We received this email this morning.
Lombardo Fraudulent Claim of Flying Combat Missions in Vietnam
Sometime before 30 June 2022, Mark Lombardo was airing TV ads in which he claimed to have “flown CH-46 helicopters on combat missions in Vietnam.” His campaign website contained the same claim.
This caused some curiosity among several Marine pilots, as none in the local area knew anything about his USMC flying history. Larry Monserrate was the first to broach this subject with Lombardo.
“While attending the Marine Corps League’s 30 June22 Speaker Series “Hero’s Among Us,” I was introduced by a Marine friend to Republican Primary Candidate Mark Lombardo. A very brief discussion followed, during which I asked Mr. Lombardo which H-46 squadron he flew with in Vietnam since his TV campaign ads indicated/depicted he flew the same aircraft I did in combat. He said he joined HMM-161 as they were redeploying from Vietnam. I mentioned Quang Tri. He didn’t elaborate… seeming a little uncomfortable with the question – which I didn’t think too much of since the room was crowded and very loud. I gave him my card and asked if I could help with his campaign, and gave me his. He said I could go to his website to volunteer.
SF, Larry”
(Email from Larry Monserrate Fri, Aug 5 at 5:35 PM)
Larry Monserrate mentioned this encounter to Steve Brandt (HMM-364). Steve remembered when HMM-161 moved to Marble Mountain in February 1970. He knew several HMM-161 pilots, but none of them knew Lombardo. Subsequently, Steve called two other pilots that he knew that were in HMM-161 at that time, and neither of them knew Lombardo,
Steve Brandt called me and asked if I knew Lombardo. I told Steve that I had known Lombardo for several years via the Pensacola Yacht Club (PYC) Marine gathering and that Lombardo seemed a straight-up guy. Steve expressed his skepticism based on Larry Monserrate’s conversation with Lombardo. I told Steve that there was a Mark Lombardo Congressional Campaign Rally on 7 July at the Tiger Point Golf Course and that I would ask Lombardo myself.
As soon as I got to the Campaign Rally, I asked Lombardo what squadron he was in and when he flew his combat missions in Vietnam. ANSWER: “HMM-161 at the end of their tour in 1971.” I quizzed that and allowed that HMM-161 stood down in Vietnam in Aug 1970. (Steve Brandt also recalled HMM-161standing down in Aug 1970. HMM-161 Command Chronologies confirm this date) The look on his face told me all that I needed to know. He dropped our conversation and continued political glad-handing.
Steve Wilson also spoke to Lombardo at this same Campaign Rally.
“At the Tiger Point Rally, I had a brief discussion with him after he finished speaking to the group and the WEAR Channel 3 TV representative. During that discussion, I asked him when he received his “Wings,” and he told me FEB 1970. He said that it took him 12 months to finish the Flight Program…meaning he started his Flight Training in FEB 1969.”
(Email from Steve Wilson Sat, 23 July at 2212)
As I previously stated, during my brief discussion with Lombardo at the Tiger Point Rally, he told me he received his “Wings” in FEB 1970. However, that has been documented to be incorrect – he received his “Wings” on April 19, 1974 (ref. my earlier email).
Additionally, he told me after his time in Vietnam, he was transferred to a H&MS Squadron in Subic Bay and flew C-117/R4D airplanes with the H&MS unit. When I asked which H&MS Squadron, he didn’t seem to remember if it was H&MS-16 or H&MS-36 (I suppose that’s possible after 50 years or so). So, I asked him if flying the C-117 in/out of Subic was how he built his heavy airplane multi-engine flight time to get hired by FedEx – he responded, “Yes.”
(Email from Steve Wilson Sun, 24 Jul at 1839):
“At the Tiger Point Rally, I had a brief discussion with him after he finished speaking to the group and the WEAR-TV, Channel 3 TV representative. Prior to this Political Rally, I did not know Lombardo, and I was reasonably sure he did not know me, nor was he aware of my background. As a courtesy, I introduced myself and told him that we had some similarities in our backgrounds. I was a retired Marine Corps Aviator, flew helicopters in Vietnam (albeit “Huey Gunships”/VMO-6), and I was retired from FedEx Express. As a result, I was interested in learning more about his background and his political campaign. We only had a short discussion, but it became obvious to me that he was under pressure to move on so he could “meet & greet” more potential campaign workers and voters (I suppose).
However, during our short discussion, I did manage to ask him when he received his” Wings.” He told me he received his“Wings” in FEB 1970. (However, that has since been documented to be incorrect – he received his “Wings,”04/19/74.) I specifically remember him telling me that it took him exactly 12 months to get through the Flight Program (I recall thinking he seemed quite proud that it took him only 12 months) …by his own statements, that meant he started the Flight Program in FEB 1969. I asked him when he went to Vietnam…but he did not provide me with an “actual” date, just something like … “several months” later(?). Again, his wife (and others) was pulling on his arm, his jacket, etc., to end his conversation with me and move on.… So, I quickly asked him the next obvious question, “Which Squadron did you join? … The first squadron he mentioned was HMM-161. Not being a “PHROG” pilot, I asked where the Squadron was based, and I believe he said, “Quang Tri.” But, he then quickly added something about they were moving (or had moved?) to Danang (?); and then, again, something else about going to Okinawa. However, since I was a “Huey” pilot and had returned to CONUS from Vietnam in 1967, I was not very knowledgeable about H-46 Squadrons in Vietnam during that timeframe. Plus, I had absolutely no idea where each one was located, nor even how many were in Vietnam. At that point, I did not feel that I have enough current knowledge about In-Country H-46 Squadrons or locations to continue asking questions. So, I believe it was about that time I changed the topic to his being assigned to H&MS Squadrons and flying the C-117/R4D airplane….
Reflecting back on the Political Rally held at the Tiger Point Golf Course on 7 JUL 22:
It is possible that Lombardo may have said, “…he was transferred to a H&MS Squadron in “Atsugi” rather than “Subic,” as I first thought (and I had previously stated). This is quite possible because the meeting room that was used for the Tiger Point Rally was crowded and it was very loud. Add to that the fact the two words – “Atsugi” and “Subic” – could sound very similar (or even the same) when combined with my personal hearing deficiency (I wear hearing aids); and, as I said previously, the crowd noise was very loud. So, it is not unreasonable to say that I could have misunderstood Lombardo to say” Subic” rather than “Atsugi.” However, I do recall asking him which H&MS Squadron, and he didn’t seem to remember if it was H&MS-16 or H&MS-36 (as I said previously, that’s possible after 50 years or so). Perhaps, I thought that I understood Lombardo to say “Subic;” however, I do remember asking him specifically if flying the C-117 in/out of “Subic” was how he built his heavy airplane multi-engine flight time to get hired by FedEx – he responded, “Yes.” (Unless it was different “back then,” H&MS Squadrons didn’t “own” airplanes – I think only the Stations did). FYI, “Subic” (or “Subic Bay”) may have entered our conversation because it was a major base for FedEx Express (not in the ‘70s, but it was meaningful later for FedEx) ….
(Email from Steve Wilson Wed, 10 Aug at 1910)
Steve Wilson is a docent at the museum. He went to the archives and found that Lombardo’s winging date was 19 Apr 1974.
I (Pruden) could recall three people that I could remember that were in HMM-161 during the transitions from Quang Tri to Phu Bai and then to Marble Mountain.
I sent emails to Barry Lee, Jack Cress, and Bill Young. I asked each if they knew Lombardo. All three of them responded that they had never heard of him.
On 14 Jul, a group of aviators (Steve Wilson, Larry Monserrate, Bill Hartfelder, Bob Stocker, Shep Brown, and I met in Pensacola). No one except Hartfelder knew anything about Lombardo’s USMC past. Hartfelder was sure that Lombardo was winged after himself and that they had been in the Reserve CH-46 squadron at LTA together. I told everyone that I would call Lombardo and attempt to have a one-on-one meeting with Lombardo. I called Lombardo that afternoon, I did not get an answer, but I left a voice message. I repeated the call the next day with the same results.
Lombardo returned my call on 16 Jul. Here are my notes from that call:
Lombardo returned my call this AM (16 Jul 2022).
– Stated that he (Lombardo) had just returned from a DC meeting with 3-star general(s), Israeli Mossad, and was very busy. (?? Strange and no indication what issues he was discussing, and I could not care less)
– I told Lombardo that I would like to meet with him at his convenience to discuss an issue with his campaign. Lombardo stated that he had lots of priorities and was very busy.
– I told Lombardo that I would cut to the chase and lay out the issue over the phone. I told Lombardo that there were questions about his claim of flying combat missions in Vietnam and stated that he needed to deal with that perception/reality and clear up the issue, particularly for the PYC Marines.
– Lombardo’s response to this was 1) that it was “petty” if anyone questioned his statement because it was “50 years ago”; 2) that he was spending $1 million of his own money on the campaign, and 3) that “this issue was not going to be a priority for him to deal with.”
– I emphasized that it was not petty with Marines, regardless of any amount of time, and that honesty and integrity were paramount. I reminded Lombardo that I was the messenger identifying a perception/reality that was out there and that he would be wise to deal with it.
– Lombardo reiterated that he had lots of priorities between now and 23 Aug and that this issue was not one of them, but that if his other priorities were taken care of after 23 Aug, he would look into this issue.
– I suggested that something as simple as his logbook should be sufficient to clear up the issue.
– Lombardo stated that “he did not have a logbook.” Lombardo stated that when he left the USMC, he got rid of everything except his wings. (Strange to be sure)
– End of conservation/call.
I contacted Col Tom Bowman USMC (ret) for 1) his opinion if Lombardo had broken any laws and 2) could he (Tom) could possibly expedite access to Lombardo’s DD-214 and OQR entries.
Lombardo was a no-show at this past Friday’s PYC gathering(29 Jul 2022). I was prepared to bring this issue to the attention of the gathered masses. Others asked me not to do that to preclude airing dirty laundry in front of guests. I conceded. I did contact all the Marines that I knew that were aware of this issue and asked them to remain after the PYC gathering was over. There were about 10 at the table. Chris Dosev, who claims to be Lombardo’s “aide-de-camp,” was also asked to remain.
The bottom line of that meeting was that Dosev committed to the gathered group that he would go to Lombardo and would ask him to do the honorable thing and discontinue his campaign. I do not believe that Lombardo will do that. When confronted with the TV ads, website statements, and mailed out materials that claimed that Lombardo had flown combat missions in Vietnam, Dosev claimed that those were older ads and had perhaps been changed. Dosev committed to contacting us after his meeting with Lombardo. The meeting at the table was raucous. There was honest anger, examples of other nimrods and stolen valor, what should be done, what could be done, and specific disgust that a Marine would lie. There was lots of pushback from Dosev. I had to end it and get Dosev to commit to confronting Lombardo. I think that the good thing of that meeting is that there are 10 Marines that now know the ground truth of what Monserrate, Wilson, Brandt, and I know.
Dosev’s Pushback:
– Let this play out to the primary; Lombardo is going to lose, ergo, no harm (why is he still running? and he does not get off the hook that easy)
– Gaetz is so bad that withdrawing would ensure Gaetz is elected (cognitive disconnect in these first 2 bullets)
– The embarrassment to his family (should have thought about that before he lied)
– Concern that he may do physical harm to himself. (should have thought about that before he lied)
– Potential damage to the goodwill and public image of Marine Corps League, PYC group, USMC. (Yes, but that’s the consequence of his dishonorable acts)
– We all know people that have claimed things in their military background that are untrue (BS smoke screen, and has nothing to do with this specific issue)
There may be others that I am not recalling, but the above provides his general thrust. Dosev has not called me back (as of 10 Aug 2022), so I can only suspect that, even if he has talked to Lombardo, he has not urged him to withdraw and that they are, collectively, in damage control mode.
OBTW, Dosev was pummeled on each of these push-back issues by those gathered at the table.
Dosev has not gotten back to me. (I did not expect that he would). Dosev did contact Dave Glassman in an apparent attempt at damage control. Glassman called me and stated that Dosev had told him (Glassman) that this should just go away as Lt Gen Jack Bergman had encouraged Fred Smith (FedEx) to get Lombardo in this race so that they would get rid of Gaetz. I took that on, got Jack’s number from Matt Durney, called Jack to see if this was true, and, if so, to request that he encourage Lombardo to withdraw. Jack made it clear that none of Dosev’s info was true.
A USN gent got involved, informed some Marines via email of the issue. Greg Johnson came up on the net and said he had flown with Lombardo at H&MS-36 Sub Unit 2 at NAS Atsugi in 1976. I asked Greg to check his logbook and give me 1st and last dates that he had flown with Lombardo. Greg flew with Lombardo in Mar through Jun 1976 at Atsugi.
I asked Rufus Artmann, Mike “Gator” Davis, and John Harris (all at H&MS-36 Sub Unit 2 at the same time) to check their logbooks for the same info. So far, I have heard from Gator, and he flew with Lombardo in Mar 1976, just before Gator rotated home. Rufus indicated that his 1st flight with Lombardo was 29 March 1976, and his last flight with Lombardo was 6 Aug 1976, just before Rufus rotated home. I am still awaiting John Harris’ inputs. I contacted Mike Suddes, who was in HMM-161 with Lombardo in 1975 and 1976 at LTA. Mike indicates that he flew with Lombardo in HMM-161 at LTA on:
18 Oct ‘75
7 Dec ‘75
9 Dec ‘75
11,13,14 Jan ‘76
Lombardo, after having flown in HMM-161 at LTA in Jan 1976 and then having flown at H&MS-36 Sub Unit 2 in Mar 1976, most certainly started his overseas tour in Feb 1976. FREQUENT WIND and EAGLE PULL were in April 1975. Therefore, Lombardo had no opportunity to do anything with Vietnam.
Tom Bowman got back to me. He was unable to expedite the DD-214 and OQR pages. He does not believe that Lombardo has broken any laws.
Barry Lee has submitted a FOIA for Lombardo’s DD-214 and OQR pages. To my knowledge, as of 6 Aug, 3 Marine officers have attempted contact with the Pensacola News Journal and are waiting for responses to their voice mails. Two have attempted contact with the Gaetz campaign. They also, are waiting for responses to their voice mails. One has contacted WEAR-TV,CH 3, and has been contacted by a reporter, but the reporter seems to be waiting for a go-ahead from an editor.
I will add to this as more information becomes available.
This document is based on actual conversations with Mark Lombardo and Chris Dosev and researched dates and places.
Semper Fi,
“J.R.”