Hey Navy!!! How the hell are ya tonight?? I need some help so I came right to, hopefully, the source I need.

On another forum, there is a guy, an arsehole actually, that is saying his dear friend is going in for surgery tomarrow that he was an ex-submariner and POW from the Vietnam War. That he was kept in a 4X4 cage and severly tortured; etc etc etc, the exact same stuff I've heard before.
Now, after a few innocent questions, I found he was enlisted, that he went ashore on a mission and was captured.
Now, the most famous enlised Navy POW was Douglas Hegdahl but it's not him. I went down the official Navy list of Vietnam POWs and those remains recovered so far from MIAs. There are very very few enlisted on that list that were POWs.
My question his, is there anyone here know of any submariners or a shore mission from a sub during the Vietnam War that resulted in the capture of any member of that mission?

The arsehole won't give the guys name but I've listened to the scenerio many times and he's either a Vietnam Wanabee, Submariner wannabee or a POW wanabee or a combination or more than one...IMO.

Anyone here that could direct me with some naval facts in anyway to shed some truth on this story?

Thanks...........

I never heard of it, but of course that is not unusual in the sub community.
Did he mention what boat he was off of, or a hull number? That might give you a clue as to if the boat he claims was even in the pacific at the time. Boats were transfered from alantic to pacific at times but you could probrobly chase that down as a way to eliminate the possibles. Another way would be to ask him his rate (SK or TM or something like that). There were not many OS's or other rates that would have been on boats at that time. If he is full of fish feces he will give it away somehow.

Good Luck in your search for truth.
Sludge

OS's at that time were RD's (radarman)

Hey SGT Williams. You could post a link to the discussion you are talking about. Our bubbleheads are the finest in the world and are especially adept at outing posers and wannabes.

quote:

Originally posted by TMC_SW_Ret:
Hey SGT Williams. You could post a link to the discussion you are talking about. Our bubbleheads are the finest in the world and are especially adept at outing posers and wannabes.

it's not a discussion about this guy's war stories really. It's his next door neighbor buddy that stated all this but this guy is a pure asrshole/troll 1st class. He won't devulge the guys name and what I've told you all here is all that he supposely said, the neighbor poster/troll said, "he doesn't like to talk about it". To me, it's the classic 'wannabee' syndrome.

I posted the official link to Naval POWs and MIA remains found so the guy could get varification if his neighbor was even on the list.

To me, being a submariner, sent ashore on a mission, getting captured, spending over a year in a 4X4 cage, being tortured all that time, not following through with VA care (former POW have 100% coverage) etc etc, to me is the classic Rambo Wannabee.
I could be wrong and I hope I am but.........the story is I've heard Rambo war stories before.
I know his story could be proven either way but, need more info such as Name, boat's name, hull number etc etc, but I don't think that info is forthcoming from a wannabee who knows best to keep his mouth shut. i've tried in an innocent neutral way to get more info. I'll get the link and you can read for yourself. The thread started because he was going in the hospital for heart surgery which I don't dispute and he made it through the surgery fine and is recovery. It's just the side stories that I was questioning. What do you think???

"http://concealedcarryforum.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14470&whichpage=1

quote:

To me, being a submariner, sent ashore on a mission, getting captured, spending over a year in a 4X4 cage, being tortured all that time

That part is a possibility. Several people on my first boat were awarded medals for an operation in Vietnam. I was only onboard for a year but there could have been ops before or after I was onboard resulting in someone being captured.

On the OS/RD rating, we didn't have those. Radar was handled by the ETs and others that cross-trained to operate it (including one particular YN).

While I was not old enough to serve at that time another possibility is that he was delivered by a submarine. But that would not make him a Submariner. Just a thought.

Anything is possible but a submariner getting captured would not be an everyday happening, this is why I thought there would be some kind of record stating an occurance like this. A Seal team being implaced from a sub, yes, this I'm sure happens.
I guess time will tell............

A little off topic Yeo but…

quote:

Originally posted by mturnb:
On the OS/RD rating, we didn't have those. Radar was handled by the ETs and others that cross-trained to operate it (including one particular YN).

Yes during our time in the boats that was correct. But in the late 1940s and early 1950’s the Navy converted six Gato class, USS Pompon (SS-267), Rasher (SS-269), Raton (SS-270), Ray (SS-271), Redfin (SS-272), and Rock (SS-274), one Baleo class, (SS-312) Burrfish , and four Tenche Class, (SS-419 Tigrone) , (SS-481) Requin, (SS-489) Spinax to Radar Picket Boats (SSR).

There was also the two purpose built SSRs, Sailfish SSR-572 and Salmon SSR-573. And finally the Triton SSRN 586. They all required RDs as crewmembers while in their Radar Picket configuration. There are a fair number of (SS) qualified RDs on the current USSVI members roster. Here below is a website which may shed some light on the subject for those unaware of the Submarine’s role in the radar picket missions of the Cold War.

XXX...http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/usw/issue_14/coldwar.html...XXX

This message has been edited. Last edited by: IC2SS19Z50C5,

UPDATE: The arsehole got booted from the forum.