Navy hat lady’s FOIA results in
Trish Burnell and her “hat”
We talked about Trish Burnell last week when she made national news after losing her USS Hunley ballcap on a river tubing excursion. To quickly recap her service claims, she claimed to be a US Navy veteran and to have served aboard submarine tender USS Hunley (AS-31). News articles have claimed she is a Desert Storm veteran, but there are no direct quotes from her on that.
Burnell likes to wear the cap hat as a sign to fellow veterans, saying “It also allows other veterans to recognize each other and give a hardy nod or talk about the ‘good old days.’” Well she may have had some good old days, but she didn’t have very many of them. Not even enough to finish a standard enlistment.
Our preliminary investigation led us to believe that her service with the US Navy was quite short. DoD Manpower database checks showed she had just 62 days of active duty time between 1 August 1992 and 2 October 1992. As we reminded you, the DoD Manpower records are not exhaustive. While not accurate in this case, Burnell’s official records aren’t much more impressive. Here’s the the results of a Freedom of Information Act query;
The results show that Burnell entered the US Navy on active duty 7 May 1991. This was more than two months after the end of Operation Desert Storm, precluding her from being a veteran of the operation. At best she was a “Desert Storm-times veteran.” Her records show only award of the National Defense Service Medal. There are no awards that support any service in Desert Storm or follow-on operations related to the Gulf War. She also shows no awards for service at sea or overseas.
On 29 July, 1991 Burnell was reassigned to US Navy Hospital Corps “A” School at Great Lakes. She was transferred from the school on 13 December 1991. Less than a year later (2 October 1992) she was being shown the door and sent home with only her hat. As an E-1 she didn’t even get a stripe for her sleeves.
Burnell’s record does reflect that she was assigned aboard USS Hunley at the time of her discharge. As our contact at NPRC said, “Maybe she was on the ship but that’s about it.” No wonder the ballcap means so much to her, she was only aboard Hunley long enough to get a hat.
We cannot refute any of the quoted claims directly from Burnell in the articles. She is a US Navy veteran and served aboard or was assigned to USS Hunley (however briefly). This could be a case of her embellishing her record or a case of the reporting being overzealous or misunderstanding her claims.
Category: Navy, Veterans in the news
So thus the cap and the NDSM are the ONLY Military Decorations she’s ever earned.
The Brotherhood/Sisterhood took a hit this time.
I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and go with “reporter misunderstood” – the do so often anyway.
True…and proud but uninformed family members do the same.
I mentioned this some time back, but my late uncle retired from the Air Force as a major (he was a mental health officer) but my granddad claimed that my uncle was a colonel, and if he’d had a few beers, would claim that “they’s about to make him a G_d damn general”
My money’s on a pregnancy discharge…almost all the short-timer women I’ve dealt with got out because of that, or they claimed to have been sexually assaulted and were allowed early outs.
Judging from her pic, I’d be skeptical about her getting knocked up since the only men who would likely be interested in her would be the type to blow their load long before penetration took place.
You under estimate the effects of alcohol on sailor just returned from deployment.
Your point is a valid one.
I wonder why the reporters were under the impression that she was in Desert Storm – *IF* one were to give the benefit of the doubt that Burnell never said that. That’s quite a leap if it was pulled out of thin air.
Brian Williams spun a helicopter ride into blazing combat action, so they should know better.
Good to ‘clear the air’ on this women. Hope the USS Hunley ball cap somehow does find it’s way back to her.. Like Greybeard – willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and potentially chalk the ‘exaggeration’ up to an over-eager reporter..or two.
The shitbags are always the proudest of their meager service
I don’t believe the reporter pulled Desert Storm out of thin air. Recently, I watched how this can happen while the POS maintains plausible deniability.
A camera crew was setting up to get sound-bytes from whomever they could get to hold still. One blinged-out person was approached and when asked about their service and claimed to be a “Desert Storm Vet”. Heard it with my own ears. Then, with the camera on, did not repeat that statement but talked around it, blah, blah. When the reporter aired the clip, it was introduced as a comment from a “Desert Storm Vet”. Guy was called out and was able to state truthfully he didn’t say that “in the interview”.
Media rarely issues corrections, particularly when they repeat something they did not verify. A twisted sort of honor/professional code, I guess, not wanting to make it known they were duped. Better to just let false information hang out there.
Oh, you mean like CNN.
(SOFTBALL OAM!!!!! )
🥰 🐑
CLAIM: “My unit was in Vietnam.”
FACT: Person was in the unit 20 years after the unit historically served in Vietnam.
CLAIM: “I took a round that was meant for a buddy.”
FACT: Friend went to the bathroom at a bar. When the waitress brought the drinks, buddy had to pay.
CLAIM: “I was one of the few to survive the Battle of Quảng Trị.”
FACT: Call of Duty Level Four achievement, Silver Victory Trophy.
CLAIM: “My bird went down over hostile territory.”
FACT: Parakeet flopped on the floor where the cat was napping. Feathers everywhere.
LOL!
Exactly! Sanford and Son. Fred telling Lamont of his WW2 exploits.
Fred: “I remember crashing into the Pacific”
Lamont: “You mean when you had a weekend pass and fell off the pier in El Sugendo?”
I used to watch that show with my late father.
I have seen every episode.
One of my son’s first trip to the Navy Recruiting Office, I was skimming through a history of the Navy year-book type publication. It covered the USS Stark attack which happened while I was on my second Med, and I remarked how I remembered when that happened. Before I knew it, some of the recruiters were under the impression that “I was on the USS Stark”. However, me being and truthful person and having full disdain for the liars & embellishers that I read about here, I quickly dispelled that notion and told them the closest I got to FFG-31 was when we UNREP-ed her before she went through the Suez Canal. I’m sure others would have jumped at the chance to claim being there during that attack. The idea/chance for Stolen valor can happen in an instant. Don’t let it happen to you.
Well, her shit was “technically” true… but what she implied was total BS.
E-1 SR after 17 months?
That’s not easy.
In fact, that’s really really difficult.
For good soldiers and sailors, that is.
What a coincidence !!!!
Speaking of NAVY HAT…
Today, the US Government just arrested, and outed, a
January 6 D.C. Capitol breacher MILITARY PHONY.
He dressed in OD green military gear, and wore an OD green Navy hat.
[Michael Aaron Carico, who the feds say went into the Capitol wearing a NAVY hat, was arrested in California today.]
[Feds say they “determined that CARICO did not serve in the United States Navy or any other branch of the U.S. military.”]
https://twitter.com/ryanjreilly/status/1425551246413418497
The actor? Yeah, and his ‘handler’ (FIB lingo “CONFIDENTIAL HUMAN SOURCE”) isn’t identified in the complaint.
I ain’t buying it.
I’m not running cover for these losers but the mental health issues for Hollyweird is well in excess of 100%.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4092239/
https://www.justice.gov/file/1423741/download
Roh-Dog,
Well, my comparison is the string of Pennsylvania nutjobs and rightwingnuts already charged.
Just Google Leo Brent Bozell IV or Samuel Lazar (#FacePaintBlowhard).
MAC’s IMDB shows a string of shorts and misses, nothing really,
and an acting non-career that will likely come to a screeching halt.
Sucks to be sucky.
Anyone want to take bets on why they are hiding the face and identity of “Subject 2” in the linked charging document? $100 on who is that government employee, Alex. Answer: Fan Belt Inspector.
Maybe. Just like it’s possible the Plot to Kidnap Whit-ler was over 50% Fedbots.
Interesting deep dive into the Mr Carico’s history: one of the directors of the show he was on, The Inbetweeners, was a man by the name of Taika Waititi (of Jojo Rabbit fame), rabid anti-trumper, democrat party lackey.
Obviously someone as connected like Waititi has a lot of friends in the ‘industry’… but MANY of them received PPP ‘loans’ from JPMoron Chase.
Coincidence?
Perhaps.
Did he/they coordinate the 06JAN events and/or benefit from them?
I don’t have receipts, but they’re on the radar.
The truth is out there.
“Desert Storm-times Veteran”..is that like “Vietnam times-Veteran” ala Chief Snaggle-tooth, the Marine “Recon-Ranger” of CNN fame?
I ran into a Korean War vet at the restaurant on the highway. He was wearing a cap that included his awards and the LPH (supply ship) that he was on, and that the base was at Okinawa.
I asked him what he did while over there, e.g., did he get to the mainland. He said “No, I was on the ship all the time, unless we were back at Oki (his words) which was most of the time. Never got to land.”
His mild little story had more of a ring of truth to it than this silly cow’s claim of having anything at all to do with Desert Storm, either before, during or after.
Ex;
The LPH (landing Platform Helicopter) class Amphibs carried Marines and Helicopters for vertical assault operations and not a ServeLant ship I was on the USS Okinawa LPH 3 from 1963-1966 Kiddie Cruise.
I only have what was embroidered on his hat, and I didn’t write down the ## or the name of the ship. Sorry about that. If I ever run into that gent6leman, I’ll make notes next time.
Your Korean Vet may have just grabbed a hat that closely approximated the designation of what ship type he was on. Post WWII, there’s no telling what ship it might have been or redignated as. There was plenty of confusion during the draw down and some ships were redisignated several times. Link below lists the gamut of ship types and I suspect there are a few missing.
http://navweaps.com/index_tech/index_ships_list.php
Actually, by “grabbed” I mean he either bought it in a store or on line. Maybe someone got it for him and didn’t know what specifically to get. I’ve seen that several times with some of the older vets who aren’t “tuned” in anymore.
I was at the Ft. Ord PX yesterday and saw an older vet wearing a Special Forces cap. I went over to him and asked him which Group he was in. He looked puzzled so I said, “My dad was in the 77th, 1st, 6th, 5th, and Training Group….” kinda trying to jog his befuddlement. After a pause he went on to tell me he was an artillery observer and placed calls for fire for the SF. He kept talking about artillery, going up in a bird dog to spot (“yeah, my dad did that too!”) ….. I then pointed to my wife in the distance and said, “Oops, wife’s calling; gotta go.”
Sheesh.
(^_^)
I got a tour of the Naval Advisory Detachment/RVN Sea Commando facility in Da Nang. And I was given an onboard tour of one of their PT patrol boats (Nasty’s). So, I guess I should get one of those MACV-SOG ballcaps.
Is there still a PX at Ord? I thought it had been completely deactivated.
Ft. Ord now is a subinstallation of the Presidio of Monterey!!
Howdy, rgr769!
Ord still has its PX (rather small) and the large commissary. Although BRACKed, there still remains some military family housing.
POM has a larger PX; not sure if it also has a commissary. Of course the Naval Post Graduate School is still there and perhaps some of the students are billeted at Ord (just speculating).
I guess 9 months? on the Hunley must have felt like an entire career… Me thinks she just likes hearing “Thank you for your service” when she wears her hat. Seems she might be wishing her brief career had gone differently.
Odd that it stated SR and not HR if she went to Corpsman A school.
Actually, by “grabbed” I mean he either bought it in a store or on line. Maybe someone got it for him and didn’t know what specifically to get. I’ve seen that several times with some of the older vets who aren’t “tuned” in anymore.
This is her comment posted to my messenger page. They tried to “kill” her for being gay and she spent time in the brig.
Next time you want to make a false claim try checking all the information.
I don’t use military terminology anymore just like how my 20 yr veteran father, mother and brother don’t. None of us call it a cover anymore, nor do we use the head..we use the bathroom.
As far as those dates on the papers…thanks for reminding me that other assholes in the military tried to kill me for being gay. Those dates are from when I was released from the brig to when I was officially discharged. Not my full military service.
Next, don’t believe everything you read or hear on the news. That hat was my ships hat…I originally had 3. Over time 2 were no longer and I finally decided to start wearing my last original hat. Because I was proud of my service, I kept it stored away all those years but figures why not wear it rather than let it sit and rot.
As far as the Hunley going to the gulf…I never made that claim either. I was infact a Desert Storm vet…check those papers
I’m not understanding her claim of “Desert Storm” vet. If you weren’t there, you’re not a veteran of it. By her standards, I’m a Panama vet. I was in Korea at that time, but..
You can get such a hat for $20 on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/EC-USS-Hunley-AS-31-HAT/dp/B07QCY5R3M/ref=asc_df_B07QCY5R3M/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=382254259899&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1949525746116598974&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1022639&hvtargid=pla-815061172733&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=80995289274&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=382254259899&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1949525746116598974&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1022639&hvtargid=pla-815061172733
Okay, time for a tick mark update check:
She spent two months in the brig.
She claims to be a Desert Storm veteran although not starting an enlistment until May 1991.
She has purged all references to her Navy service from her Book of the Face page.
Got booted as an e-1.
So, Yea or Nay? Input needed from you Swabbies if whether or not to include her in this year’s Valor Vulture count.
Lack of responses noted. No tick mark.