Shane Ladner an “Iraq Vet”? Don’t Think So

There’s been much talk recently at TAH about a guy named Shane Ladner (see here, here, and here).

Ladner has made multiple dubious claims.  He’s claimed he has a Purple Heart, and to have gotten it in Panama (later admitted by Ladner to be an intentional falsehood – he now claims he really got it in a “secret anti-drug mission in Central America”), to have served in in Somalia, and to have served in Iraq.

I’ve seen comments elsewhere on this site that indicate Ladner has admitted many of his claims were lies – and in particular, that he’s admitted his claims of Somalia and Iraq service were lies.  But I’ve not seen any published accounts of Ladner admitting those claims were lies.  The original reports of his Somalia and Iraq service were published by the media, and they’re still out there for people to see.  Ladner was the only plausible source for those claims.  So until I see a published report that he’s admitted his past claims of Somalia and Iraq service were lies, I’m regarding those claims of Somalia and Iraq service to still be “on the table”.

Ladner’s attorney has released what purports to be a DD214 relating to one of Ladner’s periods of active duty service.  The attorney apparently did this to bolster Ladner’s claims of having a Purple Heart and being a “war hero”.

However, releasing that document that may have been of a mistake.  The DD214 released by Ladner’s lawyer – plus what’s known about Ladner’s military career from other sources (see the video at this link) – together provide persuasive evidence that Ladner never served in Iraq.  This in turn proves a second claim made by Ladner to be false, and thus calls into question all of his other unsupported claims.

Background

There are only two times that the US Army has conducted combat operations in Iraq.  The first time was during the first Gulf War (Desert Storm, 1991).  The second time was the more recent Iraq War (2003-2011).  That means in order to have served in Iraq, Ladner must have deployed there during one of those two periods of time.

A look at Ladner’s DD214 discloses a problem.  Each of these conflicts has decorations – specifically, certain campaign or expeditionary medals – that specifically recognize service in Iraq.   If Ladner ever served in Iraq as he claims, and if if the DD214 is legitimate and accurate, his DD214 should show at least one of those awards.

None of those decorations are present on the DD214 in question.  That means things aren’t “adding up.”  So lets take a closer look at Ladner’s “I served in Iraq claim”.

Desert Storm, 1991

As documented in the video here, Ladner entered the delayed entry program (DEP) in August 1989.  He finished high school, then entered active duty in August 1990.  (This fact alone proves Ladner has previously lied about his military service and his Purple Heart.  Ladner originally claimed to have received his Purple Heart in Panama.  If that were true, that means Ladner would have been in Panama for Operation Just Cause in December 1989 – while he is known to have still been in High School.)

Since Basic Training and AIT typically take 3-4 months, Ladner would have gotten to his first unit in late 1990 or early 1991.  It’s thus theoretically possible that Ladner could have served in Iraq during Desert Shield/Desert Storm.

However, if Ladner had actually served in Iraq during or in support of Desert Storm the DD214 provided by his lawyer would show at least one (and probably 3) decorations that simply aren’t there.  Specifically, his DD214 would show the Southwest Asia Service Medal (SWASM), and in all likelihood would also show both Kuwait Liberation Medals (one was issued by Saudi Arabia, and one was issued by Kuwait) as well.  Someone who actually served in Iraq during Desert Storm would rate all 3 medals.  Anyone who served in-theater in support of the operation between 2 August 1990 and 30 November 1995 would rate at least the SWASM.

None of those medals are shown on the DD214 released by Ladner’s lawyer.  What this indicates is that Ladner did not serve in Iraq during the first Gulf War in 1991 – or anywhere in SW Asia between August 1990 and Nov 1995.  He simply doesn’t have the “been-there badges” from that conflict.

Iraq War, 2003-2011

The second possible “window” for Ladner to have served in Iraq as he claimed is the Iraq War.  That conflict began in March 2003 and ended in Dec 2011.  The DD214 Ladner’s attorney provided does indeed show active duty service during this period – from Feb 2003 to Oct 2004.  However, that same document also very clearly indicates that Ladner did not serve in Iraq between Feb 2003 and Oct 2004.  We know that because:

1.  Block 12 of the DD214 released by Ladner’s attorney shows no foreign service.  None.  Zip.  Nada.  That indicates he didn’t deploy to an overseas location between Feb 2003 and Oct 2004.

2.  Last time I checked, service in Iraq was considered “foreign service”.  It’s hard to serve in Iraq if you didn’t deploy to an overseas location.

3.  If Ladner had deployed to Iraq between Feb 2003 and Oct 2004, Blocks 13 and/or 18 of this DD214 would also show an entry such as “Iraq 2003MMDD-2004MMDD” or “Kuwait/Iraq 2003MMDD-2004MMDD”.  It doesn’t have any such entry.  This confirms the lack of foreign service in block 12.

4.  If Ladner had deployed to SW or Central Asia Feb 2003 and Oct 2004 for 30 or more days (or less if he’d come under fire or had to be medically evacuated out of theater), Blocks 13 and/or 18 of Ladner’s would also show the Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal (GWOTEM).  The GWOTEM isn’t listed on his DD214.  (The Iraq Campaign Medal would not be on Ladner’s DD214 as it didn’t exist at the time; it was established in Nov 2004 and implemented in early 2005.  The GWOTEM was established in March 2003 and was the decoration awarded for Iraq service from Mar 2003-April 2005.)  This further confirms that Ladner did not serve in Iraq during the period covered by this DD214.

Collectively, these facts conclusively show Ladner did not serve in Iraq between Feb 2003 and Oct 2004.  But that only accounts for 2003-2004.  Is it possible Ladner served a later tour of active duty and deployed?

That’s extremely unlikely.  A redacted image of the Member Copy of Ladner’s purported DD214 is shown here.  This copy shows type of discharge received and reason for discharge.

The reason for discharge listed on Ladner’s DD214 was “DISABILITY, SEVERANCE PAY”.  Typically, that reason for discharge would mean he had a medical condition so severe as to disqualify him from future active military service.  That means it’s unlikely that Ladner has any extended active duty military service after Oct 2004.  And it means he’d almost certainly not be medically qualified for overseas deployment to a combat zone.

Recap

1.  No SWASM on his October 2004 DD214 means Ladner didn’t serve in Iraq during Desert Storm.

2.  No GWOTEM  or foreign service on his Oct 2004 DD214 means Ladner didn’t serve in Iraq between Mar 2003 and Oct 2004.

3.  Discharge for “DISABILITY, SEVERANCE PAY” in Oct 2004 means he almost certainly has no overseas deployments to Iraq after that date.

4.  Desert Storm (1991) and the Iraq War (2003-2011)  are the only two times we’ve engaged in combat operations in Iraq.

Together, the above rather conclusively indicates that Ladner never served in Iraq.  Given what Ladner himself has provided for his attorney to release publicly and what’s known from other sources, at this point I’ll have to see documentary proof from a trustworthy independent source before I’ll believe Ladner ever served in Iraq.

. . .

Of course, I guess it’s also possible that the DD214 provided by Ladner’s attorney isn’t legitimate, or simply has many significant errors and omissions.  But either of those possibilities is also quite damaging to Ladner’s claims.

If the document’s not legit, I really want to hear Ladner’s explanation of where he got it and why his lawyer is trying to pass it off today as the “real deal”.  And if the document is so “jacked up” that it doesn’t show his service in Iraq in either Desert Storm or during the period covered by the DD214 – a huge and significant omission – then why should we believe anything else the document says?

Category: Phony soldiers, Shitbags