David Hack and the accidental uniform discharge

Mary at POW Network sent us a link to her page about David Hack, a genuine Vietnam veteran who went into the uniform business, his business is called US Wings. He used to sell a shirt that was “Set up just like Sgt. Hack wore it in Vietnam”. I know because I saw it a few years back before I thought that any of you dickweeds were interested in Stolen Valor issues. But Mary describes the shirt;

The Shirt has a 1st BN Scroll over a Ft. Benning “Follow Me” patch on the left sleeve and a 1st Infantry Division Patch with a RANGER TAB over it on the right shoulder. He claims that he “was with the 1st Bat. at Fort Benning GA. 1964-1966 was with the Army Ranger Camp Back and forward field five and field seven Eglin AFB FL”.

Yeah, his whole spiel was based on the fact that he was in the 1st Ranger Battalion in 1964, but the Ranger Battalions didn’t exist for another ten years and Ranger companies, per se weren’t formed until 1969. But, here’s where he got that Ranger stuff from;

He drove a landing craft in support of the Ranger Camp at Eglin AFB. That was his MOS. He claims he was just waiting for a slot in Ranger School, but I’m pretty sure the Army didn’t need Ranger-qualified landing craft drivers. He came into the Army from the Coast Guard and skipped Basic and AIT because, guess what…he was already trained to drive landing crafts. And when he left Eglin and PCS’d to Newfoundland, he drove landing craft.

He did go to Vietnam and was awarded a Purple Heart, but he wasn’t a Ranger, he was a career counselor…I’m pretty sure it was a dangerous job, trying to convince grunts in the 1st Division to reenlist while they were in Vietnam, but not Ranger dangerous.

He had this picture on his website to sell uniforms;

I know it’s a little blurry, but you can make out the CIB and the black beret. Here’s what the Army says he earned. there seems to be more on the uniform than what is in his records;

Well, he explains how that picture happened, and, of course, it’s not his fault. I think it says he was walking along, tripped and fell into the uniform and someone snapped a picture before he could take it off, or something;

You can’t see it, but he also fell into a pair of bloused jump boots and that beret. He sells uniforms and decorations, but he had to borrow one from someone who selfishly left their awards on it?

Ok, this is an old story, but it comes to life like the serial killer who won’t die, because someone sent a .pdf file to Mary to “prove” that Hack isn’t lying, and it really doesn’t prove anything. They have useless medical records written by people who spell Eglin AFB “Eagland” which somehow proves a Purple Heart, but I’m pretty sure that no one has qualified for a Purple Heart near Eglin since Andrew Jackson was a general. And I’m pretty sure that everyone, even doctors, know it’s Eglin.

It includes a reenlistment document for his “present duty assignment” when he was in the 1st Ranger Company, 1st Student Battalion, The School Brigade and that’s supposed to prove he’s a Ranger, but it only proves that he was a support wienie at Ranger School. It also includes his DA 873 record of his Secret security clearance for some reason. I had a Secret clearance when I was an E-2, so i don’t know what that’s supposed to prove. but I’m not posting any of it because it’s shot through with his social security number and I’m not going to be blamed for inadvertently posting his PII.

Category: Phony soldiers