Gary Raub; Phony homeless POW arrested for ’76 murder
It told of how Raub was a prisoner of war at a camp in Cambodia for three years, and how he lived in a bamboo cage set in a river that rushed around his legs. Writer Zachary Watterson told of the time Raub “used the rock to cut open the bamboo cage and escaped.” He also claimed Raub’s captors yanked out his teeth, “and as he talked, I could see his toothless gums,” Watterson wrote.
A group of sociology students also profiled Raub last December as part of their “Invisible Heroes” project, saying the “suffering and sacrifices that he’s made for the United States continues to go unrecognized by our society.”
But the video and The Stranger story were just that – a story.
Raub was never a POW. [Seattle Police Detective Mike]Ciesynski, whose son served in Afghanistan, said a background check on Raub showed he never even served in Vietnam.
I came to the conclusion a long time ago that there aren’t very many real veterans on the streets, but there are some real stories to be heard. And of course, there are the experts who have seen all of the movies who will vouch for them, like this commenter at one of the articles about him;
You unregistered users are a bunch of jerks. Sure, he’s probably embellishing his war stories, what soldier and fisherman hasn’t? But if he is over 60 and a Native American it’s not unlikely at all that he was drafted into the Vietnam War, and served in combat, and saw a ton of crazy shit. So Maybe the Cambodia part is BS, whatever, I’m not an expert on the Vietnam War, but I did see Apocalypse Now, and the boat went into Cambodia, so even if the US Govt denies that any US troops were in Cambodia it doesn’t seem that far fartched [sic]. Yes, I realize I am poking fun at myself.
Anyway, leave the poor old guy alone, he’s a nice guy as far as I have talked to him. Have some respect for your elders.
He’s a nice guy, sure he’s murdered a 70year-old woman, but he was a nice guy, he’s a native American and he saw some shit because she saw “Apocalypse Now”. So there, haters. And, for the record, he’s not listed at the DoD website for Vietnam era POWs.
The NPRC says “Who?” No military service, but he’s a nice guy.
Category: Phony soldiers
Another smelly hippie leeching off the system.
At least in prison he will get a bath.
Turd.
Is he phoney homeless or phony POW, title is confusing? just kidding I know what you ment
They should also look into his claim of being a Native American. Maybe he belonged to the same tribe as Elizabeth Warren?
Did the commentor really just sid he understood the vietnam war by saying he watched appocalyse now. Unbelievable
Green Thumb, we really have to expand your insult vocabulary. How about gleeking flap-mouthed gudgeon?
Gee, I saw “Deerhunter” when it was showing at the theaters. Didn’t make me an expert on Vietnam. It was a movie story, except for the real footage of potbellied pigs eating a roasted human after a napalm attack. I saw more real stuff at NPC in the archives than anyone ever saw at the movies. “Apocalypse Now?” Seriously? That was based on Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”. It had nothing to do with the Vietnam war. I saw “The Killing Fields”, too. That didn’t make me an expert on the real viciousness of the Khmer Rouge.
What a crock. Oh, well, at least the cops caught the guy.
Hey! That looks my old winter coat.
I’m reminded of the cage scene in “The Deer Hunter” in which Robert DeNiro and Christopher Walken are kept in a cage in a river.
Just a thought:
Didn’t the major drive to de-institutionalize the mentally ill occur at the same time we saw a wave of news stories promoting VN vets as mentally unstable, drugged-up, burnt-out herds wandering the streets? That conflation is still ripe for exploitation.
What is with the defenders of these lying wannabees? Basing a defense on one of the largest pieces of fabrication produced in Hollywood?
A murdering, useless parasite who has never contributed to our society deserves the same concern as a cockroach receives seconds before you crush it under your heel….I hope this man’s last days are uncomfortable and short.
Libby Warren’s west coast cousin, obviously. She gave him that coat at the last family reuinion.
ANALYSIS:
Real deal.
His time in the Cambodian prison camp (3 years) was so horrific, he took on the appearance of a Cambodian prison camp guard in order to become one with his captors. The beard represents the long time spent in solitude and most Cambodians have sh*tty little beards. The time he spent in the undersized cage has no doubt caused the hump in his back.
What pushed the story over the edge of believability:
A group of sociology students also profiled Raub last December as part of their “Invisible Heroes” project, saying the “suffering and sacrifices that he’s made for the United States continues to go unrecognized by our society.”
Hey if the sociology students in Seattle say it is so …
END OF ANAYSIS
I know the movie “Platoon” gave me flash forwards.
This is for you Green Thumb.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=thesaurus
Okay, how the hell did they get the chewed gum. He looks like a swallower. That means…NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Guy really looks like Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the guy who scammed the Beatles.
Yeah, that Yogi. Not the catcher for the Yankees.
You guys are killing me.
I save most of my intellectual capacity for grad school. This is stress relief.
That being said, I am an old IN guy. Strong back, weak mind, limited vocabulary.
Anyway, as I believe I have stated before, why go on and on when one word will do?
I believe it encompasses all relevant tangible and intangible qualities (or lack thereof) of this individual.
Put a hat on him and he would look like a yard gnome.
It’s all good, Green Thumb. I’m also an old IN guy where we use the F bomb like the Smurfs use Smurf.
@6, Dave, I was also thinking he borrowed the scene from The Deer Hunter for his story. He wouldn’t be the first. Last spring when we busted Phony POW, Dave Groves, his son posted on here that his dad fabricated his story from movies such as Apocolypse Now and Uncommon Valor. It is comical that folks treat movies like Apocolypse Now and The Deer Hunter as historical documentaries. If that is the case, I would like to nominate the following movies to use as factual references for their respective subjects:
Astronomy-Star Wars; Early Colonial American History-Disney’s Pocahontas; Primative Anthropology-Ringo Starr’s Caveman; Marine Biology-The Little Mermaid; Physics-Back To The Future; 19th Century U.S. History-Blazing Saddles; and keeping with Mel Brooks we’ll throw in History of the World Part I to cover everything else.
Lawrence of Arabia — terrific movie based on T. E. Lawrence’s personal memoir “Seven Pillars of Wisdom”; did not accuratel portray General Allenby or use native Arabs as tribal leaders (Alec Guinness as the Saudi prince?)
Bridge Over the River Kwai — another good movie, but fell short of how badly the Japanese treated POWs in WWII
The opening scenes of “Dances With Wolves” with Kevin Costner airgliding through bullet barrage on a buckskin horse? Give me a break — the horse cavalry used dark horses, as in dark bay or brown and black, not buckskins and palominos. Those were coveted by the Plains tribes for hunting and warfare.
There’s more but I can’t take up the entire column.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Yard gnome.
Hatless Smurf.
My ribs hurt. Alot.
I wonder if he knows any spells?
Claymore. Where are you fella? We need a photo array.
Actually, I bet he could make a cheeseburger vanish in two twitches of his nose.
I think he played as the villian in a few Disney cartoons.
Look guys, it looks like Golum survived his fall into Mt. Doom.
At least we know his nickname is secured for next year’s Stolen Valor tournament.
@25. Papa Yogi Yard Gnome?
I’m thinking “Maharishi Chief Gnome Gollum”.
Aw, Hondo, ya just gotta throw a “cousin” or “cuz” in there somewhere! Of course, AC’s submission has a nice acronym to it.
If watching “Apocalypse Now” makes one an expert on the Vietnam war, then would watching “Full Metal Jacket” make a person into a Marine?
If I watch Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket, will I get the PTSD?
I think this clown is more along the lines of “Quest for Fire”.
Green Thumb
another POS down the toilet!
@27. Did he claim to be a Marine? If so, how’s ’bout Gnomer Shit Pyle.
Cousin Yogi Gnomer
Sundial Shipyle Gnomen.
Travelocity just called. They want their Roaming Gnome meme back…
Twist has it right-this guy is the real deal and he was held captive-in Mordor. He is a tough one though, all they could get out of him was two words, “Shire” and “Baggins”.
Isn’t he on one of those postcards that TSO posted last week?
Adirondack Patriot13, i’m thinking he may be the love child of Chhech marin and Tommy Chong.
They better be careful. There was another instance of a redneck sheriff harassing an ex-POW up in the Northwest, and that didn’t turn out too well for the town or the National Guard. They even had to bring in his former Commanding Officer to bring him in. Of course, John Rambo was smart enough to burn all of his trash. If the Roaming Gnome was thinking properly, he would have swallowed the game. He must have been confused because of his PTSD.
PTSD = Post Toasties Soggy Dish?
Can’t wait to see the service record, if any on this guy. He reminds me of Tom Bruso, AKA the epic beard man, who became famous for a you-tube video for beating up a drunk that he had an altercation with on an Oakland City Bus. The media had a field day tripping over themselves getting this guys story. Boy he led them on a merry chase. He claimed all kinds of crap, including being a Vietnam Veteran. It turns out he’s just a mentally ill substance abusing pathological liar. He was kicked out of basic training in the Army in 1969 and has been nothing but a drain on society and his family since. You tube is full of videos with him flapping his gums about his adventures and lying out his old wrinkley ass.
[…] Sanford Raub; the homeless gnome October 30th, 2012 You guys had fun with Raub yesterday, I hope you’re not tired of him, because Mary at Fake Warrior got his records back yesterday […]
[…] not like we haven’t seen this type of reportage before like Gary Raub, the homeless gnome (here and here) who everyone just believed that he was a veteran because he said […]