Talk:Vadim Shcherbakov

Russian name
This article claims that his name's Russian transcription is Вадим Петрович Щбаков. But this name can't be found using Russian search engines (such as Yandex). It seems that Task Force Russia report is the sole source about this person, and of course it is written in English. Creo11 (talk) 21:23, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

Identification Problems
In the book Stolen Valor, by B.G. Burkett and Glenna Whitley; 1998, ISBN 1-56530-284-2; the authors, himself a Vietnam veteran (199th Light Infantry Brigade, Vietnam), and Whitley a journalist, state that just because a person has medals for valor on their walls, doesn't mean they earned them. Furthermore, in the US, just because an individual has certain records confirmed thru certain government offices, the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO (NPRC) for example; doesn't necessarily prove them to be legitimate. The only real proof are signed chronological numbered written orders. People go thru GREAT lengths to fake combat veteran status, two of hundreds of examples follows:

1. In 1992, Senator Tom Harkin claimed that he had flown F4 Phantom and F8 Crusader jets in combat during his one year tour in Vietnam. He finally admitted that he did NOT serve in Vietnam.

2. During a run for councilman, William Archie "Bud" Akin claimed to be a Vietnam vet, flying A4 Skyhawk fighter bombers. He did NOT serve in Vietnam.

Some fakes will go thru elaborate frauds, making incredible efforts to forge documents and PHOTOGRAPHS to support their claims; crying on camera, describing the horrors of war, ultimating fooling their wives, congressmen, psychiatrists, and even the military, some who even served in Vietnam.

The bottom line is this: In this day and age of computers and anything is possible with pictures and words (and documents); GOOD DETECTIVE work will be necessary in separating real combat vets from the fake ones. Not just their "war story" and a faked photo to go with it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.2.62.58 (talk) 05:02, 6 September 2009 (UTC)

Fake
This guy has never existed. If he did, find me his photo or biography.

not a fake, simply a typo
Vadim Petrovich Shcherbakov does exist. But he was not a pilot. He was SAM radar operator. Task Force 18 report calls him pilot erroneously, also there's a typo in his family name - "Shchbakov", hence the confusion. However, if you search for Вадим Щербаков, you'll find plenty Vietnam era memoirs mentioning young second leutenant Vadim Scherbakov of PVO 260th "Bryansky" regiment (e.g. http://artofwar.ru/k/kolesnik_n_n/text_0160.shtml ), later a colonel. Since 1986 he was a commander of the Air Defence Command School in Leningrad, in 1988 promoted to major general.

One russian site states he had shoot down 12 planes in 20 engagements ( http://usva.org.ua/mambo3/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=330&Itemid=60 ). Go figure.