"Real Black Ops" Author Outed as a Fraud

[The Cheezy One]

Funny, but ingenious. He could easily claim that his black ops status kept him invisible, the proof he needs fell between the cracks, and the requests he made are being kept back by beurocracy. But his name is incredibly stupid, like, well, I can't make up a name as stupidly toughguy as Wolfgang Hammersmith.

I hope this doesn't take audience away from my autobiography, The Totally Real And Not Made Up Fictional Adventures Of Jet Awesome, where I beat up everyone who made this joke before me.

Go read Andy Macnab's Seven Troop. Most of it is sitting around with mates, and there are few action scenes. He wasn't an awesome man who eats awesome sauce, he was an overweight child who joined the army because he didn't feel like he could do anything else, and got lucky, in that he survived long enough to be good at what he did. I'm not insulting the guy, he's ex-SAS. He could eat me for breakfast, and still fit some weetabix down there.

 

[AmrasCalmacil]

The name isn't that much of an alarm bell, though it is on the wild side.

A Delta Force operator commenting on the battle of Tora Bora used the pen name 'Dalton Fury' and SAS soldiers tend to use fake names, albeit ones that don't stand out.

Andy McNab and Chris Ryan are probably the best examples of this.

I'm just surprised his supposed black ops in the Vietnam war weren't with Navy SEALs or something.

 

[ZephrC]

I knew it was fake before I even got to his name. Honestly, the only thing less likely than someone enjoying reading an accurate depiction of the life of a soldier during wartime is someone writing it in the first place. It's... not fun.

 

[the clockmaker]

The name isn't that much of an alarm bell, though it is on the wild side.

A Delta Force operator commenting on the battle of Tora Bora used the pen name 'Dalton Fury' and SAS soldiers tend to use fake names, albeit ones that don't stand out.

Andy McNab and Chris Ryan are probably the best examples of this.

I'm just surprised his supposed black ops in the Vietnam war weren't with Navy SEALs or something.

Dear GOD! It never occured to me that Andy McNab was not his real name. Now I feel like a moron.

 

[Treblaine]

Back in November we told you about Wolfgang Hammersmith [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/105513-Real-Black-Ops-Guy-Discusses-Violence-in-Games], the improbably-named former Marine Corps Lt. Col. and black ops veteran....

AH Ha ha ha!

That's the kind of ridiculously badass name that Homer Simpson would make up right off the top of his head.

 

[vrbtny]

As a Sergeant in the Super Secret Special Forces: Astronaut Division, I am wholly offended by Mr. Hammersmith's actions.

Totally!!

Me and my colleagues here at the TAUSISSIH(Totally-Absolutely-Uterly-Secret-It's-So-Secret-It-Hurts) devision are also offended by Mr. Hammersmith's actions.

 

[TerribleAssassin]

The red flag was this; "Hammersmith's life was hardcore military from the get-go: his father fired live rounds at him when he was eight years old "to desensitize him" and then turned him over to a United States Marine Corps program when he was 12."

Please.

Don't you have to be like 16 to join the Marines or something?

And I really doubt he would lead 80+ combat missions as a Lt. Col, he'd be a too high value officer to lose.

He needs to get his facts right before he makes stuff up!

 

[brazuca]

Once i verified that Chuck, Charles Finley joke on Burn Notice. It's half truth. There are lots of Chuck Finley who are somewhat famous. Fake names always follows your etnicity and background place. First rule of any black ops operation.
Also good soldiers remain soldiers even when they are out of the unity. No one would fully reveal operations without superior consent. Last if some story is to good to be true, well maybe it is a lie.

 

[WanderingFool]

Pfff... fucking poser...

 

[Trogdor1138]

I haven't heard of this before, but I can't believe people thought this was real. I mean really, even the title of the book was so obviously supposed to cash-in on the obvious...

 

[Aptus]

He's a phony!

 

[Dr. Paine]

" his father fired live rounds at him when he was eight years old "to desensitize him" and then turned him over to a United States Marine Corps program when he was 12. At age 18 he became a "combat team commander" in Vietnam, took part in counter-terrorism and anti-human trafficking operations as part of the pre-Delta Force "Combined Services" and finally threw in the towel and retired to civilian life at 37. "

I've read almost identical things on various Mary Sue snark sites. People BELIEVED THIS?!

-beats head against a copy of Misery- ... it's the only wall-like thing nearby.

 

[WittyInfidel]

Oh, come on. Are people really surprised by this? I mean, Tom Clancy was a blue-collar insurance salesman before he started writing his books. Now people see him as some sort of military insider.

 

[Lt. Vinciti]

I...I thought that was the joke.

No one seriously took "Corporal Wolfgang Hammersmith" as a serious author, did they?


Please tell me they didn't.

The classic tale of "just under our noses"


Really...never read the old article but....I read his named and eyerolled harcore!

 

[Kenjitsuka]

"a statement that his ops were so black that they were utterly invisible"
Okay, that is seriously epic worldplay right there!
Kudos!

 

[Daverson]

'eh. He's a pretty good Walt, I'll admit, but he's no Baron Shortt [http://www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/The_Baron_of_Castleshort]!

 

[DTWolfwood]

wait since when does the United States Military EVER declassifies a Black Ops? <.<

T

 

[Baldr]

I know some real black ops veterans, they are not to old and around 40 when they quit. From what I can tell the US was sending these teams in to do some pretty (internationally)illegal stuff in the late 1980s and early 90s in Central and South America.

I in the camp that is is making crap up, but it could be quite possible his service is being covered up.

 

[Kukakkau]

Um of course?

If a real black ops operative wrote about what they did they would be assassinated most likely.

There's a reason that stuff is blacked out in records...

 

[EvolutionKills]

I'd be surprised if anyone actually does still believe Wolfgang, but then again some people will believe anything these days.

Probably the same people that think the crap that goes on in the Call of Duty franchise is real.

You know, everyone keeps pointing out the author's name as an immediate BS detector, and that's rubbish. It's the title of his book thats a dead give away for his BS. 'Beyond the Call of Duty: Gunfight!' with the subtitle '10 true stores from modern warfare and black ops', he's trying so desperately to somehow jump on the CoD bandwagon and use the game's brand recognition to his advantage, I wouldn't be surprised if Activision sues his sorry ass...