Stolen Valor & Ham Radio Number 1 for 2013

[W1MSG]

Well New Year and new Embellishers to expose, here is my first one for 2013.

N6JSX, Dale Kubichek came up on my radar early in the year when I looked him up on QRZ. Here is what he claims on his QRZ Page.

“US Navy, 1973-1981, Fire Control Technician Petty Office 1st Class. USS Jouett CG-29 Work Center Supervisor, Vietnam combat veteran, Advanced Electronics Instructor, Company Commander & Armed Forces Police/NIS agent honorably discharged as a frocked-Chief Petty Officer FTGC. USNR 1982-1984… HAM licensed expired.”

He also has two Military Ribbons on his QSL Graphic, one is the USN Vietnam Service Ribbon, and the other is the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) Wound Medal Ribbon, which would indicate being wounded in action. No Purple Heart ??

Ok now what first caught my eye was the Vietnam Combat Veteran claim. He joined the Navy in 1973 and all Combat Operations were pretty much over by March of 1973. It would be tough to get through Boot Camp and then A School and be deployed to Combat in Vietnam when the Combat Operations were officially over. So I questioned him on it in a forum post, and shortly after that the post was deleted. His cousin chimed in with the following.

“Dale is a cousin - I was in high school when he was in the Navy.   Family was initially told he was MIA presumed dead.  He turned up pretty banged up and perforated.  Family was told a river boat incident.  Dale says he was never formally briefed that he could discuss what went on.  He remains a military contractor civilian with clearances to this date.”

Well the MIA thing is easy enough to prove by contacting Mary at www.pownetwork.org they have a complete database of  everyone ever listed as a POW or MIA, and if he were listed it would be a part of his records. Dale is not listed.

Now its time to file the Freedom of Information Act request to get his OMPF ( Official Military Personnel Records ) which would list these claims if they indeed happened. These records are the Veterans Official Records that are on file and are used by many agencies such as the VA to validate claims.

Results are as follows,
He was in the Navy during the dates claimed
He was Discharged as a Petty Officer First Class E-6
He was at NTC Great Lakes, IL and the USS Jouett CG-29
His Military Education is as follows; Basic Electricity & Electronics / Fire Control Technician (Class A) / Fire Control Technician ( Class C) / Instructor Basic
His Military Awards; National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Sea Service Ribbon, Navy E Ribbon.

Now neither of the ribbons he displays on his QSL card are in his records, no MIA time in his dates of service and nothing else that would indicate any combat time at all.

I researched the USS Jouett and it had left the Vietnam Theatre a month before Dale even joined the US Navy, and was never in a combat role after that.

I also saw no Military Education for Armed Forces Police or for NIS Agent, I am not sure what the Navy does as far as Police so I contacted a friend of mine, Don Shipley, who is a Retired Senior Chief SEAL and asked his opinion. In not so many words Don said Dale is Full of Crap.
He is asking a friend who is a current NCIS agent to check this out . When I get more I will post it as a follow up, being a retired Military Police Master Sergeant has me wondering.

Anyway I am sure I will find more Ham’s that feel the need to embellish their military careers, or have complete phony careers.

Thanks for reading !

73   Craig, W1MSG

[N6AJR]

As an old Viet Nam vet, I am appalled at folks who would lie about their military accomplishments. I know that there are still things I can't talk about  as  a condition of the field I was in. BUT, I have no ambition to track down any one who will do this.  they are just fooling themselves, and nobody else gives a damn about us nam vets any how.  we were spit on back then and  we still have some animosity because of it. So don't get upset about some one lying about their history, there is no penalty for claiming  false ribbons.  maybe he likes them on his card because they are pretty..

[G3RZP]

I know three guys from that era. One was an officer in the USAF and getting over a messy divorce. He volunteered to go to Vietnam, so they sent him off to take charge of a microwave relay station in the Italian alps. Apparently they spent a long time carousing with the local farmers! He was a ham, but died last year.

Another decided he didn't want to be infantry. He called it 'dodging the draft' and so he signed up for 7 years in the US Navy - and got the advantage of being taught electronics so he had a job when he came out.

The third was drafted and supposedly a ground radio technician, but spent all his time in an office in Korea when they found he could type.

None of them claimed any kudos for having been in the service in that time.

[W1MSG]

http://scotty-stolenvaloroffendersexposed.blogspot.com/2013/02/dale-r-kubichek-us-navy-vietnam-combat.html

He has hit the big time now .. He is also listed on the Stolen Valor Facebook Page ..

[TANAKASAN]

It's strange the way some people's minds work and what happens after they make their decisions. Until he died a few years ago I used to know someone who refused to fight in WWII because he was a Quaker and a pacifist. He therefore became a fireman and during the blitz saw just as much death and destruction as any man carrying a weapon.

Tanakasan

[WD5GWY]

I think the difference in that particular gentleman's case, is he did not feel that he was the cause of the death and destruction. And he still gave of himself in protecting those that he could.
james
WD5GWY

[AC2EU]

I was wondering if the subject of this thread may have been in classified operations, perhaps with the CIA?
I understand that people in such ops never have their names or status published because as far as the state department is concerned "it never happened".

Could he be wrongly accused?
However 1973 is rather late for Vietnam, unless it was some kind of rescue mission...

[N0YXB]

Doubtful.  If this were an operative's cover story, he would not be publishing it on the web.  He'd be quiet about what he has done and not invent cover stories that would attract attention to himself and his past activities.  Cover stories don't have such glaring mistakes either.  Kudos to the Stolen Valor guys for exposing these creeps.

[N6AJR]

I agree, there is stuff I still can not disclose due to the nature of  the job i did in the Air Force, but I can talk about some of it.  I do know a "retired" gentalman who still "dissappears" for a month now and the on military business, but he does not do anything to bring attention to him self.  Just ask for a dd 214, it covers  most of it.

[KA4NMA]

We need a legal and enforceable law about stolen valor.  One that the courts would like.

Randy ka4nma

[AC4RD]

We need a legal and enforceable law about stolen valor.  One that the courts would like.

There are already laws about lying; it's illegal in most instances to lie to cheat someone of something.

Do we really need MORE laws to keep people from bragging about things that they didn't do?  The fishermen and golfers are going to be in BIG trouble if that happens.

[KA4NMA]

The Stolen Valor Act was overturned by the Supreme Court.  It is illegal to apply for VA Benefits by false means.

It is damaging to our Veterans by those who use stolen valor. 

Randy ka4nma