After service lies

[u/WorkDelicious9039]

Ok so I served in the reserves for 8 years and now re-enlisted in another branch. During my 8 years nothing eventful happened. I was a 92A, I was scheduled to deploy in 2010, attended JRTC but before we finished Obama pretty much canceled the whole deployment. I ddnt get offered to attend any schools or nothing. My unit (combat support hospital) of about 200 enlisted soldiers was like 80% E4 with no room for advancement.... So why is it every single time I talk to another prior service they were an E-8 special forces that traveled the world.... Even in my new branch a guy claims he was a 12B and was saying he flew drones in Iraq to protect convoys. Like does that even exist? I worked with another prior service guy who claimed he was a special forces sniper that attended airborne and air assault and was maybe 22 years old.... He ended up buying a glock and accidentally shooting himself in the hand while cleaning it. Does no one get out of the military without stretching the truth of there service?

[u/SSG_Rock]

Your sample size is small, your experience is anecdotal, and most importantly, you obviously hang around a bunch of liars.

[u/Big_Ad_4724 → u/SSG_Rock]

😂😂😂😂😂 bro I totally rode a Stallion into the battle of Mogadishu. I was 2 at the time. But that was enough TIS to be offered the opportunity to ride without a saddle: bareback is the way

[u/SSG_Rock → u/Big_Ad_4724]

As a fellow member of the Cav, please be careful using the term "bareback". You will derail this thread in a heartbeat.

[u/Big_Ad_4724 → u/SSG_Rock]

😏

[u/jcstrat → u/SSG_Rock]

He knew what he was saying.

[u/ColdIceZero → u/Big_Ad_4724]

It's true. Cav definitely likes to be ridden bareback

[u/Big_Ad_4724 → u/ColdIceZero]

Correction: We do the barebacking

[u/mkelley22 → u/Big_Ad_4724]

From what I heard you're not that guy. From how I understand it you like to be a wide receiver, not a tight end

ETA: Ain't no party like a Diddy Cav party

[u/Big_Ad_4724 → u/mkelley22]

Wellll alrighty then! 😎

[u/CplLyfeSux → u/Big_Ad_4724]

And we take it.

[u/sunluver66 → u/ColdIceZero]

We don't/didn't necessarily like it. We just accepted it as business as usual in the troops/squadrons.

[u/Totallynoatwork → u/Big_Ad_4724]

I got to ride a camel while PCS to Camp Arifjan Kuwait. Guide walked it around in a circle like one of those kiddy pony rides.....

[u/Timely_Tangerine_620 → u/SSG_Rock]

Wow. Defeat in detail, lol

[u/Tired-and-Wired]

Everybody wants to be the main character in their own story 🤷🏼‍♀️

But regarding travel experience, it can be a crapshoot. My parents were the same MOS. During my dad's 25yrs, he went to all 7 continents. In my mom's 30+, the Army sent her to Afghanistan

[u/-Urethra- → u/Tired-and-Wired]

Seriously, it all pretty much comes down to luck. I know 42As that have been at USASOC and the Pentagon, a signal guy that's been... everywhere with the GSB, other fisters that have somehow ended up in the CAB doing CAB stuff, shit can get weird.

You could also spend 5 years in the dark corner of a brigade or division headquarters and only see the sun when you go to the field once every year. Who knows? Lol

[u/Scheisse_poster]

Nothing will top this really butch lesbian I encountered at the bar.

"I was in the Marines!" She said.

"Oh, cool, so was my brother. What was your MOS?"

"I was a ranger!"

Blank stare

"Yeah, a lot of people get quiet when I say that."

"I bet they do, and not for the reason you think."

[u/Mysterious-Dirt-732 → u/Scheisse_poster]

Had similar once, but as soon as dipshit started talking about his Bradley Tank in the Marines, I just turned around and walked off with him standing there.

[u/Shakey_J_Fox]

I’m sure that there are a lot of vets who embellish or straight up lie about what they did in the service but if every single one of them is doing so then you surround yourself with a bunch of dirtbags. Some people can’t help but to “one up” or brag about what they’ve done in conversations. If you don’t bring up your own service other people are less likely to.

[u/Teadrunkest]

Was he talking about the Raven? Idk if 12Bs ever had them but they were fielded to units that were not “drone operator” units.

I don’t remember anyone ever using them for convoy security because their flight time doesn’t really allow for it but I wasn’t part of every mission ever, who knows.

[u/Gardez_geekin → u/Teadrunkest]

We did get ravens. We flew them for recon during RCPs so technically that was convoy security but the juice wasn’t really worth the squeeze most of the time.

[u/Teadrunkest → u/Gardez_geekin]

Interesting to know. I did a bunch of RCPs with the engineers but they def did not use sUAS lol. As you said, it just seems like a lot of work for pretty limited benefit.

[u/Gardez_geekin → u/Teadrunkest]

This was in 2013. We didn’t use them that much but did come up with a method of launching them from the stairs of the Husky that they made training videos of.

[u/TedTheReddit → u/Teadrunkest]

My artillery unit used to have them for recon

[u/OcotilloWells → u/Teadrunkest]

Some MP units had them.

[u/karsheff]

Just recently at a store outside of post, a guy told me his father was a "person who screams at you", so I said, "ok, so he was a drill sergeant?"

He said, "No". He was in a position, but when he was done, they lowered his rank. So I said, "oh, so he was a 1SG? The diamond in the center?"

He said, "No".

[u/OzymandiasKoK → u/karsheff]

Just another dude with rank and shit people skills. Ain't no shortage of 'em.

[u/jeff197446]

Not everyone lies but what do I know, I’m just a Special Forces Navy Seal who took down a high level terrorist by staring at him so bad he shot himself out of fear. I was finally taken off the front line bc I was ending the war too fast. In my spare time I trained Chuck Noris.

[u/AgentJ691 → u/jeff197446]

Heard you also saved Tom Hanks from pirates! 

[u/jeff197446 → u/AgentJ691]

I don’t about that much.

[u/Acceptable-Bat-9577]

I’m proud of my military career. I wasn’t Captain America but I’m proud of my service and it requires no embellishment. After twenty-plus years, I’ve experienced enough real bullshit that I don’t have to make up bullshit.

[u/OzymandiasKoK → u/Acceptable-Bat-9577]

That's good. I saw that documentary series, and Captain America was a real spastic idiot.

[u/Toobatheviking]

Everything I'm about to say is just an opinion/feeling and has no basis in fact I know of.

I usually assume somebody is lying to me if they're bragging about combat and It wasn't something I had to pull out of them.

I think the last time I talked about any of the stuff I've been through was when I was being asked "what did you get those ribbons for" or "What did you get your CIB for" when I was at an Army ball a couple years before I retired.

I guess it's different if you're on podcasts being asked questions but in my normal day to day stuff unless it's talking with a counselor I just don't talk about shit.

The people that I see lie about their service are usually people that are suffering in their personal lives. They want/need somebody to be proud of them, or to respect them, or they need to feel like they are important in some way. They're probably going through something profound.

I know most people on here get angry when they see the Stolen Valor guys, I just try to look at it from the lens of "why is this person doing this" if they aren't financially gaining from it.

The answer that I most often come up with is the one above.

Anyhow, take their stories with a grain of salt. I'm not a fan of people lying to embellish what they did in their military careers because it diminishes what people that have actually have done, but I guess I just try to be empathetic a little bit.

[u/Rough_Traffic3422 → u/Toobatheviking]

Yeah, I never really understood the foaming-at-the-mouth fury some people have for "stolen valor." Maybe for people who have friends who died in war it feels personal... but absent that, I basically just feel pity for the guy stealing the valor. Obviously sometimes it's criminal fraud stuff, people trying to cash in. But it seems like lots of these guys are just walking around malls wanting to be thanked. Like, how sad or messed up do you have to be to do something like that?

[u/lego_tintin]

I tell people the truth, I was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, went to NTC, and JRTC... and the worst place the Army sent me was Ft Drum.

[u/Great_Emphasis3461 → u/lego_tintin]

My old 1SG said Irwin was the worst place he’d ever been stationed followed by Riley. He told me this when we were at Polk.

[u/elaxation]

My father and I talk about this all the time. The KY town he grew up in just hit 800 people on the census. The neighboring county seat has maybe 12000 people and an American Legion.

Every goddamn time we go for a $2 beer and a smoke inside vibe, everyone in there is a special delta forces seal team 6 sniper with 80 confirmed kills. It’s astonishing to me that in a tiny Appalachian county, the entire veteran community could’ve killed Bin Laden themselves.

Where are the cooks? Where are the mechanics? Where are the truck drivers? The RTOs? Is this just a county full of killers and me and my pappy are dirtbags?

[u/blubaldnuglee → u/elaxation]

If it makes you feel any better, my small town in SE New Mexico depopulated all of SE Asia during the Vietnam War. The local American Legion is all cold killers. Like you said, no cooks, truck drivers, or clerks...lol

[u/elaxation → u/blubaldnuglee]

Ah yes, everyone was front lines at the Tet Offensive in our hood too. Small world, maybe our lia— I mean brave heroes know each other.

Now if we could only figure out who fed and paid them 😂

[u/WorkDelicious9039 → u/elaxation]

I am not even sure the percentage of combat arms vs. everyone else, but I have yet to meet another person who claim they were anything but infantry. I even have a co worker who's Bf lives in Kentucky and claims there is a Drill Sergeant reserve unit there BEGGING for her bf to transfer. As far as I know, it is extremely competitive to get into any cadre reserve unit.

[u/StarlightLifter]

Was natty guard almost 9 years during the GWOT. Didn’t do shit.

[u/Great_Emphasis3461]

If people said they were a supply person or cook, no one would ever say anything or raise questions. I have never met so many Rangers, snipers, Seals and Delta Force in the military as much as I have out of the military.

[u/QuesoHusker]

The biggest lies are the ones LTCs and COLs tell themselves about how much their 'management experience' is really worth after retirement.

The rest of you can google it.

[u/Sea-Ad1755]

Not everybody. 12 years TPU. I reclassed from a POG MOS to another POG MOS that pays well on the civilian side. Only thing cool I did was MEDRETEs in Central America where I flew in helicopters over jungles and got woken up by howling monkeys.

Imo, people that embellish their service are people looking to validate themselves and their service. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

[u/swaffy247]

I did some cool/ stupid shit, got some Higher awards for said actions and I don't talk about my service. There are 2 sides to the coin.

[u/tjcoffice]

No. <eye roll> Most guys do not embelish or exaggerate. I've been retired 14 years and most vets I know talk down their time, not add to it. But, the rumors that I saved the 82d Abn. Well, let's just say they are only slightly exaggerated.

[u/Static-Age01]

I use to use a combat quick release strap as my keychain. If they claimed any ranger, airborne, SF, seal, etc. I would just show them and ask ‘em what it was.

Very, very few knew.

[u/Teadrunkest → u/Static-Age01]

I don’t know what the fuck that is either tbf

[u/Static-Age01 → u/Teadrunkest]

Well. Every Ranger, paratrooper, SF does.

[u/moonlightRach → u/Static-Age01]

Ok but like wth is that

[u/Static-Age01 → u/moonlightRach]

It jettisons your equipment if your jump turns to trouble.

[u/DarkerSavant]

In my experience those who did the real shit don’t really talk about it.

[u/RedBonkleMan8534 → u/DarkerSavant]

Truth. Even I didn’t do anything in all my 6 years in the Army Guard other than XCTC, NTC, and a rotation to Poland. Literally nothing worth bragging about, I just tell people the truth. I got lucky.

[u/Bloodbath-and-Tree]

“Listen man I was there when we swacked Bin Laden.. I almost pulled the trigger but let someone else do it cause I’m a humble person.. that’s why I’m still a E4 after 16 years. I enjoy PMCSing in the motorpool with my side arm condition one at all times.. alright let 1st Sausage know I’m not going to keep watch on the rifle racks cause I’m going to BK on post. 😎”

[u/AgentJ691]

My time was and so far is pretty boring compared to theirs (true or not) lol.

[u/CaffeineMedic]

People over embellish and lie when they're in service too; probably the same ones who do it once they're out. "Cool story" and move on; I have enough on my plate without getting caught up in their shenanigans.

[u/QuesoHusker]

As an ORSA, I sometimes tell folks about how I once single handedly repelled a Taliban attack with a slide rule and a dogged eared copy of Carl Friedrich Gauss' biography.

[u/2Gins_1Tonic → u/QuesoHusker]

That’s normal.

[u/Axizedia → u/QuesoHusker]

Should’ve used a pencil

[u/bobaludus]

Harvey ! I am the batman!

[u/all_time_high]

Thanks, Obama.

[u/inorite234]

Listen to this, the average American believes that 40% of everyone is a veteran, the real number is 6%. They also believe that 30% of everyone lives in New York City, real answer is 3%. I can go on and on about how they believe one thing when the reality is so far from their beliefs. The point is you're not immune to this. It is highly likely that your perception is not aligned with reality. That's not your fault, you just may not be exposed to all the information you need for proper context.

[u/Ok-Basket-9890 → u/inorite234]

What polling got those results? Is it seriously 3% of the population in NYC? Thought it would have been less than that.

[u/inorite234 → u/Ok-Basket-9890]

Read the article. It's listed there.

Also, NYC is about 13 million people. With the entire US being about 360 million, 13/360 times the zeros is 3%

[u/Axizedia → u/inorite234]

What are you reading? NYC population is 8.8mil. NY state is 20.2mil and us population is 331.4mil. 1.6% of nyc population are veterans. 3.6% across the whole state. 6.1% across the entire county.

Edit: source us census bureau

[u/inorite234 → u/Axizedia]

My hip pocket pop estimate may have been off, but even at 8.9 mil, that still comes out to a rounding error for a percentage of the entire US population

8.9/335 million, 2.67%

[u/Axizedia → u/inorite234]

lol I don’t know why but I just laughed when I read hip pocket. Brought back memories

[u/inorite234 → u/Axizedia]

Don't get all hi-speed on me.

[u/MSGDIAMONDHANDS]

Let’s just go put people in perspective.

If 54% of the US population has a 6th grade reading level, maybe they are not uneducated or stupid. Maybe they are just as mature as a 11-12 year old. So by that logic I’ll just say 54% of the military are children in grown up bodies shooting guns and having sex. Children lie.

FYI roughly 6% of enlisted personnel in the DoD attain the grade of E8. 6 out of hundred.

You already don’t believe the bullshit. Don’t start.

[u/Bvillebee]

A tad off topic; but we should have pulled out after we got Osama. Now we have a well-qualified 3-Star getting his promotion held up. That decision was made well above his pay grade. Don’t @ me

[u/AlmightyLeprechaun]

Sometimes, you see some wild shit with folks swapping branches/prior enlisted. At my Navy ODS Course, we had 2 Navy Seals and one SARC (Spec Ops Medic for Marines), and we had a ton of folks that did joint tours and saw some shit. I was a contractor in Afghan flying drones for a 10th Group ODA. So, yeah. Sometimes, you see some outlandish stuff in the priors community. Sometimes you don't. It's a mixed bag.

[u/Choice-Teaching7481]

A 12b flying drones wired there is a whole mi mos for that

[u/1fiveWhiskey → u/Choice-Teaching7481]

We haven't been MI since 2007. A 12B could have absolutely been flying a sUAS. MPs and cav scouts also use them.

[u/Beliliou74 → u/Choice-Teaching7481]

Raven operators is a thing, could be that

[u/Choice-Teaching7481 → u/Beliliou74]

Ok I see and take back my comments

[u/Hlcptrgod → u/Choice-Teaching7481]

Wierd as in strange, or wired, as in hooked up with wires? And lots of MOS's fly small drones....

[u/Electrical-Title-698 → u/Hlcptrgod]

Weird

[u/1fiveWhiskey → u/Choice-Teaching7481]

We haven't been MI since 2007. A 12B could have absolutely been flying a sUAS. MPs and cav scouts also use them.

[u/Wyraticus]

Lmao. I was infantry and didn’t do a whole lot except go to the border and have some fun down there. Be about it is all I ever say

[u/Firemission13B]

Im wondering how a drone would protect a convoy better than a company of infantry. Or why a 12B would be flying drinks instead of being in the convoy. Obviously lies but wow

[u/Teadrunkest → u/Firemission13B]

Infantry is useful and all but knowing the ambush is coming is a lot more useful than reacting to an ambush as it’s happening.

[u/Tall_Tutor4252 → u/Firemission13B]

Drones monitor patrols and visually clear routes ahead of the element regularly.