Thread by @johnnyFiveAces1

A friend of mine has things to say about James Vasquez @SarahAshtonLV @Matt_VanDyke #nafo #fellas #nafofellas

"Ok, I've waited long enough to say anything.
I know James very well personally and he's a fraud. He tried to get several of us headed to Ukraine into his little scam and we refused. Please see his recent video sliding into

a trench with his cellphone taking video at arm length in "combat". He follows actual military units around and takes videos after their action. He didn't qualify for the Legion due to a lack of combat experience. This is why he runs around behind the lines with a local crew

trying to get famous. His videos are almost completely staged for attention. He has the reputation locally as the worst war tourist in the conflict. I offered to get him involved with the actual war effort in a government unit and he panicked.

I want to say again..I know him personally. I told him on the phone that what he's doing is fraud/war touristing and he's had me blocked ever since. I gave him a chance to actually join a registered/id card carrying military unit that needed foreign advisors. You can watch his

older videos and see him misidentify literally every single piece of gear he encounters. Anyone who corrects him or tells him he's suggesting people in a combat zone buy the wrong equipment gets blocked. People are finally realizing how fake his videos are and what his angle is.

"Sponsorship". He's an insult to all of us genuinely trying to help and stop the war in Ukraine. Trust me. Any of us actually on the ground know him to be a joke roaming around recently liberated towns taking glamour shots. Yes, I know he has "helped" people.

You have to understand however that anything he does is motivated by personal gain and attention seeking. He's told me directly that he plans to "live off the conflict" when he gets home. Your mileage may vary but I have direct personal knowledge of the man."

I will not give further identifying info about the friend that told me this as a description of them will make it easy to pinpoint who they are in the legions and it will be a risk.

some more from my friend:
"James isn't on any contract and he isn't with a military unit. He lives off the misconception that he's actually serving with the Ukrainian army. James crossed the border alone as a volunteer and reported to legion command where he was told he didn't

qualify. I'm saying this as a direct quote from my Lviv contact who was there. He picked up a few local folks and gave them basic military training. He is in the conflict as an unregistered solo volunteer. Last chance I had, I asked two Ukrainian colonels directly in charge of

staffing. We're currently working on expelling another American volunteer who admitted to purchasing and trafficking drugs from Ukraine to Thailand while he was.a medical student before the war. He concealed an extensive criminal record when volunteering for the TDF.

As a final note, every conversation I ever had with James..video or voice over a month...was with him in a hotel. People in actual combat aren't recording videos talking to the camera and looking for sponsorship. Lots of folks realizing something is off with his posting.

Suddenly...like magic...he's posting how he sleeps with a SOG knife in his hand (in his hotel) after getting more freebies from Leatherman. He also realized early on that he could monetize social media. He'd never used it before the conflict.

I've told him directly that the 60k or so donated to him should go to an actual Ukrainian organization for refugees or soldiers." @SarahAshtonLV @Matt_VanDyke