BACKGROUND AND CLAIMS
Gary Erdmann Jr. from Cape May County New Jersey military claims are very elaborate. First and foremost are the amount of Ribbons and Medals that he claims are his. Counting everything would make it 72 awards as he calls them.
According to Gary Erdmann’s ‘About’ page on his Facebook account, he claims that he attended the School of Infantry ( SOI ) at Camp Lejeune North Carolina. He also claims that he went to Parris Island and attended Scout/Sniper school at Quantico, Virginia.
In the above photo, he claims that this is him in 1991 after completing a deployment to Iraq. Please note the air wings and scuba bubble.
He was approached on Social Media ( Facebook ) and asked to vett himself. He claims to have been assigned to 2nd Force Recon as a 0321 for 10 years. ( Force Recon MOS is 0326 )
In regard to Surveillance and Target Acquisition (STA) Platoons, very similar to Recon units, they existed until shortly after the Gulf War. They consisted of Scout Snipers and Intelligence Marines.
A Scout Sniper Platoon is composed of 8-10 Scout Sniper teams, some of which are specially suited for night operations and fully capable of operating in almost complete darkness through use of night vision scopes and infrared laser equipment. Typically, each Scout Sniper team has two members. One sniper is equipped with a long-range, specially-made sniper rifle, such as the M40; he is also frequently issued an M9 9mm pistol. The spotter is typically armed with an M4 series rifle and uses a high-power spotting scope to spot targets and follow-up shots for the shooter. The shooter/spotter relationship is not always set; some platoons establish designated shooters, while others have team members switch off. Within a platoon, there are four Special Application Scoped Rifles (SASR), chambered in the .50 caliber, such as the M82, or M107. These can be issued to a team as needed to give supported commanders the option of taking out heavy equipment or heavily armored targets. Scout Sniper teams train to engage man-sized targets with the M40 out to 1000 yards, and can be effective at a range of up to 1.25 miles (2.01 km) with the M82, if the environment is right.
Simply being assigned to STA Platoon does not mean the individual is a school trained sniper who carries the MOS. Just like being assigned to Force RECON does not mean the individual is Scuba and Jump qualified.
Although just about anyone in an Infantry Battalion could end up in STA Platoon, we have no evidence that Erdmann was. As well, there is nothing in his records that indicates he attended Army Airborne School or the Navy Divers Course.
FOIA RESULTS
We checked his information with the Department of Defense Manpower Data Center. The results are that Gary E. Erdmann Jr. served from July 10,1989 to July 13, 1993. ( Four years active duty.)
We also checked listings for a Combat Action Ribbon, the Manpower database came back negative.
Headquarters Marine Corps sent the following dd-214. Although it is ink smudged very badly, we are able to see that his primary MOS was 2311 ( Ammunition Technician ) No other MOS’s are listed.
Erdmann’s military education shows the Ammunition Storage course.
Medals, Ribbons and Awards consisted of: Rifle qualification badge, Navy Unit Commendation, Meritorious Mast Commendation, Humanitarian Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon ( 2nd award ), Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal. ( EIGHT total badges, Ribbons, Medals, and awards )
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SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION
Gary Erdmann Jr. did serve one four year active duty enlistment in the United States Marine Corps. HOWEVER, according to the information we obtained, he was never a Scout/Sniper or a Force Recon Marine. Plus he does not have the campaign ribbons for someone who deployed in support of Desert Storm.
We certainly have no evidence of him being awarded a Silver Star, Navy and Marine Corps Medal, Bronze Stars, Purple Heart, or a Combat Action ribbon.
His highest award appears to be the Navy Unit Commendation.