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
In honor of Star Wars day…
The Schmuckitude is strong with this one…yes….hmmm
This is all obviously a botched government screen for his real job… The secretest of secret squirrels.
Forgery of a DD214 should mean a minimum of 1 year in a federal “pound-me-in-the-ass” prison.
JP I agree.
It should be punished the same as counterfeiting money.
If he’s getting money or profit out of it, it’s fraud, isn’t it? That should be how he’s punished.
JP, Wink: forgery/alteration/possession or use of forged/altered discharge documents (DD214s) is indeed a Federal crime (18 USC 498). Unfortunately, it’s a misdemeanor – one year is the max sentence.
As Ex-PH2 observes, using a forged document to gain something of value (like a free trip halfway across the country) would also appear to be fraud. Depending on the value of the trip, that could be a felony. And since it involved defrauding an entity in another state, it might well be prosecutable by Federal authorities as wire or mail fraud also.
I’d go with whichever carries the longest prison term, PH. If the punishment for fraud is the same as for forgery, then the easiest one to prosecute would be the best choice. Or try one and get a plea for the other.
Then, when he gets out of prison, he should be required to see to his wife’s needs from a kneeling position for the rest of his life. Chanting “I’m an idiot” while he takes care of her would be a nice touch.
Maggot.
I agree, OWB. He should be the maid, cook, bottle washer, toilet cleaner (using a toothbrush, of course) and all-around gofer for a very, very long time.
Such a JERK!
Still find it difficult to believe that the wife did not know.
I kind of feel the same way, #10. He and his wife were married in 2002. He claims injury in Iraq (at least the stories do), and it it was supposed to be OIF, they were married at the time he would have to deploy.
Even if she did know, the fraud is his (until we see something suggesting that she was actively involved). Even if she came to suspect the fraud over time, what is a spouse supposed to do about it? The spousal relationship is different from all others in the obligation to share information.
Whatever way, knowing, suspecting or being completely clueless, she is paying a very high price for his lies. Assuming that the entire thing was her idea (which there is nothing to support at this point), she is suffering punishment much worse than any court could has assessed.
Oh I completely agree, OWB. Just throwing it out there that I’m starting to think she wasn’t as clueless as everyone believes.
Truth is, they both are paying for it regardless of the outcome of the investigation. Just more proof that Stolen Valor isn’t always a victimless crime.
I do take some consolation in knowing that it was a poser and his wife who were hurt in that tragedy rather than a real PH recipient and his wife. Call me cold, but that’s just how I think.
Looks like, in this situation that “Karma” was actually a freight train.
Actually, several wounded warriors died in that same accident. The consolation I have is that this clown filled a seat that saved some other wounded warrior from potential harm that day.
@15.
I agree. Strange, but I do.
@15. That’s what I was getting at lol
Hondo-one minor quibble: in point number 4 the dates for combat in Iraq should be 2003-2011 not 2003-2010.
@15
The sad part about this is the way this guy operates, he probably will try to claim some award off your exact thought.
@ #19: That does seem to be the ways his mind works!
68W58: error noted and corrected. Thanks for catching that and bringing it to my attention.
I always considered OIF ending in 2007. 😀
I got to pick between the GWOTEM and Iraq Campaign award. Also the bit about foreign service, does that mean any service outside of the United States? Is it different for each branch? I have a good 10 months deployed in SE Asia that wasn’t included on my foreign service yet the sea service on float time is listed. My DD214 is all sorts of dicks and when I tried to get it updated I never heard back from those clowns.
Military has the worst records.
FatCircles0311: the interplay between GWOTEM, ACM and ICM is complicated as hell. The ACM and ICM were established by ExOrd 13363 on 29 Nov 2004. Prior to that date, the GWOTEM (established along with the GWOTSM on 12 March 2003 by ExOrd 13289) was awarded for service in either Iraq or Afghanistan. However, the implementation date for the ACM and ICM was 30 Apr 2005 (that’s true for the Army, and I think the implementation date was DoD-driven and is the same for all services). For tours beginning on or after 2 April 2005, barring a “corner case” occurrence such as being involved in a firefight or getting MEDEVACed out of theater, only the ICM or ACM is authorized (assuming the 30 days consecutive/60 days service requirement is met, of course). This is because persons who qualified for the GWOTEM prior to 30 Apr 2005 remain so qualified at their option. If you arrived on or after 2 Apr 2005, barring a firefight or MEDEVAC due to wounds/duty related injuries you won’t meet minimum GWOTEM requirements (30 days consecutive service). People who served a single tour with 30 days service before AND after 30 Apr 2005 get one or the other – but generally not both. The “no two medals for the same qualifying period of service” requirement disallows getting both, and one tour is generally considered a single period of service. (There are some of corner cases involving change of mission/duty station, extensive travel, and combat incidents where one can qualify for both, but I’ll spare you that discussion; the variations get complicated enough it makes my head hurt.) People who qualified for GWOTEM before 30 Apr 2005 can opt to receive either the ACM or ICM instead for a particular tour in Iraq or Afghanistan. However, if they do so they must give up the GWOTEM for the periods associated with the ACM or ICM replacing it. If someone with a GWOTEM for service before 30 Apr 2005 serves another tour in-theater and qualifies for the ACM or ICM based on that later tour, they get the ACM… Read more »
@23. I have no clue how that works. I spent 21 months deployed in support of OIF and it isn’t listed in Foreign Service or Sea Service blocks. It was all combat, and none was on a ship, so I have no clue. It can be frustrating, for sure.
I got lucky and ended up with the GWOTEM and the ICM (w/4 stars) because we deployed to Kuwait in January 2003 and were technically ISO OEF. It’s complicated, for sure.
Thank you for that analysis. After listening to his war stories for years, I had a difficult time determining what was true and what was a lie. Apparently everything he told us about his service was a lie. I’m guessing that he was never a federal game warden at Fort Benning, nor was he a general’s bodyguard at Fort Hood. That also means he wasn’t a Ranger in Mogadishu in 1993. Nor did he shoot an Iraqi prisoner. Wasn’t a sniper, either.
I remember watching the news after the train wreck and thinking, he’s never been to Panama! Why do they think he’s been to Panama? I always wondered why he didn’t just tell the story about how he got his PH in Iraq. Now I know. He wasn’t there either I’d already figured out that he lied about Somalia years ago.
Shane’s whole personality, his whole reputation was built on his exploits in the army. That house of cards has fallen. I’m angry and sad, both as a veteran and as his former friend, that his lies were so pervasive and complete. I trusted him quite literally like a brother. And he repaid that trust by lying to my whole family about everything. Last year, before the wreck, we realized that he was a liar and not trustworthy, so we severed our ties. Looks like we made the right decision.
EdUSMCleg: indeed it does get complicated. And it doesn’t always pass the common sense test, either.
Per Army guidance, RSOI and local train-up in Kuwait for a unit deploying to Iraq was NOT supposed to count for the GWOTEM. That’s because the RSOI processing and local train-up was considered part of the Iraq tour, even if it took 30+ days, because the ultimate duty station was Iraq and the mission was in Iraq.
However, someone sent ahead of time with an advance party to coordinate the main body’s arrival was technically performing duty in Kuwait vice Iraq. If they were in that status 30 or more days before moving north, they DID qualify for the GWOTEM because their formal duty station for those 30 or more days was Kuwait vice Iraq and their mission was Kuwait support during that time frame. Their time in Iraq didn’t start until their mission changed.
Go figure.
lol Yup. Crazy. I mean, we were the first battalion from 7th Marines to be sent over, and we weren’t sent for training. We held down the area while they built up tent-city. I guess because it was for OEF on our orders that is why we rated it. Then again, I have no clue.
@27- Thanks for sharing. His supporters are trying to say he never claimed he was in Iraq and never said he was given an award there. We know that is BS, but it is good to hear it from someone who actually knew him.
I know quite a few of his supporters. They fall into two categories. Those that are friends of his wife and desperately want to believe him, for her sake….and those that are like him. He has several close friends that lie as much as him. Former military folks.
There are a few others that I don’t know. I don’t know which category they fall into.
TAH should have a contest: who can forge the best DD-214.
Bonus points for other documents.
Call it: “DD-214 of the Week”.
Prizes, rewards, poser signatures, etc.
Sky is the limit.
can i do mine in crayon? oh and make myself a E-10, its a secret rank, thats why ya have never heard of it.
Contest for phoniest DD-214? I’m in!
Folks: bad idea to gin up a fake DD214, even as a joke. 18 USC 498 says that’s not a “good thing”.
The Federal government doesn’t take it as seriously as faking some other things (like currency), but it can still cause you problems. And Federal LE reputedly doesn’t have much of a sense of humor regarding “jokes”.
@35.
It was a joke.
Was thinking of creating a “Form Fake 214” with an authorized use date through Sept 1824. Even so, somebody out there would take it as something other than a joke. Too bad.
OWB, I was thinking 1783 and sadly many of the younger generation wouldn’t understand the significance of that year.
Ah, nice Twist.
Probably no legal issue if the form is so obviously bogus due to changed language, appearance, etc . . . , that a reasonable person would see it was a joke. (Disclaimer: I’m not a lawyer.)
Perhaps the form could be titled “Lawful Immediate Authority for Release” instead “Certificate of Release or Discharge . . . .”? Numbering it “Bureau of Statistics Form 214” (BS-214) might be a good touch, too.
For the period of service (2003 – 2004) in blocks 12.a. & 12.b., Ladner’s DD214 revision (NOV 88) is outdated. The DD214 revision he should have been issued (if legitimate) is the FEB 2000 revision. As a current employee working in military recruiting, we see 214’s on a daily basis. I’m currently viewing one for a member whose service dates are from 2005 – 2009, and at the bottom of it is “DD FORM 214, FEB 2000” and “Previous Edition is Obsolete”.
Good idea, Hondo!
MCPO: true. However, I can verify from personal knowledge that some places were still generating DD214s using the Nov 88 version as late as Nov 2003. It’s conceivable Benning may have still been using that version in Oct 2004.
The current version of the DD214 is Aug 2009.
Master Chief–unlike nukedom and a few other places, most of the “old” forms are of the “use until exhausted” type.
It would seem strange, but not unconceivable, that this form would be used at a very large command like Benning, but meh. His shit’s so fucked up it really doesn’t matter anyway.
Burn him. Bet he weighs the same as a duck, too.
NHSparky: the last 4 edition of DD Form 214 (Jul 1979; Nov 1988; Feb 2000; and Aug 2009) each explicitly superseded the previous version when implemented, declaring previous versions to be obsolete. However, that doesn’t always seem to be strictly enforced.
So noted, and I stand corrected. I know some are, some aren’t, and some people just don’t give a shit which is which.
Until the ORSE team steps on board.
what a joke. where’s their friend susan who has been taking money from people to go to this con artist??
both meg and shane need to get back to work and quit begging. She lost a leg, he hurt his back. so what!?
Hey @31 – you know this poser. Do you think his military buddies he hangs with have true credentials? Has he come out with his proof yet? From what I can see the only proof is he’s crazy….. May be in need of heavy meds! Instead of hiring an attorney he should have checked into a facility for mental health. Lies, lies, lies!!!! Wish Travis would do a follow up.
@49, my military credentials have never been questioned. I can’t speak for the other veterans he hangs out with.