Kenneth Woerheide – US Navy SEAL, Parachute Qualified, Blog of Shame
2606/19/2019 by militaryphonies
BACKGROUND
Kenneth Miles Woerheide comes to us from Carrollton, Virginia. Woerheide is 64 years old as of June 2019.
This case is interesting because it may hold the record for the longest amount of time to put the case completely together.
It seems that Ken Woerheide was in the Boiler Tech rating. He was stationed aboard the USS Blandy (DD-943) back in 1980-1982. Ken wore a Navy SEAL Trident which obviously drew attention.
Ken was eventually called out for it and ended up listed in an older effort to keep track of SEAL imposters in what was called “SEAL Wannabes by Watchlords” which in turn came from an older effort called “VeriSEAL.” The list is still around but has not been updated.
DISCLAIMER: From what we understand, the above list was kept by the SEAL-Frogman community and we don’t know what the criteria was for getting on the list. For instance, if proof was required or it was just word of mouth.
There was suspicion that Woerheide kept up the SEAL claim but was merely careful doing it around any SEALs.
But, after many years and a career in the Navy, a photo surfaced. It was placed as a profile picture on Ken’s girlfriend’s page.
The larger version of the photo is shown below. Ken Woerheide is on the right side of the photo.
Woerheide is clearly wearing a Navy SEAL Trident along with a US Navy & Marine Corps Parachute Insignia.
This was photographic evidence that Woerheide kept up with the SEAL claim long after he was called out by SEALs.
Woerheide was approach on Facebook via Private Messaging (PM) by a sailor that knew him on the USS Blandy. That sailor eventually went on to complete BUD/S training and become a SEAL.
Woerheide denied that he was ever in the US Navy. It was confirmed that it was him, however. This Facebook account links to his girlfriend, who posted the photo of Woerheide in his Khakis.
Here are other photos of Ken Woerheide through the years… observe that there are no SEAL Tridents visible. (Note: His name was spelled incorrectly in the 1975-76 cruise book)
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ACTIONS CONDUCTED BY MILITARY PHONIES
After contacting the UDT/SEAL archives and checking the UDT/SEAL database we found that there is NO record of “Kenneth Miles Woerheide” ever completing BUD/S Training.
Ken Woerheide’s military records were ordered through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
FOIA RESULTS
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MANPOWER DATA CENTER (DoDMDC/SCRA)
NATIONAL PERSONNEL RECORDS CENTER (NPRC) – [SELECTED]
NATIONAL PERSONNEL RECORDS CENTER (NPRC) – [COMPLETE]
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DISCUSSION and SUMMARY
The results were confusing. Ken Woerheide had a SEAL Trident listed in his official military records but he has no record of going to BUD/S and no assignment with a SEAL Team over his career. There is also no listing of a SEAL NEC in his records.
If Woerheide had been a SEAL, the NEC would have been listed in his records along with how long he held that NEC.
A SEAL that works with Military Phony pointed out that it is never listed as “SEAL TRIDENT INSIGNIA” but this is how the archive tech transcribed it.
The SEAL pointed out that if there is an official entry, it would be recorded in a different manner. We could not determine whether this list of awards was transcribed from a DD-214 or another entry in the record.
So, we contacted SOCOM and sent them a FOIA request as well…
So, all credible sources state that Ken Woerheide was not a Navy SEAL and did not complete BUD/S training.
The important and mysterious question remains – How did the SEAL Trident insignia get entered into his official records?
Putting that question aside for a second, Ken Woerheide did not have a US Navy & Marine Corps Parachute badge listed in his records nor did he have parachute training listed. Why would the US Navy send a Boiler Tech to school to be qualified in parachuting anyway?
STOLEN VALOR
If the SEAL and Parachutist claims by Kenneth Woerheide were used to leverage work, military or civilian promotions, or anything else of value, Woerheide may be in violation of Stolen Valor laws. State laws may also apply.
Woerheide is retired from the US Navy and some would argue that he is still under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). There have been instances of court martials.
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PHOTOS
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SOCIAL MEDIA
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ken.woerheide
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That list of Awards and Decorations doesn’t really relate to reality. Aside from SEAL Trident Insignia, what is a Vietnam Marines Operations Medal? The Navy does not award marksmanship “badges” and certainly not for qualifying with an AR-15 BARS (whatever that is). The collection of Vietnam medals seems a bit off, given the dates and locations of his service, but those are not as egregious as a medal that does not exist and “badges” for quals that are not given in the Navy. Ken, do you have a rebuttal?
I served with Woerheide on USS Blandy DD 943. I was there from 1978 through completion of decommissioning in October 1982. He always wore the SEAL Trident on his dress blue jumper uniform. Several times he commented that he was trained in about 100 ways to “kill” a person with a knife. I’m also very skeptical that he earned the Vietnam Service or Campaign ribbons. Although he served from September 1972 to January 1991 (approximately 18-19 years).
Hey Kenny, why you wanna take great big dump on what seemed to be an honorable service career? OIC, you’ve been a lying embellishing POS all thru your career, even after being called out on it by shipmates. Got a little Google fame coming your way courtesy of the troops of TAH. Enjoy……BITCH!
When you retire from the Navy, the personnel man preparing your DD-214 asks you if there are any other awards, medals or insignia missing. They have no way to verify it if you tell them a big whopper like this guy obviously did. It’s easy to get away with and even easier back before everything was computerized.
Is it STILL that way? I retired from the Corps 2 years ago and my buddy was the PersO. I asked for an amended DD214 to include my retirement award and he would NOT do it until it officially hit the diary/my master brief sheet showing it was awarded. I received it about a month later.
Someone needs to haul his tail down into the old Fire Room and invite some genuine Seals issue him a BT Punch.
I’m somewhat surprised that a BT could make senior chief in twenty without going nuke. (BT was a source rate back in the day — there was a MMCM that crossrated from BT at NFAS when I went through)
(What was the spat between the ancient SEAL page and VeriSEAL, anyway?)
I did. Netzer DCCS USN ret. But this guy needs a blanket party
As for the awards in his Service Record Book he served in a time where you could just type the awards in, You could leave one duty station with one award and report in the next one a fucking war hero, no one would know the wiser.
Either he or a Buddy typed that shit in. Who is going to question him?
[…] folks at Military Phony sent us their work on Kenneth Miles Woerheide who is a retired Senior Chief Boiler Tech. Ken […]
It was a good thing he never came through my office, I would have called bullshit on him. Dennis Harless was correct, all he needed was a typewriter or a ignorant PN/YN to make “Corrections” on his record based on what he told them! I saw it all the time, especially those coming from the Reserve side of the house. The bad part is he kept being advanced,,,Recall his ass to active duty and court martial him….PN1(SW)
here is a question id like to know a answer to… it he a real Vietnam VET .. did the USS Marvin Shields have a tour in the Area of Support for Vietnam?… the only thing i have found is a tour in south america but not Vietnam.. i probably over looked it.. but if they didn’t there is at least three maybe four awards that don’t add up there as well
The way I understand it, the Vietnam Service Medal was issued until 28 MAR 1973 and for the Mayaguez Incident. Further, the VSM was a single award–so no 2nd award. Ken checked aboard the USS Marvin Shields on 28 FEB 1973. I would possibly have believed that he flew out to the area (Vietnam) to meet the ship and thus been eligible; however, seeing that he checked into Advanced Shipboard Firefighting School in San Diego on 27 APR 1973, I seriously doubt that the Navy flew him to the Vietnam area at the end of Feb and then flew him back to the US in April–or that the Navy flew him to the Vietnam area to meet the ship as it was getting ready to redeploy back to the US–arriving in time for him to go to firefighting school in San Diego…but the Navy does strange things.
Johnathan Robert Mathes: Where did you find the Marvin Shields’ deployment history?
I couldn’t find any real info for the ships deployment.. I found one article that listed South America as one of its tours but that’s it.. just a lot for the Vietnam stuff does not look right…
he should be recalled to active duty … this fraud wore this crap.. and probably got ahead of his peers(think Promotions) by doing so because no one else connected the dots.. he should be reduced and his pay cutt
It is a big deal to make Chief. Why neutralize such an honor by being a phony?
He was living the fantasy before he made E7.
The SEAL Trident listed could be from him retiring and as he was checking out, insisting to a young, intimidated administration clerk from a CPO that it should be entered.
It looks like Ken was never in Vietnam–at least not during the times specified by the awards he presented to himself. The last mission of the USS Marvin Shields in Vietnam happened when Ken Woerheide was still in boot camp. https://aad.archives.gov/aad/display-partial-records.jsp?dt=842&sc=18067%2C18087%2C18090%2C18091%2C18092%2C18093%2C18096%2C18100%2C18101&cat=all&tf=F&bc=sl%2Cfd&q=&btnSearch=Search&as_alq=&as_anq=&as_epq=&as_woq=&nfo_18067=D%2C6%2C1966&op_18067=3&txt_18067=&txt_18067=&nfo_18087=V%2C6%2C1900&op_18087=0&txt_18087=&nfo_18090=V%2C16%2C1900&op_18090=1&txt_18090=MARVIN+SHIELDS&nfo_18091=V%2C4%2C1900&cl_18091=&nfo_18092=V%2C4%2C1900&op_18092=0&txt_18092=&nfo_18093=V%2C1%2C1900&cl_18093=&nfo_18096=V%2C13%2C1900&op_18096=0&txt_18096=&nfo_18100=V%2C2%2C1900&cl_18100=&nfo_18101=V%2C2%2C1900&cl_18101=&mtch=117&pg=12
Ok folks…the poser is Ken Woerheide. Do NOT harass his family or his girlfriend. These people have nothing to do with Ken’s actions. In fact, I have been discussing the situation with one of those close to him and she is getting crap on her FB page. This does nothing constructive.
Yes, we concur. Thank you, Jim.
This guy dated my mom a few years back and gave me his “navy seal jacket” it has a eagle/trident emblem on it. I’m not really sure how to identify it’s real or not
The jacket maybe real (there is no “issue” jacket for SEALs with a Trident on it), but the guy is a fake.
USS Marvin Shields returned from WESTPAC on 15 DEC 1972 and did not do another WESTPAC until AUG 1973. This means that there is no way Woerheide is eligible for the Vietnam awards he gave himself. He was in A school at Great Lakes, IL in December 1972. Before that, he was in boot camp.
so i was right? who knew… it just seems off when looking at the timeline of things
What a way to crap on your career. Then again, how was his career advanced by his lies and false service record entries?