Most of you have heard my name by now, and are aware of the existence, if not the specifics, of the ongoing conflict I have with Dr. John Giduck, as well as the current Special Operations Association Board of Directors, and certain National Officers who recently left office at the Special Forces Association.
John Meyer, in response to my “bird strike” story yesterday, sent me a pithy little note wishing me well. For John Meyer to send me a nice little note takes what I will charitably classify as unmitigated gall. I will now break my silence on this subject.
My name is Jonathan Clouse. I am an Active Duty US Army Special Forces Team Sergeant. I am a Life Member of the Special Operations Association and a Decade Life Member of the Special Forces Association. I have served as a member of US Army Special Forces since 1996.
In December 2011, it came to my attention that Dr. John Giduck was claiming to be a “Life Member of the Special Operations Association” in promotional advertising materials.
I knew that the Special Operations Association By-Laws specifically forbade use of the SOA name in commercial advertising, and I also suspected that Dr. Giduck was, in fact, an “Honorary Member,” not a “Life Member,” as he claimed. The SOA By-Laws also specifically address Honorary Members, clearly stipulating that an “Honorary Member” is not a member at all.
After some minimal research, I also learned that Dr. Giduck has been using advertising for years which promotes him as either a former or retired SF soldier, which I suspected he was not. Various supporters of Dr. Giduck had been getting on the SOCNET online forum to defend Dr. Giduck, and levy accusations against SOCNET, which had stirred some debate on SOCNET about Dr. Giduck’s background, qualifications, and current self-promotion as an anti-terrorism lecturer and trainer.
On the online forum SOCNET, I announced my intention to inquire as to Dr. Giduck’s membership status with the Special Operations Association.
I wrote an email to the SOA Membership chairman, who confirmed for me that Dr. Giduck is, in fact, an Honorary Member. The membership chairman further wrote that I should address the issue to the SOA President, John S. Meyer.
John Meyer responded to me that Dr. John Giduck was a strong supporter of the SOA, and assured me that Mr. Meyer did not believe that Dr. Giduck had ever misrepresented himself. Mr. Meyer personally vouched for Dr. Giduck. My correspondence to John Meyer was in my capacity as a full Life Member of the Special Operations Association, and my inquiry was in keeping with the SOA By-Laws, which clearly state that any member who finds someone using the SOA name in violation of the By-Laws (as Dr. Giduck clearly was), should report that violation to the Board of Directors.
Out of respect for John Meyer, I publicly (on SOCNET) wrote the following on 14 December 2011:
“John Meyer, the President of the Special Operations Association, has responded to my concerns about Mr. Giduck.
Mr. Giduck is an honorary life member of the SOA. Honorary life memberships are given to personnel who do not qualify for regular membership, yet have supported SOF and the SOA in some meaningful fashion.
Mr. Meyer states that he does not believe that Giduck wrote those things about himself (former SF guy, etc) and believes that others likely wrote that in a promotional effort. Meyer is clear that, in the many years he has known and been associated with Mr. Giduck, Giduck has never represented himself as a former member of any US SOF organization. Mr. Meyer elaborated for me some of the service that Giduck has provided to the SOA and SOF efforts in general.
As a result, and due to my personal respect for John Meyer, who is a genuine BTDT, and an authority on many historical aspects of SOF, I will personally cease fire on Mr. Giduck, and any weenies who come on this site and defend Mr. Giduck's honor.”
(
http://www.socnet.com/showpost.php?p...3&postcount=81)
This was the last time I publicly commented on Dr. Giduck.
A few days later I received a very wordy threat letter from Dr. Giduck in the mail. Dr. Giduck accused me of numerous crimes and civil violations dating back to 2007, and stated that I had to pay him $200,000.00, and give him the names, phone numbers, and home addresses of a long list of SOCNET members (I had only been aware of and reading SOCNET since January 2011, and had never really heard of Dr. Giduck until December 2011).
Dr. Giduck further threatened that if I did not pay him the money and meet his demands, he would accuse me of numerous crimes, subjecting me to criminal prosecution.
Dr. Giduck further wrote that he had obtained photos of my home, and that I faced additional criminal charges if I tried to sell my home or any other item of value I own. In the letter, Dr. Giduck informed me that he had learned my name and address from John Meyer, the President of the Special Operations Association.
John Meyer confirmed to me, in writing, that he had, in fact, forwarded my inquiry to Dr. Giduck.
I sent the threat letter to my uncle, who is an attorney. My uncle wrote a letter to the SOA Board, providing the Board a copy of Dr. Giduck’s threat letter, and requesting that the SOA indemnify me in the event that Dr. Giduck filed a lawsuit against me, since John Meyer’s transmission of my identity and address is the only reason Dr. Giduck knew my name. Most lawyers would say my correspondence with John Meyer was privileged communication. I certainly believed that John Meyer would keep my correspondence with him confidential.
The SOA Board gave the request for indemnification to Dr. Giduck, since, according to his public statements, he is the SOA’s attorney. Since that time, the SOA Board has made no attempt to contact me in any way. Two lawyers have contacted my lawyers on behalf of the SOA, but neither lawyer was willing to answer any questions or provide any information as to the position of the SOA in this affair. Despite my lawyers’ continued attempts at correspondence, the lawyers representing the SOA ceased responding to my lawyers after a short time.
Since that time, the following has happened:
-The Police Department in Chester, PA, called me, telling me that they and the FBI were conducting a criminal investigation. The Police Commissioner for the Chester, PA Police Department is Dr. Giduck’s friend and business partner (in the consulting firm Archangel Group), Joseph Bail.
-Dr. Giduck published my name, rank, duty assignment, and place of duty online. He also publicly accused me of numerous felonies, as well as publicly accusing me of misuse of government computers and spending my duty hours masterminding plots targeting Dr. Giduck.
Dr. Giduck published online threats to my personal safety, alleging that I should be afraid that Russian Spetznaz would likely target me out of loyalty to Dr. Giduck. He also made additional claims questioning my integrity and honor, and accusing me of publicly boasting (online) that I had a “million-dollar home” (which is laughable, not very many NCOs live in fancy homes).
-Dr. Giduck made an official complaint to the Department of the Army, alleging the same, attempting to get the Army to take action against me and attempting to negatively impact my career. The Army conducted a full investigation, completely clearing me of any and all wrongdoing alleged by Dr. Giduck.
Now Dr. Giduck has apparently filed an actual lawsuit, naming me as a part of a vast criminal conspiracy, further alleging felony criminal conduct on my part. Dr, Giduck’s assertions are beyond laughable; his claims are downright ridiculous. Regardless, Dr. Giduck’s actions have become a significant distraction on my life, requiring significant time, energy, and money on my part.
SOA President John Meyer, former Special Forces Association President Ron “Beaver” McCan, and former SOA President James Hetrick have all assisted Dr. John Giduck in this campaign against me. Dr. Giduck publicly cites these men and their status within the SOA and SFA as proof that he is on the right side of this conflict. Ron McCan went so far as to go through Special Warfare Center student records, in an effort to find derogatory information to discredit a Special Forces Association member who publicly defended me.
I have remained publicly silent about Dr. Giduck, and his friends John Meyer, Ron McCan, and James Hetrick until now. Each of you can decide if the actions of John Meyer, Ron McCan, and James Hetrick are consistent with the principles and values of the Special Forces Association and the Special Operations Association.
I once believed in a brotherhood of the Green Beret. I believed that SF guys would all stand together if one of their own was attacked. Unfortunately, some in both the SOA and SFA have shown that the brotherhood of the Green Beret can be trumped by other concerns, and they have chosen to back Dr. Giduck against me. I still believe in the brotherhood, but I also believe that the actions of a few have tarnished the SOA, the SFA, and the SF Regiment.
It is up to each of you to decide who has failed to live up to the principles and ideals embodied by the Green Beret. Have my actions been dishonorable, as Dr. Giduck and his supporters have clearly and publicly stated?
To those of you who have supported me, I truly thank you. For the rest of the Special Forces Association and the Special Operations Association, you can determine for yourself if the actions by the Presidents of those two organizations reflect you, as John Meyer, Ron McCan, James Hetrick, and John Giduck are acting in your name.
Jonathan Clouse also,
Quote:
Press Release
12 July 2012
Subject: Fake Green Beret Sues Military Heroes to Silence Their Criticism.
On June 11th 2012 a Colorado man, John Giduck, filed a SLAPP lawsuit in an effort to censor, intimidate and silence veterans by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism of him. (SLAPP: "Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation."). Ironically, Mr. Giduck is suing some of the same veterans who exposed congressional candidate Ken Aden (Arkansas, 3d District) for his false claims as a Special Forces Soldier (
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/congre...5#.T_9KOXCXJUU).
The veterans, several of whom are decorated special operations personnel, questioned Mr. Giduck's claims to be a "Green Beret" and a "former Army Ranger." Mr. Giduck has made such false claims repeatedly in promotional materials for law enforcement and military seminars. This link has a timeline of Mr. Giduck's various activities and examples of his false biographical information uncovered on the web:
http://www.socnet.com/showthread.php?t=108706.
In these seminars, Mr Giduck advocates tactics, techniques and procedures that the veterans find to be fundamentally unsound and dangerous. Among them are:
--Installing knock-out gas delivery systems in public schools;
--Deploying armed teams of former Special Operations personnel in public schools as opposed to local law enforcement;
--Employing fire hoses to neutralize heavily-armed terrorists holding student hostages.
Mr. Giduck previously threatened veterans that he perceived as threats to his credibility, and he resorted to bullying legal tactics. As a response to Mr. Giduck's bullying, veterans investigated his background and learned the following:
1. Mr. Giduck has been a practicing attorney in Colorado. One of his clients was Mrs. Donna Yaklich, a woman accused--and later convicted--of murdering her husband, a Pueblo PD Police Officer. Mr. Giduck had an affair with her after her husband’s death, and enjoyed a Caribbean holiday with her that was subsidized by her husband's death benefits. Mr. Giduck's legal fees were also paid from Dennis Yaklich's death benefits. After the Pueblo PD issued a warrant for her arrest, Mrs. Yaklich returned, turned herself in, and retained better counsel after Mr. Giduck was forced to recuse himself from the case.
2. Despite multiple instances where Mr. Giduck claims a background in "Special Forces" or as an "Army Ranger," Mr. Giduck never served in the military. He actually enlisted in the Army and failed out of basic training after 58 days; yet, over the course of years, allowed claims of him being a Special Forces Soldier to be publicly posted on advertising material and his very own website. Further, Mr. Giduck's credentials as a "terrorism expert" are thin. Mr. Giduck has no practical experience or formal training in counter-terrorism aside from a recent PhD. earned from a reputable university. Mr. Giduck's books have been derided by academic reviewers and genuine specialists in counter-terrorism.
3. Mr. Giduck publicly claims that he trained with the Russian Special Forces, known as Spetsnaz, and that he has connections to the FSB. The Russian FSB is the successor to the KGB from the Soviet era. Spetsnaz is a branch of the Russian GRU, the equivalent of our Defense Intelligence Agency. This claim alarmed those veterans who are still in government service. Personnel with active security clearances are required to report contact with such persons to their security and counter-intelligence sections. This obligation is mandatory, not optional.
Additional information is available:
http://www.socnet.com/showthread.php?t=107621
http://thetruthaboutsocnetlies.wordpress.com/
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