{"id":95084,"date":"2020-02-03T08:00:05","date_gmt":"2020-02-03T12:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/?p=95084"},"modified":"2022-01-13T20:31:51","modified_gmt":"2022-01-14T01:31:51","slug":"warren-reiten-vietnam-war-times-veteran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/?p=95084","title":{"rendered":"Warren Reiten &#8211; Vietnam War &#8220;Times&#8221; Veteran"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-radio-interview.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-95085 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-radio-interview.jpg?resize=443%2C333&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"443\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-radio-interview.jpg?resize=443%2C333&amp;ssl=1 443w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-radio-interview.jpg?resize=300%2C226&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-radio-interview.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-radio-interview.jpg?w=670&amp;ssl=1 670w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 443px) 100vw, 443px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The kind folks at <a href=\"https:\/\/militaryphony.com\/2020\/02\/03\/warren-robert-reiten-u-s-army-vietnam-war-veteran-blog-of-shame\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Military Phony<\/a> send us their work on Warren Robert Reiten.\u00a0 Reiten is 76 years old at the time of this writing and lives in Fargo, North Dakota.<\/p>\n<p>Warren is frequently introduced as a Vietnam War veteran.\u00a0 He claims he was a U.S. Army First Lieutenant (O-2) and was stationed with the Second Infantry Division of the U.S. Army.\u00a0 He said he was TDY (Temporary Duty Assignment) &#8220;on and off&#8221; to Vietnam and was with III (&#8220;Three&#8221;) Corps around the South Central Highlands \/ Cu Chi (pronounced &#8220;Coo Chi&#8221;).<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;ll get to all that, but let&#8217;s back up a second.<\/p>\n<p>Warren is a book author and wrote a fiction book called &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/American-Soldier-Dreams-Child\/dp\/0741428091\/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1580659371&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">An American Soldier &#8211; Dreams of a Child<\/a>&#8221; about the first black officer in the Civil War.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-covers.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-95086\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-covers.jpg?resize=500%2C398&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-covers.jpg?resize=419%2C333&amp;ssl=1 419w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-covers.jpg?resize=300%2C239&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-covers.jpg?resize=768%2C611&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-covers.jpg?w=1760&amp;ssl=1 1760w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The book and the author&#8217;s biography seem legit and have nothing to do with any claims.\u00a0 The only thing to note is that Reiten&#8217;s back cover bio does <strong>not<\/strong> include anything about Vietnam.\u00a0 Make a mental note of this as we proceed.<\/p>\n<p>As we all do from time to time, Reiten fell on difficult times and the Salvation Army helped him out of a pickle in 2015.\u00a0 The <a href=\"https:\/\/news.salvationarmynorth.org\/2015\/04\/how-we-helped-one-veteran-avoid-homelessness-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Salvation Army then promoted Reiten&#8217;s story<\/a> and the help that they gave him.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=FY-50Id6uiI&amp;feature=youtu.be\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-95087 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-war-vet-salvation-army.jpg?resize=500%2C188&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"188\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-war-vet-salvation-army.jpg?resize=500%2C188&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-war-vet-salvation-army.jpg?resize=300%2C113&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-war-vet-salvation-army.jpg?resize=768%2C288&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-war-vet-salvation-army.jpg?w=1248&amp;ssl=1 1248w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Although also on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=FY-50Id6uiI&amp;feature=youtu.be\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YouTube<\/a>, here is the video in its entirety&#8230;<\/p>\n\n<div data-mode=\"normal\" data-provider=\"html5\" id=\"arve-html5-\" style=\"max-width:1910px;\" class=\"arve\">\n\t<div class=\"arve-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"arve-embed\">\n\t\t\t<video class=\"arve-video fitvidsignore\" controls controlslist=\"\" data-arve=\"arve-html5-\" onloadstart=\"this.volume=1\" poster=\"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-military-veteran-video-still.jpg\" preload=\"metadata\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-salvation-army.mp4#t=0.1\"><\/video>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"http:\\\/\\\/schema.org\\\/\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/valorguardians.com\\\/blog\\\/?p=95084#arve-html5-\",\"type\":\"VideoObject\",\"contentURL\":\"https:\\\/\\\/valorguardians.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/reiten-salvation-army.mp4\",\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/valorguardians.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/reiten-military-veteran-video-still.jpg\"}<\/script>\n\t\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A couple of notes to keep in mind with the video.\u00a0 \u00a0Although no verbal claims, there is a small segment with Reiten doing voiceover that shows an arm tattoo with the implication it is Reiten&#8217;s.\u00a0 You can also partially see it with his face in the frame.\u00a0 It says \u201c<strong>Vietnam 1969 US ARMY Combat Infantry<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-tattoo-video-still.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-95090 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-tattoo-video-still.jpg?resize=500%2C282&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-tattoo-video-still.jpg?resize=500%2C282&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-tattoo-video-still.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-tattoo-video-still.jpg?resize=768%2C433&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-tattoo-video-still.jpg?w=1786&amp;ssl=1 1786w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Then, there is the issue of the jacket he is wearing. In one scene he is shown to have a jacket with a butterfly on the sleeve right shoulder\/sleeve. This butterfly will become important in a podcast interview a years later in 2017 that will be highlighted in a moment.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-butterfly.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-95091\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-butterfly.jpg?resize=400%2C396&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"396\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-butterfly.jpg?resize=336%2C333&amp;ssl=1 336w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-butterfly.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-butterfly.jpg?resize=300%2C297&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-butterfly.jpg?w=605&amp;ssl=1 605w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A few seconds later in the video, Reiten turns and you can clearly see &#8220;VIETNAM VET&#8221; on the back of his leather jacket.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-vet-jacket-video-still.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-95092\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-vet-jacket-video-still.jpg?resize=400%2C423&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"423\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-vet-jacket-video-still.jpg?w=532&amp;ssl=1 532w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-vet-jacket-video-still.jpg?resize=283%2C300&amp;ssl=1 283w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-vet-jacket-video-still.jpg?resize=315%2C333&amp;ssl=1 315w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In 2017, a few years after the Salvation Army promotional video, Reiten did a radio interview and podcast called \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/kfgo.com\/podcasts\/it-takes-2\/939\/american-gi-remembers-the-butterfly\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"American G.I. Remembers the Butterfly (opens in a new tab)\">American G.I. Remembers the Butterfly<\/a>\u201d for It Takes 2 with Jack &amp; Amy.<\/p>\n<p>On their <a href=\"https:\/\/kfgo.com\/podcasts\/it-takes-2\/939\/american-gi-remembers-the-butterfly\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">podcast webpage<\/a>, they introduced Reiten as a Vietnam Vet.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-podcast-vietnam-vet.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-95093\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-podcast-vietnam-vet.jpg?resize=400%2C304&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"304\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-podcast-vietnam-vet.jpg?w=1394&amp;ssl=1 1394w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-podcast-vietnam-vet.jpg?resize=300%2C228&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-podcast-vietnam-vet.jpg?resize=768%2C585&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-podcast-vietnam-vet.jpg?resize=438%2C333&amp;ssl=1 438w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The entire podcast interview can be found on the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/kfgo.com\/podcasts\/it-takes-2\/939\/american-gi-remembers-the-butterfly\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"It Takes 2 with Jack &amp; Amy (opens in a new tab)\">It Takes 2 with Jack &amp; Amy<\/a>\u201d site, but it is also provided in its entirety below to account for removal.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio src=\"https:\/\/militaryphonies.files.wordpress.com\/2020\/02\/american_gi_remembers_the_butterfly.mp3\" controls=\"controls\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/audio><figcaption>SOURCE:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kfgo.com\/podcasts\/it-takes-2\/939\/american-gi-remembers-the-butterfly\/\">https:\/\/kfgo.com\/podcasts\/it-takes-2\/939\/american-gi-remembers-the-butterfly\/<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Warren claims he was a \u201cUS Army Second Lieutenant with the 2d Infantry Division from 1968-1970\u201d (1:10-1:20), he was in Vietnam for a year \u201cTDY on and off\u201d (1:19-1:25), and stationed at \u201cIII (Three) Corps around South Central Highlands \u2013 Cu Chi\u201d (1:25-1:34). Reiten confirms to the interviewer that he wrote: \u201cThe Butterfly\u201d based on experience in the field (6:09-6:17).<\/p>\n<p>During the podcast, Reiten explains the significance of the butterfly from a poem that he wrote.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/7f5a6c8b-b394-4aab-85e6-1602c98b2c44.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-95094\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/7f5a6c8b-b394-4aab-85e6-1602c98b2c44.jpg?resize=300%2C658&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"658\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/7f5a6c8b-b394-4aab-85e6-1602c98b2c44.jpg?w=547&amp;ssl=1 547w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/7f5a6c8b-b394-4aab-85e6-1602c98b2c44.jpg?resize=137%2C300&amp;ssl=1 137w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/7f5a6c8b-b394-4aab-85e6-1602c98b2c44.jpg?resize=152%2C333&amp;ssl=1 152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Reiten says that he has the butterfly embroidered on several of his shirts and his leather jacket (10:03-10:13).<\/p>\n<p>When video still frames from the 215 Salvation Army promotional video are combined with a photo from the 2017 podcast\/article, the jacket appears to be the same one with the butterfly on the right shoulder\/sleeve.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-jacket-photo-and-video-still.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-95095\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-jacket-photo-and-video-still.jpg?resize=600%2C267&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-jacket-photo-and-video-still.jpg?resize=500%2C223&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-jacket-photo-and-video-still.jpg?resize=300%2C134&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-jacket-photo-and-video-still.jpg?resize=768%2C342&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-vietnam-jacket-photo-and-video-still.jpg?w=1585&amp;ssl=1 1585w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>So, let&#8217;s take a look at what NPRC has to say about all of this.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FOIA-NPRC-REITEN_SUMMARY-SHEET-REDACTED.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-95096\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FOIA-NPRC-REITEN_SUMMARY-SHEET-REDACTED.jpg?resize=450%2C582&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"582\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FOIA-NPRC-REITEN_SUMMARY-SHEET-REDACTED.jpg?w=1696&amp;ssl=1 1696w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FOIA-NPRC-REITEN_SUMMARY-SHEET-REDACTED.jpg?resize=232%2C300&amp;ssl=1 232w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FOIA-NPRC-REITEN_SUMMARY-SHEET-REDACTED.jpg?resize=768%2C993&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FOIA-NPRC-REITEN_SUMMARY-SHEET-REDACTED.jpg?resize=258%2C333&amp;ssl=1 258w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FOIA-NPRC-REITEN_ASSIGNMENTS.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-95097\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FOIA-NPRC-REITEN_ASSIGNMENTS.jpg?resize=600%2C463&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"463\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FOIA-NPRC-REITEN_ASSIGNMENTS.jpg?w=2198&amp;ssl=1 2198w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FOIA-NPRC-REITEN_ASSIGNMENTS.jpg?resize=300%2C231&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FOIA-NPRC-REITEN_ASSIGNMENTS.jpg?resize=768%2C592&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FOIA-NPRC-REITEN_ASSIGNMENTS.jpg?resize=432%2C333&amp;ssl=1 432w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FOIA-NPRC-REITEN_ASSIGNMENTS.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>All claims &#8211; rank and time in service &#8211; seem to be supported <em><strong>except<\/strong><\/em> for the service in Vietnam claim.\u00a0 From all references, he should have gotten a medal or medals to indicate his service in Vietnam even if it was not unusual to omit a reference to a TDY to Vietnam in his service records.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>ASSIGNMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are <strong>no<\/strong> assignments listed for Vietnam. His OCONUS assignment is listed as Korea. There was no indication of service in Vietnam, TDY or otherwise.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MEDALS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are <strong>no<\/strong> medals listed that would support Reiten\u2019s claim of being in Vietnam. The criteria listed for the Vietnam Service Medal would have qualified him for the medal even if TDY.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-35393 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/militaryphonies.files.wordpress.com\/2020\/02\/vsm.png?w=1024&#038;resize=256%2C70\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 256px) 100vw, 256px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/militaryphonies.files.wordpress.com\/2020\/02\/vsm.png?w=256 256w, https:\/\/militaryphonies.files.wordpress.com\/2020\/02\/vsm.png?w=512 512w, https:\/\/militaryphonies.files.wordpress.com\/2020\/02\/vsm.png?w=150 150w, https:\/\/militaryphonies.files.wordpress.com\/2020\/02\/vsm.png?w=300 300w\" alt=\"\" width=\"256\" height=\"70\" data-attachment-id=\"35393\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/militaryphony.com\/vsm\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/militaryphonies.files.wordpress.com\/2020\/02\/vsm.png\" data-orig-size=\"2880,785\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"vsm\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/militaryphonies.files.wordpress.com\/2020\/02\/vsm.png?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/militaryphonies.files.wordpress.com\/2020\/02\/vsm.png?w=590\" \/><figcaption><em>Vietnam Service Medal<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>From\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vietnam_Service_Medal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)\">Wikipedia<\/a>\u00a0on the Vietnam Service Medal:<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\"><strong>Award criteria<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">Ribbon with silver star, denoting service in 5 campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">The Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) was awarded to all members of the United States Armed Forces serving in Vietnam and its contiguous waters or airspace thereover, after 3 July 1965 through 28 March 1973. Members of the United States Armed Forces in\u00a0Thailand,\u00a0Laos,\u00a0Cambodia, or airspace thereover, during the same period and serving in direct support of operations in Vietnam are also eligible for the award.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\"><strong>Requirements<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">Individuals must meet one of the following requirements:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #003300;\">Be attached to or regularly serve for 1 or more days with an organization participating in or directly supporting military operations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #003300;\">Be attached to or regularly serve for 1 or more days aboard a U.S. naval vessel directly supporting military operations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #003300;\">Actually participating as a crewmember in one or more aerial flights into airspace above Vietnam and contiguous waters directly supporting military operations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #003300;\">Serve on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days in Vietnam or contiguous waters, except that time limit may be waived for personnel participating in actual combat operations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #003300;\">No person will be entitled to more than one award of the VSM.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #003300;\">Individuals qualified for the\u00a0Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal\u00a0(AFEM) for reason of service in Vietnam between 1 July 1958 and 3 July 1965 (inclusive) will remain qualified for that medal. Upon request (unit personnel officer) any such individual may be awarded the VSM instead of the AFEM. In such instances, the AFEM will be deleted from the list of authorized medals in personnel records. No person will be entitled to both awards for Vietnam service.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #003300;\">Service members who earned the AFEM for\u00a0Operation Frequent Wind\u00a0between 29 and 30 April 1975, may elect to receive the VSM instead of the AFEM. No service member may be issued both medals for service in Vietnam.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #003300;\">Vietnam and contiguous waters, as used herein, is defined as an area which includes Vietnam and the water adjacent thereto with the following specified limits: from a point on the East Coast of Vietnam at the juncture of Vietnam with China southeastward to 21 degrees north latitude, 108 degrees, 15 minutes longitude; then southward to 18 degrees, north latitude, 108 degrees, 15 minutes east longitude; then southward to 17 degrees, 30 minutes north longitude, 111 degrees east longitude; then southward to 11 degrees north latitude, 111 degrees east latitude; then southward to 7 degrees north latitude, 105 degrees east latitude; then westward to 7 degrees north latitude, 103 degrees east latitude; then northward to 9 degrees, 30 minutes north latitude, 103 degrees east latitude; then northeastward to 10 degrees, 15 minutes north latitude, 104 degrees, 27 minutes east latitude; then northward to a point on the West Coast of Vietnam at the juncture of Vietnam and Cambodia.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #003300;\"><span style=\"color: #003300;\">The VSM may be awarded posthumously.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>TDY TO VIETNAM<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Reiten had said in the podcast interview that he took classes in journalism. It is conceivable that he was in some kind of support role for a Public Affairs Officer but there is nothing in his record to indicate that. Instead, he highlights the claim of being with an infantry division.<\/p>\n<p>His official military records show that he was primarily assigned as an MP (Military Police).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Then, recall that I asked you to remember that he did not mention Vietnam in his biography on the back cover of his book.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-bio.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-95098 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-bio.jpg?resize=500%2C319&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"319\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-bio.jpg?resize=500%2C319&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-bio.jpg?resize=300%2C191&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-bio.jpg?resize=768%2C490&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-bio.jpg?w=814&amp;ssl=1 814w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-publish-date.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-95099\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-publish-date.jpg?resize=250%2C335&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-publish-date.jpg?w=702&amp;ssl=1 702w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-publish-date.jpg?resize=224%2C300&amp;ssl=1 224w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-book-publish-date.jpg?resize=249%2C333&amp;ssl=1 249w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a>As you can see above with the first page, this book had the publishing year of 2005, so it seems like Reiten would have emphasized Vietnam just as he did in 2015 for the Salvation Army video or in 2017 for the podcast video.<\/p>\n<p>Reiten is a Vietnam-era veteran because he served <em><strong>during<\/strong><\/em> the Vietnam War.\u00a0 He served during a time when a lot of people didn&#8217;t or wouldn&#8217;t serve.\u00a0 The fact remains, however, that Reiten&#8217;s official military records do not support a claim of serving in Vietnam, TDY &#8220;on and off&#8221; or otherwise.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The kind folks at Military Phony send us their work on Warren Robert Reiten.\u00a0 Reiten is 76 years old at the time of this writing and lives in Fargo, North Dakota. Warren is frequently introduced as a Vietnam War veteran.\u00a0 He claims he was a U.S. Army First Lieutenant (O-2) and was stationed with the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":667,"featured_media":95101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[359,392,446],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-army","category-armyposer","category-vietnam"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reiten-radio-interview-icon.jpg?fit=357%2C374&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4ozh1-oJC","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/667"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=95084"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95084\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/95101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=95084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=95084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=95084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}