O'Reilly has never served in any branch of the armed forces, although he claims to have been "in combat." But, the Bloviating Billster is no stranger to misleading his audience on the subject of his own military experience.
First, there was the infamous January 18, 2005 Radio Factor broadcast where he stated:
O'REILLY: "I've seen it. I've been close to it. And if I'm... my unit is in danger, and I've got a captured guy, and the guy knows where the enemy is, and I'm looking him in the eye, the guy better tell me. That's all I'm gonna tell you. He better tell me. If it's life or death, he's going first." ...
...Five months later on May 5, 2005 he once again implied he had combat experience when he made the following comment in an interview with Col. P. J. Crowley (USAF-Ret) and Col. Neal Puckett (USMC-Ret):
O'REILLY: Have you been in combat Colonel?
CROWLEY: Yes.
...
O'REILLY: So you know what we're talkin' about. "Cause I was in combat and when you are there your adrenalin is flying through your ears. And you know you've got the gun and I just couldn't understand ...