ranger School, is not Ranger qualified, and therefore does not rate the Ranger Tab.\u00a0\u00a0 Use your own judgement as to whether you accept this claim by Wittgenfeld as valid.\u00a0\u00a0 I personally don’t buy it – Ranger School has existed in one form or another since 1950, and Wittgenfeld served from 1968-1972 – but I appear to be in the minority on this issue and could well be wrong.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld also claims (by wearing the awards publicly) that he served with a unit during a period for which it was awarded the\u00a0 Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), Valorous Unit Award (VUA), and Meritorious Unit Award (MUA).\u00a0 This claim is questionable if not outright false.\u00a0 I\u2019ve checked the official Army listing of unit awards<\/a>; none of Wittgenfelds units in Vietnam seem to be listed there \u2013 so none of them appear to have ever been awarded a PUC, VUA, or MUA. That means Wittgenfeld almost certainly isn’t authorized these unit awards for permanent wear – and thus shouldn’t be wearing them now. (His Vietnamese Unit Awards are probably legit; many if not most US Army units deployed to Vietnam received one or both of those.)<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld has also made claims of “skydiving in Vietnam to entertain the orphans”<\/a>.\u00a0 Yeah, right.\u00a0 Sorry, but I’m gonna need independent verification from a disinterested party before I’ll buy that one.\u00a0 I’m calling this claim at best questionable if not an outright whopper of a lie.<\/p>\n

The Bogus Claims
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0 Wittgenfeld was cited multiple times in the past in published articles as having received a \u201cBronze Star for Valor\u201d.\u00a0 There\u2019s really only one place those reporters would have gotten that info:\u00a0 from Wittgenfeld himself, either by interviewing him personally or from written material provided by him.\u00a0 Follow this link<\/a> for one example of such a false claim.\u00a0 Per Wittgenfeld’s DD214 and FOIA report, these claims are bogus \u2013 and IMO, so is Wittgenfeld’s\u00a0 current claim<\/a> that he had no influence over what those reporters wrote about him in the past.\u00a0 The fact that there are several other similar articles near the end of \u00a0the web page linked here<\/a> IMO effectively disproves Wittgenfeld’s claims of innocence in this area.\u00a0 Could one reporter “screw the pooch” and get his decorations wrong?\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 Several, all making the same identical mistake?\u00a0 Uh, no, I don’t think so.\u00a0 I’m calling this claim, and Wittgenfeld’s oblique denial that he bears any responsibility for the misinformation those stories, bogus.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld also apparently hoodwinked the Special Forces Association into admitting him by reputedly making false claims of serving as an advisor to the \u201cRoyal Thai Army\u201d and of being temporarily attached to the 11th Special Forces Group.\u00a0 These claims also appear to be bogus.\u00a0 No such assignments are documented in the assignments section of Wittgenfeld\u2019s FOIA report.\u00a0 Rather, Wittgenfeld\u2019s Purple Heart orders show him assigned to \u201cRTAVF-SLS<\/a>\u201d.\u00a0 I\u2019m reasonably certain this designation stands for \u201cRoyal Thailand Army Vietnam Forces \u2013 Staff (or maybe Strategic) Liaison Section\u201d.\u00a0 His duty position there was 05B – Radio Operator (SLS).\u00a0 Providing comm support while assigned to a liaison team ain\u2019t<\/em><\/strong> the same thing as advisory duty.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld\u2019s also made claims of being \u201cAirborne Ranger Special Forces<\/a>\u201d, too.\u00a0 Those claims are also bogus – there are no SF assignments in his record whatsoever.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld’s claims of “hanging out” with the 11th SF while on “compassionate leave” don’t cut it – that’s neither formal assignment nor attachment, and I’ve seen nothing documenting that it even happened at all.\u00a0 Ditto his claims of being a Ranger Advisor to the Royal Thai Army (serving on a liaison team ain’t the same thing).\u00a0 Bottom line:\u00a0 Wittgenfeld never served with SF, either in CONUS or in Combat.\u00a0 He was never Special Forces, nor is he authorized to wear the Green Beret<\/a> – period.\u00a0 Even if he did con his way into the Special Forces Association.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 Finally, Wittgenfeld claims to have been a “LRRP” or “LRP” in Vietnam.\u00a0 This claim is bogus.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld was never a \u201cLRP\u201d or \u201cLRRP\u201d in Vietnam.\u00a0 His first unit there \u2013 D Co 151st \u00a0Infantry \u2013 was indeed originally designated as a Long Range Patrol (LRP) unit.\u00a0 But that designation changed about 6 months before Wittgenfeld ever arrived.\u00a0 D Co 151st Infantry’s status and designation was changed in Feb 1969 from LRP\u00a0 to Ranger<\/a>.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld arrived in Vietnam in Aug 1969, so he never served with a LRP unit in Vietnam \u2013 and he absolutely did not serve with the 101st \u00a0as a LRRP<\/a>, as he\u2019s previously implied.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld served as an RTO while assigned to a Ranger unit.\u00a0 He never served in a LRP or LRRP unit.<\/p>\n

The Asshattery<\/strong><\/p>\n

Other than the above, Wittgenfeld\u2019s dealings with others are textbook examples of how to make enemies and influence people the wrong way.\u00a0 Read the comments by \u201cLoNg RaNgE PaTrOL 41\u201d starting here<\/a>.\u00a0 Yes, that really is Wittgenfeld playing with the shift key like a teenage girl (or a spastic) and using that asinine screen name.\u00a0 And after reading those comments, you can probably decide for yourself whether his tournament nickname of \u201cFlying Assclown\u201d is apropos.<\/p>\n

His abuse of the Army uniform and his disrespectful attitude towards other veterans, veterans’ supporters, and others in general are reprehensible.\u00a0 His narcissism is obvious in his staged photos, his deeds, and his words<\/a>.\u00a0 He is also one of very few people I\u2019ve ever even heard of to get arrested for flying a plane while intoxicated<\/a> (2nd part of article here<\/a>).\u00a0 And when you read Wittgenfeld’s own words, it’s easy to conclude that he’s also a racist<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In short:\u00a0 he’s a real piece of work.\u00a0 He’s definitely a legend in his own mind, and obviously thinks he deserves to be famous.<\/p>\n

The rest of the world?\u00a0 Either “deserves to be infamous” or “Dallas Who?” is probably more a accurate description of how the rest of the world feels about Wittgenfeld.<\/p>\n

Reconstruction of Events, AKA Reality<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here’s my reconstruction of what likely actually happened.\u00a0 I could be wrong, and if I’m presented documentary evidence I am, I’ll revise this.<\/p>\n

D Co 151st Infantry (Long Range Patrol) was an Indiana National Guard unit.\u00a0 It was one of the few Army Reserve Component (USAR and ARNG) units mobilized and sent to Vietnam, and was the only National Guard Infantry unit so mobilized and deployed.\u00a0 This unit was mobilized in April or early May 1968<\/a>, departed Indiana in mid-May for extensive pre-deployment training at Fort Benning, and deployed to Vietnam in December 1968. The unit was assigned to II FFORCEV. \u00a0 It was redesignated D Co 151st Infantry (Ranger) in Feb 1969.<\/p>\n

Per Wittgenfeld’s FOIA, Wittgenfeld was not originally a member of D Co 151st Infantry –\u00a0 he enlisted after D Co 151st Infantry had departed for pre-deployment training.\u00a0 The assignments section of his FOIA shows\u00a0Wittgenfeld began active duty in September 1968; attended basic training at Fort Campbell; Leaders Prep and 05B AIT at Fort Knox; Airborne School at Fort Benning;\u00a0 and then was assigned to the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, arriving in April 1969.\u00a0 He served as an 05B – Radio Operator with the 82nd Airborne for approx 3 months, then ended up on orders for Vietnam.\u00a0 He arrived in Vietnam in late August 1969 and was assigned to D Co 151st Infantry (Ranger) shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n

Wittgenfeld was thus never assigned to D Co 151st Infantry while it was designated a “Long Range Patrol” unit, arriving approx 6 months after the unit had been redesignated “Ranger”. \u00a0 He was most likely either an individual replacement or Regular Army cadre assigned to that unit because of the pending reflagging of that unit as D Co 75th Infantry (Ranger),<\/a> which occurred in November 1969 and was almost certainly due to the end of the period of\u00a0 mobilization of D Co 151st Infantry.\u00a0 Wittgenfeld thus served in D Co 151st Infantry (Ranger) for 2 1\/2 to 3 months, and then continued to serve with D Co 75th Infantry (Ranger) after his unit was reflagged.\u00a0 While assigned to D Co 151st Infantry (Ranger), Wittgenfeld apparently received an ARCOM w\/V.\u00a0 Per his official records, his assignment with both units was as an 05B – IS Radio Operator.<\/p>\n

Wittgenfeld’s reflagged unit of assignment, now D Co 75th Infantry (Ranger) continued as a part of\u00a0 II FFORCEV until April 1970.\u00a0 At that time, D Co 75th Infantry (Ranger)\u00a0 stood down<\/a>.\u00a0 As a Active Duty\u00a0 soldier on a 1-year tour, Wittgenfeld still had several months remaining in-country.\u00a0 He was then transferred to HQ FFORCEV for the remainder of his time in-country.<\/p>\n

Wittgenfeld appears to have been assigned to a HQ II FFORCEV Staff\/Strategic Liaison Team (RTAVF-SLS) with the mission of providing II FFORCEV liaision between HQ II FFORCEV and a subordinate Royal Thai Army unit HQ (the Royal Thai Army Vietnam Forces were subordinate to II FFORCEV).\u00a0 Wittgenfeld’s duty assignment was 05B – Radio Operator (SLS); his duties doubtless consisted providing long-range comm support for the liaison team, most likely often relating to fire support provided by US artillery to Royal Thai Forces.\u00a0 This is in no way, shape, form, or fashion “duty as a Ranger advisor to Royal Thai Army Rangers”.<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0 While assigned to this liaison team, Wittgenfeld was wounded twice and received an Air Medal.\u00a0 He served with II FFORCEV for less than 4 months – from April to Aug 1970.\u00a0 Approx 10 days before Wittgenfeld’s one-year in country anniversary, he departed Vietnam for CONUS.<\/p>\n

After departing for CONUS, Wittgenfeld took about 45 days combined leave and travel time.\u00a0 He arrived at Fort Knox, KY, in early Oct 1970.\u00a0 He served as a Drill Instructor at Fort Knox until his ETS in July 1972.<\/p>\n

Wittgenfeld served honorably in dangerous and demanding assignments in Vietnam.\u00a0 He received both combat decorations and wounds.\u00a0 But was never “Special Forces”, a “Ranger Advisor”, a “LRRP”, or a “LRP”.\u00a0 He does not have the Ranger Tab.\u00a0 He was an Airborne-qualified RTO assigned to a Ranger unit for about 8 months, then was assigned as a radio operator for a liaison team from HQ II FFORCEV to a subordinate Royal Thai Army unit HQ for a bit less than 4 months.\u00a0 That’s all.<\/p>\n

Coda<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wittgenfeld’s a rather sad case, actually.\u00a0 His military service was honorable, and based on what I\u2019ve seen his claim of PTSD could well be legitimate.\u00a0 IMO he definitely seems to have operator headspace and timing issues.<\/p>\n

But having issues is no excuse to be a liar and a out-of-control asshat.\u00a0 And IMO Wittgenfeld is both of those many times over.<\/p>\n

Author Note<\/strong>:\u00a0 The original article castigated Wittgenfeld for falsely claiming to be an “Airborne Ranger” even though he does not have a Ranger Tab.\u00a0 However, the consensus of initial comments appears to be that service with a Ranger unit vice qualifying for the Ranger Tab entitles one to call himself a “Ranger” permanently.\u00a0 I’ve thus removed those portions of the original article and\/or reworded them appropriately.<\/p>\n

Jonn added:<\/strong> Here’s another picture I have of Wittgenfeld’s uniform with some SF beret flash on his pocket with the SF DUI stuck to it;<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

ADDED:<\/strong> Kevin writes to tell us that the SF thingie on his pocket is the SF Association’s thing. The SF Association told us that Wittgenfeld wouldn’t be a member these days because he’s been grandfathered from a time before they required documentation and he has none on file.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s been a lot of rambling and invective on the recent Wittgenfeld threads at TAH (here … Dallas Wittgenfeld \u2013 A Recap<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":623,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,155],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-phony-soldiers","category-shitbags"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/623"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30659\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}