This is a little odd, but my husband of a year has always told me that he was in the USAF as a para-rescue jumper and was deployed to Bosnia around the turn of the century (2000). Over recent months, certain things have come up that make me doubt this claim. For one, when I met his father, he told me that my husband was a member of the Civil Air Patrol not the USAF. Of course the CAP is domestic. When I asked my husband about it, he told me his father "didn't know" the particulars of his military career. As a parent myself, I find it highly unlikely that a father would not know if his son was deployed as special operations to a war zone. I have submitted a FOIA request to the USAF for any personnel records pertaining to my husband, but have heard nothing as of yet. Is there any other way I can confirm (or disprove) what my husband told me? I really would like to know if what he told me is true as, if it's not - well, I need to know if he is lying to me and my daughter. One easy way to tell might be this: He told me that he was in the military for only four years, starting at 18 right out of high school. From what I can tell, para-rescue training alone is two years. Is it possible to be a para-rescue jumper and only be in the service four years? Also, it seems all para-rescue personnel have paramedic training/certification, which my husband clearly does not. Is this true - that if he were a para-jumper he would have the knowledge of a paramedic?
Any info anyone out there has is appreciated!
Thanks.
Update:Thanks also to John. I'll think about asking him for that form. But doing so will obviously let him know that I doubt what he told me. I'm well aware that a lot of people lie about this sort of thing. The irony is I'm not the sort of girl that is impressed by military service; in fact, I'm a die-hard pacifist that had to LOOK BEYOND the fact that he served in the military (judge me if you will but everyone is entitled to their opinion) when getting to know him. Perhaps this was a "white lie" he told on our first date that got out of control, which one could forgive. But he has told me and my young daughter many (unnecessary) tales related to his so-called service, including a yarn about how he won't get rid of his combat boots until the bodies of his comrades come home. If it turns out he is lying about having served abroad at all, embellishments like that are despicable!
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Since it's your husband it is hard to say but he wouldn't have a monopoly on being a military poser. I once worked with a guy who said he spent 20 years in the Air Force and retired as a LTC. I went over to his house one day and he showed my his ribbon bar, all three of his ribbons with two enlisted collar inisignia on a plaque to go with it. Just never know. If this is bugging you I would suggest reading up on the topic and see where he might go off the beaten path with the truth. It is not going to "help" your marriage but I think in your case you might be worried about "what else" is he lying to me about? Check it out, ask some directed questions once you feel comfortable enough with the topic and go from there.
http://www.military.com/military-fitness/air-force...
http://www.pararescue.com/recruiting.aspx
http://thede.tripod.com/kirtland.html
There is more out there so that is just a start. Now if anyone ever asks me about my military service I just whip out my Retired ID Card, and I keep a copy of my DD-214 handy as well but then again, I don't go around bs'ing folks into believing I did things in the miltary that I actually did not.
Ask him for his DD 214 first, it's a comprehensive look at total time on active duty, your job, your schooling and awards. If that magically got lost, educate yourself and go from there............
Ask him for his coin. He should have received one when he graduated Basic Military Training (BMT), and also when he became a PJ. My dad was going for PJ and was eventually medically discharged from the AF because they found out he had broken his neck when he was younger. They didn't care when he processed or at BMT, but eventually they did I guess. Even then, they still ended up giving him his Pararescue coin for whatever reason.
Unless these magically disappeared over the years... But I would imagine anyone that went through all of that would not be so quick to lose something. The washout rate for PJ's is extremely high so for his dedication to get him as far as actually becoming a PJ and then nothing 2 years later is really alarming.
Either way if he doesn't know anything about medical issues that one would learn as a PJ, I really highly doubt that he was a PJ or anything close to it. It is possible for a 4 year enlistment as a PJ from what I have seen, but the details you listed here really show that he most likely was not.
Air Force Separation papers
Honestly - if you are doubting this, and clearly you have other doubts as well, it might be time to chalk this up as a lesson learned and cut ties with him.
You've done about all you can do at this point with a FOI request, but I think you already know the answer: once a liar, always a liar.
What else is he lying about?
When a First Responder( fire department, Police, EMT) passes, say silently-ish to yourself, "So others may live" When heard, say that you heard it someplace, as saying you thought fitting, as if to wish them good luck.
"So Other May Live" is the PJ Motto
a PJ that doesn't know about being a paramedic? hmmm
Probably it's ok
And what are you gonna do if you find that he lied to you?