I'm Class of '65 and a Vietnam vet - served four years active duty with the Army (Field Artillery). Yesterday, while my wife and I were walking our puppies we met a new neighbor who had just moved into the neighborhood. While talking to him, he said that he said that he had served 22 years in the Army. I asked him in what branch he had served, and he responded "The Army." I replied that I meant what branch of the Army, Infantry, Artillery, etc. He said he had served in the combat branch with the 82nd Airborne. At that point, I decided to drop the subject, but as we walked back to our house, I mentioned to my wife that I thought his claims of Army service were a bit suspect, since he didn't seem to have a clue about branches in the Army. Am I just overly suspicious, or has the Army changed so much since my time that there are no separate branches any more? Thoughts?

I will agree with you that it seems off. When asked you should be able to say what branch you are. It might be that no one has ever questioned him on it.

Seems kinda shady. I get it when you asked initially what branch and he said Army, but not answering with an MOS is wierd.

74OA - I agree. I have no intention of challenging him, particularly since he had a pistol strapped on. Not that we have a "gun free" zone here. I live in a small, one-lane development about eight miles out of a small town, so it's not uncommon to hear someone in the area popping off a round or two. I've even had to euthanize a few deer over the years that were caught in a fence. But no one in the neighborhood packs heat.

Maybe he was Agent Orange...

I would have asked him what his MOS was. Even if the dude was an Officer, he would at least know what MOS corresponded to what he did in the Army.

I'd just keep an eye out for grifting off veteran status but otherwise, maybe he just didn't want to talk and unless you had already identified yourself as super Hooah Army, maybe he figured you were just some random civilian asking him dumb questions.

HollywoodBQ said:

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I would have asked him what his MOS was. Even if the dude was an Officer, he would at least know what MOS corresponded to what he did in the Army.

I'd just keep an eye out for grifting off veteran status but otherwise, maybe he just didn't want to talk and unless you had already identified yourself as super Hooah Army, maybe he figured you were just some random civilian asking him dumb questions.

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Officers would understand branch as the OP meant as well. Branch assignment day was a big deal at TAMU with all the army contracts and it confused the hell out of this Air Force contract when they started talking about getting excited to see what they branched.

Former mayor of Kerrville...

https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Kerrville-mayor-accused-of-inflating-his-Vietnam-6259026.php

He sounds like a Veteran of Simulated Wars. If he didn't answer MOS or officer specialty, it sounds real dodgy. I proudly respond Ordnance even though I was assigned to an MI battalion for most of my active duty time.

And if he's lying about military service, it makes me wonder if he has a License to Carry.

BoozerRed78 - In fairness: first, he was openly carrying (don't know if that requires a license in Texas) and secondly, he was on his own property, or close enough that I doubt any law enforcement officer (at least in our rural county) would have made an issue of it, and finally, I'm assuming it was a firearm - it was in a holster and I guess it could have been a realistic looking pellet pistol.

Open carry on your own property does not require license in Texas

Open or concealed carry off your property requires a license in Texas

Of course I'm not a lawyer nor give legal advice, but that is my understanding

I personally, and maybe it's an enlisted thing, think first of the term branch as Army-Navy-Air Force-Marines

I don't think branch is used as much as it used to be in the manner you described...especially amongst enlisted. I would have said infantry if pressed further but saying 82nd may have been what popped into his head to answer all your further questions. You also have to keep in mind there are many veterans out there who don't like to give people they don't know all their info.

Point being, until otherwise proven, I'd give him the benefit of the doubt considering some of the sustained crap he has probably put up with and gone through over the past 20 years.

My opinion.

Lobster twins thank for your perspective. That's why I asked. I realize that a lot has changed since I was on active duty. You make a good point.

I still say this doesn't seem right. I get the confusion about "which branch did you serve in" because like someone said enlisted dudes don't think of Infantry, Artillery, Ordnance etc.... as a branch like officers do. But once you clarified about MOS he should have spoke right up with 13B, 42A, 68W or whatever.

Go back and read the OP...he didn't ask him about his MOS. (That may have solved this whole thing though.)

I've been asked what my MOS is a thousand times...not sure if I've ever been asked what branch of the Army I'm in. It's just not something I recall ever hearing.

Who knows really based on this evidence but I'd give him the benefit at this point.

OP said he asked what branch. Dude replied Army. Then OP said what branch of the army and listed examples, infantry, artillery etc..... 22 years in and he should have picked up on the meaning.

And who the hell with 22 years TIS says combat branch of the 82nd? Gotta's figure this dude was a senior NCO at least with ALC and SLC done (if he was enlisted).

This is what sends the red flag up for me. And for the record I don't care if people wanna say they served when the didn't to get a free beer at Applebee's on Veterans Day or 10% of at Lowe's. Hell all you have to do is say you were a mechanic in (insert generic battalion that you can dig up with a 2 min google search) and people will believe you.

Sounds to me like he was possibly flustered/thrown off guard by the line of questioning and wording. Who knows. Just offering another opinion.

Anyone asks me my MOS I would give them 11B, etc...not "Infantry" Of course if he said "infantry" as his MOS and I was suspicious one could ask 11 Delta or something like that and see what he says.

Ask what did I do in the Army...Infantry

Someone says 82nd and you're suspicious maybe ask what it was like being stationed in Kentucky. lol

What branch of the Army were you in? I'd hesitate as I've never been asked that personally. Some people have it all on the tip of their tongue...some don't.

22 years TIS would mean he got out as an E-7 or O-5, or some level of CWO. (E-6 and O-4 who don't get picked up for the next grade get retired at 20 years.) But easily enough time and seniority to know what the OP meant by branch, especially once he listed infantry, armor, artillery, etc.


"Combat branch of the 82nd" sounds like a big red flag to me. The Army has "combat arms" branches, those being infantry, armor, artillery, air defense artillery, and special forces. Technically, engineers and aviation are considered "combat support," although I personally include combat engineers (as opposed to the construction types) and helo aviation to be combat arms.

Finally, it's pretty much impossible to spend an entire career in one division. About the only way to accomplish it, at least over the last 30 years or so, would be to spend your entire career overseas. And this only works for enlisted soldiers - they can (or at least could; I retired 4 years ago) do what was called COTs - Consecutive Overseas Tours, where if they were in a unit based overseas, they could volunteer for another, consecutive tour with a unit overseas, they could choose which overseas station they wanted. This was most common with GIs who married German girls and wanted to stay there. We had a SFC in my first unit who had been in that same battalion for I think 12 or 14 years. He finally had to leave because he got picked up for MSG, but there were no open slots.

But the 82nd is based at Ft. Bragg, NC, so that doesn't work.

He might have done what some 82nd 'homesteaders' do - stay at Bragg as long as they can, then volunteer for a 1 year stint in Korea. That gives them choice of duty station when they finish - so right back to Bragg. Lather, rinse, repeat.

My impression is that he is, at minimum, embellishing, if not outright faking.

Langenator said:

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then volunteer for a 1 year stint in Korea. That gives them choice of duty station when they finish .

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I had heard this myth too. So when I got popped with a year in Korea (Dec. 2011-Dec 2012) I made my piece with it, after initially volunteering for airborne to try and get out of it. My orders came with HAAP to Drum, which turned down and moved my wife and kids to her parents house. A few months into Korea my HAAP got changed to Bliss, still no dice. I called branch and asked for Hood, Carson, or Campbell and was told more or less they were full. (I was a 13B E-6 at this point). I was incredulous. I had never seen a unit with every E6 they needed especially bases that big and common. Anyways long story short I was chatting my with BN master gunner and he asked what I wanted next, and since I was ETSing in a couple years I said I dunno maybe Polk as it was close to home and would guarantee me not to go a crappy Heavy Brigade. Tracked vehicles suck!!! He gets ahold of his buddy at branch and less than 24 hours later I get an email I was on assignment to Polk and 4BCT/10MTN. Still hurts 8 years later.

Lobster Twins said:

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I personally, and maybe it's an enlisted thing, think first of the term branch as Army-Navy-Air Force-Marines

I don't think branch is used as much as it used to be in the manner you described...especially amongst enlisted. I would have said infantry if pressed further but saying 82nd may have been what popped into his head to answer all your further questions. You also have to keep in mind there are many veterans out there who don't like to give people they don't know all their info.

Point being, until otherwise proven, I'd give him the benefit of the doubt considering some of the sustained crap he has probably put up with and gone through over the past 20 years.

My opinion.

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I agree with this.
If some random old guy on the street asked me what branch I was in, I'd tell him "the army" too. Much easier than specifying the amount of time spend AD vs NG, and enlisted really don't think about "branches".

I mean what, technically I was medical, but I spent vast majority of my time in infantry/cav units, so whateverthe**** but I'm not going into that much detail if I don't know you - and no one cares anyway.

MOS would have been a much better question to ask, imo.