{"id":95545,"date":"2020-02-12T08:02:06","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T12:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/?p=95545"},"modified":"2022-01-13T20:31:50","modified_gmt":"2022-01-14T01:31:50","slug":"richard-wayne-jowers-fake-army-airborne-ranger-combat-wounded-blog-of-shame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/?p=95545","title":{"rendered":"Richard Wayne Jowers \u2013 Fake Army Airborne Ranger, Combat Wounded, Blog of Shame"},"content":{"rendered":"

The nice folks over at militaryphony.com<\/a> send us a case on Richard Wayne Jowers.\u00a0 There are a few updates I will add before the MP case appears.\u00a0 This was done last night by KTXS12:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ktsx-report-02-11-2020.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here are some additional claims made by Jowers:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jowers-ssg.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here are a few more:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jowers-town-hall.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sadly, tragedy strikes most of us at times during our life.\u00a0 How we deal with it weaves the fiber of our character.\u00a0 \u00a0I do not believe Jowers made false claims about his military service as a jerk knee response because he was mad at his opponent.\u00a0 \u00a0His attempt at faux humility and false statements seem to be a bit more systemic than that.<\/p>\n

To go from actually being a Private that was kicked out of the Army for Desertion with an Other than Honorable Discharge to claims of being a Wounded Army Ranger Staff Sergeant is repugnant at best.\u00a0 Did he file a false employment application with his current employer?\u00a0 It appears he was obligated at the time of his hire to report an Other than Honorable Discharge.\u00a0 \u00a0Did he provide a DD-214 at the time of hire and if so, does it match his official military records? How long has he been making false claims about his service?<\/p>\n

I bet some good people around his part of the world know some of the answers to those questions.<\/p>\n

\n

BACKGROUND<\/h3>\n

Richard Wayne Jowers comes to us from Baird, Texas. At the time of this writing, February 2020, Jowers is 53 years old. He more commonly goes by \u201cRick\u201d and \/ or \u201cRicky.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jowers is the Chief Deputy for Callahan County, Texas.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Jowers is currently running for Sheriff of Callahan County with the election being held on March 3, 2020.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In some of the debates leading up to the election, Jowers has claimed to have been a US Army Airborne Ranger. Here he asks candidate Leroy Foley if he was an Airborne Ranger and then affirms that they both were.<\/p>\n

In a Clyde County Town Hall meeting designed to hear from the two candidates, held on January 6, 2020, Jowers states that that \u201cwas in the military \u2013 took a bullet for his country.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was some question about Foley, the other candidate, and his military claims. Foley eventually dropped out of the race.<\/p>\n

STATEMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n

We had received submissions about Jowers and his military claims having to do with being at the Black Hawk Down event in Somalia in 1993, being wounded, killing hundreds of the enemy, etc. We largely ignored these claims because many were wild and most all had no proof associated with them, therefore it was hearsay. However, we started hearing similar claims over and over again from separate sources and gave us reason to pause. Again, we largely ignored these claims due to lack of credible evidence.<\/p>\n

Jowers came out with what struck us as an odd statement. According to\u00a0bigcountryhomepage.com<\/a>, \u201cJowers goes on to explain that even though he claimed otherwise during public forums for the Sheriff\u2019s race, he is, \u201cnot a Navy SEAL, a Green Beret, or an Airborne Ranger.\u201d<\/p>\n

This would be similar to someone saying they were not an astronaut and at no time did they ever walk on the moon, or that they never played football for the Dallas Cowboys.<\/p>\n

Why would someone make such statements unless they made those claims?<\/em><\/p>\n

Jowers also made the following post to his Facebook page. We at Military Phony had not heard that Jowers\u2019 military service was in question, just the type of service and his experiences.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

What became apparent about this post was that OTHER THAN HONORABLE appears instead of a Reenlistment code. HONORABLE as a stand-alone designation does not appear there. Stated another way, this area should have a reenlistment code. The word HONORABLE should not appear here instead of a reenlistment code. The only other things that would appear here are DISHONORABLE or OTHER THAN HONORABLE CONDITIONS.<\/p>\n

Jowers called one of our investigators and admitted he had been discharged under OTHER THAN HONORABLE CONDITIONS.<\/p>\n

Many were skeptical and contacted Military Phony. Others were wanting what they characterized as fair and equal treatment of the candidates. However, Military Phony only investigates claims of Stolen Valor and has no vested interest in a local Sheriff\u2019s election in the state of Texas.<\/p>\n

Since a quick sweep showed that Jowers spent about 18 months in the Army, our interest peaked. He could have been wounded and been discharged early because 18 months is not a typical enlistment.<\/p>\n

. . . . .<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

ACTIONS CONDUCTED BY MILITARY PHONIES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Richard Wayne Jowers\u2019 military records were ordered through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.<\/span><\/p>\n

. . . . .<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

FOIA RESULTS<\/strong><\/h3>\n

NATIONAL PERSONNEL RECORDS CENTER<\/strong>\u00a0(NPRC)<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
FOIA Result \u2013 Summary Sheet \u2013 Ricky Wayne Jowers<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
FOIA Result \u2013 Photo \u2013 Ricky Wayne Jowers<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\"\"
FOIA Result \u2013 Assignments \u2013 Ricky Wayne Jowers<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

. . . . .<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MANPOWER DATA CENTER \/ SCRA<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
DoD Manpower Data Center Result \u2013 Richard Wayne Jowers<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

. . . . .<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

DISCUSSION and SUMMARY<\/strong><\/h3>\n

LENGTH OF SERVICE<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a shortened length of service from what is expected for a normal enlistment.<\/p>\n

Based on the entries common surrounding this, it appears that Jowers went AWOL<\/strong> (A<\/strong>bsent W<\/strong>ithout O<\/strong>fficial L<\/strong>eave) in March of 1989.<\/p>\n

The military generally classifies unauthorized absence in excess of 30 days as a desertion. This is also documented by the \u201cDMR<\/strong>\u201d annotated in his records.<\/p>\n

He was \u201cDFR<\/strong>\u201d (Dropped From Rolls) at one month in April 1989 when usually the soldier is declared a Deserter.<\/p>\n

In July of 1989, Jowers had an entry of \u201cRMC<\/strong>\u201d which is \u201cReturn to Military Control.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was then sent to Fort Sill, OK Personal Control Facility (PCF) while awaiting probably a Court Martial. PCF is NOT REALLY a Stockade or Prison. It is a Facility to house Trouble Soldiers who needed to be Retrained or Soldiers who are awaiting Court Martial Procedures.<\/p>\n

It made sense he was sent to Fort Sill PCF since he was FA.<\/p>\n

The Personnel Clerk recorded an incorrect date by putting his Discharge as \u201c870822\u201d instead of \u201c890822\u201d.<\/p>\n

His unit was in Germany and he appeared to go on leave and did not return to Germany. He turned himself in to Fort Sill. He was then discharged under \u201cOTHER THAN HONORABLE CONDITIONS\u201d for desertion.<\/p>\n

RANK<\/strong><\/p>\n

He left the Army as a Private (E-1) which is probably due to the trouble just before discharge. This is in contrast to Staff Sergeant \/ SSG (E-6) that he claimed in the debate video above.<\/p>\n

ASSIGNMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jowers does not show assignments indicative of being a Ranger.<\/p>\n

MEDALS<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was no Purple Heart listed in his records. There were no medals listed that would indicate combat.<\/p>\n

When Jowers claimed that he \u201ctook a bullet for his country\u201d a military member or veteran would see this is a direct claim of being combat wounded and one would expect to see a Purple Heart in his military records.<\/p>\n

TRAINING<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is nothing in Jowers\u2019 records reflect RANGER or Airborne training.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t see any Ranger School Training or Airborne Training on his Summary Records.<\/p>\n

MILITARY DISCHARGE AND WORK IN LAW ENFORCEMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a Texas State policy that says that one cannot work in Law Enforcement if their military discharge was DISHONORABLE or OTHER THAN HONORABLE. This can be found here:<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

http:\/\/tcole.texas.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/le_careers_lic_requir_11.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

So how was Jowers allowed to gain employment in Law Enforcement in the state of Texas?<\/p>\n

Did the Sheriff\u2019s Department know about his OTHER THAN HONORABLE DISCHARGE when he was hired? Or did Jowers submit other information?<\/p>\n

This would have happened years ago but it appears there was an amendment last year.<\/p>\n

1581470997047_tab-licensing-eligibility-based-on-military-discharge-10.25.191<\/a>Download<\/a><\/div>\n

People can have their military discharges upgraded from a lower status. Jowers claims that he has worked in law enforcement for two decades, so he would have had to done it before securing employment.<\/p>\n

STATEMENTS TO THE MEDIA<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jowers put out the following statement:<\/p>\n

\u201cI have something that I would like to say to the citizens of Callahan County, I deeply and wholeheartedly apologize for misleading you about my military service. I do have discrepancies on my DD 214 from 30 years ago and I\u2019m currently working on correcting those. The problem was this, I had a couple of tragic accidents that happened in my family that caused me to be released from the military a year early. I received an \u201cOther Than Honorable Conditions\u201d. I feel that that is no one\u2018s business but mine and my family\u2019s. I\u2019m not a Navy SEAL, a Green Beret, or an Airborne Ranger.<\/em><\/p>\n

I sincerely and completely apologize for saying that at the forums. I was upset and angry at a certain person, and let my emotions get the best of me. If I have offended any military or citizen I do apologize. I love my country, I love my military, and I love Callahan County.<\/em><\/p>\n

I am not and have not attempted to use my military service to sway citizens to vote for me. My military service is NOT a part of my platform as I have said many time.<\/em><\/p>\n

I feel that this is an extremely ugly race and I know that people are tired of seeing ugly things on Facebook. I pray that this will soon be over and we can all get back to our normal lives. I am not perfect and I have made many mistakes and I\u2019ve learned from all of them. Thank you and God bless.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Although Jowers came out and seemingly played down his prior claims saying that he was not running on his military record, he still made the comments about being an Airborne Ranger and \u201ctaking a bullet for his country.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was some value gained from such statements. One cannot deny that. Maybe some people didn\u2019t care, but others do.<\/p>\n

Although it is hard to measure with each individual voter, it could be valued in terms of influence.<\/p>\n

. . . . .<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

STOLEN VALOR<\/strong><\/p>\n

It sounds like Rick Jowers had some tragic mitigating family circumstances that contributed to his OTHER THAN HONORABLE DISCHARGE. However, he had a very long time to have those records corrected. Instead, it appears that he chose to embellish upon the lies he was already living.<\/p>\n

If the claims by Ricky Jowers were used to leverage work, military or civilian promotions, or anything else of value, he may have been in violation of Stolen Valor laws. State laws may also apply.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The nice folks over at militaryphony.com send us a case on Richard Wayne Jowers.\u00a0 There are … Richard Wayne Jowers \u2013 Fake Army Airborne Ranger, Combat Wounded, Blog of Shame<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":667,"featured_media":95549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[392,5,391],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-armyposer","category-politics","category-valorvultures"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95545","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\/667"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=95545"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95692,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95545\/revisions\/95692"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/95549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=95545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=95545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=95545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}