Your imagination is bad for you.
Considering that it is Memorial Weekend, that one of the things that is a emotional high is coming home on leave. Even getting back home from the tour does not have the same feeling. So even though that this story is a few months old it it worth bringing up.
Long story short a Solider on leave from Afghanistan managed to ruin that day before he even left the airport.
SEATTLE – An Army specialist from Fort Lewis is apologizing to his family and community for lying about being injured in Afghanistan, lying about his rank and wearing military honors that he hadn’t earned.
Spc. Jordan Olson, 22, arrived at Outagamie County Regional Airport in Wisconsin to a hero’s welcome Saturday. Along with Olson’s family, members of the American Legion, VFW and Patriot Guard were waiting to greet him.
What did he fake exactly?
According to the Army, Olson:
# Is a specialist assigned to the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Brigades, not a sergeant as he told The P-C on Saturday. Also, there is no promotion in the works for Olson that would allow him to claim that rank.
# Was deployed to Afghanistan with his unit last October. His field artillery battery is attached to an engineering unit near Kandahar, where it is conducting route clearance operations.
# Was not injured in combat.
# Returned briefly to Joint Base Lewis-McChord before heading to Wisconsin for his leave.
# Has no reason to wear an 82nd Airborne Division patch. His battalion is not attached to the division.
# Has not been awarded the Parachutist Badge, according to his military records. Additionally, there is no mention in his records that he attended U.S. Army Airborne School.
# Has not been authorized to wear the Combat Action Badge.
When confronted about this his reply was:
“Just wanted my family to be proud of me and … overstepped some boundaries I shouldn’t have overstepped,” said Olson.
Olson says he is going to personally apologize to the VFW, American Legion and Patriot Guard. He says he also plans to seek some help.
“It’s a self-esteem issue. I think I should go see what I can do about getting taken care of myself and having better self-esteem for myself,” said Olson.
Olson could be prosecuted under the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, which prohibits claiming military honors that were not earned.
Yea I would like how it would explain this one.
The local newspaper in his hometown, the Appleton Wisconsin Post Crescent, published some photos from Olson’s return showing him with his mom and a young woman identified as his fiancee.
Trouble is – he’s got a wife at Fort Lewis.
Once again major thanks to POW.Network for the story.
Category: Phony soldiers
Dumbass kid needs to learn a lesson his parents apparently didn’t teach him. Bust him down to E-1 for a few years.
I’m 20 miles from Fort Lewis, I’ll put him over my knee if I have to. As the full-time caregiver to a 100% disabled OIF I feel sorry for the kid at the same time I want to kick his ass!
The thing that what surprises me is when these people are exposed have legit military backgrounds. I mean people who have been deployed with such decorations like the CAR, CAB, CIB, PH, and such. Yet they do not seem content with this, I just do not understand compared to those that do not have any real military history.
GUILTY! Of conduct becoming a TURD!
I would be proud to know someone who had worked “route clearance”, a totally respectable, even admirable, job.
WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT, Over!
Nuf Sed
Uh, yeah, baby, I was Black Ops… my code name’s Agent Orange! (Spank him, tell him he’s too old to be telling lies.)
He’s prime IVAW material.
Couldn’t even place “his” two badges in the proper order…
I think we have all served with a guy like this, maybe not at this level. He has to be dreading life when he gets back to his unit. He will be lucky if he only gets wall to wall counseling.
The comments at one of the links show that they are 11 weeks old. Anyone have any follow-up info on this dipstick?
His Wife, his girlfriend, his mommy, his unit comrades, and we can all say:
“I am not upset that you lied. I am upset that I can never trust you again.”
Well maybe not his mommy, as she would be the one who raised him that he is not responsible for his actions. His statements show that he feels that had the news and the crowd not been there this would all be a joyous occasion.
Nuf Sed
No clue I found this one on POW.network and all the stories have been in March. They only clue as what will happen after is when he got back from leave. Considering it is not a “major” offense that they will not publish punishment to the press.
I would love to be a fly on the wall when he gets back and has to go see his First Sergeant.
according to AKO, he is now PV1 Olson.
Yep and he is the only person with that full name.
[…] the good folks at This Ain’t Hell comes yet another story of a military fraudster: An Army specialist from Fort Lewis is apologizing to his family and […]