SFC Dillard Johnson; the deadliest soldier
A couple of you have sent links to the New York Post article Sgt. 1st Class Dillard Johnson is the deadliest US soldier on record – with 2,746 kills, so I guess that if I don’t write something, my inbox is going to fill up about him. There was an SFC Dillard J. Johnson in C 3/7 Cav by a similar name. According to the DoD website, he did indeed (or someone with that name) earn a Silver Star. The name at the DoD’s website is “SSG Dillard (No Middle Name) Johnson”, though. I’ve already written the author of the article, Mr. Buiso, how he confirmed the number of “kills” SFC Johnson has;
With 2,746 confirmed kills, Sgt. 1st Class Dillard Johnson is the deadliest American soldier on record — and maybe the most humble.
As a commander of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle nicknamed “Carnivore,” Johnson, 48, helped lead the ground assault during Operation Iraqi Freedom, overwhelming the enemy with a relentless show of military might that left a trail of dead in his wake.
Johnson was obliged to report confirmed kills to his superiors, cataloging the dead in a green journal that revealed the astonishing tally — which only began to come light as he and co-writer James Tarr were researching his exploits for his memoir, also titled “Carnivore.”
I’m not trashing anyone, or calling anyone a liar in the absence of evidence to the contrary, but I’d sure like to see this “green journal”. I’ve never heard of a tally of “kills” cataloged in the name of individual soldiers and I can’t imagine that anyone would participate in such a grisly practice.
He counted the dead by tallying rifles — and human heads — among the mangled or charred wreckage left behind by the Carnivore.
In his second tour, in 2005, he took up sniping, logging 121 kills, his longest from 821 yards, a skill that was honed hunting in Kentucky. His total is second only to the late Chris Kyle, the Navy SEAL who had 160 kills.
It might be true, who am I to question it – I wasn’t there, but members of a sister unit are questioning it in my emails, so…I have to think there’s something weak in the story. But, let’s sit and wait this one out and see what we can shake loose in the public forum.
Category: Who knows
OleScout, how in the name of Rocky the Bulldog did this Marne dipshit get promoted back to E7 after getting the boot from ANCOC? Wouldn’t that show up in his records at the board? Or would one clean NCOER sitting at the top be all the time they would have to glance at? I wasn’t there, so I don’t know,but right there on the front, Army Values, on the back, Responsibility and Accountability, if those had been filled out with his shens maybe he wouldn’t have been promoted again. A double 3 at the bottom, something to tell the board don’t promote.
Anyone besides me remember that book that Oprah went ga-ga over? “The Belly of the Beast” or something like that. It was an autobiography of a drug addict who fought his way out of addiction… except for one little teensy-weensy thing.
The guy who wrote that book and said it was about his own life lied like a Persian rug. It was all made up out of whole cloth. It was Oprah’s biggest ‘faux up’, because she didn’t investigate the thing, or have someone dig into it for her. She got hosed but good by the author on her show and got a lot of bad PR out of it, although she did recover.
If – and I use that word loosely — the people who make up these stories about themselves actually realized that there are plenty of people around who can contradict their nonsense, I doubt it would have much of an effect on them. Shane ‘Lying-Ass’ Ladner is an example, and so is SFC Dillard. Oh, yeah — Dillard IS making money from it, and now people are saying it’s baloney, the facts support that it’s baloney, and he’s having to backpedal.
See, I can write a book about someone who gets more kills than Dillard. It’s titled “My 3,245 Kills”. I was ruthless. I was unstoppable. I yelled “THIS IS MY HOUSE!” and pushed them all down the garbage disposal.
I SO want to satirize this guy now.
Andy, the reason you don’t hear about his “FOUR Purple Hearts” is probably because when I had to deal with him being a team leader with Blackwater he was claiming FIVE.
I read the reviews this book is getting on Amazon. Dillard is getting thoroughly trashed by guys who were there and knew what he was really like. Only two people waxed rhapsodic over it.
I read a few of the ‘first pages’ that give you a hint of what’s inside. He should stick to writing novels.
@204-ExPH2, You continue to amaze me! “Waxed Rhapsodic. Couldn’t have expressed it better, and I was an English/Journalism major in college. A pan is a pan-and if any work deserves one-this is it. He should stick to dime novels!
I have no knowledge whatsoever about SFC Johnson, but I’m just going to leave this here because public understanding of neuroscience is generally so focking deplorable. A friend of mine was hit by a car when he was 24, severe head injury and multiple broken bones. He fully recovered, for the most part, after a few weeks in a coma, months of grueling rehab, learning how to talk again, and so on. No one who didn’t know him well before the injury would think there is anything ‘wrong’ with him, he is pretty much “all there”. But those of us who knew him, can tell something “different”. It’s minor differences, really, not major. Except for one – he has a condition known as “confabulation”. Wikipedia has a decent summary of the condition. Basically, he remembers things with ‘added’ details that are NOT true, but he genuinely believes they are true. In his memory, these things exist and happened, and its actually quite stressful, confusing, even humiliating for him to be told that what he REMEMBERS actually did not happen. He doesn’t fabricate whole-cloth tales. They are embellishments of things that really happened, with additional details or exaggerations. And no, this was NOT part of his personality before the injury. Confabulation is documented not only after severe brain injury but also strokes, brain infections like meningitis, and other conditions such as severe thiamine (B vitamin) deficiency, dementia, and mental illness (e.g. schizophrenia and PTSD with psychotic or delusional features). The brain is NOT protected by some magical Jesus shield. Things can and do go wrong with the brain that we don’t fully understand, causing symptoms such as MEMORY DISTURBANCE (among others). Now I fully expect to be told to shut-up and get out of the way, just like would be done to that one guy who dared speak-up to an angry lynch mob by saying “Hey everyone, just a thought. Maybe the guy you want to lynch has like, you know, some sort of neurological illness that is beyond his control or awareness, and needs treatment, not burning at the stake???”,… Read more »
Brewster, I think there’s a distinct difference between someone who is on a manifest ego trip, e.g., SFC Dillard, and someone who has had a specific neuro-incident like those you describe.
SFC Dillard has become more than a little full of himself, and is now having to retract some of the things he said in his book. His fellow soldiers are getting in his face about it, and he’s backing down because he knows himself that he’s fabricating and embellishing. There’s a big difference between what Dillard has done, and what someone with a history of neurological trauma may do.
There are con artists all over the place. They get exposed here a lot. He’s just running a con and he knows it because no one is willing to let him get away with it.
This individual claims to have killed 2525 (This is 325 more KIA’s than the entire Regiment), and 121 as a sniper (most likely a false number but cannot verify). I quote the following from the official history of 3d Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment – “With the capture of Baghdad, the Division and the Squadron transitioned to stabilization operations. By the time the Squadron had redeployed it had killed 2,200 Iraqi personnel, 64 tanks, 41 armored vehicles, numerous active air defense systems, as well as trucks and civilian vehicles used as suicide bombers.”
Below please find the official web site of the 3d Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division
http://www.stewart.army.mil/3DIDWeb/2nd%20BCT/unit3-7Cav/3-7Cavhome.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Kyle Chris Kyle holds the sniper record with 150 confirmed kills, he served multiple tours (4) of duty to do this. The previous record was 109 confirmed kills.
http://jonathanturley.org/2011/01/10/gao-u-s-has-fired-250,000-rounds-for-every-insurgent-killed/
GAO: U.S. Has Fired 250,000 Rounds For Every Insurgent Killed. Figuring that Johnson used only 10% of the GAO estimates, SFC Johnson would have had to fire approximately 6,312,500 rounds of ammo to kill 2,525 enemy.
Brewster,
No pitchfork or torch here–I agree with Ex-PH2 on this.
I’ll cut a guy or gal a break if there’s evidence it’s warranted.
If somebody who was never in combat pretends to be a former Blackhawk pilot who was shot down and earned a Purple Heart, when in fact she was barely an Air Traffic Controller, and she did that to get a position in the Civil Air Patrol, that’s an entirely different target.
Yeah, Tesla, you.
Brewster-I want to make sure I have this straight (from your perspective). You’re saying that if he is brain damaged-despite being able to write (with a ghost writer??)-a grossly exaggerated (if not outright false) recount of his actual experience, that it’s understandable that things may be a little muddled?
Or, is it that his book is a work of fiction?
@208 For this guy to have killed 2000 people from his Bradley he’d have to have practically been a sniper with it or restocked his ammo load every other day of the invasion. Between the two guns the thing only carries about 3000 rounds.
@206 One of my friends has a similar condition after a couple IEDs rattled her head (along with a post-army brain tumor). Entire portions of her military career are recalled way out of whack. She’ll see a military stock photo on Facebook or somewhere and swear she was there when it happened. She keeps to herself and isn’t trying to make a best-seller though.
@202 – Ex, I remember that book you’re speaking of. That was a huge embarrassment for her. Didn’t the guy later claim that IF he was a drug addict that’s how he “thought” it would be like.
As far as the “reviews” on Amazon, the Author has control over those and IF the book is selling well enough Amazon will pull any negative reviews if the Author asks. Plus there are companies (individual people also)out there that you can pay to write “good” reviews for you. A lot of the time a publisher will have their interns write a few reviews. You can hardly trust those. The glowing or really good ones anyway.
@206 – You have a good point except you miss the one where he’s profiting off his lies. IF this guy has or had a head injury he would know he has one and have been told by family friends or Doctors that he doesn’t recall things exactly as they happened, but he still wrote a book to make Money off of his lies or exaggerations knowing he was remembering things incorrectly. That’s not a victim or a nice guy in my book.
I just checked out the Amazon reviews. 4 with 5 stars and 8 with one. All of the 4 star reviews are paid advertisements.
Commercialism at it’s finest!
https://m.facebook.com/#!/CarnivoreFraud?m_sess&__user=1095325760
He also seems to have an obsession with the comic Sgt Rock and is living in a world that he is Sgt Rock.
@215 & 216-Joshua, All I can say is “Hooorah” on ya, Mate
Ahh. I can insert some operational knowledge here about knives…
The Gerber ASEK (Which stands for Army Survival Egress Knife) is issued to flight crews. You got two versions legal for use. One made by Ontario, the other by Gerber.
They are designed to do exactly what they say. If a bird rolls over in a crash on the doors and you can’t get out, you are supposedly to pull out your ASEK and the crash axe and do the manliest damn thing possible in the universe besides walk away in slow motion while an atomic bomb goes off behind you. You are supposed to cut your way out of the crashed helicopter.
So as far as I am taught (because I have yet to actually do this with one of my knives) it is insulated specifically because there are a LOT of powered bundles of wiring in a bird… I am debating testing this theory today. However I am so close to retirement that perhaps performing stunts just to prove how big my balls are is not needed.
The ontario version has huge notches that at first glance would appear to be saw teeth, but are merely so you can saw through the skin of the bird.
I prefer the Gerber ASEK because it is a nice meaty blade. The 550lb cord holes are also bigger and the handle is semi-grooved to fit it tighter against a stick so you can make a spear.
Anyone want the NSNs to try and order them? They are Class IX supply.
@218 at drum. This is off topic, but do you know Major Del Boyer?
hoo boy. his book has just broke into three pages of reviews on amazon. at least two of them are wordy paid reviews. the rest are from people who worked with him in 3/7 or as a contractor. new claims in the reviews include that he got canned from a job for doctoring up his 214, and that he would pull “loyalty checks” on his Blackwater teams by telling them that spots on other teams were open and if someone raised their hand he would rip them.
maybe the reason I’m so interested in this guys story now is because he reminds me so much of the prick that was my PSG during the invasion, and I could see that brownnoser (he gave the 1SG a Beretta SMG we confiscated) pulling the same shit that Dillard here is doing.
@ Brewster: Are you perhaps suggesting that someone who was a lying POS prior to a head injury would become better at being a lying POS after the head injury? (Most of us here have a better than average understanding of head injuries simply because so many of us here have dealt with them or dealt with those who have dealt with them.)
And, in general: writing a book about fictional events claimed as real is most assuredly done in hopes of profiting from the writing. Unless he self published and charged no one for a copy of the book, he is most likely hoping to profit from it monetarily. Does he have a contract with the publisher to make money from sales? Then as soon as he makes a dime, he should be covered by the new SVA.
Dillard CJ Johnson, or as we called him in Baghdad, Cock Juggler. This mouth breather is a liar, a thief and an all around POS. He is an expert at saying something, then flipping it around if it’s disproved by using the old Jedi mind trick (like he’s doing now, post book release).
http://www.amazon.com/gp/forum/cd/discussion.html/ref=ntt_mus_ep_cd_tft_tp?ie=UTF8&cdForum=Fx3JZLRG6VYQJ0S&cdThread=Tx1WQGH9F9BQRD
That’s the community page for Dillard Johnson. I think it would be helpful to put out that he’s a liar not only on the book reviews, but here as well.
“Loyalty Checks”…. 100% true, and he did it all the time. This is so awesome finally seeing his bullshit getting called in the open. Fuck this guy, with a pinecone, sideways.
This is by far my favorite review on Amazon.
“I’m a reporter thinking about writing about this new book. If you served with Sgt. Johnson and you have something to say on the record, positive or negative, contact me on murphyd at csps dot com. My name is Dan Murphy and I was in Iraq covering the war about six months a year between 2003-2008 for the Christian Science Monitor (who I still work for; now based in Boston).”
Here is a copy of Johnson’s records
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/1959/ww85.jpg
No Silver Star. No Purple Hearts.
Whoopsie.
@227,I do know he received a Silver Star, since it was pinned on him the same day my BSMwV was pinned on me by the same General. He did get hit by shrapnel in Iraq, that is the only time i know of that he received a PH. The story is far fetched on many accounts. I can say truthfully say that our track as a whole, gunner,BC,JAFOs and Driver have 200+ kills in 2003, I didnt make tally marks or anything. Maybe the entire squadron has 2700+ but never one man. The man was a dedicated soldier, yes he was an asshole, I was under his rank so I did not ask questions, I just acted upon orders. I am concerned that this book is making all of 3/7 Cav look like a falsehood and i do not want that continue. We had an extraordinary group of men who worked very well together. The communication was on point 90% of the time which is absolutely amazing in itself and the entire unit deserves its honor for the events that took place.
@227 His Iraq deployments are not listed in his overseas tours, but at the same time it shows him as having 2 Combat Action Badges and I’m pretty sure you’re only authorized one. There is no such thing as stars on a CAB. Why would he have back to back Kosovo rotations like that? It looks like he took a couple one week breaks during a year-long rotation. Does that sound right to anyone? I know that ERBs can be easily prone to errors and often it takes the individual soldier to clean it up. His receiving a Silver Star and at least one Purple Heart appear to be common knowledge. An official records release from DA would clear up the issue.
TMB, just like the CIB and CMB, there are multiple awards for the CAB, however, I think the reason he has two CABs listed is that he received his 1st CAB for the invasion( I believe you could receive a CAB retroactively to 9/11 after it was authorized), then a second set of blanket orders for his second tour. My second tour they just cut CIB orders with everyone listed , but I was not receiving a “second award” CIB.
Andy, as far as I’m aware you can only be awarded one CAB for the GWOT just like you can’t receive a second CIB for deploying to Iraq more than once. The reg discusses “qualifying period,” but isn’t specific on this.
Oh def TMB, I’m not saying this dbag is actually authorized a CAB second award, just offering a explanation as to why he has two listed. Oh, and if I’m reading his schools right, he did BNCOC in 1991, and didn’t do ANCOC (the first time) until 2002 based off posted comments, then actually made it through in 2004. So almost 10 years as a SSG? I know that sometimes making that leap from E6 to E7 can take awhile, but come on.
#229,
I believe “KS” is Korea, but those overseas assignments are definitely jacked up. It looks like he hadn’t bothered to get his Germany and Korea tours fixed on the ERB–it should only reflect one tour in each looking at the dates. I’ve seen a few ERBs with similar errors, so I guess units don’t pay attention when they put overseas tour info in EMILPO.
Most awards are not “automatically” updated but in the past few years the S1s in my units have been a bit more proactive. Even so, the Good Conduct Medal has always, in my case, been added within a few days of being eligible for one. Johnson is missing at least two of these gimme awards (2006 brief date, entered service before 1991), opening up the question of whether he was ineligible for them or if for some reason they were just overlooked.
The ERB has an AGCM eligibility date under Section III Service Data. If a Soldier is flagged or undergoing adverse action during their eligibility date (supposed to be within the three year window, but sometimes stuff slips under the radar), they are ineligible for the award. Truth be told, though, I’ve only seen one NCO (so far) whose number of AGCMs didn’t match up to his time in service, and he is only short one due to being overweight.
I wish this would go away. I didn’t ask to be in this book, my name was used without my permission several times. I am now getting shit on for his story. Well, that and I will always have a place in my heart for the man who helped make sure I returned home from the war to see my family. I am done talking about it on here. I am now being told a medal I earned that four high officers signed for was given to me for being his lapdog. I drove for him. I did what was asked, I don’t need it. I’m sorry to all of you who suffer from this book who were never mentioned in it, just think how I feel.
@219, the only Boyer who is a Major that I know of is a Dustin who works in the medical branch.
#234,
We all have our mentors and those leaders who kept us alive and/or got us to where we are now. The fact that you are being dragged through the dirt for having served with Johnson is bullshit, plain and simple. Those who disagree with Johnson’s statements and book shouldn’t be pulling other veterans into the mix, regardless of how close they once were to him. If you were a diehard advocate for the guy and worshipped the ground he walks on it may be different, but you’ve already stated your thoughts along with the fact that some of the “facts” in his book didn’t happen.
Johnson’s actions now, and even the fact that he was an “asshole” (as you stated in post #228), do not change the experiences you shared. It sucks that he obviously feels as though he didn’t do enough–or has simply allowed greed to overcome good sense–but few of us here can lay claim to having been on the ground at that time. Dilliard Johnson seems to deserve every bit of criticism he gets. His BFV crewmembers and squadron mates should not be grouped with him.
fm2176: sadly, one of the results of stolen valor is often to bring discredit on or call into question the actions and accomplishments of those individuals who served with the perpetrator. When one member of a unit is proven to be a liar, the perception is often that many or all members of that unit are liars as well.
We all know that’s not the truth, and that perception is wrong. But it’s often the perception on the part of the public nonetheless.
@ #234: In case you do come back here to read this, will offer a bit of advice from a long retired SrNCO. It really is possible to honor and be grateful for the lessons learned from even the most despicable characters. It is a process to get there, but well worth the effort.
Meanwhile, we are glad that you made it through and we are here to help you see that whatever he says now does not diminish whatever he did to help you get to this point. It is sad that he has done all this, but you are not obligated to take that sadness upon yourself.
Hondo,
That’s human nature, I guess, and it affects much more than stolen valor. A crooked cop can bring discredit on an entire police department, and Recruiter misconduct can destroy the military’s reputation in a school or neighborhood.
I have to tell ya I served many years( 5 exactly) and I never cared for him at all. He knew his job but he was a complete asshole and did some questionable ( putting it nice) things that would make me not even speak to him if we ran into each other. He is full of shit and a fraud trying to profit off a bad situation that involved a bunch of great men. .” His driver” I know you well and you were a great soldier man …no one in the cav was a lap dog you did your part well brother…I have to say I was glad to have been in the other scout plt.
Just wanted to throw in a comment to tell you all he did get a SS but mostly everything that guy says is a load of shit!!! It sickens me to read what he puts out there….
Was supposed to say many years with him*
Was the SS awarded for a single event, or just an accumulation of actions during the invasion? If so, how many other SS’s were awarded in the unit for similar actions by troop NCO’s?
FYI: Col. David Hackworth was awarded 10 silver stars, which he had received in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
The battle at nijef mainly is what its for I believe…I received a bronze for that battle and was a NCO…..I would say probably 12 ss in my troop
Looking at his ERB and knowing he retired in early 2006, the SS could have came later because we know these types of awards take a long time to get approved, plus many here have confirmed it. But I did not see sniper school on the there so must have been OJT. I’m also pretty sure he is not authorized 2xCABs. It should be like the CIB with one for the whole GWOT fight, not each time you deploy.
GRUNT84, he back peddled on the “sniper” claim and said something to the affect that because he was a backwoods Kentucky boy that grew up huntin’ he took it on himself to use the PLT sniper rifle to rack up those kills, then he stepped back again and said his huge kill tally from his second tour that made him the second deadliest sniper ever was just a count of personal kills made with a sniper rifle, a M4 and a 203. I’m pretty sure the SEAL sniper they compared him to in the presser made all his kills at range with a sniper rifle.
I really hope his publisher has a clause in his book deal that if his book turns out to be BS they can recoup all costs from him when the pull it.I wonder if him or his agent are taking calls from his publisher right now?
Andy, I think this knucklehead will be doing a lot of back-peddling. The publisher should of conducted more background info from other members of his crew/teams/squads/platoon/company before getting involved. A little green book can hold whatever he writes in it but does not make it true.
“Well you know that I had 121 confirmed kills with that rifle…”
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/941429_121_confirmed_with_M14_sniper_rifle_________.html
you know, I wonder if I can google up a phone number for the museum at Ft Stewart and ask to speak someone who manages the displays and ask then if Dirty J really does or ever had his uniform and “little green book” on display. I know Army historians have walked up to soldiers and asked them to donate the uniform and gear they were wearing right there on the spot for historical reasons. I know when I visited the museum they had a set of DCUs, LBE and Kevlar from some soldier in the 24th ID (the unit at Stewart before they reflagged as 3ID) in Desert Storm that a historian had lifted from the soldier.
Andy: phone number seems to be available here:
http://www.stewart.army.mil/about/history.asp
from the Ft Stewart website Notice: The Fort Stewart Museum is currently closed due to renovations until further notice