Soldier really on an Afgh tour?

[AlGo]

Greetings to all!
I'm a long time lurker and while reading "Met a sniper today" I realized I have some doubts about a buddy of mine.

I know he's in the Army infantry; supposely he was sent to Afghanistan and stayed there for some 3 months, then came back to the US. Aren't overseas tours like 7+ months?
He has very few pics that really could have been taken everywhere; he says the mils won't allow the free use of cameras. True?
But what was oddest of all, is he telling me about his bodycount and how some of them where pretty cool....
So... is he just a little bit nuts or is he just making this up?
Any way to confirm which soldiers where really deployed?

Best regards

 

[Sistema1927]

Does your friend have a character of such a nature that he appears to be trustworthy?

In other words, does his usual conduct give you reason to doubt his veracity?

Sounds to me that there is more than just the fishy nature of his story that give you reason to doubt.

 

[bakert]

Sounds a bit like some people I've met. Hell, I know guys that claim to be "Nam" vets and tell about all the things they did over there but if you check out their ages they would have been doing all that hero stuff when the were 10 and 12 years old

 

[AlaskaErik]

Standard Army tour is one year and is extended for many. I was in Afghanistan and there was no prohibition on taking pictures in most parts of the various bases. Ask him were he was stationed. I wish I could talk to him because I could figure out in a minute or two if he had really been there. I'm smelling something fishy here.

 

[USMC Tanker]

There COULD be a reason why he was there for only 3 months, such as medical reasons, family emergency, but I doubt it.

Those of us who have "been there, done that" don't feel the need to brag about body counts or "how cool" it was.

On SOME bases, there are restrictions on taking photos in certain areas. With the amount of personally owned digital cameras, it's like everyone is a member of the Associated Press.

If there are prior experiences you have with him that may lead you to question his word, I'd throw the bulls**t flag down on this one.

 

[plexreticle]

You can ask him the name of the base he was on and about the civilians there stuff like that. Ask why he was short toured. The little details get the BS artist usually.

 

[AndyC]

"Bodycount"? Oh, please...

 

[TimboKhan]

I think the first clue that something is afoot would be the aforementioned bodycount. He is either a liar or an a-hole to be talking about things in that language. See, people who haven't had the experience try to talk like it's the movies. People who have don't talk much at all.

As far as pictures, I can see that. I have very few pictures/souvenirs from Desert Storm because I was wounded and lost most of my stuff. Of the pics I do have, I am in most of them though, so at least they are credible.

 

[Sergeant Sabre]

But what was oddest of all, is he telling me about his bodycount and how some of them where pretty cool....
So... is he just a little bit nuts or is he just making this up?

Those who talk, did not do. Those who did, do not talk.

 

[Kali Endgame]

I had a guy in my platoom that chronicled our trip and made a cd out of the pictures. I watched the disk once and wondered how he found time to take the pictures. I destroyed my pics and can't find any of my orders or the like, but that disk is the only proof I have. I know another guy that has his pics as a screen saver. ******* weird.

 

[usmarine0352_2005]

I was at Camp Rhino in Afghanistan for only 45 days.

That's how long our tour was before we were relieved.

So sometimes that's how it goes.

But his story does sound fishy. However, some guys do like talking about body counts and stuff like that, others don't.

 

[Roadwild17]

I got a friend who has a few pics of some of his army friends hanging around a striker or something. Whenever I asked him about anything other that the food (which he said wasn't as bad as some people say) or the friends he made, he shuts down and gets a little depressed and changes the subject real quick.

When I was way younger I found a box of old stuff that belonged to my grandfather. When I showed it to him he told me who a few of the people were in some of the pics and told me something about they were all good men who had to do horrible things at times, that was it.

Generally, from what I get, anyone willing to be talkative is full of BS.

 

[jobu07]

Do you know what post he was stationed at before he deployed? What Division and Brigade? The more specific you can get to his unit, the more likely someone here can tell you if and when that group last deployed.

 

[domyalex]

.

 

[10-Ring]

Interesting friend you have. Each person that goes moves on for their experince of war differently. Me, I get the impression he's either full of it or he needs some therapy

 

[AlGo]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

He's 4th Brigade 10th Mountain if that may help a little, currently stationed somewhere in Louisiana I think.

 

[ArmyCop119]

He's currently 10th Mountain? In Louisiana?

10th Mountain is based at Ft. Drum, NY.

 

[MHBushmaster]

Yeah, 10th Mountain is in Fort Drum way the heck in Up-Upstate New York (I'm in Rochester, near Buffalo), and why the hell would a cold weather division like the 10th be down in the balmy and REALLY un-mountainous south???

I believe the 10th has been in the Afghan-land lately but more recently in Iraq. And a short 3 month deployment defintely needs some explanation...seems like if was home early for some kind of family emergency he would of said that upfront as a way of explaining why he was back so quickly

 

[Langenator]

Actually, 10th Mountain I think does now have a brigade at Ft Polk. Part of the recent re-org was adding a new brigade combat team (BCT) to each division. Thus the 25th ID (L) "Tropic Lightning" now has two brigades in Alaska.

AFAIK, the only Army folks who short tour on a regular basis are SOCOM types-mostly the Rangers. They'd probably have more photo restrictions than most, as well.

I think at the beginning of the war, the AF did 90 day rotations, as well. They're up to 6 months now.

 

[AlGo]

I just googled a little bit and according to this and this the 4th Brigade is actually at Ft Polk since 2005... so the station place seems good...

 

[jobu07]

He's currently 10th Mountain? In Louisiana?

10th Mountain is based at Ft. Drum, NY.

10th Mtn. Division is based at Ft. Drum.

They have at least one brigade at Ft. Polk Louisiana. Several of my battle buddies from OCS were sent there as their first duty station. It's also the home of JRTC. God bless the infantry!

 

[rangerruck]

hard to say, Al Gore got a shorter tour in nam, kerry did 3 months. Could be any reason. I also new some pretty weird dudes, mostly lifer types, who were truly crazy smack talkers, and you never new which half to believe.
New a guy named Alpiger once...

 

[rangerruck]

the army is weird about where you are stationed , and where they sent you. In the 25th Div., we deployed for training to a bunch of cold weather places: japan, new Zealand, Korea in winter, etc.

 

[nibb]

I talked to several people that where on battles like Stalingrad, they dont want to talk about. Even my grandfather was only said once in his life, to us at least, his story about the war. When I was kid i always asked how it was and stuff, and he got always really depressed and said war is a horrible thing. Most people that killed someone talk like that, its not like in the movies, he had several medals, i think only 2 o 3 people knew for what he won them. They where sitting on the last box of an old furniture. Your friend must be probably bull****ting you, bodycount, like if its a computer game or something...

 

[strambo]

I'm currently serving alongside 10th MTN guys that just got extended (after being here for 12 months). The only short AFGN tours I heard of (Army) were when some got diverted to Iraq...so you wouldn't be talking to him, he'd be in Iraq. Sounds like BS to me. As far as "bodycounts" I can't even pick a fight with the Taliban and I've almost been here a year...I guess I'm just not worth shooting at?

Some (most) people will talk about firefights/kills etc...almost always with their peers in the military though.

If he was here...he was sent home early for medical, disciplinary, or family emergency reasons. The camera part is total BS.