Steven L. Dan; the phony Ranger
The folks at fake Warriors send us the background they did on one Steven Lawrence Dan of Monroe, Ohio. Apparently, he got into a skirmish of sorts with a fellow employee and had to write a letter of apology to his boss and a couple of other people. I wouldn’t even stick my nose in except he hit a couple of my hot button issues in his apology. In explaining away his apparently violent behavior, he wrote;
…, if I may I would like to let you know a little about my past. I know you know some but here are the highlights so to speak. Before I started in the HVAC trade I was a soldier in the United States Army. More specifically I was an Army Ranger stationed at Ft. Benning in Georgia. I served just over 10 years on active duty with 5 combat tours between Afghanistan and Iraq, plus other deployments before the tragedy of 9/11. I have been awarded two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts. Just before 9/11, I tried out for and made it into the Ranger Reconnaissance Detachment. We performed all of the long range reconnaissance for Special Forces teams and spearheaded assault missions, including the invasion of both Afghanistan and Iraq. I am not telling you about my past to sway your opinion of me one way or the other. I am trying to convey a reason as to why I reacted the way that I did. With a background like mine I think you can understand that violence and anger is second nature to me. I am not the kind of person to run away from gunfire. I run towards it.
Well, if by Ranger, he means a cannoncocker and if by Fort Benning, he means Fort Sill, and if by “spearheaded assault missions in Afghanistan and Iraq after 9-11”, he means assault missions from Fort Living Room to Fort Refrigerator, then he’s absolutely correct.
I guess the two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts were all consolidated into an Army Commendation Medal to save on paperwork.
Someone wrote to tell us that he’s about to compound his asshattery;
He uses this “elite status” to attain financial gain as well as fool friends, family, law enforcement, and the courts. He is in the process of covering his body with military insignia, in particular tattoos boasting of his Ranger prowess.
Yeah, well, maybe a blog post of his records on the search engines will stop that from happening.
Category: Phony soldiers
sigh* This shit is getting really old. Putting ink on your body doesn’t not make you a Ranger, no matter how many tabs you have tattooed on your arm or Ranger scrolls you have inked, or skulls with daggers in them, with the prerequisite Green Beret on top of the skull. Wearing Tiger Stripe Jungle Fatigues does not make you a Vietnam Ranger/SF/MACVSOG/etc.
FFS dumbasses; knock it off!
It won’t stop until or unless it becomes unfashionable to ‘be all the vet that you can be’.
why cant these ass hats stick to being fake SEALs? why do they have to mess with my Rangers? this must be Dalton Coldiron’s long lost brother. oh wait, this one actually has a medal
Ranger recon detachment,,,, yeah that’s what a 13B is.
I was a cannon cocker for 4 years, then worked in FDC for another 8, nothing wrong with that.
I worked at all my assignments during my years with all I had, and I am not the least embarrassed that I was never a SEAL, Ranger or Recon.
I was as good at my job as those types were at theirs, and the true professionals in those ranks acknowledge that.
The ass hats like this not only are an insult to Rangers, its just as much of an insult to Artillerymen.
Basically he’s saying being a good soldier isn’t enough to be respected.
Turd
Why don’t these guys at least support their false Purple Heart claims by first shooting themselves and, if they survive, displaying their scars on FB or for the reporter? In this guy’s case, that would be three separate shootings for the three scars. Of all the false claims, Purple Hearts bother me the most. I’m sure I’m not alone in that sentiment.
QUICK!! Send this info to the editors at all the local “news”papers before those papers can compound Dan’s asshattery by publishing his lies. ‘Cause you just KNOW the local reporters won’t do the required background checks first.
Other than the movies, how did the image of the “violent out of control hippy” Vet get started?
Going to post this on the blog “Main Street Monroe”. Ohio that is.
@7, It was the creation of the newly spawned Liberal media in the late 60s-Early 70s.
They went after anything that they thought supported the war, including the Veterans who only served because they were called.
The crazy, addicted Vet myth was just another thing to add on to the attack on American Policy in Vietnam.
Smitty, because nobody wants to be a cook, truck driver, mechanic or supply clerk. But as long as their picking on Rangers, Green Beret, SF and SOCOM they are leaving the majority of the broom pushers, shovelers and heavy lifters alone. Kidding (ducking) hehehe.
@9. I agree. The problem was that the outright assault on our military was not something most of middle America would tolerate. Thus, the way to cast them in an acceptable BUT negative light was to portray our troops as victims of drug abuse, forced to engage in unholy wars by fat-cat corporations and government. You still had many SOBs who were calling our troops murderers and baby killers, but once Walter Cronkite and the liberal media decided to play up drug abuse during the free-love, do-drugs counter-culture days, the shit went mainstream.
Why is it always the shitbags who blame their bad behavior on their mediocre service they try to blow up into high-speed, low-drag, super “seekret skwirrel” Ranger/SEAL/PJ/etc?
Oh, that’s right–cause they’re SHITBAGS!
Air cav, i dont care about the PH claims, i personally think it is the stupidest award to claim. you get a PH by someone not doing their job, and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. when all of those fuck ups come together with just the right gravitational pull from jupiter, you get a PH incident. in our current warfare system, you only get injured in combat when someone isnt doing their job well enough. there arent force on force engagements that require mutual casualties any more, we go out looking for trouble. when someone lets trouble sneak up on them, or doesnt notice the change in surroundings, someone gets hurt. so claiming a PH is claiming that you or someone around you fucked up. i cant recall how many times ive been asked if my facial scars were from iraq, even by people that have known me for years. i was in a motorcycle wreck 2 years ago, but everyone assumes that a vet with scars must have gotten them in combat.
well that was a rant that had nothing to do with anything, what was i saying? oh yeah, streetsweeper, our last fake ranger is also a fake used car salesman. so people do claim those jobs apparently. i cant stop laughing even just typing that
@ #13 Smitty: *cackle*
With poser like this they need to tattoo LIAR across there foreheads
Came in from cutting grass, 3rd time in a week, looked into all of the county courts and common pleas in the county, no record. A part of Monroe is in Warren County, no record there either. But I did send a link to a reporter for the local paper.
Smitty, in #3 you wrote “my Rangers”; I presume that means that you were a Ranger? If you were and ever saw anything close to combat, you have to realize that your next post #18 was the dumbest fucking thing ever posted on this blog!
A PH is for wounds in combat. Combat is a very fucking dangerous place what with bullets and bombs flying around (often random an unaimed).
I imagine you’d agree that Rangers know what the hell they are doing in combat? Do you remember the 98 PHs from one night in Somalia?
@smitty #12
You´re fuckin´ joking right? Go ahead and stand in front of all the combat wounded Vets and just tell ´em: “Well you just didn´t do your job properly”
I´m doing something wrong when an IED hits my convoy? It´s my fault when bullets clonk on the vehicle. The enemy is just engaging ´cause I´m performing weak?
Nobody´s looking for trouble. It´s called show of force and patroulling and one of the keys in establishing a secure field. And it´s furfilling an order and there´s almost nothing wrong with that.
You should see a doctor, cause shit just came out of your brain.
Smitty – So by your way of thinking my nephew lost both legs and an arm in Iraq because he “fucked up”?
I understand your thought process but just don’t agree that someone earning a PH can be boiled down to “someone not doing their job”. I don’t think something like that can be generalized to include every PH given. Not trying to be rude just throwing my opinion out there.
@18 Jas, I think you typed in #12 instead of #13 for your comment.
#13, … You are a total idjit if you think that people get wounded only if they or someone around them fucks up.
You can’t discredit the intelligence and capability of the enemy.
I didn’t want my PH… However, I didn’t get it for fucking up, either. I was lucky enough to be in the formation to receive mine. If my driver had zigged instead of zagging, I wouldn’t be here right now. You see, some people are caught in situations developed by the enemy to ensure that NO MATTER WHAT (unless you think we should all sit on FOBs) someone is getting hit. I lost a few good Marine infantrymen to snipers in Ramadi… Can’t really see how that is anyone’s fault (again, unless you think we should sit on FOBs all day).
I am going to assume you made a mistake, Smitty. I hope so, anyways. My boy Jason Dunham (MOH recipient) didn’t earn his because someone fucked up. He was doing his job and decided to eat a grenade to keep his boys alive. I wasn’t a Ranger- I was an 0311- but I am sure even Rangers would have to agree with me here.
Maggot.
Go fuck yourself, Smitty.
@13. I was once visiting a school which was bordered by a nasty lot of rocks, strewn with garbage, and ruts of all widths and lengths. I saw a man in a wheelchair, struggling to traverse the lot. I walked over to him and asked if I could help get him across. He glared at me, without stopping, and cussed me up one side and down the other. He was insulted by my offer.
He hated his world. That was many years ago and, from time to time, I think of him and hope he found peace.
Smitty? I think I understand what you were trying to say, but, man, it came out kinda wrong!!
Must agree IF you were saying that of all the awards one could get, the PH may be among the most undesirable simply because it is so often the result of a horrid confluence of that which is within one’s control and that which is not.
And I agree with AC that it is perhaps the most bothersome for a poser to claim. It is just such a stupid thing to do. Even the posers seem to have the good sense not to claim a MOH, which would be worse.
Then again, the POW claim ranks right up there. We just don’t hear it quite as often.
I disagree. The PH is one of the more recognizable decorations as far as civilians are concerned. There is also some measure of respect given to those who have been killed or injured while in combat. Perhaps this is misplaced, but it is what it is.
@Smitty. Usually, you and I see eye to eye on a lot of things on this blog. But dude…The rant about the PH, major uncool. Like 2/17 Cav, I think I get what you were trying to say about the award, but there were some poorly chosen words there.
As to our Regimental Recon Artilleryman…I despise anyone who tries to play the “Angry Vet” card. Whether he was a HSLD Ranger or a Mess Kit Maintenance Technician, to write off poor behavior to, “I’m like this because I was in the service.” is shitty in the extreme. It reinforces the popular civilian concept of the poor damaged veteran, made that way by the big, bad DoD (Thank YOU, Mainstream Media for that.)
This joker needs to be fired – ASAP. Let him play the “Angry Damaged Veteran” in the unemployment line.
not everyone that has a PH is because they messed up, but your driver zigging instead of zagging isnt the issue. the gunner on your truck, or anyone else pulling securioty to that side of the road not noticing the disturbed ground, no one noticing the lack of civilians if in town areas, there are all kinds of signs that something was wrong. yeah i saw combat, i was in iraq in 04, when we were actually shooting. i had friends injured and some killed, and every time it was because someone didnt do their job well enough. it is rarely the person that was injured that fucked up, but someone did. to claim otherwise is just naive. ive told guys with PHs that, i told my own soldiers that when they were injured, i even had to tell a friends mother that i was the one that fucked up when her son died. im not saying every incident is avoidable either, fuck ups happen, but every time an IED goes off and someone is injured, it should have been noticed before hand. a rifleman takes a shot at some soldiers, they could have seen him first, your boss decided to eat a grenade, the thrower never should have gotten that close. before you attack my statements, think about what they are. i am not claiming any dishonor in being injured and receiving a PH, i am saying it is a horrible claim to make. for every person with a PH, there is someone else wishing they hadnt had to have earned it. (unless its an intel fuck up and some higher up brass has no idea he fucked up)
all that to say, i stand by my statement. for every person in iraq and afganistan that earns a PH, someone fucked up for him to get it.
Well, since you called me out, here is my answer. I was in Iraq when we were actually shooting, as well. 03,04,05,06. In ’05, I was in Ramadi in a HUMVEE designated as the medevac vehicle rolling down MSR Michigan en route to the Gov Center. Unfortunately, it was a not-so-up-armored high back and it was only the driver, myself (vehicle commander), and a corpsman riding in the back. As we approached an intersection, I spotted a pothole that appeared to have a bag of rice in it. It was dusk and hard to see, but I told my driver to swerve left. Luckily, we had trained for this on many occasions and he did as he was ordered. Instead of rolling over the 3 155mm rounds hidden in the hole with our unarmored underbelly, we instead rolled right by it and it exploded outside of my door. Fortunately, I took the brunt of it and the corpsman and driver were good to go, for the most part. Now, if I hadn’t been doing my job I and the other two would most likely be dead. So your logic is lost on me. If you are just butthurt you didn’t get one that’s fine- but quit raining on others’ service because you don’t have a worthless piece of cloth and metals. About my “boss” who decided to eat a grenade, as you put it. The reason the Iraqi got close enough was because we were patrolling on foot during a funeral procession after our Battalion Commander’s vehicle was ambushed. Upon arriving at the scene, we noticed a vehicle acting suspiciously and moved to inspect it… I tell you what: I will leave the award citation so you can read for yourself. Jason Dunham was a hero who gave his own life for his Marines. I can’t find anything wrong with what he did. As a rifleman, I know it is difficult to always spot every enemy out there. Is it a mistake? Hardly. They know the terrain better than we do and snipers are pretty good at blending in. Saying… Read more »
I’m done arguing about it. I don’t usually let Army types get me worked up so I am going to let it be. I think you have some unresolved issues with guilt, Smitty. You may want to get looked at.
Damn it, for once can’t they imitate a 31M or a 3D0, we need love too.
I hate you special ops guys…..
im not butt hurt, and as i stated, im not trying to speak ill of or claim dishonorable status on anyone that has earned a PH. but the pot hole should have been spotted sooner if nothing else. here is a big one, you stated your corpseman was in the back, so im guessing it wasnt a 998. why did you have no gunner? were you out solo when this happened? there are a lot of fuck ups in that story that have nothing to do with the 3 men on your truck from the sounds of it, and just reinforces my point.
i never said your team leader getting killed diving on a grenade was a mistake, im saying it shouldnt have gotten to that point. lapses in security get people killed, in this case, it was Cpl Dunham. it is a shame that he died, but his sacrifice was beyond honorable.
none of that changes the fact that someone fucked up.
Funny, I know lots of real Soldiers,including those who wore Tabs. (I didn’t wear one) and they are all pretty nice guys in civilian life. They don’t get in fights at work and would never use their military life as an excuse for being an asshole.
Gee, really…?
I’ve heard some wackos refer to Purple Hearts as “Enemy Marksmanship Medals”.
One of the best quotes I’ve heard about casualties is “Everything you do, including nothing, can get you killed”
There are measures, counter-measures and counter-counter measures. Its not about someone not doing their job, its about the law of averages catching up with your ass.
I have a bro-in-law that works designing countermeasures for IEDs. He’s a retired EOD MSgt and went through many courses as well as teaching high-speed guys breeching and EOD skills. He was highy involved in top level shit, including doing security sweeps for the candidates in the 92 Presidental election.
For kicks guys he worked with would design “dummy” traps to test each other.
If he was ever to be on the bad guys side and knew where you were going, there is no way your unit wouldn’t take casualties, no matter how shit hot you were or how well you did your job.
Damn Smitty, doubling down on total dumbassery is never a good idea.
You said something beyond idiotic; just man up and say you fucked up the way you said it.
You haven’t answered my question from a previous post either; what specifically did almost 100 SpecOps do in one night that was so fucked up that they all got PHs?
You’ve put yourself in an untenable position. That shows poor judgement and lack of maturity. The heat you’re taking is deserved.
By your logic; here’s your Purple Heart.
Well, lets see. When I attended IOBC and IOAC, I ate lunch at the picnic tables outside “Bedroom” 1 and watched folks descend from the jump towers. Guess I can claim to be Airborne. We also did part of the Ranger Obstacle Course. Guess I can claim Ranger status as well.
Hell, I’m closer to being an Airborne Ranger than most of these shitbird posers.
@28.
Possibly.
But nothing is assured in combat.
Chaos.
War kills and injures people. That is its nature. The blanket proposition that error leads to either is mistaken. It presumes that injuries and violent death in a combat zone are avoidable. And I suppose they are, if one digs a deep enough hole and stays there for the duration. Otherwise, bullets, concussion, and shrapnel sometimes find their mark, by skill or blind luck. To say error causes the injury or death is too easy. It’s like saying that a perfectly run football offense will score points each possession and that a perfectly run defense will never allow a point. Perhaps on someone’s blackboard or lecture hall that is true. In the real world, however, it’s a foolish proposition.
Like I said: It’s pointless to argue about it. Some people just take the hits and move on and learn from them, others are on a never ending quest to find someone to blame. Sometimes it just “gets to that point”, Smitty. Doesn’t mean mistakes were made- just means things fell into place and you have to make the best out of it. I have no qualms about the day I was hurt or when Dunham was killed. I just chalk it up to being a cock-strong warrior man-god and move on in life. 😀
Im just going to walk off. Some opinions will never be changed and those are not worth arguing. I will never change my view and clearly am the extreme minority for holding it. So ill drop this and do my best to avoid the subject.
To cob6, final word I have, I never said the men who earned the PH were the ones who fucked up nor that the errors were always made by anyone near the battle field.
@40.
Strong words.
And I agree.
No issue on my end.
RLTW.
Steven L. Dan lives in Independence KY. He works at a Heating and Air company in Monroe OH. A real winner!! Its an embarrassment to all the decorated heroes out there.
Smitty, Can’t agree, amigo. You’re implying that all combat casualties are avoidable. Combat by its nature involves casualties; some friendly casualties will occur, regardless. They can be reduced to a minimum, but all of them cannot be prevented. First, some are the result of random chance – incoming IDF, for example. Even with warning and taking proper cover in a bunker or protected building (or as best as possible, if in the open), if the round happens to hit that building or bunker or land next to you – you’re in a world of hurt. It’s also impossible to prevent all IDF if the enemy has enough hiding places from which to shoot and is willing to “shoot and run” or accept casualties. Second: in combat, the enemy gets a vote. On occasion, the enemy will do something new, or will simply “get the drop” on you in a way you cannot foresee. Case in point: consider a dismounted patrol (or a guard tower) hit by a sniper. Unless you destroy or suppress literally every possible sniper location, it’s a virtual certainty that a sniper will engage on occasion. If that sniper is good enough, he/she will hurt someone. Finally, what you state implies we have perfect knowledge of the enemy and perfect execution of all operations. Neither is within the realm of the possible. War is chaotic, and anyone demanding or depending on perfection in any wartime action is taking extreme risk. Something will go wrong, or something unexpected will happen. And when it does, the chances are friendlies will get hurt. Although our military is the best in the world, we’re not perfect and we never will be. In combat, on occasion the enemy may be (locally or for a brief time) either better or stronger than we are, or damn near as good. When that happens – or if the enemy is willing to sacrifice themselves irrationally – we’re going to take some casualties. It’s leadership’s job to ensure that such occurrences are rare and occur as infrequently as possible. However, zero occurrences is simply not possible.… Read more »
See that’s fucked up. If you are telling me that I should have seen a mortar team behind a hill start lobbing shit at me and we are fuck ups for being hit then I can’t disagree with you enough. If you are telling me that I should have seen a concealed sniper before he fired then I am a fuckup or making a mistake, or looked underneath a culvert for an IED? I call bullshit. I think you are clouded friend. You may want to reassess.
And fuck this phony Ranger too.
Take care friends, and I hope your week goes well. 13 months till retirement here, God willing.
” I am trying to convey a reason as to why I reacted the way that I did. With a background like mine I think you can understand that violence and anger is second nature to me. I am not the kind of person to run away from gunfire. I run towards it.”
The above paragraph needs to be highlighted in the ploice report that is written as part of a complaint that this employee is considered a threat by the employer.
In accordance with research conducted bt USSS, FBI, and DHS it is this type of person that is MORE likely to committ acts of workplace violence. In fact, the above is, as the FBI would say, “a clue!”
i never said all errors were avoidable either, nor that it was possible to stay perfect at all times. i do not wish to continue this debate, it serves no purpose, but Hondo, i dont think anything i said was contradicted by your recent post. shit happens, there is no doubt to that, but each incident as a stand alone case can be traced to someone’s error. we will never avoid all incidents, nor will we be perfect, but that doesnt change my statements.
i promise, im really done with this now. yall can take your shots at my statements and at me, i will not respond
Smitty: just curious – how is a fixed base receiving IDF from an enemy employing “shoot and scoot” tactics from hidden locations an “error” on the part of anyone on the friendly side? I’m seriously asking, because I just don’t see that as a possibility.
Fixed bases are necessary. Their locations are also constrained by reality. In a war zone, they prevent a fixed target that cannot be defended with 100% assurance that no round (direct or indirect) will ever land on base.
is it me or this is the first LRRP phonie we had in a while .. tons of Rangers, 1 Cav, SEAL but LRRP? …
I wonder if we can find ONE MOS without a phonie 😛
Hey,
Why don’t you guys pack it in, enough is enough, some of your remarks are just way out of line, and most of all have, little reason. I only wish we had a few more Korean vets on this blog.
Hondo, Proper patrols outside the Fob, mounted and dismounted, nearly eliminate anyone getting close enough to fire their mortars. when patrols are cut, spread out, or improperly organized, it creates weaknesses in our security and allows mortar teams to get their shots off. or we can send this one up real high, and say instead of assassinating american citizens with out a trial or even formal charges, use those drones for surveillance over our friendly troops. i can count numerous issues that were fucked up to allow IDF incidents to occur.
@lost, i havent seen a fake 92G yet