Farang Liars And Wierdos

[OriginalPoster]

never been in the military, but i have been involved with training different forces civilian and otherwise in CQC.

I have found the SF to be hard to spot as they are really chosen more for there brains over brawn.

obviously when you are training them you know, but if i was not told i would never pick em.

classic grey men, some even looked like fit nerds.

now everyone can get on with calling me a liar i expect, seems to be the norm here.

although a man did tell me yesterday he once shot 1500 rabbits in one night, earned 13000 oz dollars a week, and won lotto 4 times, please make it at least believable.

While occasionally I hear soemthing along the lines of your "once shot 1500 rabbits in one night, earned 13000 oz dollars a week, and won lotto 4 times" more commonly it will be something plausible. usually the reason that such people come off as bores is not so much because what they are saying is absurd but because they are compulsive braggarts.

Same with the SAS, Navy Seals, CIA, DEA people. It's not so much that it's implausible that there are such people around or even that the person making the claim was obliviously not SAS, Navy Seals, CIA, DEA, etc, it's more that there seem to just be far too many of those people around from the all to be telling the truth and when someone starts telling me that type of thing I have to wonder "<deleted> are you telling me this".

Same really for all the successful entrepreneurs and retired business executives who retired at age 38 because they made so much money. They make it seem sort of refreshing when you meet career backpackers, tickled pink over their new job as an English teacher, and feeling superior to everyone else because they've managed to live the life of a vagabond into their mid 30's.

[pmarlin]

>>Senator Kerrey, another SEAL Medal of Honor Awardee, looks like a middle-level businessman<<

for moment there I thought you were talking about the idiot from Mass. Then I thought of the ex X Senator from Neb

Edited December 19, 2011 by pmarlin

[mataus101]

or when jesus played soccer for Bethlahem.

[pmarlin]

jesse venture was a seal, he certainly looked like you would expect one to.

the sas i'm told feel that to much bulk makes it impossible to do long runs.

I worked in the states, canada, holland, hong kong, Italy, Thailand, and Germany.

was a good experience, you not truly learning until your teaching.

I like the American boys attitudes and nature, very patriotic, however a little chatty and joke to much in training.

the Thai were dead serious and listen intently.

canadians seem to love fighting.

this all reminds me of when i was teaching rape prevention to a bunch of woman, first thing I told them was to seriously try and crap in there pants, it should put a man off.

thats enough of that im getting off coarse.

>>jesse venture was a seal<<

No he wasn't. He was a deep sea diver, tough job but not the same.

[poanoi]

The by far most common lie is the "i didn't know she's a whoe" she just came to the bar, god knows why,

never had a customer, mama san said she came straight from the village in nakhon nowhere and is pretty much an innocent virgo

Edited December 19, 2011 by poanoi

[mataus101]

jesse venture was a seal, he certainly looked like you would expect one to.

the sas i'm told feel that to much bulk makes it impossible to do long runs.

I worked in the states, canada, holland, hong kong, Italy, Thailand, and Germany.

was a good experience, you not truly learning until your teaching.

I like the American boys attitudes and nature, very patriotic, however a little chatty and joke to much in training.

the Thai were dead serious and listen intently.

canadians seem to love fighting.

this all reminds me of when i was teaching rape prevention to a bunch of woman, first thing I told them was to seriously try and crap in there pants, it should put a man off.

thats enough of that im getting off coarse.

>>jesse venture was a seal<<

No he wasn't. He was a deep sea diver, tough job but not the same.

sorry it seems you were right

Navy careerFrom September 11, 1969, to September 10, 1975, during the Vietnam Warera, Ventura served in the United States Navy. Ventura graduated with BUD/Sclass 58 in December 1970^[6] and was part of Underwater Demolition Team 12 (UDT).^[7] The UDTs were merged with the US Navy SEALsin 1983, 8 years after Ventura had left the Navy.

Bill Salisbury, an attorney in San Diego and a former Navy SEAL officer, accused Ventura of "pretending" to be a SEAL and wrote that Ventura would be blurring an important distinction by claiming to be a SEAL when he was actually a frogman with the UDT. Compared to SEAL Teams, UDTs saw less combat and took fewer casualties.^[8][9][10]Following that, Governor Ventura's office confirmed that Ventura was a member of the UDTs. His spokesman stated that Ventura has never tried to convince people otherwise.^[8]Ventura stated: "Today we refer to all of us as SEALs; that's all it is," and described the accusations of lying about being a SEAL as "[m]uch ado about nothing."^[10]

[sandgroper2]

Far more than any BS artists claiming to be Special Forces here in Thailand….There seems to be a far greater number of experts who can spot this. Though I agree… there is an element of saddos out there needing to convince everyone there Special Opps and in the main, they are not too hard to spot.

But I would take a guess that a fair few posting on here wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a NAAFI manager from Oakhampton, an NCO from a 'Bath and shower unit', a member of the regiment or a solider of God from the Salvation Army. Civvies, what you like! So…….How can you be so sure it's BS. OK, if it walks like a duck and quacks….Fair enough, don't be too quick guys. That 65 year old guy, with a few drinks on board maybe lonely, but he could also be telling the truth. Don't be too quick to judge others by your own experiences, and you know, very few SF soldiers if they make 65 look like one of the cast from the film 'Predator' nor did they back in the day either. Funny thing is SF, ex, or serving look just like you or me.

I've only had one guy try to impress me, why, God onlyk nows! He trained with the SAS, he said….Not in, just trained….Nice one!

Here's an indicate for you to try next time your story teller is half way through storming a fortified dug-out with no more than an oatmeal biscuit and a P45…(compo tin opener)……Ask him his Service number, if he can't respond in a heartbeat, he was never even in the service, not even a 'Brownie.

Totally agree, as I said earlier it's eight digits long, not nine or ten or eleven and no soldier ever forgets it, ever.

12345678 ,12345678 , 12345678 ,12345678 ...........Just trying to have it engraved into my memory in case someone asks me .

Not all SAS have 8 digit serial nrs.

[rgs2001uk]

Any one remember Keith, Joe's Bar Soi Cowboy?

Would that be the American (owner?) who came to an unsavoury end about 16 years ago?

You're thinking of the suspected poisoning?

Keith was from Manchester, UK. He came after wards, friendly guy with many stories to tell.

Different guy, the Americans name was John, the owner/manager of the bar.

He was a jealous insecure control freak, who met his end in the same way he treated women, used to beat up his mrs, there werent too many people asking questions or shedding any tears at the time, most thought he got what he deserved, payback is a bitch.

This would have been about 1994.

[dannyman]

Tonto21 cheers I meet more wierd furlongs in Canada, then all the 7 years I lived in Thailand.

[Fookhaht]

I always thought the 'claiming to be in the SAS' thing was an urban expat myth- but it actually happened to me, was chatting to 50 something brit in nana- paunch, balding, flip flops (me not the bloke) and he actually said that he was in the SAS. Couldn't believe it, asked if i could video him saying it on my iphone, he said no.

I have met quite a number of SEALs over the years in various places, to include Thailand. However, not one of them knew the names of the then three SEAL Medal of Honor winners, or the various terms used at BUD/S (the SEAL training school). One thing which happens early in the training process is that they take the tadpoles (trainees) to the beach, get them wet, then roll them in the sand, creating "sugar cookies." Everyone laughs until they then have to run, the sand now working like sandpaper against the legs, waist, and arms. I asked one wannabe SEAL how he liked the BUD/S sugar cookies, and he looked puzzled, then told me that yes, the food in the cafeteria was good, not even using the term "mess hall."

Thanks for the added details so I can make my stories sound more credible, and stand up under the subsequent interrogation. However, you forgot to mention names of the M of H winners.

[MrsMills]

Usually, the biggest lies a Farang will hear in Thailand are the ones they tell themselves.

[GreenSnapper]

Usually, the biggest lies a Farang will hear in Thailand are the ones they tell themselves.

Tell me more about it, Mrs!

[MrsMills]

Usually, the biggest lies a Farang will hear in Thailand are the ones they tell themselves.

Tell me more about it, Mrs!

That their wife loves them for who they are and not for what they have is the prime suspect !

[mataus101]

and what if the wife has as much as the man, what then.

what if her family are financialy more stable then mine.

like my wifes family for eg.

If she wants my money, she sure is patient, its been years and still nothing to brag about.

not all thai are poor. some are doing ok.

[thaipod]

Met a guy from Aus about 12 years ago who claimed he knew everything about Thailand after being in Patpong for a year . He would have a couple of drinks and his personality would change and then walk from bar to bar thinking he was running them and later I saw him he was really paranoid said the American cia were trying to kill him because he found out that they had caused the aids epidemic in Thailand . The bull sh*t that came out of this guy was amazing .

[vpi78]

Met a guy from Aus about 12 years ago who claimed he knew everything about Thailand after being in Patpong for a year . He would have a couple of drinks and his personality would change and then walk from bar to bar thinking he was running them and later I saw him he was really paranoid said the American cia were trying to kill him because he found out that they had caused the aids epidemic in Thailand . The bull sh*t that came out of this guy was amazing .

Did he say who really killed JFK?

[mataus101]

my mate adolf above caused aids

[Ulysses G.]

On the other hand, there is a Special Forces Association here in Bangkok, and they vet their people pretty closely, so yes, there are some snake-eaters in the country.  Not all are wannabes.  And by pure statistical chance, there has to be some SAS, SEALs, Marine Recon, CIA, etc.  here as well. 

I am most impressed by Marine Recon even though they beat the shit out of me in boot camp during my one day "holiday" in Motivation Platoon.

[chiang mai]

Far more than any BS artists claiming to be Special Forces here in Thailand….There seems to be a far greater number of experts who can spot this. Though I agree… there is an element of saddos out there needing to convince everyone there Special Opps and in the main, they are not too hard to spot.

But I would take a guess that a fair few posting on here wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a NAAFI manager from Oakhampton, an NCO from a 'Bath and shower unit', a member of the regiment or a solider of God from the Salvation Army. Civvies, what you like! So…….How can you be so sure it's BS. OK, if it walks like a duck and quacks….Fair enough, don't be too quick guys. That 65 year old guy, with a few drinks on board maybe lonely, but he could also be telling the truth. Don't be too quick to judge others by your own experiences, and you know, very few SF soldiers if they make 65 look like one of the cast from the film 'Predator' nor did they back in the day either. Funny thing is SF, ex, or serving look just like you or me.

I've only had one guy try to impress me, why, God onlyk nows! He trained with the SAS, he said….Not in, just trained….Nice one!

Here's an indicate for you to try next time your story teller is half way through storming a fortified dug-out with no more than an oatmeal biscuit and a P45…(compo tin opener)……Ask him his Service number, if he can't respond in a heartbeat, he was never even in the service, not even a 'Brownie.

Totally agree, as I said earlier it's eight digits long, not nine or ten or eleven and no soldier ever forgets it, ever.

12345678 ,12345678 , 12345678 ,12345678 ...........Just trying to have it engraved into my memory in case someone asks me .

Not all SAS have 8 digit serial nrs.

Say more?

[mataus101]

i have only spoken to 3 people in thailand outside my circle.

one said his baby just got sold what should i do, this was outside a mall, I told him to quit bugging me.

He looked high and i did not want him near me.

the other was drunk, very drunk, swedish guy with a greek guy near jomtien beach, said he was greek mafia, he was rude.

The other was a commando fresh from iraq, he was welsh.

what can i say,

[vpi78]

i have only spoken to 3 people in thailand outside my circle.

one said his baby just got sold what should i do, this was outside a mall, I told him to quit bugging me.

He looked high and i did not want him near me.

the other was drunk, very drunk, swedish guy with a greek guy near jomtien beach, said he was greek mafia, he was rude.

The other was a commando fresh from iraq, he was welsh.

what can i say,

Hmmm, a Swedish and Greek guy on Jomtien beach. Alternative lifestyle indeed. I can guess which one was the topper, rude and Greek and all.

Not much more you can say.

[StreetCowboy]

i have only spoken to 3 people in thailand outside my circle.

one said his baby just got sold what should i do, this was outside a mall, I told him to quit bugging me.

He looked high and i did not want him near me.

the other was drunk, very drunk, swedish guy with a greek guy near jomtien beach, said he was greek mafia, he was rude.

The other was a commando fresh from iraq, he was welsh.

what can i say,

Thank you, on behalf of the rest of us.

I'm surprised those three blokes chose you to talk to, but after that experience, no doubt they were far more reticent thereafter.

Presumably the last one just said he was Welsh; we can never be sure, bearing in mind the topic of this thread.

SC

[exeter]

i have only spoken to 3 people in thailand outside my circle.

one said his baby just got sold what should i do, this was outside a mall, I told him to quit bugging me.

He looked high and i did not want him near me.

the other was drunk, very drunk, swedish guy with a greek guy near jomtien beach, said he was greek mafia, he was rude.

The other was a commando fresh from iraq, he was welsh.

what can i say,

Thank you, on behalf of the rest of us.

I'm surprised those three blokes chose you to talk to, but after that experience, no doubt they were far more reticent thereafter.

Presumably the last one just said he was Welsh; we can never be sure, bearing in mind the topic of this thread.

SC

He may not have ben Welsh at all but refering to a bet he had lost

[RAZZELL]

never been in the military, but i have been involved with training different forces civilian and otherwise in CQC.

I have found the SF to be hard to spot as they are really chosen more for there brains over brawn.

obviously when you are training them you know, but if i was not told i would never pick em.

classic grey men, some even looked like fit nerds.

now everyone can get on with calling me a liar i expect, seems to be the norm here.

although a man did tell me yesterday he once shot 1500 rabbits in one night, earned 13000 oz dollars a week, and won lotto 4 times, please make it at least believable.

Marine Recon tend to be somewhat muscular, more fitting the stereotype, but Special Forces and SEALs tend to be more on the smaller side--very fit--but not so obviously cut, especially when wearing clothes which cover the full body. Tom Norris, one of the living SEAL Medal of Honor awardees, is quite a small, unassuming man. He is bonkers (in a good way), but he looks like a grammar school teacher. Senator Kerrey, another SEAL Medal of Honor Awardee, looks like a middle-level businessman. Only Mike Thornton, of the Vietnam SEAL Medal of Honor awardees. even came close to fitting the mold of the Hollywood version of a member of one of our elite forces.

One of my classmates, now a SEAL Vice Admiral, is the deputy commander of USCENTCOM. He has extensive combat experience and rumor has it that he is slated to be in charge of all special operations forces. He is a very low-keyed, somewhat small man, ready to smile at just about anything. If you met him, you would think he worked at Walmart or Home Depot.

So your point is well-taken. Most of the snake-eaters I have known do not fit the mold which would make people think they belonged to an elite unit. And I would have to assume that this would also be the case with elite units from other nations as well.

Not in Thailand but I had the pleasure of meeting George Kay (ex-SAS - google him).

He was well into his 80's and looked like a friendly little old man...but you read what he did with his life and

Also met a Scottish guy who was one of the first through the window at the Iranian embassy siege...he was a big bastard! Like a Scottish version of Willie Apiata

RAZZ

Edited December 19, 2011 by RAZZELL

[luckizuchinni]

i have only spoken to 3 people in thailand outside my circle.

one said his baby just got sold what should i do, this was outside a mall, I told him to quit bugging me.

He looked high and i did not want him near me.

the other was drunk, very drunk, swedish guy with a greek guy near jomtien beach, said he was greek mafia, he was rude.

The other was a commando fresh from iraq, he was welsh.

what can i say,

Not to be pedantic, but I believe that is four people: a guy who wanted to sell his baby, a Swedish guy, a Greek guy, and a Welsh guy.

[StreetCowboy]

i have only spoken to 3 people in thailand outside my circle.

one said his baby just got sold what should i do, this was outside a mall, I told him to quit bugging me.

He looked high and i did not want him near me.

the other was drunk, very drunk, swedish guy with a greek guy near jomtien beach, said he was greek mafia, he was rude.

The other was a commando fresh from iraq, he was welsh.

what can i say,

Not to be pedantic, but I believe that is four people: a guy who wanted to sell his baby, a Swedish guy, a Greek guy, and a Welsh guy.

I think the Greek fella never spoke. Probably it was the Swedish bloke who said that the Greek chap was mafia. Not sure whether it was the Swede or the Greek who was rude.

Anyway, perhaps we can all count ourselves lucky it was only three or four, and sufficient to discourage him from further social discourse with the rest of us. Now he's revealed more about his personal habits, I would feel safer frequenting the bars

SC

[JAG]

Is that a straight question? I was in the SAS 1967 to 69. 21st regiment (artists rifles).Was active as an observer in Eastern Europe in 1968. The Prague uprising.

21 SAS is a TA unit (part time reservists if you're not British). Very surprised to hear that they deployed to Prague in 1968!

My Bullshit meter is in the red!

Your bullshit meter is full of shit then They (plural) did not deploy, I (solo) visited Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary as well as Prague. My brief was simply to assess how these Warsaw Pact countries were reacting to the situation, and naturally I was a civilian tourist. Have you never wondered why the 21st and 23rd are civilian outfits?

Now if you are such an expert, perhaps you can tell me what happened in Rhinefallen and Baumholder the previous year?

I don't claim to be an expert. I was never a member of "Special Forces". Merely an ordinary infantry soldier, albeit for rather a long time. Let me explain to you and others why I think my bullshit meter functions perfectly.

1. 21 SAS is a Territorial Army unit (think US National Guard, Canadian Militia etc). They are part time volunteer reservists. It takes a relatively long time to train a TA soldier, because that training takes place at weekends and a two week annual camp. It would take several years to train A TA SAS Trooper, because of the considerable skill sets which they have to acquire. You say you served from 1967 to 1969. You claim to have been sent into Eastern Europe in the spring of 1968, after less than 18 months part time service? To be sent anywhere operational requires mobilisation. You will not be mobilised until you are fully trained. You would certainly not be sent on the sort of task you describe after 18 months in the TA. In fact you would not be given such a task as a soldier, regular or TA. Her Majesty's Government has several other agencies who do that sort of thing. Your claims are bullshit.

2. Now as a TA soldier, be it SAS or Army Catering Corps, you would be perfectly entitled to travel as a private individual to then Warsaw Pact Countries such as Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. You would be required to inform your unit Orderly Room before doing so. On your return it is possible that a member of the local Intelligence Corps detachment would have dropped by to have a chat with you, especially if something of interest such as the Prague Spring had been going on. That I suspect is as far as your "solo observation mission" went, if at all!

3. I know nothing about Rhinefallen and Baumholder the previous year. I recall Baumholder was (is?) a large American Garrison in what was then West Germany.

4. I have never wondered why the 21st and 23rd are civilian outfits, because I know that they are TA units which exist to complete the order of battle of the British Army in wartime. Incidentally, a real soldier would refer to them as 21 SAS and 23 SAS, not as the "21st and 23rd", and certainly not as "civilian outfits".

That is why my Bullshit Meter is in the red.

Edited December 19, 2011 by JAG

[phutoie2]

Jag maybe we should cut him some slack here?, we do not know the facts fully as to what went on in the 60's. I joined up in 1973 and we had guys who had served in Korea,Malaya,Borneo,Aden and in some case's Vietnam!!, well the stories in the Naafi, even McNab could not do better.

21 SAS (Artists) had a very good bar at Bisley, open to the wee hours during our annual shoot fest down on the ranges there, that would be in the early 80's.

[JAG]

Sorry phutoie2 but these claims are such obvious &lt;deleted&gt; that I don't cut any slack. We all like to pull up a sandbag from time to time, we've all got our "when I was...." stories, but this is just embarrassing!

[anterian]

Sorry phutoie2 but these claims are such obvious &lt;deleted&gt; that I don't cut any slack. We all like to pull up a sandbag from time to time, we've all got our "when I was...." stories, but this is just embarrassing!

I don't know whether it is worth the effort of giving you a detailed reply or not, you obviously have a fixed mindset here. However, I will briefly try. I did my National service as an X3 technician with 4th independent squadron Royal Signals. I was an electronics specialist in cipher equipment and technology. When I demobbed I had had my fill of the military and all the bullshit, I even sometimes had bad dreams where they made a mistake and I had to return to service, I was a very bad, reluctant and insubordinate soldier.

So when a few years later I was contacted by the C.O of 21st SAS as a possible member, my reply was a very outspoken NO!.At that point I had never heard of the SAS, as I said I was not an enthusiastic soldier, but I looked them up. What I discovered reconfirmed my desire to have nothing to do with them, you volunteer, go through an arduous physical training and selection process, but the real clincher was the compulsory 8 jumps per year, no way would you get me in a parachute.

However, it seemed that I had certain specific skills that they urgently needed, they had plenty of "Gung ho" volunteers, but I had full security clearance, was an expert in cipher systems and long range radio communications, additionally I was a fairly competent linguist.

Now this is where your "bullshit meter" will really go into the red

I finally agreed on the express condition that I would do no jumps, I did them on paper, not for real.

The reason they needed me became clear in Rhinefallen during operation Fallex. Our unit's task was to occupy and restore a disused German site specialising in long range communications.

I could go into much more details as to how we got there, there were some very funny mishaps along the way and I was very much the "baby" of the outfit. However, we got there and after 48 hours of non stop work I got the system up and running. I then apparently slept for 24 hours with the guys tip toeing around me. Baumholder was a later exercise where we had to attack an American unit camped on a hill, this was also successful, although one guy got shot up by a German farmer for nicking potatoes from his field.

As to Prague, they set up a tour agency called "Minitrek", I became the driver of a minibus with genuine tourist passengers. I had to get these passengers to Varna in Bulgaria where they would fly back then drive solo up the coast to Mamiya (it no longer exists) near Bucharest, where i would collect another group of passengers and return overland to London. Because of the tense political situation I was given "carte blanche" as to routes but had to check in whenever possible with the British embassy in Budapest. In total I visited France, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Austria and Germany. I met Tito in Yugoslavia, was arrested in Ploesti for taking photos, had an all night drinking session with some Russian soldiers on the beach at Lake Balaton, which incidentally was how I was able to get to Prague, and generally had a damned good time. One of the female passengers on my return trip later became my wife

This is the first time I have ever detailed this and after 40 years my memory is a bit vague, but I don't really care if you believe me or not. I still have my SAS issue boots, they are excellent for caving, but my bergen died years ago as did my uniform, though I preserved the shoulder flashes.