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