Stolen Valor: The U.S. Volunteers in Ukraine Who Lie, Waste and Bicker

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

Stolen Valor: The U.S. Volunteers in Ukraine Who Lie, Waste and Bicker
People who would not be allowed anywhere near the battlefield in a U.S.-led war are active on the Ukrainian front, with ready access to American weapons.

They rushed to Ukraine by the thousands, many of them Americans who promised to bring military experience, money or supplies to the battleground of a righteous war. Hometown newspapers hailed their commitment, and donors backed them with millions of dollars.

Now, after a year of combat, many of these homespun groups of volunteers are fighting with themselves and undermining the war effort. Some have wasted money or stolen valor. Others have cloaked themselves in charity while also trying to profit off the war, records show.

One retired Marine lieutenant colonel from Virginia is the focus of a U.S. federal investigation into the potentially illegal export of military technology. A former Army soldier arrived in Ukraine only to turn traitor and defect to Russia. A Connecticut man who lied about his military service has posted live updates from the battlefield — including his exact location — and boasted about his easy access to American weapons. A former construction worker is hatching a plan to use fake passports to smuggle in fighters from Pakistan and Iran.

And in one of the more curious entanglements, one of the largest volunteer groups is embroiled in a power struggle involving an Ohio man who falsely claimed to have been both a U.S. Marine and a LongHorn Steakhouse assistant manager. The dispute also involves a years-old incident on Australian reality TV.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/25/world/europe/volunteers-us-ukraine-lies.html

[2naSalit]

1. And people in our country wonder...

Why people elsewhere think Americans suck and are trashy.

I hope that somehow, these posers pay a very heavy price for their actions.

[Traildogbob]

2. Send them to Putin

He wants bodies. If they are MAGAT terrorists, let em wear their true colors and die for the motherland.

[BlackSkimmer]

3. Paywall, darn.

I remember a few posters here who bragged of military experience and said they were going.

Never heard a peep. At least one of them was lying about his military experience lol.

[reACTIONary]

4. Link, no paywall....

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/25/world/europe/volunteers-us-ukraine-lies.html?unlocked_article_code=hXepGS3pFvvuB2PZzyyWCohmwxnoSoGYvuvwzLoS0u372VMGOLLCNddtPMxNfbWKLvhItqMLWcXw37tK1BRQTwSIgLTk7PSdwRwFyJeGs6RiN-KXZESQIWgUc8gYj1RdAovtVV1YKaj_V1-9R97_fcAl_CEkoYrmKCYs3LsMstVJSaXEoZA8Vf-2Hi6F1vxYdqcQ1m2CEf_FQ9e4BvdCKvgSUwXEJRqUsYZ7SO3lRokkFuudlDx178TM8RrXIbONdEMU7yYPZDXjtPq_HMJam1hHmSqK3DtDIXvnSKlbi_RiBdeX5Tqa245MLn-E8Up6k_v1HoPBSNcHSffgxN2Rueru40sh4-KC8Q&smid=url-share

[pazzyanne]

8. Thanks for posting "the rest of the story".

It always amazes me when people misuse good intentions to their dishonorable goals.

[paleotn]

5. There's always going to be grifters and nuts.

One of the unfortunate constants in life. Deport them. Prosecute them. If they've got any sense at all, they'd know that in a war zone, getting fragged for their bullshit or setup so the Russians do the dirty work isn't that unusual.

[yardwork]

6. I wonder how many are Russian sympathizers, too.

[dalton99a]

7. Kick

One of the best-known Americans on the battlefield is James Vasquez. Days after the invasion, Mr. Vasquez, a Connecticut home-improvement contractor, announced that he was leaving for Ukraine. His local newspaper told the tale of a former U.S. Army staff sergeant who left behind his job and family and picked up a rifle and a rucksack on the front line.

Since then, he has posted battlefield videos online, at least once broadcasting his unit’s precise location to everyone, including the opposing side. He used his story to solicit donations. “I was in Kuwait during Desert Storm, and I was in Iraq after 9/11,” Mr. Vasquez said in a fund-raising video. He added, “This is a whole different animal.”

Mr. Vasquez, in fact, was never deployed to Kuwait, Iraq or anywhere else, a Pentagon spokeswoman said. He specialized in fuel and electrical repairs. And he left the Army Reserve not as a sergeant as he claimed, but as a private first class, one of the Army’s lowest ranks.

Mr. Vasquez said he had been misrepresenting his military record for decades. He acknowledged being kicked out of the Army but would not talk publicly about why. “I had to tell a million lies to get ahead,” Mr. Vasquez said in an interview. “I didn’t realize it was going to come to this.”

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

9. a George Santos level liar

[madville]

10. There is lots of money in War

There is lots of money flowing around drone see that as an opportunity. And of course US defense contractors are making billions off this war (and all the previous ones) as well.