Keith “Big Dawg” Keeton; won the Gulf War by himself
Our buddy, Scotty, hunted down this clown, Keith Keeton, who apparently won the Gulf War all by himself. The story he tells is that, as a staff sergeant, he was receiving the surrender of an Iraqi general when he was shot by his Saudi translator’s pistol (the first victim of a green-on-blue attack), earning a Purple Heart, and as an engineer, he killed an Iraqi T-72 tank, despite the fact that Engineers don’t have an anti-armor capability once they leave the cover of the infantry unit to which they’re attached.
Anyway, here’s what the NPRC says about the Purple Heart;
There’s also no mention of that Bronze Star, either.
You’ll notice in the picture that he’s wearing jump wings and a Purple Heart on his little motorcycle jacket. Well, there’s no jump school listed in his training;
And his participation in the Gulf War lasted 11 days a couple of weeks after the war ended;
Scotty has more on the clown.
Category: Phony soldiers
Give the “Big Dawg” a bone! Why does this Bozo have to embelish? He had honorable career, nothing to be ashamed of in the least.
“Big Dog”, eh? Kinda fits, actually.
He certainly lies like a dog.
…
No. Really, the best I can come up with is …
Oh and the reason he thinks Engineers are AT is thanks to Battlefield 2 and Bad Company where the engineers carry the AT gear. I might have a photoshop in mind for this clown’s entry into the SV Awards.
I know this guy but can’t remember where I’ve seen him before. It’s driving me NUTS!! I’ve got to ask around but it’s either from GA or FL I’ve ran into him before. I think cause of his MC. Gots some brain storming to do.
He had nothing to do with it.
I blowed him up myself. It was my pistola discharged at him because it was allergic to his imaginary stories and sneezed in his general direction, which same sneezing missed his kneecaps by a country mile and he ran away.
My pistola is offended (and so is my pet steer) for not having got any recognition for this uncanny deed.
Hey, I’m gettin’ better at making up these idiot stories than they are. Where’s my bazooka?
#1,
Nothing to be ashamed of, but a rather average career based on his records. Kind of like most of us have–nothing exceptional, but nothing subpar either. Hell, he earned a Gold Recruiter Badge back before they were seemingly handed out (fortunately the entire USAREC “Incentive Awards Program” is gone now, but Soldiers I’ve talked to that recruited in the ’70s and ’80s seemed to have had a much tougher time making mission than those of us who have engaged communities since 9/11).
Where is he? Let me know and if it is anywhere near my AO I will ask him some things about Jump School…..
A perfectly honorable time in the military has to be destroyed in order to add more glory.
Damn shame.
Why? After reading the FOIA letter, it appears that this man-child has/had plenty enough to be proud of with his real awards. Why did he have to step off into The Douche Side with phony awards and schools??
Book ’em, Dano!
@7 – Frankly, Frankly, I think it was actually Hump School he went to.
@6, you’re right, a Gold Recruiter Badge in Boston Bn wasn’t easy at most recruiting stations. Wonder what the circumstances were to get out before twenty years….was the 15 year early retirement available in 92?
One thing in the guy’s record of duty assignments at Scotty’s site piqued my curiosity. One of his evals (8707-8805) is coded as “FIN”. I can’t find or figure out the translation for that late-1980s eval code (that code had apparently been discontinued by the 2004 edition of AR 600-8-24, which is the oldest one I’ve found). The others – INIT (initial), CR (Change of Rater), and ANL (Annual) – are pretty straightforward.
Anyone out there know what that code means?
How about FIN = Final? Finis? Finale? Found In Nightstand?
Give the POGUE a bone?
Its bad enough for civilians to lie about military service.
But to have people who were in, lie about what they did
while in. I just don’t get it? Your stories do not impress me. Just be who you are, now that would impress me.
Four GCM’s and still a SSG.
Turd.
A real shame. It is so irritating to watch this sort of stuff. Had he not lied, simply told the truth, how, in his mind, would that have diminished the apparently good things he has done since? Does he not understand that there are plenty of individuals out here who admire vets who did nothing special in their military careers who contribute positive things to society after their military careers?
@12, if I recall correctly, detailed recruiters didn’t receive NCOERs in the 80’s.
The tour was three years, and he spent more time and changed duty stations. I wonder if he converted to 00R, or volunteered for the duty, in which case he would have been 00R qualified when leaving the school. He also went from 00R40 to 00R30 in 890101, before leaving USAREC. Not sure what FIN would mean, maybe FINAL in 12B before converting to 00R?
RunPatRun: don’t think 15 year retirement came about until 1992-1993 (or maybe 1992-1994); ditto for the VSI program. But this guy didn’t get a 15-year retirement – he was discharged vice retired, and he didn’t make 15 years (he only made 14 yr 22 days per his FOIA).
His separation could have been due to a number of things – chapter, med board (bad enough to discharge but not bad enough to retire), QMP, or possibly even a bar to reenlistment (regs in the mid-1980s allowed someone to apply for immediate discharge if he/she received a bar and the individual felt they couldn’t overcome it, and I think the same was true in the early 1990s).
The timing of his discharge is also rather interesting. Looks like the guy separated immediately after coming back from the Gulf, or maybe even while his unit was still there. His 2-1 indicates he left his unit on 19 June 1991, and his formal separation date was roughly a month later (29 July 1991), almost certainly due to terminal leave.
That sudden of a departure after the Gulf War does make me wonder a bit. I guess it could be due to his being caught up in STOP-LOSS and a quick ETS after STOP-LOSS was lifted, but even that raises questions. As I recall, tours in Germany back then were 2 yrs unaccompanied/3 years accompanied, and one had to extend to have enough time left to complete the tour. He arrived in Germany in early Sep 1989; Jun 1991 isn’t 2 or 3 years after that.
Lotsa questions here. Would love to know some answers.
One ARCOM and one AAM? either all his awards didn’t make it into his records (I had one or two ARCOMs and I think one AAM that didn’t get into mine) but come on, by the time I was a full bird pvt I had a fist full of ARCOMs and AAMs, all before I got my good conduct. hell, two of my ARCOMS were PCS awards and this guy has three overseas awards? and I thought if you did good on recruiting you would rate something more than maybe duty assignment of choice. Don’t recruiters and Drills rate a MSM after their tours are done and they didn’t screw up?
As others have pointed out with his length of service and time on station in Germany, something aint right the way his career came skidding to a halt.
Any chance of getting his 214 so we can see his reentry code and character of/reason for discharge? that might clear a lot of this up.
Okay, FWIW –
I was a USAF NPS recruiter 89-93. They were offering early retirements in 92 and 93, originally without planning to give them to recruiters, but the goons at USAFRS were overridden. The result was that RS as a whole lost about 1/4 of its recruiters, and we lost a bit more than that in our squadron. Standard going away present in USAFRS was an AFCM, but they refused to authorize it (at that time) unless you had been 100% every year of your tour and a silver badge (110%) at least once. Flight chiefs had a chance at an MSM, but only if their flights had met the same rules.
He lost me when he was talking about “arresting” Iraqi officers. There was a bump in discharges right after the Gulf War. We had guys with shady records, actually being processed for separation when TSHTF. They bought that to a screeching halt, As soon as the shit was over they got rid of them quicker than a cat can lick it’s own ass.
That he got processed as a Staff NCO is evident that he wasn’t up to snuff enough for them to fight to keep him in. I’m betting there was some ass-hattery involved in him not retiring.
I’m wondering if he fabricated his Dad’s rank also?
“Engineers don’t have an anti-armor capability” – actually as late as 1989, they had 90mm recoilless rifles. IMHO, for us Mech guys, that would have been better than the (Spit!) Dragon POS.
As a former Company Commander at about the same time, I’m betting on a Bar to re-enlistment forcing him out. One of my SSGs had one and the appeals process was a stone bitch. Something about the “14 years” part also strikes me as pertinent to his discharge.
I’m just wondering if he got caught with his pants down. 😛
Wish I kept a copy of my 2-1, which would help decipher the 71L-00R time frame since I did the same thing, at the same time, in the same BDE. Ah, not worth the effort.
There was a LOT of QMP action going on around that time. Weight could have been a factor, or PT.
Al T.: could be, especially if it was imposed due to misconduct or substandard performance while in the sandbox. The timing strikes me more as a chapter or QMP action that was suspended because of the Gulf War, then was resumed as soon as STOP LOSS was lifted. But either works.
The more I think about it, the more curious I get about that 10-month “FIN” NCOER in 1988 and his move to a different, lower-graded duty position under a different rater which immediately followed. I’m wondering if there’s a story there that might have a bearing on his discharge at 14 years.
Wow…he was born at Ft. Beginning…so was I. But it was a POST not a damn base. It went downhill for me after that. As for getting shot and arrests made…unreal! This fuckig douchebag saw the movie Devil Brigade one too many times. Fucking leg poser.
Got a link for Scotty?
disregard, I’m an idiot.
Wasn’t US Military Veterans Motorcycle Club the same club where we found Monkress. Someone called me and asked that I take the name of the club off of the post that I wrote and they said that they’d handle it. Now I’m wondering…. Some of you contacted the club. Do you remember?
Maggot.
@ #31: That sounds correct. (Don’t quote me widely on that because the memory is not what it used to be.) I had the same question upon reading this post.
I really hate these turds.
Don’t blame COL Trautman for this Army of One.
What a douche. I have a PH and was a communications weenie was MEDVAC and retired after only 3.5 years of service. I meet so many veterans who always claim to me they were injured in Iraq or Afghanistan. Last night after a night out my friends I went to an iHop where my server gave me a BS story about how he has a bullet in his heart, he has shrapnel in his body, and stayed in country and kept fighting for another 7 months after his injury. He claims he suffers from PTSD so severe that he got a medical discharge for it and that the VA will not pay for his medical treatment. I asked him why he was not CH 61 retired or MEDVAC out. He gave me some BS excuse as to why and when asked why he did not have a PH he gave me a BS excuse. The PH is the only award that is an entitlement if you meet the criteria it cannot be denied. After talking to this guy a little more and telling him I am retired from wounds received in Afghanistan in 2008 and I told him if his wounds were as bad as he says he would have been medically retired. After I called him out on it, it turns out he was discharged at his MOS school for shin splints. I hate people that lie about having a PH. It took everything I had after 30 minutes of his BS story not to punch him in the face. He is essentially begging for tips with a BS story and although the VA is not perfect most of the staff I have met are hardworking. I do not want assholes like that saying the VA is not helping veterans especially if he never served in theater.
The Douche Force is strong with this assclown.
I’m very proud to have repaired mess kits in bosnia and Iraq…I slipped on a banana peal in the mess hall and spilled coffee on my pants, but there’s no record of it because it was classified
Yup love that old 90mm fun in the sun.
Hondo, the more I think about it, the more I think he was called to the Sandbox to have his BtR appeal denied or was QMP’ed and was quickly discharged. I knew his Brigade Commander very well. Suspect as Keeton was apparently on Rear Detachment, something happened that required him to be sent to Kuwait to answer to his chain of command.
so I just reread the paperwork on him and the first time I read it I thought he was a 12B, turns out he was a 12E, which I guess if my google-fu is to be believed, was an atomic demolitions munitions specialist. Seems this MOS went the way of the cold war, just like a lot of MOSs did after Desert Storm. Side note, when I was doing OSUT at Benning in 92 we had a bunch of AIT walkons from the Lance and Hawk MOSs.
Man this is killing me, any chance to get his 214?
Hondo,,is this guy legit?
http://conservativevideos.com/2013/04/purple-heart-recipient-talks-about-saving-lives-on-battlefields/
@42, Pete, you may want to use the contact link at the top of the page and send it straight t the good staff here at TAH. someone in the comments section on that page is already throwing the bullshit flag on his tall tail
Pete, I just rewatched that vid you linked and I just sent it in to the staff here at TAH. That guys is spinning a tall one.
Andy,,that guy is a friggin trip. same blood type on a random wounded with a self transfusion? i’ll stand fast and let Hondo do his magic before i say anything further.
#20,
During my time in USAREC, only one detailed Recruiter received an MSM, but he had made the MSG list and been an acting 1SG for a few months (somehow, even at the time people were wondering why it wasn’t a 79R SFC covering down). Another SFC had served in the same area for 10 years (as an AGR Recruiter) and had earned numerous Recruiter of the Month, Quarter, and accolades earlier on. He was given an ARCOM when he finally PCS’ed. I pulled the Recruiter History Report for both of them–the guy with the MSM after three years wrote maybe 60 contracts while the guy with the ARCOM after ten years wrote over 150 despite being on battalion staff for a couple of years.
I’m not defending the subject of this post, especially as a single AAM and ARCOM is odd for an NCO with more than a few years of service. Still, awards seem to be either freely given or hard to come by depending on leadership and units, so I wouldn’t base too much on his lack of awards.
pete, Andy: yeah, the guy certainly sounds like he’s completely full of it. “Boot camp” at Fort Benning, “transferred” to the Marines, serving as a “medic” supporting the Marines (last I heard the USMC was supported by Navy Corpsmen, not Army medics) – all of those sound flaky.
And although I’m no doctor or medic, his claimed medical exploits also sound kinda bogus to me. In particular, I don’t think too many people survive a ruptured/lacerated aorta (or are even conscious for long after suffering one) and I don’t think transfusions are generally made into an artery – but I could be wrong about both. Maybe one of our combat medics here can comment from a professional point of view.
Regarding a FOIA: unless the name is spectacularly rare, more than just a name is almost always needed for a reasonable chance of a “hit” on a FOIA request (“Josh Kelly” alone ain’t gonna do it). At a minimum, full name (first/middle/last), DOB or SSN, service, and time frame of service is generally required to have any realistic chance of getting something back from NPRC besides a “you didn’t send us enough info to find anything” form letter.
If someone can come up with more info on the guy (full name and DOB OR first/MI/last and SSN, plus approx dates of service) on the guy, I’ll be quite happy to file a FOIA.
Guys like this, and there are many out there just like him are why I no longer associate with the MCs. Far too often at the poker runs, bike nights and other events you run into those individuals that are a little too gung-ho or too well decorated. There doesn’t seem to be any vetting of their membership both in their military service and in their riding abilities or as I have seen in more than a few cases, inabilities.
#47 Hondo. Nothing found yet on Josh Kelly other than his name. No way was he an Army Medic assigned to a Marine unit.His whole story is bogus.
This guy is full of sh*t. It was I “who won the Gulf War all by himself.”
Yes while station at Machrihanish, RAF Base in Scotland with NSW Unit TWO.
Now although I never did “killed an Iraqi T-72 tank”, I did wound a Water Buffalo and almost snapped a rotor off a C-130 when I backed a truck a bit too close! I aint” no airdale so cut me some slack.