Jerry Conners
BANNED at War-Stories.com

From: roger ANDERSON [mailto:LRRPF52@MSN.COM]
Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 7:10 PM
To: dlp@war-stories.com
Subject: Chinese Bandits Recon

Mr. Poss, Jerry Connor's is not and never has been a LRRP. The so called “Chinese Bandits” were a battalion recon platoon, and they did not run LRRP missions, which by the way has nothing to do with distance covered. Jerry Conners is still sending [his stories/photos] and his bullshit to LRRP/Ranger sites to validate his bullshit. In truth I find some of his claims to be hilarious.

Google Jerry Conners and check his resume and ask yourself why a Special Forces Weapons Expert would get assigned to a line battalion
Roger Anderson

From: http://www.tiggertags.com/patriotfiles/forum/showthread.php?t=108417

David Administrator

03-16-2009, 02:01 PM

jerry conners banned.
jerry conners (or whoever he was) is banned. Below is his account and forum post data for historical reference to keep track of him should he return or should other forums need such reference.

03-17-2009, 07:13 AM
My Questions to Jerry Conner: He said that they took part in DoD MACV OP35. OP35 was the ground studies portion of MACV/SOG. There were NEVER any Divisional units assigned or attached to SOG for any operational plan. Personnel were assigned to SOG under classified secret orders but never a unit, For ground studies they normally were assigned to MACV SOG from SF 5th group, USMC Force RECON and SEAL TEAM 2. I called 2 of my SF partners in crime to check and make sure I was correct. Col Mark Ponzillo who helped start the RECONDO school in Nha Trang, Installed the ranger company for the 25th, Was CO of SOG OP34 (airborne operations)at Long Than and was CO of the jump school at Benning. SMJ Jim Farrell was my RT Lighting opns sgt at Quan Loi and retired as SMJ of the Ranger School also at Benning. Conners also claims to have been a SF weapons expert. Well at that time Officers remained branch qualified with the officers MOS for that branch and were given Prefix qualifications for SF and Airborne and Ranger qualifications. For instance my basic mos was Field Artillery (1190) with prefix 3 and 5 qualifications (351190). A SF Officer would not have an enlisted SF mos qualification. I also asked where he went to jump master school what was his class and roster number, Does he have a Graduation Certificate to produce. You must attend jumpmaster school along with the required number and type of jumps to get the wreath. A lot of people don't know that.

----------------------------

From: engr19 [mailto:engr19@att.net]
Sent: Thursday, July 09, 2009 12:00 AM
To: War Stories
Subject: Re: Chinese Bandits Recon

Don, 

To the best of my knowledge, there is no equivalent LRRP site as the Navy SEALS have. SEAL training was very rigorous and specialized stateside. LRRP training in the early years was in-country and drawn from various units.  The story on your website by Jerry Conners claims he was a Ranger … in other webpages he claims to be a Master Parachutist (Honor Grad of 101st ABN Jumpmaster Class), Special Forces Weapons Expert, 101st RECONDO, and an Army Aviator.  From just reading a bit of his story on your website and others, he appears to be a phony, who has done some extensive 1st Cav research or he actually served in the 1st Cav but in a more menial capacity.

I did a search for "Chinese Bandits" and all of them that came up were written by Jerry Conners, Jerome Conners, Pvt J.Conners, SGT Conners. Here's a page where 2/3 down in red he claims to be "Captain" (Jerome) Jerry Conners.... I thought he was Sgt Jerry Conners in another of his articles .... http://chinesebandits.org/  This page also has a photo he implies is his unit Parachute Operations at Pleiku December 1965.

(NOTE) Don, there was only ONE jump in Vietnam and it was a bust... the 173rd AB landed on a bunch of tree stumps and rubble, and many had broken arms & legs. On February 22, 1967, the 173rd conducted Operation Junction City, the only combat parachute jump of the Vietnam War.

The 1/8 Cav received 3 Presidential Unit citations during Vietnam.

Here is PVT, SGT, CAPTAIN; Jerome "Jerry" Conners claim; The Legendary Chinese Bandit Recon LRRP Team 1st Bn (ABN) 8th Cav 1965-66...Laying Down FIRST Tracks in the Central Highlands...the ONLY US Recon, LRRP, Ranger, Special Forces, Seal Team, MACV-SOG Team or other Special Operations Unit to Receive Two Presidential Unit Citations During a Single Year of Combat Duty in ANY US Conflict or War...the Presidential Unit Citation is the Nation's Highest Decoration for Extraordinary Heroism and Valor.

Conner's story on your War-Stories page claims one of his men Glen Winnescheck was killed on an ambush, there is no such name on The Wall (http://thewall-usa.com/). I also searched my book on the Vietnam memorial and there are no similar names anywhere close to Winnescheck. He claims one of his guys wore a red beret & another a brown, all the Ranger LRRPs I know of wore a green floppy hat.

Here's a website that Banned him;  http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=117535

On your website his story begins:  An Khe, Jan 1966    Upon completion of our first Cambodia border combat action, According to Major General Mertel, the 1st Cav didn't have LRRP soldiers until February 1967.

Don;  in the early years LRRPS were not used in combat, but for undetected recon patrols with the mission of remaining "unseen" to gather information, LRRPS set up listening posts, and observation posts, outside the compound perimeter wire..... In the beginning they were small 6 man teams of which the 1st Cav had (2) - (6) man teams, according to General Gebhardt. The 12 man teams did not happen until much later than this guy's many stories. None of the LRRP websites lists the names of his claimed KIA buddies, Glen Winnescheck, or Ray Carley, on their memorial page although Carley is listed on the wall and was with the 1/8 Cav.
From my research the only Vietnam "Chinese Bandits" exist in his own mind.......

Here's a link to a real 1st Cav LRRP website: http://www.lrrprangers.com/index.html

You may want to visit this page and check out item #1 & #11. Colonel Kenneth Mertel was commander of the 1/8th Cav in 1965 & 1966. You may be able to find him in a search to find out if there was a "Chinese Bandits" LRRP in his command. His command, 1/8th Cav was called "Jumping Mustangs"   http://www.jumpingmustangs.com/readlist.html   The webmaster can be contacted  kmynderp@sbcglobal.net and may be able to put you in contact with Col Kenneth Mertel.

Compare his story to this website link with info from a book by Major General Gebhardt.  http://25thaviation.org/history/id908.htm
Check out the below material from Major General Gebhardt, on a LRRP 1/8 Cav website: http://25thaviation.org/history/id908.htm

My take is this guy is phony as they come.

Gene