Colonel John Joseph Gaynor; WWII embellisher
Our buddy, Doug Sterner, sent along this information the other night about John Joseph Gaynor in the above picture from 2011. Here’s his auto-bio;
Born in Brooklyn, NYC and graduated from High School in June, 1042. Enlisted in the Army that August and was sent to Camp Blanding, Florida for Infantry basic. Upon completion of basic, I volunteered for airborne school. Took jump training at Ft. Benning, Ga. Upon graduating, I received orders assigning me to “F” company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and 82nd Airborne Div. at Ft. Bragg, NC. Was sent to North Africa in May 1943 where I trained for combat jump into Sicily. Upon completing our mission we made a jump into Italy. When that was over we sailed to England. Later I jumped into Ste Mere Eglise on June 6th, 1944 as a pathfinder. Then I made a drop into Holland on Sept. 17, 1944. During the fight in Belgium I was commissioned a 2nd Lt. Platoon leader. Later I was promoted to 1st Lt. Division returned to USA in January 1945. I went to Korea in 1950 as a Captain, Company Commander and when I returned to USA was promoted to major and assigned as Prof. of Military Science, Peekskill Academy in upper New York in 1957. I was promoted to Lt. Col. 1961 while in Melbourne, FL and in 1965 I returned to Ft. Bragg as exec to 2nd Bn. 505 PIR. Was promoted to Colonel as regimental commander of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the same outfit I started with as a buck private. I retired in September 1972. Since I had my Juris Doctor Degree, I entered law practice in Palm Beach, FL as a tax attorney. I moved to Palm Bay in November 2006. I have been a Charter Member of the 82nd Airborne Div. Assoc. since May 1944 having joined in England. Recently I was awarded the French Legion of Honor w/Degree of Chevalier to go along with a Distinguished Service Cross, Bronze Star (v), Purple Heart (2x), French Croix De Guerre avee Palm, 4 battle stars, various Korean and European medals and Presidential citation among others.
But Army records tell a very different story;
According to the FOIA, he joined the Army, not in 1942, but 1943. And it looks like he stayed in the Reserves and never deployed to Korea and left the service as a 1LT, no jump wings. According to his assignments, he wasn’t assigned to the 82d (325th Glider Infantry) until November 1945, six months after the war, three years before the glider infantry units were disbanded and reconstituted as parachute regiments.
So what’s he wearing in that picture?
The ribbon between the ArCom and the GCM looks like a POW Medal. The ribbon directly below the ArCom is the American Service Medal issued for service September 8, 1939 and December 7, 1941 – he didn’t enlist until 1943. The ribbon directly below that one is the World War II Victory Medal for service between December 7, 1941 and December 31, 1946. Next to the American Service medal is the American Campaign Medal for service during WWII in the “American Theater of Operations” (currently known as CONUS plus Alaska). Next to that is the European-Africa Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. The last row are medals from the Korean War and, apparently, he didn’t serve in the Korean War.
The oval behind the jump wings is from the 507th PIR, he never served in that unit which was attached to the 82d through Normandy and then the 17th Airborne Division for their jump into Southern France. He’s wearing the 505th’s unit crest another unit with which he never served. Yeah, I know, no one wears two French Fourragère or on the right shoulder.
He has been asked to produce proof that he earned the Distinguished Service Medal Cross, he has produced only excuses thus far. There’s also no proof for the Bronze Star Medal for Valor or the Purple Heart.
Here’s the picture from which I cropped the medals;
Category: Phony soldiers
@46. Evidently, he WAS the Band of Brothers. Here’s his official, government-sponsored, Palm Bay, FL, attaboy:
https://www.facebook.com/votepaccione/posts/477042309026537
echoing a few of the above, my Dad, who is currently a coupla hundred yards east of that upper admin building where they coordinate services with family members, had a small envelope in his workbench drawer that contained among a few other ribbons a Bronze Star…he was a pretty unassuming artillery officer – turned out he was one of the guys who first slaved radar to AA, and when he wanted to feel like he was making more of a a difference, became a flak observer – they would fly over German emplacements and deliberately draw fire. I wasn’t privileged enough to learn all this till I graduated from Basic. All my Mom (same current address) knew was that he was called up Dec. 8 1941, landed in Normandy June 8, and didn’t get back until well on into 1946.
@ Air Cav
“Across the street from the armory was Regan’s bar. A watering hole for us for many years. It was owned by Bart Regan, a good-natured Irishman.”
Ah … always picking on the Irish! I know what he is really saying … “good-natured Irishman” is code word for drunken Irishman!
BTW, the top award he calims is a DSC, but he’s wearing an Air Force Cross.
@53. Well, I figured that since Regan owned a bar, that “good-natured” meant he would only break one arm for not squaring up the bar tab by the second payday of the month!
El Marco: don’t think so – the AF Cross blue center stripe is considerably lighter than the one he’s wearing. I’m pretty sure that’s simply a DSC ribbon in bright sunlight.
Has anyone found, in his DD-214 or elsewhere, his selection to be : Colonel of the Urinal ?
I have no idea what my Grandfather did in WW2. He talked about it not one time, even when asked. After serving in combat myself I now know why he never did.
The cool thing is that I am now stationed at the same post that he mobilized out of to WW2.
My husband was a B17 bomber pilot, 8th Airforce, 351BG (H). He was stationed at Polebrook England and flew 30 missions over Germany. He has every medal and insignia,and every order(typed on that flimsy paper) not to mention his A2 jacket with patches and his short snorter.
After reading this article (yep he still with us and turns 90 on 10/31) he
said this guy is stupid, ignorant, disgusting, and beyond contempt. Valor thieves really make me angry, but my hubby seems to deal with it better than I do. I remember when we’d go to the 8th Airforce Association meetings, his BG would be together and I remember them telling funny stories about things that happened on missions,what didn’t happen was any of those “there I was at 20,000 feet” stories. Perhaps it was different when they were in the bar late at night but my point is this, I’ve met many 8th Airforce WW 2 guys and I never, ever heard them “humble brag” like this old stolen valor ass muppet. As an aside I’m 23 years younger than my husband, we’ve been married 36 years and, although, I’ve heard most of his war stories I don’t think I’ve heard all of them.
Thanks for listening.
@59 Thank your husband for his service to our country!
“The oval behind the jump wings is from the 507th PIR, he never served in that unit which was attached to the 82d through Normandy and then the 17th Airborne Division for their jump into Southern France.”
Although unearned and unmerited, the oval GAYnor is wearing with his wings is correct for the 505th PIR. The 507th PIR’s oval is white, trimmed in blue with a blue lightning bolt diagonal.
Such a pity. No shame in being a “Glider Rider.” I’ve been through the one at the Pratt Museum. Eff that. I’d rather HALO with a handkerchief than “fly” in one of those things.
@ #59: Yep, that is the same experience most of us have with real heroes. Thank you for being there for him.
And you are welcome to hang out with the rest of us as often as you care to be here.
Well, he says he was in the Reserves and National Guard. I don’t know about such things but isn’t it possible he did become a colonel in the NG and that it wouldn’t appear on the docs you have here?
2/17 Air Cav: theoretically possible, but exceptionally doubtful. He’d have had to have gone from 1LT to COL in about 12 years if he was discharged from the Army Reserve as a 1LT with nearly 18 years total service to go into the ARNG and then retired from the ARNG with 30 years service in the early/mid-1970s.
I’m not sure I’d buy that “retired” claim even then. He only had around 3 years Active Duty, and he almost certainly got very few “good” reserve retirement years while serving in the inactive reserve. He’d need 20 “good” years to retire from the reserves, and I can’t see how he could have gotten them. He’d face mandatory removal at 30 years commissioned service as an O6.
That doesn’t account for his other BS claims, though – e.g., service in Korea, DSC, BSM w/V, commander of 505th PIR, two CIBs, etc . . . . He couldn’t have done any of those except when serving on Federal active duty.
Frankly, at this point I’m not sure I’d believe this guy about growing up in the Bronx.
@59. I never thought of this question before today but I wonder if Army Air Corps guys of yesteryear found themselves identifying more with the USAF than the US Army in the post-WWII years.
@1
“Born in Brooklyn, NYC and graduated from High School in June, 1042.”
Wow he’s really, really, old!
He probably earned some awards at the Battle of Hastings, but the paperwork got lost.
O.k How did he graduated High School in 1942….enlist in 43 but earned a Juris Doctorate during this term and was able to go teach “Prof. of Military Science, Peekskill Academy in upper New York in 195.” Sometimes this old MP gets confused. SMDH. Soup Sandwich. What sucks the most is I would of saw that Glider badge and seen he was a WWII vet and thought this guy was a true F’in hero……he had no need to embelish his record. Now he just looks like a soup sandwich.
@66.
That’s funny.
Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that he also earned some awards with King Richard’s Crusade in the 12th century.
But they were probably were misplaced by Prince John, who had some issues with a lazy Sheriff and a hooded Robin.
He’s just a looney toon.
My grandpa was a Merchant Marine. He served his country any way he could. He talked about his high school friends who enlisted in the army and did not make it home. Its people like this dick who i just want to kick ass.