Randy Ray Ward – US Marine Corps Combat Veteran, Recon, Beirut Veteran, PTSD, Corporal, Blog of Shame

10 years ago

BACKGROUND

Randy Ray Ward has been around the community of Beirut veterans and family next-of-kin for years. He participates in organized Beirut functions, Beirut blogs and Beirut Facebook groups

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BUSINESS

Ward has a business called Mr. Mom’s Attic which sells military related items which includes clothing, patches, decals and bumper stickers, coins, pins, ball caps plus other items. Several of these items have a Mulitnational Peacekeeping Force Beirut, Lebanon 1982-84 theme to them.

http://www.mrmomsattic.com/ (pic – website removed)
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Mr-Moms-Attic-2

At the bottom of the website, which now appears to have been removed in favor of the ebay store, it states that “Mr. Moms Attic is proudly owned and operated by a US Marine Beirut Veteran.”

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UNIFORM

Ward has also worn the US Marine dress blue uniform at several formal functions. Several aspects of his uniform stand out.

Notice that there are two rows of ribbons in the photos both above and below. The combination of ribbons would have been impossible for any phase of Beirut, Lebanon 1982-1984 although it is plausible that some were earned later.

Then, at another event the rows expand to three.

And in yet another event it expands to four rows…

For convenience, the three separate events/photos are compared below.

CIVILIAN CLOTHES

Ward often wears military “bling” for civilian clothes.

ORGANIZED ACTIVITIES

Randy Ward participated in the Washington D.C. parade for Beirut Veterans on Memorial Day in May of 2010.
FACEBOOK

Randy Ward claims that he was in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983.

Randy Ward’s posts to the various Beirut veteran-related Facebook groups took on a similar theme — that he was struggling from PTSD and, by implication, related to his experiences in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983.

These posts took ominous turns but they would be quickly followed with posts of support and encouragement by Beirut veterans and family members that lost loved ones in Beirut.

“BATTLE BUDDY”

Randy Ward claims that he lost a “battle buddy” in the Marine Barracks bombing on 23 Oct 1983.

Then, Ward poses in his dress blues beside a photo of LCpl Leonard Walker who was killed on 23 October 1983.

Randy Ward was asked on occasion which unit he served with while in Beirut, Lebanon. Those questions may have been overlooked but they went unanswered. Several Beirut veterans began to have some curiosity about Randy Ward so a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was made for Ward’s official military records.

FOIA RESULTS – SELECTED

FOIA RESULTS – COMPLETE

SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION

A query was made to the Department of Defense Manpower Data Center but it showed no results even after a systematic search for successive years after 1984. Due to a limitation of the database, it would not show active duty before 30 Sept 1984. This makes sense due to Ward being released from active duty in 1982. The systematic search was to also account for a second active duty performed but none was identified.

The FOIA from the National Archives would have shown time in the hospital so there may not have been a medical related discharge. Since Ward was in the USMC for under a month, he would not have earned any medals and would not have earned the title of “US Marine” since recruits have to complete all phases of training before having that bestowed on them.

SERVICE CLAIMS

There is no record of assignments so Ward could not have been in Beirut, Lebanon, he could not have earned the Scuba and Jump wings. He was also not Recon qualified according to his records. There were no shooting badges awarded due to his limited time in recruit training.

Randy Ward could not have made Corporal (E-4) and his records show him discharged as a Private (E-1).

Ward would not have been awarded the Combat Action Ribbon which he wears frequently. This would be in violation of the Stolen Valor Act of 2013, especially if there were tangible benefits received.

Ward’s service claims are not supported by his official military records.

PTSD

Without being directly involved in or having access to a veteran’s medical records, it is impossible to speak to whether someone has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or not. However, in Randy Ward’s case it makes one wonder how he could have gotten PTSD from a little over two weeks in recruit training with his training platoon and a week in Casual Company?

A highly questionable practice is that Randy Ward posts to Beirut groups in regard to his PTSD. Ironically this has the potential to trigger episodes in Beirut veterans with combat-related PTSD. This would be highly unethical for someone to do without true combat related PTSD.

“BATTLE BUDDY”

Cpl Leonard Walker was killed in the Marine Barracks bombing on 23 Oct 1983. Since Ward’s records do not support him being in the Marine Corps beyond one month, he could not have served in “battle” and therefore could not have had a “battle buddy” unless it was a loose reference to something else. Walker went to recruit training in 1980, when Ward was fifteen (15) years old, so they could not have been boot camp buddies. There may have been some circumstance where their lives crossed paths, but it is safe to say it was not in battle and highly likely that it was not in the Marine Corps. Since they could not have been “battle buddies”, it may also shed some doubt that they could have been buddies. Impossible to say, though.