Leif “Bill” Arousell; phony Green Beret

| November 1, 2017

Our partners at Guardians of the Green Beret share with us their work on this fellow Leif Bill Arousell. As you can see in these pictures, Bill wants folks to believe that he was a special forces soldier in Vietnam.

The folks at Guardians called him and he told them that he never made that claim, that he was wearing someone else’s shirt. They also called his daughters and they replied that Bill had indeed made those claims. Here’s the phone call;

Bill Arousell, Green Beret… NOT!! from Guardians Of The Green Beret on Vimeo.

Of course, there’s a motorcycle vest involved. And a Ranger T-shirt;

He spent eight years on active duty, served in Germany and Vietnam, then he spent another ten years in the Guard and Reserves before he was discharged as a Specialist (E-4). He didn’t earn a Combat Infantryman Badge, he never attended the Basic Airborne Course, or any special forces training;

Category: Phony soldiers, Valor Vultures

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A Proud Infidel®™

Cocksucker.

Fjardeson

BOOM!

Shack!

Carlton G. Long

“Specialist 4th Class” ??

Was he the Specialist of the Army?

Dr. Crypto

Not quite specialist of the Army, but that was, at one time, the correct title for Specialist E-4. At one time, IIRC, the specialist ranks went all the way up to E-9. IN the 70’s the Army converted all SP7, SP8 and SP9 to hard Stripes, SFC, MSG, and SgtMaj, leaving Sp4, Sp5 and SP6. ranks. In 1985, SP5 and SP6 were also converted over to hard stripes, leaving SP4 as the only specialist rank. I was a SP5 for a number of years, it was a good rank.

Ncat

There were SP8’s and SP9’s only in theory. My understanding is that no soldiers actually wore that rank.

Dr. Crypto

Ahh…another bit of lore/myth dispelled. I looked it up and they were “notional” and discarded about 1968. I did have an old retiree, many years ago, tell me that he had been a Sp8, his memory may have slipped. Thanks for the info!

A Proud Infidel®™

The US Army used to have Specialist 5, 6 and 7 which were done away with and Spec 5 was done away with in 1985. When those ranks existed they were abbreviated as SP4, SP5 and on up.

jonp

I was a Spec 4 in that timeframe. There were no Spec 5’s. You went from Private to PFC to Spec 4 then Sargent with Spec 4 being the Corporal. My understanding was that it was reserved for those with a specialty not directly in The Infantry/Combat MOS although we were Airborne and went where they did.

I made Spec 4 in about 3 yrs and it was a time in grade thing where you just had to not fuck up to get it. Going from there to E5 followed the regular course.

Hondo

API is correct, jonp. SP5s and SP6s existed until 1985. Any remaining SP5s and SP6s were mass-converted to “hardstripe” NCOs by DA in 1985.

SP5s were most often found in Combat Support/Service Support branches prior to the mid-1980s. They weren’t very common in Combat Arms branches. SP6s were much less common, but still existed in the mid-1980s. I think most were “holdovers” who’d made SP6 in the 1970s, but who’d not been converted to SSG since making E6.

SP7 went away in 1978. As I recall, those were most common in medical/dental and band specialties when they were done away with.

oldrmepilot

Hmm, we just called them Speedy fours or Speedy fives, never saw a 6,7, 8 or 9 but there were no W-5 pilots during my time either.

Hondo

W5 is a relatively recent thing, created in 1991. It was preceded in the Army in 1988 by the short-lived rank of MW4 – an odd rank that was pay grade W4, but required additional education and was technically senior to CW4. The paygrade W5 (and the rank of MWO, or Master Warrant Officer) wasn’t created until 1991. MWO has since been renamed CW5/Chief Warrant Officer 5.

jonp

We had a W4 in our unit that was very smart and knew everything about the commo stuff. No-one ever knew quite what to make of him as he didn’t stand in formations, show up in PT or for anything that we knew of except go into the field with us as a technical expert. Seemed like the greatest job in the world to me.

Martinjmpr

To make things even more confusing, when the Specialist grades were first introduced, there were ranks that had names like SP/3 (specialist 3rd class, equivalent to a corporal) up to Master Specialist which was at the top enlisted grade (E-7.)

Though obviously this was way before this turd’s time in.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specialist_(rank)

NormanS

On 25 AUG 71, I was awarded the rank of Specialist, 4th Class (Sp4) while serving in the 561st MP Co. On 04 MAY 76, I was awarded the rank of Specialist, 5th Class (SP5) while serving in Co. B, 2-159 Infantry (CA-ARNG). As I recall, we had a Sp7 Mess Steward in Co. B, 2-159 Infantry. Old, outdated ranks.

Graybeard

Spoiling a perfectly honorable record with his lies. Pathetic.

I’m wondering how he got a Vietnam Service Medal with one silver and three bronze stars. I’m sure someone will enlighten me.

Graybeard

Looking at the Guardian’s stuff, the daughters realized they’ve been lied to by their father.

One mentions a step-father – so I’m guessing that their mother realized she’d married a loser and cut her losses.

Lief “Bill” Arousell: you are a scumbag who has lied to his own children to build up your own ego.

I hereby nominate Lief “Bill” Arousell for the TAH WOI.

Hondo

Those are campaign stars; 1 silver and 3 bronze means he was there during 8 recognized Vietnam War campaigns. Arrive in-country on the last day of the campaign, and you still get credit for that campaign.

If he was in Vietnam during the 1967-1969 period, that’s indeed possible. There were 17 Vietnam campaigns, and some of them were pretty short.

Graybeard

So, he could be a REMF in Saigon and get campaign stars for something going on at the DMZ.

That imitates a shop vac.

David

OK, I must not be smart enough to read right – where in his duty assignments does it show he was actually in Vietnam? At least later (in my era), APO was Euro and FPO was the Asian end of things – I see no mention of any actual Vietnamese or FPO assignment. What am I missing?

Ex-PH2

It says he was assigned to an Engineering Battaltion, among other things, but the Battalion is US-stateside based, so it doesn’t say where they went.
His actual tours in Vietnam should be recorded in detail on the appropriate sheet in his personnel records, but won’t appear on the cover sheet that NPRC sends out.

Claw

His Vietnam outfit (although not readily identifiable as such) was the B Company, 27th Engineers.

27th Engineers fell under the 45th Engineers Group which was headquartered at Camp Eagle and worked all around the I Corps area supporting the 101st Airborne, 1st Bde, 5th Mech and whoever else needed dirt/mud pushed and shoved from one spot to another.

Hence, the 101st patch on his right sleeve. As far as his MOS, I’m putting my money on him being a dump truck operator.

Perry Gaskill

Nicely played, Claw. I wouldn’t have connected the OMG! Non-subdued! 101st patch to the 27th Engineers entry.

Claw

Details, My Friend, Details.

The Devil is always in the details.

Thanks for the Kudos.

Mr. Pete

However the 27th wasn’t assigned to the 101st, so he shouldn’t be wearing that divisional patch.

He most likely wore an I Corp patch if the 45th didn’t have their own.

Hondo

Under today’s rules, yes. However, if they were formally attached to the 101st he might be authorized the 101st patch on that basis. Not sure if that was the case or not – or if the rules for combat patches were the same during Vietnam as they were today.

Perry Gaskill

If memory serves, I Corps didn’t have a patch because it wasn’t a military unit per se. It was used to designate geography. The formal name for the four “Corps” in Viet Nam was “Military Region” usually shortened to MR-I, II and so forth. Overall organizational control beyond division level would have normally been considered to be MAC-V.

Combat Historian

Only the ARVN had a patch for I Corps/MR I. It was a black-fringed white circle with a Roman numeral “I”. The ARVN patches for II, II, and IV Corps were of the same design, except for the different roman numeral lettering…

Claw

Extracted from the 101st Airborne Vietnam Order of Battle:

Units on Temporary Assignment:

3/5 CAV
D Troop, 1/1 CAV
221st Medical Det, 44th Med Bde
39th Trans Bn, 1st Log Spt Cmd
27th Combat Engineer Bn, 45th Engineer Group (for a period of two years)

Claw

The 45th Engineer Group fell under the 18th Engineer Brigade.

The 18th patch was a diamond with a sword sticking up through a citadel/bastion.

Perry Gaskill

David, if memory serves, the Army and Air Force used APO (Army/Air Force Post Office), and the Navy and Marines used FPO (Fleet Post Office). During Viet Nam, Army mail was typically routed through a stateside APO such as San Francisco followed by a number similar to a Zip code. A typical address might be something such as: Sgt. John Doe, B Co. 2nd Bn 99th Inf. Div., APO San Francisco 99999 or whatever. Use of such mail addresses seems also fairly common for that era’s DD-214s but was not always consistent.

What seems to be the case with Arousell is that we can tell he was in RVN based on the awards on the first page of his DD-214, but we can’t tell where he was or what he was doing because the DD-214 second page with MOS and unit assignments is missing. Also, if you’ve got a time and a unit designation, you can usually figure out where somebody was in country.

Feel free to tell me to shut up if you already know this stuff…

akpual

I thought it was APO San Francisco, but my memory might be faulty. FPO being Navy

Hondo

The campaigns were theater-wide, Graybeard. Anyone serving anywhere in theater during a campaign – even for one day – qualified for the campaign star corresponding to that campaign.

It was no different for Gulf War I, Afghanistan, and Iraq. But there weren’t as many campaigns for those conflicts as there were in Vietnam.

Expeditionary medals are handed differently. Expeditionary medals don’t use campaign stars per se; service stars there typically indicate a subsequent award, in most cases for a different operation entirely. I think the GWOTEM is the only exception – I believe it now uses stars to indicate a subsequent qualifying deployment vice subsequent award for a different operation. And I’m not completely sure about that.

Hey, we’re talking DoD awards policy. It doesn’t have to make sense. (smile)

Graybeard

Sigh. There I go again, expecting a governmental agency to make sense.

Thanks, Hondo.

Skyjumper

There indeed were 17 Vietnam campaigns, Hondo.

For each campaign date time frame that you were in country for, you were awarded a “battle star”.

Here is a link to a army.mil history page detailing all of the campaigns & dates of.

https://history.army.mil/html/reference/army_flag/vn.html

AW1Ed

Every other beanie-bearing member of the nautically challenged branch I’ve seen wears the flash over the left eye. He must be special.

http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/army_board_study_guide_topics/uniforms/proper-wear-of-the-army-b.shtml

A Proud Infidel®™

He also wears that beret like an amateur French Pastry Cook, he’s THAT special!

IDC SARC

Is he a primordial dwarf or is that beret flash just fukking heeeyooooge?

Graybeard

Went over to GGB link, and they point out it is oversized. One of the clues of his fakery.

IDC SARC

Thanks…I knew it wasn’t regulation. Was just joking. 🙂

Graybeard

Figured you knew.

But the primordial dwarf option is just too logical to some readers.

IDC SARC

The experimental Primordial Dwarf A Team known as “Ringling’s Raiders” is also renown for their gallantry. Hate to have him fabricate an association with a such a historically significant unit or even the lesser known “Barnum’s Bastards” 🙂

Graybeard

What he don’t know, he can’t lie about.

Martinjmpr

It’s the large print flash for posers with failing eyesight.

Combat Historian

Doofus doesn’t know how to wear a beret; he’s wearing it Frenchy style. The guy is pathetic…

Hondo

Not to mention wearing a nonsubdued CIB on BDUs. (smile)

A Proud Infidel®™

A well as non-subdued patches on the same, he’s more ate up than a chocolate dildo in a crowded gay bar on Valentine’s Day!

Hondo

A few units by local policy have worn nonsubdued unit patches on utility uniforms – the 101st during Vietnam and the 1st ID until recently come to mind. But as far as I know, NO unit has ever authorized the wear of nonsubdued skill badges on utility uniforms.

Graybeard

Am I not correct in believing that the SF beret is worn in the manner of the Scottish bonnet?
The Scots put the Clan Crest over the left eye – I believe so that you could identify the guy you were fighting over his shield.
Rogers’ Rangers used a green Scottish bonnet (as differentiated from the more standard blue bonnet), leading to the current headgear of our SF folks, I understand.

I’m sure others here can expand and expound on this – and where I’m all off-base.

Ex-PH2

I had to look that up. You usually see the Scottish bonnet worn over the right eye, but there seems to be a variation of it.

https://www.houseoftartan.co.uk/scottish/itempage.asp?itemid=2147237027&pc=1399&catid=12120

Graybeard

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balmoral_bonnet
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_bonnet_(hat)

show the mark of loyalty on the wearers’ left.

However, it appears that even in Rogers’ Rangers how the bonnet was worn was subject to personal preference – with the bonnet pulled to one side or the other to shade/shelter one side of the face or head as desired.

When I ran a training for adults to lead their youth through the Venturing Ranger award, the staff wore reproductions of the green Rogers’ Rangers bonnet. I’m always impressed when someone recognizes it as a Scottish bonnet and not a beret.

Ex-PH2

Yes, and let’s remember that it is a Scottish bonnet.

It is NOT a scotch bonnet, which is a superhot pepper that will bring tears to your entire body and melt you from the inside out.

Graybeard

Mine is made of wool and my favorite headpiece in cool/cold weather.

I have the Venturing badge affixed on it, however, to minimize confusion as much as possible.

I avoid scotch bonnets and their cousins like the plague. Although I enjoy stuffing a jalepeno with cream cheese, wrapping it in bacon, and grilling it. Good stuff.

rgr769

He is also wearing it Jessie Macbeth style, which happens when one has never worn one on active duty.

Hondo

Hmm. Total service of 17 y 3+mo (after accounting for breaks in service), then was discharged from the RC as an E4 in 1986. I’m guessing there’s a chance that discharge just might not have been voluntary.

ChipNASA

Yeah,
I was thinking that as well.
He’s Special Forces alright.
Specially Forced Junk Stomper.
Both Feet. At the same time

Graybeard

The Guardians of the Green Beret mention, in passing, a phone discussion with him of his disciplinary issues, which they have not reported as it does not directly bear on whether or not he was SF.

I’m guessing that he has always been a lying no-good pile of diseased elephant excrement.

A Proud Infidel®™

I’d say there’s good evidence that he was a less than standard Soldier.

OC

For phuqs sake I made spec4 in less than 18 months.

Fjardeson

Yeah, 17y3+mo service, only one GCM… something is decomposing in Scandinavia.

Fjardeson

Also born 1941 enlisted 1967…. kinda old to be drafted, smells like one of those good old “Military or Jail” situations in court

A Proud Infidel®™

VERY likely!

Hondo

Well, most of his time (10+ years) was ARNG or USAR service, apparently not on active duty. As I recall, the GCM isn’t awarded for such service – and some ARNG/USAR units aren’t veryt good about awarding the RC equivalent (the ARCAM) to their troops.

However: with 7+ years of consecutive RA service at the beginning of his career, with a clean disciplinary record he should have 2 GCMs. So something does appear to be “off” there.

Graybeard

Leif “Bill” Arousell discharged 1986.
One Leif Arousell dob 12/20/1941 was convicted of child molestation 02/16/1989 and sentenced to 5 years.

Given how the wheels of justice grind slowly, there is the possibility that, if this is the same Leif Arousell, that he was busted to S4 and give an other than honorable discharge because he played the wrong games with children.

A Proud Infidel®™

If he was convicted of that, I say it’s a pity he didn’t break his neck falling up and down a number of staircases.

1610desig

Don’t tickle me there, Elmo…

jedipsycho (Certified Space Shuttle Door Gunner)

What an old turd, who smeared his own feces on his own record, which may not have been stellar, but at least it was real.

Jeff LPH 3, 63-66

He served at the time, but why didn’t he LEIF out the BS about being a Green Beret.

AnotherPat

Oh, no….He’s wearing the Screaming Eagles Patch..

*Sigh*

Claw

Yeah. My patch. A patch I proudly wore on both shoulders for my entire first three year enlistment.

And it was full color on both sleeves. No subdued shit for me.

Graybeard

This time the Eagle is screaming Not Mine!!! Not Mine!!!

1610desig

And those sort of rolled up sleeves and that deadly combat shooting stance…this geriatric putz is so bad he’s actually good…like that movie “Plan Nine from Outer Space”

Graybeard

Notice he’s holding a revolver?

David

and what’s wrong with that?

Graybeard

I would expect a real SF type to use a semiauto with more than 6 rounds.

While I like a good revolver personally – especially the old Colt Python – for EDC I want some more rounds readily available.

Even given the fact that Those Who Know assure me that only the first two rounds count, everything afterwards is to make the perp keep his head down while you get the hades out of Dodge.

The Old Maj

I think the point he was trying to make was that he is a convicted felon and holding the revolver would be a violation of Federal and State law.

AnotherPat

O.M.G!!!

I think he is a Registered Sex Offender from Indiana for child molesting!

http://www.in.gov/apps/indcorrection/ofs/ofs?lname=Arousell&fname=&search1.x=45&search1.y=22

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.courtrecords.org/amp/people/Leif+Arousell+IN/

It’s got to be him. How many other Leif B. Arousells are there in the US?

I also thought that if you are registered in one State and relocate, that you had to register in your new State…yet, I can’t find him registered in Florida.

Did I get this wrong?

Brown Neck Gaitor

It would appear that he might not be required to be registered in IN

NOTICE: TO ALL VIOLENT OFFENDERS WHO COMMITTED THEIR OFFENSES IN INDIANA PRIOR TO JULY 1, 2007 AND WHO ARE NOT REQUIRED TO REGISTER AS VIOLENT OFFENDERS AS A CURRENT CONDITION OF PROBATION OR PAROLE

The violent offender law requiring registration and a registry of violent offenders is unconstitutionally retroactive under the Indiana Constitution as applied to violent offenders who committed their offenses in Indiana before the date the law went into effect, July 1, 2007, except insofar as the persons are required to register as a current condition of probation or parole.

If you have been classified as violent offender as a result of committing the offense in Indiana prior to July 1, 2007, and you are not currently required to register as a condition of probation or parole, the Indiana Department of Correction has been ordered to remove your name and all information concerning you from the sex and violent offender registry, unless you are convicted of other offenses that allow you to be currently classified as a sex or violent offender.

verycoolmandave

It’s possible he did his crime before it had to be recorded in the registry.

Speaking of FL I know of a former coworker/classmate on the FL registry but no longer lives there. If he registered in FL at any point in his life, it appears he will always be in the registry there.

He committed a sex crime towards a minor in NY. He left the state after prison and bounced around between FL and VA. He no longer lives in FL but still on the registry there, says that he moved back to VA.

And yes he’s back in prison for who knows what.

Skyjumper

Leif Arousell?
Shouldn’t that be “Leaf Arousal”?
According to the Urban Dictionary, this is a person who becomes overly sexually aroused/stimulated by photoperiodism.

Also, according to the 670-1, the CIB should take precedence and be worn above the jump wings, not below it on a duty uniform.

http://ar670.com/uploads/articles/316/29-58_wear_subduced_combat_special_skills_badges.png

Course, what can you expect from a dicked up old phart!

A Proud Infidel®™

He holds a pistol like an Airsoft Commando wannabe!

OldManchu

And it looks like he is discharging it in his trailer park. I wonder if he has permission to do that.

Mason

~18 years in, rockets all the way to Spec4, and gets drummed out before qualifying for a retirement?

Real high drag, low speed kind of fella. Real spec ops shooting stance there, leaned up against the broadside of the barn.

rgr769

Amazing display of uniform fucktardary there, Leif. I was going to lay it all out, but why tip off the next POSer douches out there. I think Leif may have some senility going on here; but then again, his family implies he has been rocking the GB lie for decades. He does check all the boxes except for a “service” dog. Is he living the dream in Floriduh like most of our “heroes?” If that is him in the Indiana link, he has a problem possessing firearms.

Graybeard

It could be a bb gun… but still.

1610desig

I think when the trigger is pulled a little flag springs out the barrel that says “bang”

Tony180A

I feel cheated! I didn’t get the coveted Special Forces mess with the best die like the rest patch he’s rocking on his pocket.

rgr769

Me neither.
I have a an embroidered cap that says that, but I blacked it out with a sharpie, because I don’t like wearing stoopid meaningless slogans.

FatCircles0311

What a shitfuck.

HMCS(FMF) ret

Another SPECIAL FECES BUTT SNIPER!

JACK SHIT

Leif Bill Arousell DOES NOT know me.

AnotherPat

In one of his pictures, he is holding a bottle that appears to have amber contents.

Based on some research, discovered he did have alcohol problems in the past.

That may have been a factor in him being discharged as an E4/SPC. He wasn’t arrested and served time in jail/prison for child molestation until 1989, so don’t know if that had anything to do with his 1986 discharge:

http://www.insideprison.com/state-inmate-search.asp?lnam=Arousell&fnam=Leif&county=johnson&st_abb=IN&id=267923188

Perhaps as he got older, he felt ashamed of what he did in the past or did not want his family to know what happened, so he reinvented himself to be a “hero”, i.e. a Green Beret and moving to Florida, never realizing the truth would evidentually come out about him.

I think he is denying all of this because he is scared, not because of arrogance or ego. He may be afraid of losing his family, his new reputation in Florida, his job, anything.

Just theories.

Old Trooper

Wow. Don’t have much to say about this guy.

Just wow.

To his daughters: I’m sorry you had to grow up with all the bs stories.

First clue he’s full of shit; the beret and the way it’s worn.

Graybeard

Yeah, lying to your family about what you’ve done really puts him in a special class of scumbag.

Green Thumb

Ain’t no phony like an old phony…..

Old 1SG, US Army (retired)

Why in the world would someone with a criminal record for child molestation go out of his way to bring attention to himself posing as something he is not?

This guy is an idiot…

BTW, his beret is flopped over in the wrong direction, even a REMF can see that.