One Sheriff’s Race: Two Cases of Stolen Valor
Rick Jowers
An article on the website WeAreTheMighty.com highlights the sheriff’s race in Callahan County Texas in which the two candidates tried to “out hooah” each other with military claims.
One sheriff’s race: Two instances of stolen valor
by Bethaney Phillips | May 19, 2022
In rural Callahan County, Texas, a town of about 4,000, a normal sheriff’s race turned up something unusual. Where not one, but two candidates were accused of stolen valor. Later, it was proved that, while both were veterans, they had invented stories about their time in the service.
In their attempt to out-hooah one another, opposing candidates in the race at Callahan County ended up inflating their service. So much so, that it was soon beyond belief and caught the attention of bystanders. One-upping war stories is one thing, but rather than holding out hands saying, “My gun was this big,” the sheriff candidates falsely claimed awards, achievements and rank.
It went down like this:
Leroy Foley was an active member of the Clyde Police Department, a small town near Abilene. As a sheriff candidate, his campaign was built on his military service. He listed a Purple Heart and Silver Star, even placing their graphics on his election posters. He also publicly announced that he had served as an Army Ranger for 11 years.
Leroy Foley
He was ousted by militaryphony.com, which found these claims to be stolen valor. However, he might have gotten away with it if it weren’t for his neighbors. As a police officer of Clyde, Foley didn’t reside within Callahan County. He rented a house – that was obviously empty to his neighbors – and they began poking around. Upon finding the Silver Star (and knowing this was very difficult to earn), they sent his campaign poster to militaryphony.com.
However, when reviewing the sheriff candidate’s speeches from the local debate, the other candidate, the local favorite, came into play.
His name is Rick Jowers, and in his speech, he claimed that he was also a staff sergeant and an Airborne Ranger as well as a Navy SEAL and Green Beret. (No wonder his case was looked into!) Ousters also looked into Jowers’s military history, where it was found that he only served a few months before going MIA. He was released with a discharge status of other than honorable.
What’s likely even worse, is that his reasoning for the desertion was also debunked. His issued statement about said he was dealing with the loss of family members, who were proven to have died years, even decades, after his desertion.
Read more at the above link.
I should say that I’m not sure that I recall a claim of Navy SEAL. At the very least it was not something we had evidence of a public claim for.
As the article states – it was a classic case of “my gun is bigger than your gun.” Ranks as one of the most classic cases of stolen valor that this community played a huge role in bringing light to. Kudos to all of you for staying on top of this.
Category: Army Poser, Purple Heart, Ranger, Stolen Valor, Stolen Valor Act, Valor Vultures
lovely– looks like LEOs are sinking into shady politics worse than ever.
Generalize much there sparky? Kind of like saying all Vets are assassins because one killed JFK.
Oswald was a patsy.
This is why God made the DD-214
The link id current but wasn’t this featured here several years ago?
Richard Wayne Jowers – Fake Army Airborne Ranger, Combat Wounded, Blog of Shame : This ain’t Hell, but you can see it from here (valorguardians.com)
Still No Sheriff Candidate at Callahan County : This ain’t Hell, but you can see it from here (valorguardians.com)
https://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/election/callahan-county-elects-new-sheriff-after-controversy-with-previous-candidates/
Yes, the link and article are current AND it references an outing we did several years ago.
They both should head down to Merritt Island Florida and head security for All Points Logistics.
I imagine Phil Monkress has already recruited them.
Talent like that is hard to come by,
D’oh! (as said Homer Simpson)
They both need to be tarred and feathered and ridden out of town on a rail. All while being recorded and put on YT or Gab.
Re: Rick Jowers “Airborne Ranger”
Even as a retired Marine Corps Aviator who doesn’t know a great deal about the Army, I always smell POSer shit whenever I hear someone trying to describe themselves as an “Airborne Ranger”.
As far as I know, no actual Ranger would ever do that.
As someone who served in a 75th Ranger company, I can affirm that I did not include “Airborne” when referencing my service in RVN. Moreover, airborne is a given since all Ranger units were/are on jump status.
Yep.
I’m a Special Forces reject, and there were several Airborne Rangers, Pathfinder, Scuba qualified soldiers.
“Airborne Rangers”?
Seriously?
Are there operational Rangers who aren’t “Airborne”?
Asking for a friend.
There were still a few leg ranger companies during Vietnam from 1969-1972, but I think that they all became airborne by 1974.
Name edited to protect PII.
AW1
Depends on what you mean by “operational Rangers.” I knew a Ranger qualified 97B (counterintelligence agent) who was a leg and served in one of the battalions. In essence, his job didn’t require him to jump and his skill set was more valued than his ability to jump from a plane. He did complete Ranger school while he was in the battalion. By the time I knew him he was back in the “regular army” though so that may have been because he didn’t want to go to jump school.
I remeber a few Golfs (Leg Rangers).
Last was I saw was about 99-00 time frame and they were sending him to jump school.
The only time I regularly heard “Airborne Ranger” was during cadence at BASIC. I imagine it’s used then only to get extra syllables in the line.
“Oh what a tangled web we weave…” Heh heh. Cocksuckers!
Foo of the Google on Foley’s name, the FIRST (ht 2 Roh-Dog) hit is the link to his outing here. Jowers hit is # three. Gotta love it!
Turds.
This sounds like a case for Walker, Texas Ranger
Or Turd Bolling at Ambassador Worldwide Protection Agency (both national and international).
A couple of Phildosical ballworking dudes now employed at All-Points Logistics.
Deja Vu like 2 years ago?
I want to hear, as Paul Harvey would say, “The Rest Of The Story.” So whatever happened in Callahan County? Did one of the posers get elected Sheriff or did another candidate throw his hat in the ring?