Poser Busting

[Johca]

I'll have to scroll back and start reading to figure out how support got into the poser buster thread as it has evolved into. But in the Air Force support has many different connotations as some organizations and AFSCs (MOSs) have long origins history of being Army Support and as far as the 9 Functional areas structure of the Air Forces occupations are setup all AFSCs that don't start with a 1 are technically support in nature.

As far as how, what, why, and when the current Special Tactics and Pararescue Squadrons consider and to a lesser degree treat support one needs to be familiar on how each began to have support AFSCs assigned to the teams before these squadrons came into being ca. 1985s.

Anyhow the Air Force in its classification structure has recently established several reporting identifiers to ensure the support folks realize they be valued contributors to the unit's mission.

9Z000, Special Warfare Mission Support (SWMS) Career Field Manager (CFM) on Headquarters Air Force Staff, Air Force Special Warfare Division. (31 Oct 21). A nominative position.

9Z100, Special Warfare Mission Support (SWMS) Senior Enlisted Leader, Air Force Special Warfare (AFSPECWAR). (31 Oct 21). A nominative position.

9Z200, Special Warfare Mission Support (SWMS) Superintendent, Air Force Special Warfare (AFSPECWAR). (31 Oct 21). Must hold one of the following AFSC’s: 1C0X2, 1C5X1, 1D7XX, 1N0X1, 1N1X1, 1N490, 1P0X1, 2G0X1, 2T2X1, 2T3X0,3E0X1, 3E1X1, 3E9X1, 3F0X1, 3F5X1, 3P0X1, and 4A1X1. Serving in the rank of SMSgt and MSgt. Prior experience in: Special Tactics, Guardian Angel, Tactical Air Control Party, or any Air Force Special units are required.

 

[Totentanz]

I'll have to scroll back and start reading to figure out how support got into the poser buster thread as it has evolved into.

Generally starts with the Havok Journal article at post #435.

 

[Johca]

Generally starts with the Havok Journal article at post #435.

Thanks for directing me to the post. Read the article and checking service history on somebody requires a bit more professionalism than being drunk belligerent in a bar, airport, or whatever. The extract from the Havok Journal article somewhat sums the reality up of it though: "Stolen Valor is a real problem but not a new one – folks have lied about their service for personal and political gain after the Civil War and after both World Wars."

What is not mentioned is some have done it on active duty and in a way that becomes very embarrassing to the service uniform they wear. Also many who do are in supervisory and higher leadership positions and present themselves as subject matter experts on matters they have no experience with.

Back in 2009 an Air Force Security Forces colonel (O-6) came under scrutiny for claim in official Bio of made a combat static line jump during Just Cause (1989) and a subsequent combat MFF during Desert Storm. The inquiry snowballed from there as it appears under guise he was temporarily attached to non Air Force classified unit that didn't know how to publish the aeronautical orders for permanent award of the Parachutist Badges he had his superiors get such orders published. Funny thing no record of going through the initial qual courses or getting the pay existed and further no record of any aircraft that he jumped from exists, as he wasn't a jumpmaster no record of jumpmaster and other jumpers that accompanied him exists.

There is also the Poster hero of the Air Force's Wounded Warrior Program that fabricated history of being a PJ during the Vietnam War that was exposed after an article was published in August-September 2011 edition of Airman Magazine titled “After the Fall The Air Force Wounded Warrior Program.

His claim is as an Air Force PJ he flew on the UH-1s of the Army's 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry. Further no KIA, MIA, or helicopter loss event matches his story, except one. A HH-43 (Pedro 42) combat loss on 28 October 1966 matches strangely almost exact to his story. The PJ doing this mission was awarded the Silver Star.

On 28 October Pedro 42 (HH-43F SN 62-4511) on an Army Med Evac mission near Pleiku was shot down and burned. Three evacuees and the Flight Mechanic in the rear of the helicopter were killed. Army troops and the Pararescueman (PJ) on the ground helped get the Pilot and Copilot out of the burning wreckage under enemy fire. The PJ, Pilot and Copilot were flown out the next morning by another Pedro helicopter. The Copilot subsequently died from injuries received in the shooting down and crash of the helicopter. Pedro 42 established his hover and lowered the hoist with the pararescue specialist and two semi-rigid letters. The trees were 100 to 150 feet and it was difficult to thread the cable down, as it was catching on the tree limbs. Pedro 42 picked up the three most critically wounded and lowered the hoist for the fourth pickup. It was hit by a mortar round fired by the attacking North Vietnamese forces.

His other heroic is being the hero of the 1983 Beirut Marine barracks bombing as a medic assigned to aero medic squadron (no record of the unit exists).

Pararescue has been a small AFSC never exceeding combined Active duty and reserve component numbers of 500 personnel per fiscal year which means the cumulative number of PJ since 1946 is only a thousand or so to keep track of, not to mention each mission generates an after action report which is archived. So, the PJ community can expose a poser very quickly and the PJ poser exposed stories are as good as or better than any Don Shipley tells of.

 

[Marauder06]

Generally starts with the Havok Journal article at post #435.

I'll tie it all together: "Support guys in SF units are posers."

Back in 2009 an Air Force Security Forces colonel (O-6) came under scrutiny for claim in official Bio of made a combat static line jump during Just Cause (1989) and a subsequent combat MFF during Desert Storm. The inquiry snowballed from there as it appears under guise he was temporarily attached to non Air Force classified unit that didn't know how to publish the aeronautical orders for permanent award of the Parachutist Badges he had his superiors get such orders published. Funny thing no record of going through the initial qual courses or getting the pay existed and further no record of any aircraft that he jumped from exists, as he wasn't a jumpmaster no record of jumpmaster and other jumpers that accompanied him exists.

Tangentially related: in JSOC there was a guy in my unit who got removed from command for allowing sketchy recruiting practices, which included some toxic command climate / sexual harassment issues and trying to allow an under-qualified female reservist into our highly-selective unit who, it turns out, was banging his married NCOIC. But instead of getting punted, he got shunted. Off to staff he went. It later came out that he was going on all of these "TDYs" all of the place but never filed any travel vouchers. SUPER shady. As in, "should be a counter-intel investigation" shady. But his excuse was "I'm independently wealthy, so I don't file TDY vouchers so I can save the unit money." More likely he didn't want the paper trail marking whatever it was he was really up to. I thought it was total bullshit, but they let him stick around.

What finally got him booted was that the S1 shop did a routine jump pay scrub and found out he had been collecting jump pay for a long time, might have been years, and wasn't doing any jumps. So then they eased him out of the unit.

But they didn't put any paperwork on him, and years later I found out he had an important job at USASFC. Because if you just look a the guy's ORB, he looks pretty good. And he was a good talker. But he was a total piece of shit, as everyone who served with him knew.

An A&S process for USASFC would have picked up on that.

 

[Viper1]

Wow, I have known of the badges and Tab revocation policies for decades, but this is the first I've ever heard of such revocations actually happening. I've known of Air Force servicemembers being court martialed and sent as convicts for a many years stint as a prisoner in Ft Leavenworth and their permanently awarded parachutist and aviation badges were never revoked.

Three in total over 18 months in that first command. I took no pleasure in it. However flawed I am, I do not equivocate when it comes to UCMJ, promotions, re-enlistments, and awards. I’ve shown myself to be open with praise and recognition, and firm in performance improvement and punishment.

My 1SG was a key piece of forming my views on the subject. He said, “Sir, you can “SF fire this guy, or you can ask yourself if you’d served with him on an ODA, and trust him as a GB in retirement.” God bless our NCOs for their plain speaking.

 

[Topkick]

Weirdly enough I've had this situation happen twice in the past few weeks, all because of my unit sweatshirt. Most of our merch isn't explicitly saying "Special Forces"

Similarly, my favorite grocery- getter is my old 101st Airborne Div. hoodie. Proudly wear it but have had to explain more than once that the unit is no longer Airborne.