Anyone know this guy?
Someone dropped a link on this article at our fan page last night, and Mary at POW Network sent it to us last night. In the article, he says his name is Timothy Oliver, but apparently, it’s really Gabryal Sansclair. I wouldn’t tell them my name either if I was going to tell tall tales like this;
A member of the unit commonly known as Delta Force, he said he hit the ground in Kandahar after a high-altitude jump with thousands of other specialized troops from different branches of service.
He recalls three days of intense “house-to-house urban warfare.”
“It was a lot of chaos and a lot of fear,” he said.
When the fighting ended and Marines arrived, he felt hopeful that a quick end to the war was possible. But he said commanders opted to fortify their position rather than advance, missing what he feels was a key opportunity to hobble the enemy early.
I’ve been in contact with the author of the story and she says that she’s sick over the fact that she allowed it to get to print. Of course, we’re working on getting his records, but in the interim, if anyone knows this ass monkey, we’d sure like to hear about his antics and what he really did in the military. Of course, it may be possible that he never served, like Leo Webb. Because that’s a pretty luxurious pony tail he’s got there, but it looks like he knows how to handle toy guns with a measure of expertise.
But mostly, I’m putting this post up so you guys don’t inundate me with mails about him and then think I’m ignoring you.
Category: Phony soldiers
STOP with the ghey Facebook photos .. I am hurling in my shit can over here!
Reply to my email:
As the reporter who propagated Oliver’s falsehoods, I would like to offer my sincerest apologies and deepest regrets to all the true service members out there who really did make the hard sacrifices. I wish I could say it was a cub mistake, but I’ve been doing this long enough to know better. I feel wretched that my intent was to show the public the true face of veterans but instead did the opposite. Thanks to all that took the time to expose this falsehood. I will be reporting these findings in a follow-up story to run in tomorrow’s newspaper. (Note: the story up on the website has an editor’s note stating that concerns have been raised about the accuracy of his account.)
Sincerely,
Katie Burford, city editor
Durango Herald
I appreciate Katie Burford feeling bad about this, but considering she’s not a “cub reporter”, what actual verification did she conduct to determine that the fecal matter this clown was slinging was the truth? Did she bother to ask to see his DD214 or the citations for three alleged Purple Hearts he received? Did she even bother to Google “Delta Force” to find out how elite of a unit that is? (And probably unlikely to have been the unit to which a failed Wendy’s manager and pest control expert would be attached?)
Did the fact that this guy had his lower lip pierced and looked like he should be Dungeon Mastering at some Society For Creative Anachronism convention put even the slightest sliver of doubt in her mind that mayhap what he was saying wasn’t even close to the truth?
I’m sorry. She may have meant well, but that’s some slipshod journalism right there.
P.S. “I am hurling in my shit can over here!” – lolz.
It’s awesome that she acknowledges she fucked up.
And may I say THANK THE GREAT SKY ELF I can’t open Facebook from work! Judging by the reactions here, it would be an incredibly BAD idea!
#54 Unless you have an odd hankering to see the incredibly non-muscular mid-section of a lying sack of shit, I would say you are correct in counting your blessings.
@ 53, She said she messed up, so obviously she didn’t do anything you are asking. Perhaps let it go since she had the integrity to come on here and apologize as well as print a retraction in tomorrows paper..
[…] TAH From Katie Burford of the Durango Herald July 2nd, 2012 In reference to Timmy Oliver, pot smoking trailer dwelling Druid; Well, I just spoke to him. He said he could provide no […]
@56: Um, where did she come on here and apologize?
Nevermind: The story was just put up as I was posting my other comment.
Come on you guys are such haters….. he looks ok to me, especially with the plastic pop-gun. You know he took a bayonet to the lip for christ-sake!!!!!!!!!!
As a retired SF guy and MFF jumper I’d have PTSD too if I did a “a high-altitude jump with thousands of other specialized troops from different branches of service”
That’s got to be the largest (and most secret) HALO drop in history.
You Haters.
🙂
Jeff; you’re just mad because you washed out of Space Shuttle Door Gunner School!!!
Now, Oliver mostly stays home, sometimes listening to his unit’s theme song, “A Demon’s Fate” by the Dutch metal band Within Temptation, on YouTube
Aww heck yeah! I wish my units theme song was that awesome.
So for the more experienced guys, is it after you class up from space shuttle door gunner basic course that your unit gets a theme song or after?
Sorry, that should have been “before … or after.”
@62:
After. Always after.
#60 That bayonet to the lip stuff seems pretty dangerous…good thing he learned how to clear a room after being stabbed in the face…his plastic surgeon did a great job fixing his lip…no scars, no stitches nice work doc!
@56: That’s all well and good, but how about applying some critical thinking skills before hitting the enter button on the old Commodore 64 and sending this out into the ether? Or how about not having to rely upon a group of anonymous veterans to do the heavy lifting that you should have done before posting the article?
Again, she seems like a nice person who feels bad, but I also wonder about her original intentions regarding her desiring to show “the public the true face of veterans”.
Some pimply faced World of Warcraft punk reeking of cigarettes with a lip piercing moaning about the trouble he’s had readjusting to society because of all the horrible things he saw?
Isn’t that just such a cliché? What informational input has she sought to enlighten herself as to what real veterans are like, or has she been relying upon sensationalized news reporting and liberal preconceptions about war being so horrible that men simply crack under the strain?
It took me all of two seconds using a few basic searches to find evidence that this guy was a lying P.O.S. Could she have not done the same regarding something which even if one accepts it on face value is an utterly outrageous story?
@66 I think the problem is twofold: 1) People always want to the assume the best in others and 2) It’s an interesting story.
Include the fact that a lot of people are ignorant about the military. For example, a shocking amount of people think submarines (actual U.S. Navy submarines) have windows in them so you can see the fish.
So this guy shows up with a compelling story, she doesn’t know that he is lying through his teeth and it gets published. I think that’s starting to change a bit as more and mo publicity is being given to people who are faking their stories, but the media has a long way to go.
I think I need to compile a book of stories by all these fakers. Pub it ‘Watchmen’ style. Illustrate all the acts these guys claim.
I smell ‘profit’ in this….
You just can’t make this shit up
IW @67, I think you have the right of it. Most normal Americans really don’t have a very strong grasp of the …mindset… I suppose you could call it, and the knowledge gained from serving. For example, even I tossed a flag when I read about Delta Force, not to mention the bayonet wound. She just doesn’t know enough for the warning bells to go off.
I have NOT read all the comments yet.
“SANS-CLAIR” (=without clarity) — his very name is a hint !!
Some Great, Inventive Humor here, in the comments.
I truly enjoy This Ain’t Hell — in many ways, it is Heaven .
@ Jeff Hinton how are ya man? I haven’t seen you since you, me and my pops got into it with those asshats at the range after ETSd in08
@ 67 For some people submarines really do have windows, blimps have large diesel fuel tanks, there is an underwater knife fighting school, 2000 special operators conducted a night time HALO mission in Afganistan, and trunk monkeys are standard equipment on most Ford models. And that IS the point: most people are truly clueless.
@72 The inevitable outcome of a society that worships celebrity over substance, asshattery over intellect….clueless because every thing is designed in our modern society to tell them all how special they are, sports leagues that are not outcome based competitions, no dodgeball lest the slow footed discover they need to move their fat asses a little more, special ed “helpers” at the expense of the AP honors programs….no need to disarm a society of imbeciles, they can be led anywhere, even to their own ruin.
Here’s hoping I’m completely wrong, but in my current position with an athletic program administering to 8,000 kids I’ve not seen much to indicate we are about to get back into the race for the most talented engineers and scientists anytime soon…
Vance, my “critical thinking skills” are fine…your insult is dull.
I was trying to be polite to you, because you were coming off as an asshole since she had apologized and was trying to make things right.
Everything you posted is crystal fucking clear as to being her journalistic errors and she had already came on here and owned up for her errors. You sir, just couldn’t let it go.
Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
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hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!
Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
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ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, I think I sprained something after reading that.
No. 42 Ex-PH2:
*sincere* — with a SMILE:
There IS NO such thing, as “. . . too much fun . . .” !!
@74: I wasn’t referring to “your” critical thinking skills, douche. I was referring to hers.
(You’ve signaled it’s OK to call each other names, right?)
As for her coming on here and making amends, she didn’t. She sent an e-mail to someone affiliated with this site and they posted it. I appreciated that and acknowledged as such. That still doesn’t mean that you don’t hold people accountable and point out how situations like this could be avoided in the future.
Have the best day ever, asshat.
[…] 2nd, 2012 I swear, Katie Burford is like lightening. She sent us a link to her retraction of the Timmy Oliver fantasy at the Durango Herald, you should read the whole thing…and to her credit, Katie asked me for […]
Since when did they start issuing Delta Force cap guns? Even if I’d never served or had any experience with firearms I would be able to tell it was a fake. The orange tip looks exactly like the design of the plastic six shooters I played with when I was four.
Katie, thank you for your quick retraction. I’ve never seen any reporter duped by a phony veteran make such a quick retraction, or outright acknowledged they made a mistake.
@76 Dr. Brett, I must tell you and all others, who post potent observations and crisp repartee, that I am honored to be in the company of such an astute, colorful, creative, expressive and loquacious group.
I think his pony tail is fake, too.
Guys and Dolls, I think we better get used to the idea that since the SCROTUM…I mean scotus, they don’t deserve respect anymore, decided it’s ok for someone to claim the title it took me 13 weeks to earn and for you combat vets who’ve earned some serious ‘hardware, this type of BS is only gonna get worse. I have accepted many of your councils to not go beat some poser’s butt, but it appears it’s up to us to exact ‘justice’ on these asshats. I will be in Branson, Mi in Nov. to have a close encounter with DalASS Dinglefeldt.
Mr. Lilyea, if my posts about bringing ‘justice’ to ‘Dingledung’, might cause to harm this site, please let me know. I will refrain from posting them.To my brothers and sisters, I promise you, either ASSassin Dingleberry is going to kill me or I’m willing to go to jail after this unassuming, one tour, did nothing, Amtracer, beats hiss illusional ass. Semper Fi.
I have been following the Don Shipley videos on phony veteran’s/SEALS for some time now. In fact the more I read on this subject, the more disbelief comes up for me. I just can’t believe so many idiots out here lie so much about such a life as being phony SEALS, Rangers, veteran’s, etc. It pisses me off to say the least. This particular story though about Gabryal is why I’m posting my 1st comment. He is simply unfuc—g believable. I mean, he has a profile on the Associated Content for articles that he has made over the last few years which include on his phony arse PTSD he got from Trashghanistan. I really think this guy needs his head examined. Here’s a link to the Associated Content profile with his b.s. articles on the military.
http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/59892/gabryal.html
My brother & I both served in the US Army. We were both grunts and we both served in Iraq and he served also in Afghanistan. It was just a job, that’s how I think of it. It was nothing special, nothing glamorous, nothing to talk about much. My point is when folks make up b.s. like this, it just makes for more doubts on the next vet who may talk. It’s a cold day in hell when a@@ clowns like this punk make up b.s. stories and people freaking believe it. Thousand’s of SF’s guy’s jumping out of planes, are you freaking kidding me?!?
Anywho, I routinely read the articles on here & comments and some of them just crack me up. Have a good one guys.
I HAD to post one more link to this guy’s article, one of the many. His guide to PTSD, WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!??!?!?!@!
http://voices.yahoo.com/a-soldiers-guide-ptsd-4180003.html?cat=5
He also claims he won 3 purple hearts on his Facebook profile up top. Are you freaking kidding me?!?!?
I emailed this guy on Facebook and told him a few choice words. Sorry for posting several times, combine my post’s if need be.
The journalist offered to interview me for the same series of articles, but ended up blowing me off in favor of this guy. Which is a shame, because myself or any of the other vets she interviewed could have helped detect the bullshit stacked by that asshat.
This cock holster looks like Vega from Street Fighter II. And I cannot help but think that the picture is taken in a trailer. Just look at the surrounding mess, it screams of white trash.
[…] The JUSTICE GINSBURG REGIONAL 1 Herbert “Cav Secret Squirrel” Williamson v. 16 Fatty McQuartermillion Pounder 8 Paul “PTSD Counselor” Schroeder v. 9 Asleigh “Shrapnel slit my throat” Martel 5 Jacob “read my plates bitch!” Cruze v. 12 Albert “Sensei Dick Munch” John 4 Dave “Tiger Hunter” Groves v. 13 Micaiah “Marine Terrorizer of OWS” Dutt 3 Paul “Prince Chumming” Tillson v. 14 Brian “Pound me in the ass Prison Bitch” Culp 6 Ken “Tri-recycled 18B Wannabe” Aden v. 11 Richard “Senator Dickenthal” Blumenthal 7 Jasper Land “My moustache alone is SF qualified” Holland v. 10 Leo “Half my Squadron Died” Webb 2 David Garcia “Not so Trusty” Diaz Jr v. 15 Timothy “Durango + Delta = Douchebag” Oliver […]
I do know this man, personally. I have known him before he went in, and I married him several years after he got out. No, we don’t have a lot of money. We have a child who is growing, a pathetic stipend of a check from his service, very little medical benefits (and we only seek them for him). He is a licensed medical marijuana user and as an RN I have signed up with my state to be his licensed caregiver. THIS MAN IS BLIND and had his femur broken in 3 places. Honestly as I’m writing this I’m shaking because I’m so enraged by the total indifference of people. Place the blame elsewhere please. This man is suffering from bouts of PTSD that would make you weep to see. Believe me or don’t, I don’t really care. On a journalistic standpoint, from which I can speak with 2 degrees (and yes all you crazy fanatics – go ahead and look me up) that writes consistently for Yahoo!, Dell, Associated Press, and was both a feature journalist and darkroom editor for the Denver Post. Sorry Miss Journalist Lady — the Durango Herald doesn’t compete. For the record: 1. The journalist who reported this story were given 3 specific names to contact for information to be released – what was possible and not a ‘threat to our nation’. I sat here in this trailer some of you have pointed so hard at and waited to leave until it was perfectly clear to both the journalist and the photographer, a neighbor and a friend who actually ASKED Mr. Oliver to be interviewed for the story because he knows Oliver’s story, were aware that there was a SLIM chance of verifying who – specifically – he worked for. I know. And that’s a ‘threat to national security’. However, the journalist never called a single source. Bad journalist, she knows the rules. 2. During his service, Mr. Oliver’s injuries were so severe that it has taken nearly 4 years (our daughter remembers being 9 when it happened) to help him speak at all… Read more »
Oh and last word on the matter.
If everyone who wishes to practice their right to free speech would like to continue doing so, please get it right: Timothy Oliver is the patriot’s name. Gabryal Sansclair is a nom de plume.
Bullshit. That is all.
Woah guys, an official legal statement AND a media law degree. Looks like we got a badass over here.
I just happen to come back over here but STFU Phebe whoever the hell you are and don’t sit there and defend a liar and obviously sick person who pretends to be something he is NOT and never will be. GTFO out of here with that crap.
Yes, Mudwhistle 🙂
Also, anyone who decides to invade -my- privacy by looking up private pictures that are marked private anyway are breaking the law. I am not a public figure, I was not mentioned in the article, and by using anything of -mine- you are breaking the law. Since so many of you like citing it, look it up.
To those of you who actually gave this man a chance, each of whom I wanted to list but gave up trying to go through the disgusting spew of hate over a subject that lays directly on the shoulders of a reporter who didn’t bother checking her sources until AFTER sending the story to print and writing an article ‘apologizing’ for what amounts to a lack of journalistic integrity (and by the by Miss Katie, your phone call was recorded – thank you!).
Phebe, why when the reporter asked for his DD214 he refused to show it to her? There are no classified “undercover” DD214s.
Wait, so you’re saying this guy IS full of shit? Or it’s not his fault he’s a lying, posing sack of shit? Which is it?
Just friended this poser on facebook to post this on his wall link on his wall. (he was claiming no less than 3 purple hearts on there). The post was for at least 8 hours and now he has taken down his page. One less jerkoff we have to worry about.
Shall we now start the countdown to when Ms. Durand comes back and says she was lied to as well?
Ms. Durand, with all due respect, this man you married is making claims that are not even remotely plausible. You knew him BEFORE he went in, and you married him years after he (theoretically) left the service. What was he doing in the years between? Are these medical benefits of which you speak through the VA? Where are the documents supporting his claims? Who are these 3 people who can verify his bullshit?
Now, I will admit that I find your writing claims a bit, shall we say, questionable considering you use terminology such as “I have known him before he went in”, but I’ll go ahead and give you the benefit of the doubt since my head’s already near-exploded and I, unlike the man in the photo, do not enjoy messes. So, if you could just elucidate the aforementioned, that would be super.