Feel Good Story, Neither Confirm or Deny
Some of these Ukrainians speak perfect American English.
Category: Ukraine
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Get On Board
Enter your email address below to receive updates each time we publish new content.
Sounds like he is speaking perfect Ukrainian, with a Brooklyn accent.
He is from Connecticut.
See the New York Post article.
Close enough.
Slightly offensive. Fairfield County is its own beast.
Concur.
That’s New Jersey damnit! ‘Bout to throw some (textual) fists!
Fun story, my Recruiting Station was 3 doors down from the Bada Bing on Route 17 S in Hackensack.
Here is another one. They are unassigned a car while under artillery bombardment. Then take shelter in a house. https://youtu.be/wbc7BBDu9kE
Of course they would speak perfect American English. They learned American English from watching Ewe Tube Videos and American TV. Everybody knows that. Nothing to hear or see here. Move along.
These may not even really be soldiers. They could work for the gas company or some other utility.
Correct me if I’m wrong, as if I have to ask around here, but that looks like a BMP-2 in the video. Not a tank.
AW1Ed is correct.
This is what Vasquez posted on his Twitter account.
What a bunch of BS..
“For those of you correcting me on tanks. I know some are armored vehicle. Just did not want to get into semantics but here’s some tanks to make you feel better”.
“Connecticut Army Veteran Goes To Ukraine, Helps Take Out Russian Tanks: ‘It’s In His DNA’”
https://nypost.com/2022/03/25/us-army-veteran-goes-to-ukraine-helps-blow-up-russian-tanks/
“An Army vet from Connecticut who joined up with Ukraine’s military to fight the Russians has shared a now-viral video of himself standing in front of bombed smoking Kremlin tanks.
James Vasquez, 47, publicly declared his plan to leave his family and business in Norwalk on Feb. 24 — the day that Russia invaded its eastern neighbor.
“It’s in his DNA — it’s what he loves to do,” Vasquez’s wife, Tina Vasquez, told The Post on Friday of her hubby’s heroics.
“He did the same thing after 9/11, rushed in to help. That’s just who he is — he’s my hero,” she said.”
Continued:
“The former US Army staff sergeant finally made it to Ukraine on March 15 — sharing his adventures en route through a newly created Twitter account and detailing how he helped “take out” numerous Russian tanks as well as kill and capture Russian troops”.
“Welcome to America!” someone shouts in one of his videos — seen more than 2 million times since it was posted Thursday — as Vasquez stands in front of a smoking Russian tank.”
“I don’t know if you guys know what this was behind me,” Vasquez said as he posed with one of his comrades-in-arms, “but that’s a Russian tank. First tank that was taken out.”
“So far we took out seven Russian tanks after a long firefight and took control of the area,” he said in an update early Friday.
Continued:
“Right now we’re going to just kind of sweep around and see what we got left. Some stragglers — take them out and call it a day,” said the one-time US Army sergeant who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. “It’s been a long day, baby.”
“Another clip showed him excitedly counting out four blazing armored vehicles while exulting: “Yeah, buddy … I call that a good day!”
“It’s not just tanks that have been taken out by Vasquez and his colleagues.
The American bragged in a tweet Tuesday, “Captured 159 Russians today!“
In another post, he wrote, “Russians refuse to take their dead. Their fallen soldiers are left to be eaten by stray dogs,” adding that this was proof the invaders are “pieces of s–t.
“Americans would never leave a man or corpse behind,” he tweeted.
“Vasquez has also shown off his weaponry on social media, displaying grenades and a machine gun.
“I had a pretty beat up weapon,” he captioned a picture of an automatic rifle Wednesday, “so I decided to take this bad boy from a Russian.”
“Vasquez has also witnessed the losses of war, saying Thursday that one member of his team was killed and two others were injured during “six straight hours of combat.”
“While Vasquez does not say where he is in Ukraine, he previously stated that he had been woken by huge explosions in the western city of Lviv.”
“But rather than feeling fear, Vasquez insisted last week that “I kind of feel like I’m on an awesome very dangerous vacation.”
Vasquez says he has been well-received by Ukrainian soldiers, who “think it’s awesome an American soldier is here to fight alongside them” after initially being “shocked to see an American passport” at checkpoints. He says he has fought alongside British and Canadian citizens but has not come across any other Americans on the frontline.
“I don’t want the Russian propaganda machine saying there is a battalion of Americans,” Vasquez stressed in a tweet from early Friday. “[I’m] Here alone on my own accord in a complete voluntary capacity.”
In one of his most recent posts Friday, Vasquez shared photos of himself and a British soldier training Ukrainian forces on their “down time.
“They are eager and fast learners.,” he said of the Ukrainians. “It’s really an honor to be fighting with these fine men.
“I definitely did the right thing,” he said of his decision to fly to the front lines.
“Tina Vasquez, his wife of seven years, told The Post that when her husband first asked if she minded him going, she replied, “Go ahead — just make sure you come home.”
“Did I want it to go? No. But I told him, ‘Do what ya gotta do,’” she recalled.
“He wants to be a part of this and he has a lot to offer the Ukraine soldiers,” she said of her husband, who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan after joining the US Army at age 18.
Tina said she has been “overwhelmed” by the support she’s gotten in Norwalk, with many also calling her a hero for allowing the trip, which her husband is prepared to stretch out until at least May, if necessary.
Still, “everyone is concerned,” she said. “It’s been a struggle, worrying all the time. He tries to touch base when he can, but sometimes I won’t hear from him for a couple of days, which obviously raises my concerns.
“But I just have to remind myself that he’s on the front lines and really busy.”
“The Vasquezes each have two adult sons from previous relationships — with at least one of the four a little too supportive, Tina said.”
“My oldest son is an Army national reservist, so he gets it. He’s probably jealous he can’t be there, but I’m glad he’s not — one from the family is more than enough!” she said.”
I saw that video elsewhere, and it claims he’s a US volunteer named James Vasquez. See the link:
His gear is too clean and not worn enough. Re-enactors would love him.
Yep, that was ol’ Poe’s first thought, that he just looked a mite too spiffy to have been in multiple firefights for any extended period.
Hell, for any period…
Naw, our gear always looked like it had actually been in the Civil War. My son got mad at his mother once because she washed his shirt and socks. He said that impaired his “authenticity.”
I’m old enough to remember ITAR is a thing. That stock is a firearm component and if he leaves it without a permission slip, double secret probation!
Oh, jeez! Couldn’t buy a snap-link via Amazon in A’stan ’cause it was “military equipment”… but they’d let someone with an APO address in a COIN fight buy a cattleprod ($35 w/ free shipping) no questions asked.
This is James Vasquez’s Twitter account:
https://twitter.com/jmvasquez1974?lang=en
Good video on old/weird guns showing up on all sides.
YYMgYpavdB4
Check out James Vasquez’s Combat Patch.
Combat Patch is 2nd Armored Division (United States):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Armored_Division_(United_States)
“The 2nd Armored Division (“Hell on Wheels”[1]) was an armored division of the United States Army. The division played important roles during World War II in the invasions of Germany, North Africa, and Sicily and in the liberation of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. During the Cold War, the division was primarily based at Fort Hood, Texas, and had a reinforced brigade forward stationed in Garlstedt, West Germany. After participation in the Persian Gulf War, the division was inactivated in 1995.”
OK, I’m not calling bullshit on this one but a valid question….apparently, if I’m not seeing it incorrectly, that’s a 2nd Armored Division (“Hell on Wheels”) patch and it appears they were finally deactivated in December 1995.
What gives. Just slap on any old shit you want??
I mean, yeah, it’s *obviously* not stolen valor as he’s there in the shit, way closer to any danger *I* ever got near in 23 years but still… 🤔
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Armored_Division_(United_States)
I commented on that…and am awaiting approval from Admin to post my comment… 😉
Done. It got flagged because of all the links.
The ninja family “talks” too much..
😆😅🤣😂
He may have been with 2nd Armored in the first Gulf War.
Not knocking him for doing what he is doing, but he should not be doing it in a readily identifiable American uniform.
I got my 1ST AD patch on that one.
USMC Steve:
True…He may have been in DS…
The odd thing we noticed is that he claimed tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Majority of US Army Soldiers we know who served in both DS and OEF/OIF ended up wearing as their Combat Patch the unit they were with from the latter two conflicts instead of DS.
I remembered working with lots of Soldiers during the beginning of OEF/OIF (2002-2005) who wore their DS unit as their Combat Patch. Some of them exchanged their Combat Patch after their “combat” tour.
Gotta love those Combat Patches. What I questioned alot during those early days were Soldiers who were with an Army Reserve unit or National Guard unit. Some of them ended up wearing the 82nd ABN patch..others the 10th Mountain, the 101st, 18th Airborne Corps, the 3rd ID, the 4th ID, etc.etc. as their Combat Patch. I asked some of them why they did that and not wear their Army Reserve unit or National Guard unit patch. The answer was “crickets”. Kinda sad.
Their patch ain’t as cool. 🙁
I managed to get the same combat patch 4 times, DS, Somalia, OEF and OIF. I think I was in a rut.
IIRC, reg says if your headquarters element is deployed, you wear your organic patch as your combat patch. If they are not, you wear the patch from the unit you were attached to.
Almost?
😆😅🤣😂😆😅🤣😂
I’m with Ninja on this…
SUPER LULZ!!!!
Since I’m retired and don’t’ wear OCPs (except the caps, I have one for me and each of my kids with nametapes on them) IF I chose to for any reason, these would be my combat patches of choice…
And these from one of my favorite Jr Enlisted artists, “Sketch’s World”…military webcomic. You can Google/DuckDuckGo whatever his stuff but here’s a sample…
https://imgur.com/gallery/RUpQz
BEST Combat Patch EVER!!!
Eh, Real Housewives of Hoboken beats that.
Gee Whiz…From February 2021. It’s him…
“Norwalk Man Charged With Pushing Snow In Road”
https://www.thehour.com/news/article/Community-defends-Norwalk-man-charged-with-15982893.php
“After a local man was given a summons for being, what his neighbors called, a good Samaritan, police this week shed more light on the incident that led to the charges.”
“The man had police called on him after a “verbally aggressive” interaction with a Department of Public Works employee over allegedly pushing snow into the road while plowing his neighbors’ driveways following recent snowfall.
James Vasquez, 46, of Assisi Way, was issued a summons on charges of illegal deposit of snow on a highway and second-degree breach of peace.”
“Vasquez’s attorney said Vasquez claims the city employee was “rude” toward him. Friedman said he questions why his client was even arrested to begin with.”
Vasquez said, “I kind of feel like I’m on an awesome very dangerous vacation.”
I’m sensing a great business opportunity. Real life Call of Duty for two weeks.
Sure, he is out there slaying bad guys left and right, but let’s see his completion certificates for LBGQT Awareness and Combatting White Supremacy.
So how many ears has he collected so far?
I get it that this guy is American, but I have to say that I have been shocked more than once by how perfectly some non-Americans speak English.
I met a guy in Stuttgart, Germany years ago who I would have sworn on a stack of Bibles was from the States, but who was born and bred in Deutschland.
Same with my son-in-law’s two German daughters from his first marriage. Absolutely perfect accents and grammar. Stunning really.
I’m sure that there are plenty of Ukrainians born in the states who speak both languages perfectly.
One more example. When I was checking in at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, we had to go through an orientation class. We were briefed by a woman who, again, spoke flawless English except for one word. She use the word “historiacal” instead of historic or historical. Everything else she said was native speaker level. Very impressive.
As we all know, if you speak three languages you are trilingual, two languages bilingual, and one language American. Yeah, it always sucked to try and talk to someone in your best shot at their language and have them answer in better ENGLISH than you have. I think Prague was the worst for that.
Article says he is 47? So born ’75, earliest April ’74. Seems funny to have been overseas in a dustup that ended ’91.
Yes, seems highly unlikely he served in DS at 16 or 17 years of age. It is more likely that he served with the 2nd Armor at Ft. Hood, and he is wearing the patch as a combat patch to impress the Ukrainians that he is a combat veteran.
rgr769 has a great point.
Public information gives his DOB as being April 1974 (we left out the date of his birth and source of information), so he would have been around 16 years old at the end of DS in January 1991.
I had a Spec.4 helicopter crewman who was picked up on the Escape and Evasion network I set up during Flintlock IV (Special Forces exercise) in Southern Germany. He spoke fluent Swabish, the German dialect of the area where we were, and American English with no accent. Needless to say, I was highly suspicious of him when him when his fingerprint data from the SFOB in England didn’t match the prints taken by one of my civilian agents. So, I couldn’t put him through my E&E network, as he could have been an enemy agent. I requested permission to terminate him, but the SFOB said no, so I had to have two men guard him in a farm barn for five days until I could extract him along with a 1LT pilot that had verified prints. When I put the LT on the helo, I told him the SPC was an enemy agent and was now his prisoner. That wargame was “hella fun,” as my daughter would say.
Bwahaha!
Meanwhile, Russkies are fraggin’ their own (well, running over their own on purpose) for doing crappy in the war there:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/russian-soldiers-ran-over-commander-164118169.html
Hack posted that link the other day on Purim’s yacht thread. Not a lot of confidence in a Russian tank if someone can be run over by a tank and survive. Love the comment at the end when then they said they hope to see him back on his feet.
They didn’t say how tall he would be then.
Perhaps, but the guy’s dead now. (Wages of Yahoo! I guess… they had it this AM.)
Tankyou for the comments on tanks which I now have an urge for a tankard full of water from my genuine under the kitchen sink water purifer or maybe a tankard full of soda pop.
Jeff, you don’t knock this crap off you’re gonna make ol’ Poe downright cantankerous… 😜
His call sign was Flat Stanley.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/breaking-russian-brigade-commander-shot-26557363
That like Sailcat?
So…
If he ends up being captured…or is killed, then what?
Who gets involved? His Congressman?
Have this gut feeling that something did not ring right with him when he was in the Army…and that he is doing all of this for personal reasons.
Public Information.
He was living in Bell County, Texas (Killeen, Texas) from possibly June 1994 or earlier to about June 1996 or later.
Fort Hood, Texas.
He sadly made a mistake in July 1994 with a DUI (1st Offense) in Bell County. He plead guilty, paid a fine of about $650 (alot of money back then) and spent 3 days in jail.
A Class A Misdemeanor that may have ended his days in the Army.
In July 1994, he would have been 20 years old.
Forgot the ROE for legal age of alcohol sale/consumption while serving in the US Military, but did find that Texas legal age for sale and consumption is 21 years old.
Never could put my finger on that one. Soldiers that are old enough to serve, but not old enough to consume or buy (legally, that is).
Ooof. Looks like the ‘Staff Surgint’ here gots him some ‘splaining to do.
I ain’t calling bravo sierra but this is getting good.
Keep up the great work ninja!
Thank You, Roh-Dog!
He made mistakes in his youth.
We all do.
It looks as if NARA may be up and running again, but it may take months to get his Military records.
Do believe he did serve Active Army in the 1990s, probably with 2nd Armored at Hood. Probably only served one term of Enlistment…may have gone Army Reserves or National Guard.
Just having some questions about his supposed military service in Iraq or Afghanistan. Especially when he identified a BMP as a “tank”..and his Combat Patch…
🤔
Ah, Fort Hoodlum… being part of the problem there, too.
As someone who also finds Tucker Carlson to be insufferable, this tweet of his was relatable:
https://twitter.com/jmvasquez1974/status/1505028325256876033
jWsx2iqO1ks
🍆
Vasquez is a registered Voter in CT, but does not claim a Party.
“As someone who also finds Tucker Carlson to be insufferable…”
How very you, LC… 🙄
Gee Whiz…Public Information.
He was in Orlando, Florida in July 1995 and was arrested and charged with Disorderly Conduct, Carrying a Concealed Weapon and Resisting Without Violence.
His charges were dismissed. HOWEVER, he had to retain a $500 Bond.
He paid about $210 in 1995 and still owes Florida a balance of $220.
As of 2019, it looks as if a Collection Agency is pursuing to he $220.
Now they know where to find him.
So 4 active cases with similar info at CT Superior, they are sealed which usually indicates snitch city. I’m sure if this is the guy that a duty to inform about leaving the state was a requirement of pretrial release. Who knows….
https://www.jud2.ct.gov/crdockets/parm1.aspx
Gee Whiz…
2023?
Like I said, if it is him I could make a fair guess as to why. Usually the DoJ likes to ride these charges out as a way to keep their snitch on the hook. I have a working theory on what happened given the 2020 charge year. (even if I find out, which I’m not going to ask, I ain’t tellin’!)
That being said, Jimbo here’s Home Improvement Contractor’s license is due to expire at the end of the month. Doesn’t seem like that necessitates running to a war zone but thats just me.
Know what’s odd, Gulag (google) maps has blurred out the street view of the residence that comes back to him. (I will not be adding it here)
I have always loved Big Brother.
Hmmmmm, Now that things and details and facts and shit are flowing…..I’m just going to post this….right….fucking…here…. with the prediction that it’s gonna get even interestinger and instigating-eringly-er. …
Foogas is stirred, primed, and ready…
Steel wool or metal chips?
Sure would be interesting to see if there are complaints against his home improvement business, a career field rife with scam artists.
Ninja? Ninja? Are you out there, Ninja?
I saw a ’90’ rating and no logged complaints. If I was to guess the dude did it as a side gig and used it to rehab his own residence, maybe washing some money.
There are many of those types down that way (see https://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=124259&cpage=1#comment-3419281 )
Roh-Dog found the site that listed his license that expires on 31 March….😉
We must live on another Planet…Was a bit overtaken when we saw the $$$ value on his residence….then we remember this is 2022 and that we do not live north of the Mason-Dixon line…
“…north of the Mason-Dixon line?”
Small, hundred-plus year-old shotgun houses are selling for as much as $300 per square foot in New Orleans.
Then the Millennials will want to make ’em “open concept” (you know, a barn) and double that.
He tweeted approximately 6 hours ago that he hasn’t been to Afghanistan. Definitely contradicts what the journalist penned in the copy & pastes above. Not sure I would be posting like he is on any social media due to OPSEC & giving the ruskies bread crumbs to finding him but reading some of his tweets he appears to be an attention seeker.
Good on him for fulfilling his dangerous vacation & hope it all works out for him.
Welp, in a year or so we will have a whole new legion of POSers with fake Ukraine stories of combat daring do. “There I wuz fighting them Ruskies; there wuz tanks to my left and more tanks to my right.”
Yup.
It’ll be a veritable tsunami of new POSer bullshit, and I’m guessing that it’ll start in about a month or two. That is if it isn’t already underway.
Sales of leather vests and POSer bling are increasing wildly all across the Wide Wild World of POSerdom.
Now he’s blowin’ out his *ss about “punchable” Tucker Carlson… more Yahoo! coverage, I know:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-army-veteran-volunteered-fight-130417314.html
Yeah, they’re second-string Twitter/Farcebook… still block comments on Christina Haack articles, too.
Reading the Russian social sites, they already claiming that “majority of foreign mercenaries already been killed and after Lvov attack most of them ran away”. Canadian Wali is already listed there “KIA by Russian Spetznaz” even through he is alive and well laughing at them. Reading Russian side makes me cringe, seeing how brainwashed and Nazified Russia has become. Literal Nazi Dictatorship following the same book as Hitler 2.0
The same Nazi propaganda- Only “we are winning” news and content and nothing about even single casualty or equipment losses.