Spodofora sticks to his phony guns (Assignments Added)
We mentioned secret squirrel, John Spodofora, the mayor of Stafford Township, NJ earlier this month. He’s been sticking to his guns that he’s a Vietnam Veteran and his records are classified. Yet, here, they are;
Funny, no Vietnam Service medals.
From the Press of Atlantic City;
“I’m in a tough spot of violating military security because of the questions I am being asked. Right now, I feel like I’m being punished because I volunteered for a classified Naval position and these missions, knowing I couldn’t disclose certain things,” Spodofora said.
Yeah, he couldn’t disclose “certain things” yet he can post it on his campaign website.
The Republican mayor said he plans to address tonight, at Township Council’s 7 p.m. meeting, what he calls false accusations leveled against him by township Republican Club president and former township employee Martha Kremer. He says he won’t be able to tell everything, because many of his records remain classified.
Martha Kremer is the widow of a REAL Vietnam veteran who served in the 173rd Airborne, but she’s being made the target instead of this phony baloney airhead dickweed, whose email address is John.Spodofora@twp.stafford.nj.us. I noticed that his official website has been changed from describing him as a Vietnam Veteran to a Vietnam Era veteran, which is what his records show.
But all of the talk about him being a “spook” is ludicrous.
Here’s his assignment records. The only things that have been blacked out is his personnel evaluations (that’s not FOIA info). Click to enbiggenate;
Category: Phony soldiers
This dude is a turd.
At # 50 Brother contact Hondo … he can give you my email signature and cell phone #. I am in NYC and CAN Help!
Looks like he was reelected:
http://twp.stafford.nj.us/government/mayor-council/
adding a Navy Expeditionary Medal to his record
I’d love to hear how he pulled that one out of his ass, 40 years after the fact.
Not without orders (even TAD orders) to a boat, he didn’t.
And that still doesn’t make him a Vietnam vet. NEM doesn’t put him anywhere near Vietnam, not without Vietnam Service Ribbon, etc.
And from @53’s link:
“Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation”
Uh, no. There’s a MUC (Meritorious Unit Commendation) and a NUC (Navy Unit Commendation) but not a Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation.
Nice try there, Johnny. Again, love to see where you pulled that one out of your ass.
Tell ya what–you tell me the command and timeframe, and I’ll tell you if you’re full of shit or not, Johnny. Personally, I’m going to go WAAAAYYYYYY out on a limb here and guess there’s nothing on your 214 OR your Page 4 (you did keep it, didn’t you?) that shows you have any of the above records.
If I’m wrong, I’ll apologize. I’m guessing that I won’t need to, though.
NHSparky: I’d cut hims some slack on using the term “Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation”. Each of the services has its own MUC, and the criteria for each service is different. It’s possible this tool was simply trying to say his was the Navy version.
Unit awards often approved well after the fact. But for his claim to a MUC to be legit, he does need to be able to document assignment/attachment to a Naval unit or command that was so honored that was (1) during the qualifying period and (2) of sufficient duration. His assignments are above, so it should be easy for someone who knows where to look to see if that’s possible or not based on his units of assignment. Won’t be definitive (qualifying during attachment is possible), but it would be a decent first-cut screening.
Regarding the NEM claim: his FOIA clearly shows that there isn’t one in his records. Unless he can document duty that shows he performed duty qualifying for a NEM that was approved shortly before or after he left service (they’re sometimes approved well after the fact), then IMO he’s lying through his freaking teeth. Like personal decorations, the fact a unit has received a unit awards is not classified.
Hondo … I have a NEM. If it was awarded ,,, he would have known about it along time ago shortly after the period was done!
MCPO: generally true. However, there is a corner case that could conceivably apply (though with this tool’s track record, I’ll now have to see the paperwork before I’d buy any of his claims).
1. Mission executed shortly before he leaves service.
2. Due to time lag (can be a while before approved) NEM approved shortly before or after he leaves service.
If he was already out at the time of approval and not paying attention – or if the award didn’t get widespread publicity and was approved shortly before he left service – he might not have known he rated it.
A case in point is the GWOTEM. That wasn’t established until 12 Mar 2003, but was retroactive to 11 Sep 2001. Prior to that, I don’t believe there was technically any award authorized for service in Afghanistan. (I don’t remember the Army authorizing the AFEM in the interim, and I’m also pretty sure I’d have remembered that.) Anyone who left service before (and probably for a while after) 12 Mar 2003 and who’d served in Afghanistan therefore had a DD214 that shortly afterwards became inaccurate.
Again: I’m not buying it for this tool unless he shows the papers. Fool me twice, shame on me . . . .
Master Chief–I’ll go you one better. When I checked in to by first boat, the new A-gang Chief checked in with me. He noticed my fish but lack of ribbons, and said, “No ribbons, huh?” When I replied affirmative, he said, “Well, you’ll be getting one this underway, at least.”
It wasn’t “official” until about two months later, but it was in our records by the end of the Westpac.
INCLUDING the riders who didn’t have one prior to that point.
NHS Sparky,
I have a question. According to this ass hat’s 214 he served in the Navy from July 1966 to July 1973.
According to Navy Campaign Awards Manual 1650 updated 2006 eligible operations for Navy Expeditionary Medal by date are:
CUBA 03 Jan 61 -23 Oct 62
THAILAND 16 May 62 -10 Aug 62
INDIAN OCEAN/IRAN/YEMEN 08 Dec 78-06 Jun 79
IRAN/INDIAN OCEAN 21 NOV 79 -20 act 81
LEBANON 20 Aug 82-31 May 83
LIBYA 20 Jan 86 -27 Jun 86
PERSIAN GULF 01 Feb 87-23 Jul 87
LIBERIA (SHARP EDGE) 05 Aug 90 -21 Feb 91
RWANDA (DISTANT RUNNER) 07 Apr 94-18 Apr 94
ERITERA (SAFE DEPARTURE) 06 Jun 98-25 Jun 98
USS COLE (DETERMINED RESPONSE) 12 Oct 00-15 Dec 02
None of these dates coincide with the liars dates of service.
So how could he have possibly been awarded a NEM?
Lincoln…it’s possible for people attached to individual units to have earned them as well. A lot of SSNs earned NEMs for doing what we called “Spec Op” at some point that have nothing to do with the list of actions you listed above.
Basically, it was one of those medals most of the folks in the fast boat community picked up pretty early if you weren’t welded to the pier. If we were asked what we did to earn it, we just pretty much said we went out and did shit and left it at that.
I’d be interested to see a new FOIA on him. I say that because while he MAY have done a BCNR to get his records corrected, without awards, certified copies of his Page 4, etc., he’s pretty much SOL. Just claiming he was TAD to USS Ustafish ain’t enough, especially since it looks like there’s no paper trail to back it up.
NHSparky, thank you for the clarification. Bottom line is that if he ever set foot in Vietnam he would have a Vietnam service ribbon / medal and not a NEM. NEM or no NEM he is still a liar who was never a SEAL or in Vietnam. He is currently running around implying to people that the NEM proves he was in Vietnam and that he did “spooky” things. When pressed on it he says he can’t tell anyone what unit he was with or what he did to earn the NEM because it is still “classified”. Can you believe this clown?
Tool.
If he’s still running around claiming Vietnam service, he’s full of shit. ANY SS/SSN which was off the coast of Vietnam “in the box” as it were, would automatically be entitled to a VSR, even if on station for just one day and was never even within sight of land.
The Expeditionary Medal doesn’t prove shit. This bubblehead will call his ass out on it. And again, there’s nothing that proves he even has an Expeditionary Medal. Plenty to suggest, however, that he does not.
And no, the award is not “classified.” What they DID to earn the award might be, but not the award itself. He’s full of crap.
And by the way, here’s the criteria for the Navy Expeditionary Medal: (1) The medal will be awarded to the officers and enlisted men of the Navy and Marine Corps who shall have actually landed on foreign territory and engaged in operations against armed opposition, or operated under circumstances which, after full consideration, shall be deemed to merit special recognition and for which service no campaign medal has been awarded. (2) No person in the Navy or Marine Corps service is entitled to more than one Expeditionary Medal (either Navy or Marine Corps). Participation in more than one expedition will be recognized by the issue of bronze stars (one star for each expedition in excess of one), to be worn on the ribbon of the Expeditionary Medal. (3) At present, there is a supply of Marine Corps Expeditionary Medals on hand which will be awarded to Marine Corps personnel participating in authorized expeditions. After this supply is exhausted, the Navy Expeditionary Medal will be the only medal awarded to either Navy or Marine Corps personnel for participation in expeditions. (4) All officers and men of the Navy and Marine Corps who, under the above-mentioned conditions, took part in an operation listed below may submit to the Chief of Naval Personnel or the Commandant, United States Marine Corps, respectively, through official channels, applications for the above medal. The applications should include the names and dates of the expeditions and a statement to the effect that the applicant actually served ashore as a member of a landing party during the period for which the medal is claimed. (5) Navy and Marine Corps personnel who served in the defense of Wake Island, 7 to 22 December 1941, will wear a bar inscribed “Wake Island” on the suspension ribbon and a silver “W” on the service ribbon bar of the appropriate Expeditionary Medal. (Navy Department General Order No. 84 of 15 August 1936.) Commanding officers shall make appropriate service record entries for eligible enlisted personnel and issue letters of eligibility for eligible officer personnel. No citation or certificate will be issued. ——————————————————– Bottom line–it… Read more »
I am a former SEAL and Vietnam Veteran. The fact that someone is or was a SEAL is not classified. A DD214 form would show very clearly if a man went through UDT/SEAL Training. It would also show all of the decorations or awards that he earned. For instance I graduated from BUD/S Class 57 in Coronado in September of 1970. I was assigned to SEAL TEAM ONE from 1970-1973. I deployed to Vietnam in 1971. I despise fakes. They try to enhance their reputations by claiming the title of SEAL. Far better men than myself have earned the title and died for this country as SEALs. I have no respect for him or men like him.
SEAL76. He is looking to run again. Is it possible for you to attend a town hall meeting? I’d like to address his bogus claim on the Stafford School Hall of Fame with serving with UDT-21. UDT/SEAL Assoc. confirmed he’s a phony.
[…] to Earl, these two hail from the same town where phony SEAL John Spodafora is […]
That is absolutely correct. In fact not long after those two idiots were exposed, Mayor John Spodofora and Councilman Mancini put on a presentation to the senior community on fraud awareness. Shortly after, Spodofora himself was the center of controversy. Senator Chris Connors went as far as to hail Spodofora a “Hero” at a town hall meeting just prior to elections. Connors now represents the township as thier attorney…
Update. This POS is considering re-election and he seriously misrepresenting his NEM as some sort of “smoking gun” to cover the BS he’s been laying on the community, family and friends for years. January 26, 2015 he has to submit in writing his intent to run again to the Stafford GOP Club to endorse him. His email is john.spodofora@twp.stafford.nj.us The Stafford GOP is: info@staffordgop.org
He once again has modified his biography on the township website totally erasing all references to Vietnam.