Jason Lee Merrick – U.S. Navy, "Finished BUD/S in 1988" (which implies US Navy SEAL), Blog of Shame
3303/23/2020 by militaryphonies
BACKGROUND
Jason Lee Merrick comes to us from Cottonport, Lousiana. Merrick is 51 years old at the time of this writing – March 2020.
You may recall a recent Blog of Shame on Dane Reason. Dane Reason and Jason Merrick went to high school together. In fact, someone said he went through “Hell Week” (BUD/S training) with Merrick.
Dane Reason said that he and Merrick went through BUD/S and SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) together. Although Merrick never made this statement directly, he did not correct Reason for making it.
There seems to be some confusion about whether Merrick was a U.S. Navy SEAL. He speaks a lot about Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL training and has even claimed that he finished BUD/s in 1988.
When a friend of his barricaded himself in a house and shot three police officers, the press spoke to Merrick because he was the man’s friend and owned the house that he barricaded himself into.
Listen to this interview, where Merrick is on the phone, and tells the news station that “I was in the SEAL program and finished BUD/S in 1988” at the 2:18 point of the video.
This story can also be found here, but the video has dropped out of the web page and no longer works.
MERRICK’S STORY
When Dane Reason was exposed as not being a Navy SEAL, Merrick seemed to modify his story as to how much he knew about him.
Merrick volunteered an explanation…
Later, Merrick went on to explain further with more elaboration on the details…
Members of Merrick’s BUD/S class were contacted, and it seems that they had a different recollection as to how many of the tests that he passed. There was some mention of Merrick being thrown out for not being able to complete a part of a dive phase.
. . . . .
ACTIONS CONDUCTED BY MILITARY PHONIES
After contacting the UDT/SEAL archives and checking the UDT/SEAL database we confirmed that there is NO record of “Jason Lee Merrick” or any other variation of his name ever completing BUD/S Training or assigned to any SEAL teams during the time he was in the Navy. Merrick did attend BUD/S but did not ever graduate.
. . . . .
Some people were skeptical and asked Military Phony to look into these claims.
Jason Lee Merrick’s military records were ordered through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
. . . . .
FOIA RESULTS
NATIONAL PERSONNEL RECORDS CENTER (NPRC)
Normally, NPRC would hold Merrick’s records but a referral was made to the Department of the Navy.
. . . . .
DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY (DoN)
. . . . .
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MANPOWER DATA CENTER (SCRA)
. . . . .
OTHER INFORMATION
. . . . .
DISCUSSION and SUMMARY
Jason Merrick’s official military records from the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) do not support his claim of finishing BUD/S school.
BUD/S and SEAL training is an extreme challenge and worthy of anybody’s respect. Merrick attempted BUD/S several times so this is something he should be proud of.
However, it is rare to see someone claiming they went to medical school or law school if they never graduated. Other than making a point about the training or schooling, why would one bring this up and leave off the part about never finishing?
It could give the appearance of leading a horse to water and not taking responsibility for it drinking. This is a nuance of language to parse terms and they way words are placed together.
So, we just thought we would help clear this all up for anyone under a false impression that Jason Merrick was a Navy SEAL – he was not.
In spike of this, Merrick insists he “finished BUD/S” but was screwed out of graduation and these postings were all about trying to locate old classmates.
Navy SEAL
Merrick’s records show no training as a Navy SEAL nor any duty assignments as a Navy SEAL. A good deal of Merrick’s time was spent aboard the USS Forrestal (CV-59).
As mentioned before, Jason Merrick was not found listed in the BUD/S-SEAL database when it was checked.
. . . . .
PHOTOS
. . . . .
SOCIAL MEDIA
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010984876035
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
This Ain’t Hell: https://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=97419
Well, I wonder where the Expert Pistol ribbon came from? Or how about the Sharpshooter Rifle Ribbon? Do you think the Navy simply made that entry for a Deck Hand? Let’s check out the tenure of duty. A standard enlistment is 4 years. Where were the first 2 years spent? Answer: Basic Training June 1987. Intelligence Specialist “A” School remainder of 1987. BUD/S January 1988 with Class 152. Then Med-roll (normal occurrence due to stress fractures). until reconvening with BUD/S Class 154. Finished 3rd Phase Dive Phase with Class 155. Strange how it is that Roger Roberts submitted All of Class 155 with a supplemental Advanced Open Water Dive Card just got filling out a simple written exam! Where else and “why” would I even use Scuba Schools International? They are the most unpopular Certification Program going. Also, what do you think that he was doing for that entire year of 1988 in Coronado? Navspecwarcen did a nice job of omitting that from the duty stations. And bottom line, he got fkd! He passed everything, academically and physically; it’s truly sad that there are a small percentage of instructors out there simply jealous of a candidates means. Why don’t you really do your homework before you spout off a bunch of bullshit.
Okie dokie and please remember the nose at Seal World.
Rifle ribbons are awarded as Marksman (lowest to qualify), Sharpshooter, and Expert (highest). You qualified as a Marksman, not Sharpshooter. Nobody said you were a deckhand. Not sure where you pulled that from, and why.
Need to ask, however: Did you graduate BUD/S or not, and why did you highlight the guy saying you went to Advanced training?
I never highlighted a guy. I never said that I went to Advanced Training. I never said that I rescued Captain Phillips. I never said that I shot the terrorist of the World Trade Center. I said that I finished BUD/S, got tentative Orders to SDV-2… from Personnel Dept across the Silver Strand (Amphibious Base), then got sent to a Review Board, then consequently got denied my air deed to SDV-2. What’s so hard to understand? You stupid assholes are putting words in my mouth, rendering your own impressions (as stupid as that is) then attempting to defame a legitimate BUD/S candidate, his successes. So you really feel that I didn’t complete it? Are you really ready to look like the Retards that you are? Because I’m about to reopen my Facebook Profile where Im going to kick your asses and invite everyone to witness your stupidity. Or YOU can admit that you’ve made a Grand error, learn from it, and be more careful about defaming people. So whatcha want to do?
I will repeat the question – did you, or did you not, graduate BUD/S and receive a certificate of graduation?
We both know the answer to that question. In the context of this being the ultimate question, your training record does not matter. We have always acknowledged the fact that you were there for almost a year. Your assignments page states that.
I will repeat the question – did you, or did you not, graduate BUD/S and receive a certificate of graduation?
The only real bone of contention is you wanting to argue the meaning of the words “completed” and “finished” which we can both agree do not mean “graduate” in your case. Face it, you played a word game and lead people to believe you were a Navy SEAL without technically saying it. Then, when people make that connection, they are somehow at fault.
You knew what you were doing. We cleared the record and despite all of your protesting, we are saying the same thing – you did not graduate BUD/S and the words you carefully choose leads people to believe otherwise.
Our purpose was to clear the record in case anyone was confused. We feel we have done that.
Just make your 201 file public. That will clear a lot of this up.
Okie dokie… don’t forget to wear the rose nose when you perform at Seal World.
Damn shame home boy, Jason Lee Merrick, you had to get caught up in embellishing what you did for the Navy. Looked like an honorable attempt to do bad azz stuff. No shame in not making it medically, happens all the time. The shame comes from embellishing what you did & letting your mouth overload your record. Better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all. Lots of folk didn’t make it, and didn’t lie about it. Poor fellow, didn’t make it cause the instructor didn’t like you? Wah, wah, wah. I know some good guys from the NOLA area, one’s an 04 on a boomer, the other is Army Engr. You would’ve fit in good with them, or the troops here at MP/TAH…well…except that embellishing part. Hell we like boats and fishing and water sports. Thanks for making my day; I like to read stories about wanna be seals (sic). Fixin’ to suck to be you.
Buds has a very high washout rate. Most attempting the course will fail. This is a reflection on the high demands of both the qualifications and the final duty position. I have respect for anyone attempting any advanced combat course regardless of branch. What Merrick still does not get is that integrity part. That is the one qualification that is near impossible to teach. It can be ingrained or copied but not both.
[…] folks at Military Phony send us their work on Jason Lee Merrick. Merrick comes to us from Cottonport, LA. Merrick is 51 […]
Sir, the question is not one of whether or not we attended BUD/S. The question is one of DID YOU ACTUALLY GRADUATE as you currently claim?
According to the records we have, you did NOT. According to you, you did.
We have records, you do not. Do you see the dilemma here? What are we to believe?
We deal mostly with people who have made false claims of amazing feats of military service. Most of these people are total frauds, having never served one second in service of this great nation. Some are actual veterans who have sterling records; some are even heroes, yet they tarnish their names and service by embellishment, and making claims of things they never did, or awards they never received.
Again; you must see the dilemma we have here.
In a world of impostors, what are we to believe?
So far, all the evidence is pointing away from your favor. If you have counter evidence; solid evidence; now would be the time to produce it. Otherwise, you will continue to be known as someone who did not accept his already honorable service.
It’s up to you.
That should read whether or not YOU attended BUD/S, not WE…..
What is a 201 file? …. Moreover, NavSpecWarCen stands for NavalSpecialWarfareCenter aka BUD/S.. You may have heard of it? It’s included in my DD214, 2nd page. It’s in black and white. Can you read? If I arrived in Jan 1988, and left training in Dec 1988, how many months was that? Let me do the math for you. There are 12 months in a year. So that means that I was there TWICE as long as required. Would it not seem reasonable that I COMPLETED the entire course content? I think a reasonable person would agree… especially if BUD/S is as demanding a program as it’s believed to be. If training (BUD/S) is only 6 months long, what do you think that I was doing there? Getting a California suntan in the compound? Why would an Intelligence Specialist receive Pistol and rifle training? To guard his desk? Why would SSI issue me an Advanced Open Water Diver card WHILE I was attending BUD/S? Do you think that I had time to do that somewhere else while in training? And why would I? If Instructor Roberts we’re giving them out to the students for the price of the form? They were given to us by Instructor Roberts, as we easily had the required training to dive in the civilian sector as well as the military (mostly to renting open-circuit air tanks). What Phase is the last and final phase of BUD/S in 1988? 3rd Phase. And please show me this incriminating evidence of having trouble completing dives. I NEVER had trouble in the water… EVER. So, When there are NO MORE REQUIRED evolutions to complete, what do you call that? Completion. One more time: COMPLETION! Nuance is not a big word for me to grasp….. but calling me “Phony”….. you are seriously incorrect.
I don’t believe anybody said that you weren’t at BUD/S and were not in Coronado. It clearly says that on your assignments page. This is a strawman argument.
I think the heart of the issue here is an agreed-upon, or not agreed-upon, definition of the word “completed.” Your definition seems to be that you went through and experienced each milestone so in your world, you “completed” each phase. Our definition of “completed” is focused on accomplishments that fall under the category of passed, given credit for graduation, and entered as such in your military records. We do not see that regardless of how much time you spent there.
If you have a beef with one of your instructors that you feel did wrong by you, you should have gotten an attorney and appealed the decision. This would be the right way to go about it. Not arguing passionately with nameless people on the internet about your self-imposed right to label your accomplishment as “completed.”
Tell you what – if you can write to NAVWARCOM and obtain an official verification letter signed by the Chief Staff Officer stating that you graduated, or “completed” BUD/S training to use your words, then we will consider revising this Blog. But as it stands, your official military records speak for themselves.
Better yet, write to the Chief of Staff at NAVWARCOM and make a legal argument that you “completed” BUD/S and it is just as good as graduation. If he/she agrees, we will consider revising the blog.
What is a 201 file? …. Moreover, NavSpecWarCen stands for NavalSpecialWarfareCenter aka BUD/S.. You may have heard of it? It’s included in my DD214, 2nd page. It’s in black and white. Can you read? If I arrived in Jan 1988, and left training in Dec 1988, how many months was that? Let me do the math for you. There are 12 months in a year. So that means that I was there TWICE as long as required. Would it not seem reasonable that I COMPLETED the entire course content? I think a reasonable person would agree… especially if BUD/S is as demanding a program as it’s believed to be. If training (BUD/S) is only 6 months long, what do you think that I was doing there? Getting a California suntan in the compound? Why would an Intelligence Specialist receive Pistol and rifle training? To guard his desk? Why would SSI issue me an Advanced Open Water Diver card WHILE I was attending BUD/S? Do you think that I had time to do that somewhere else while in training? And why would I? If Instructor Roberts we’re giving them out to the students for the price of the form? They were given to us by Instructor Roberts, as we easily had the required training to dive in the civilian sector as well as the military (mostly to renting open-circuit air tanks). What Phase is the last and final phase of BUD/S in 1988? 3rd Phase. And please show me this incriminating evidence of having trouble completing dives. I NEVER had trouble in the water… EVER. So, When there are NO MORE REQUIRED evolutions to complete, what do you call that? Completion. One more time: COMPLETION! Nuance is not a big word for me to grasp….. but calling me “Phony”….. you are seriously incorrect. And one more thing. I was truly not aware of Mr Reason’s situation. I guess his story was believable to many of the local “unknowing”…. and I am embarrassed to admit that I was one of the local “unknowing”. I recall coming home and local people that had been previously following my progress through BUD/S were anxious to inform me that I was within a week of graduation and got fk’d….. but yet Dane Reason had made it through the whole program! I was shocked to hear this, and it didn’t make sense to me at that time… around 1991. Then I met Nramdin Carpenter I the VA hospital and became friends; I took a fellow veteran into my home and took care of him because he IS indeed shell-shocked. You would not believe how he reacts to sudden noises. Then the big police shooting episode erupts, where Dane Reason tosses his input through Facebook comments. I have no idea, at that time, that he was fraudulent. I suspected, but simply did not know. I do know, however, that after seeing the blog that you shared on this site, that you are correct. I know this becausea few years ago, I drive over to his home, as I was still in disbelief of his alleged achievements. His story was seemingly credible and I didn’t push the issue though I really wanted to. Then, he goes inside the house and returns to me, waiting outside, with his “store-bought” trident. He asked me, “Do you wanna touch it?” Well, knowing what I know now, I really feel taken by his bullshit. This is what embarrassed me; nothing else. I tend to believe people, maybe to a fault. My program is legit though, and Dane even told me that he was one of the Cheerleaders rooting for me…… and per Dane, he thought that I had made it! And that I was the inspiration behind him trying the same….. which I can see now is bullshit. I really wish that you could find my old training record from BUD/S…. it was an old Manila folder… with every academic test, timed run, timed swim, and timed I-course included. Last I saw it, Captain Bailey, was at the podium reviewing it in front of me and MMC Minner. He said “Merrick, I don’t know what you are going here, in front of me right now, but I’ve got to take side with this Chief Petry Officer”. Last time I saw it.
You haven’t completed BUD/S till you get handed the graduation papers. 147
Wassamatta?!? …. you moderators having trouble with my earlier a.m. reply? 😎. You have no answers? You conveniently censor and dismiss any /all rebuttals? You sound like another facet of Fake News media, and while you respect Trump as Commander-in-Chief, you post bullshit without thinking…. like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. Don’t worry; I’m yet to deliver the Bomb that will shut you up for good!
We have many cases we are working as well as multiple issues not related to cases. Please don’t feel slighted.
We keep asking the same question yet never get a clear answer from you. Only deflection over the meaning of words. So, we’ll ask again.
Did you, or did you not, graduate BUD/S?
It is a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. We don’t need a long “War and Peace” manifesto taking us on a roller coaster ride of your reasoning for the meaning of words.
Still waiting for the answer…. Yes or No. Did you graduate?
Seems like you are the one that has no answers.
What a tool.
I’m beginning to see why the instructor didn’t like this guy and gave him the boot.
The first word in BUD/S is Basic. You learn how to tie in and cap in without blowing yourself up. You learn to shoot in a group without shooting your buddy. You learn to dive without drowning. You were a master of the basics and that’s it. BUD/S does not just judge strength and some basic skills but also character. Almost all the instructors will return to a Team and they have to ask themselves if the student will be someone they want in a platoon with them. Your case is not all that rare. It is not uncommon to throw out people who would not cut it in the community. Character counts. You were obviously missing some of that. I have never seen a guy drop last week of flight school and say he completed it. Same with doctors. Your rambling on this thread pretty much shows us why you couldn’t cut it. Probably blamed everyone around you for the difficulty you were having with character instead of looking at yourself and wondering what you could change. Even all these years later you blame someone else for your shortfall.
I can’t wait to talk to our dear friend Capt Bailey tomorrow! Also, Minner is a stand up guy. If his opinion was that you were not a Team player, well just like (as you claim) Capt Bailey stated: “I’ve got to take side with this Chief Petty Officer”. Obviously Capt Bailey and Minner made the right decision regarding you not graduating from BUD/S.
I m more than anxious to hear what Captain Bailey has to say about it, than anyone else. He was an objective man!
You already know what the good Capt has to say. It has been said. Bottom line, you culminated but never graduated. There is no shame in that, but there is nothing but dishonor in being a jackwagon about it. Be honest here (I know, you are not used to honesty).
Sergeant Major says……………………ZERO!
well for all involved in this one– I was on a flight of CH-47s that flew over the SF training compound at Bragg– then we got fuel and headed back to campbell. where is my green beret?? i ask you hummm??
Captain Bailey was the Seal Training Officer; he was pretty much invisible to the Seal candidates. In fact, I think that I’d seen him only twice, and was there for a year! I saw him secure our Hell Week Class (Class 152) from Hell Week (in the mud of the San Diego Bay) Then I saw him for the 2nd and final time at this “Special Review Board” orchestrad for me, by MMC Minner. What most of you do not know about BUD/S is that it is a fraternity; if 1 of 10 instructors doesn’t like you, he can initiate incredulous testimony to rid you of the Seal Community. For the honorable Captain Bailey to rule against a CPO would be a difficult for him to do. And as far as somebody getting an attorney, that’s a joke. You cannot sue the government. Strange how I got along great with everybody except MMC Minner. My case would be Exteremely rare. While It’s not rare for a candidate to be removed from the Teams in their post-BUD/S (6) month probationary period, it was rare for a candidate that had COMPLETED; say again COMPLETED every qualifying evolution, be denied at least the opportunity to go to his tentativeTeam for said probationary period. I’m really happy that we are hashing this matter out, as I have not had closure in this since that Special Review Board. Let’s hear from the honorable Captain Bailey. Let’s make sure, again, that my words are not minced. This is what came out of Captain Bailey’s mouth: “Merrick, I’m looking at your training record right here, and it’s obvious that you have passed the entire course curriculum. Your records indicate that you are in the top percent of the class. However, this Chief sees some immaturity in you that he does not like, therefore I must side with my Chief and let you go; I want you to go to the fleet and mature for a couple years and then COME BACK!…. because we want you here; I want you back!” I replied, “Sir, sill put that option into consideration”. And that’s it.
Forgot to mention Captain Bailey’s demeanor during this ordeal; he seemed very uncomfortable having to even have this Review Board; it was so obvious of what was going on…. and he could really see through the smoke show. I recall one additional comment, “Merrick, I don’t even know what you I are doing here” (after review of my training record). For Captain Bailey to rule against MMC Minner would be akin to a judge ruling against a State Trooper; it’s not going to happen! And I understand it. ( Moreover, this defamatory website wouldn’t remove your defamatory post of me because that would prove your fallibility). You can’t hide from the truth. And let’s answer the other questions one last time: Did I complete BUD/S? Yes, per Captain Bailey. Did NavSpecWarCen send a formal invitation to my graduating class, Class 155? YES. Did I actually attend this formal graduation to include walking up to the Seal Training Officer, shaking his hand, and returning to my seat holding a piece of paper? No. Was “maturity” outlined in the training curriculum for disqualification of a candidate? NO. Had Personnel tentatively processed Orders for Jason Lee Merrick to Deal Delivery Vehicle Team 2? YES. Were these Orders over-ruled? Yes, at the Special Review Board. Did I get fk’d? YES. Did I continue to finish my enlistment riding an aircraft carrier? Yes. Am I pissed about what transpired at BUD/S? ABSOLUTELY! I hope this addresses all questions. Let’s hear from the Skipper; I’m really done, answering questions from people that do t know anything about BUD/S, including the moderators of this site…. because you were not there; probably couldn’t cut it anyway; but I did!
And while I’m thinking about it, why don’t you get a guy (last name, Woods, Slidell, La, graduate of BUD/S Class 155) to comment about what transpired in my dismissal from going to graduation. Ask him his thoughts. Be honest and objective and have him comment here. He was my swim pair in 3rd Phase alot of times. I have not spoken to him in over 30 years! But when you do find him, please have him give me a call or e-mail; I miss old Woody! Thanks.
I apologize if I gave the impression that I was going to report back after my call with Capt Bailey, but that is not my style. I don’t do the “He said, She said” game and I certainly would never speak on behalf of someone else. Again, that’s just not my style. I will share the fact that after Capt Bailey retired from the Teams he devoted much time to busting phony SEALs. He is actually what I consider a founding member (Plank Owner) of a handful of highly respected TGs (Team guys) who sought to right the wrongs/lies of phony SEALs, and he did so for the honor of the brotherhood. So I invited him to join this thread. LLTB
Well, I understand that. He was probably 50 + years old when I was a few days from graduation, when this PHONY review board took place. He’s probably over 80 years old now would be my guess. Thank you though for inviting him into the discussion. Get the popcorn. Let’s roll this! I finished BUD/S Training And was waiting to leave, ok? And by all means, have Captain Bailey ORDER my Manila folder training Record. If he is as powerful as a Captain is, especially ad a Seal Training Officer, then it should not prove tasking to have him request it…. then allow his successors to retrieve it.
J. L. MERRICK:
1) Did you graduate BUD/S? NO, NO, NO, HELL NO
2) You were awarded ZERO (0) NSW NEC’s per your OFFICIAL DD-214 (Block 11).
3) Same DD-214 also does NOT list COMPLETION of ANY kind in regard to BUD/S (Block 14).
At this point, you are yankin’ & bankin’ and throwing chaff harder than a Sailor throwing pesos into Shit River at Alongapo.
NUT UP, APOLOGIZE PUBLICLY & Then QUIETLY DISAPPEAR!
How bout showing me my official Training Record, you asshat.
Hey Moderators. . How about that training record that I requested? Can’t find it? Or ya trying to fabricate a replacement? Maybe one that will suit your accusations? I would not doubt it. You idiots remind me of a favorite movie that we use to watch in the TV room during weekends during BUD/S. It was a Monty Python, The search for the Holy Grail, the villagers’ witch scene. Looking like a witch hunt! I just find it convenient that you cannot produce my BUD/S Training Record…. especially with all of your great resources. After all, My DD-214 solidly indicates that I was there for a year! Bring it! Don’t SIng It! Prove that I didn’t Complete the required courses! I’m waiting. Show us something.
——————————————————————————————
Reply to Jason Merrick
As above…
I will repeat the question – did you, or did you not, graduate BUD/S and receive a certificate of graduation?
We both know the answer to that question. In the context of this being the ultimate question, your training record does not matter. We have always acknowledged the fact that you were there for almost a year. Your assignments page states that.
I will repeat the question – did you, or did you not, graduate BUD/S and receive a certificate of graduation?
The only real bone of contention is you wanting to argue the meaning of the words “completed” and “finished” which we can both agree do not mean “graduate” in your case. Face it, you played a word game and lead people to believe you were a Navy SEAL without technically saying it. Then, when people make that connection, they are somehow at fault.
You knew what you were doing. We cleared the record and despite all of your protesting, we are saying the same thing – you did not graduate BUD/S and the words you carefully choose leads people to believe otherwise.
Our purpose was to clear the record in case anyone was confused. We feel we have done that.