Anonymous asked this question on 4/18/2000:

I've heard conflicting reports as to L. Ron Hubbard's past. Was he a war hero? Was he a nuclear scientist? I heard that in his youth that he was an Indiana Jones types - is that true?

desertphile gave this response on 4/18/2000:

Greetings. Than is an excellent question!

No, Hubbard was not a war hero--- he was dismissed from command of his vessel due to incompetence. His private "admissions" note that he was very ashamed of his "war record." He comitted an act of war against Mexico by ordering his crew to fire on the coast of an island, which greatly assited in his being dismissed.

Hubbard also depth-cahrged a magnetical anomally off the West USA coast, believing it was a Japanise submarine--- even though the magnetical anomally was on the chart and had sat in the same spot for a few million years. When he wired back to his Commander for a request for more depth-charges, his Commander sent a ship out there to "help" him but instead was dispatched to straighten Hubbard out.

Hubbard later claimed he sunk =TWO= japanise submarines in this "engagement." And yeah, the magnetic anomally is still out there. :-)

Hubbard never saw combat, except against Mexico and the dreaded magnetic anomally. He received four common standard medals. In his reassignment papers that removed him from command, his CO wrote that Hubbard was "unfit for any position in the navy."

As for Hubbard being a "nuclear scientist," ah, no. Not even close. He flunked out of school and he was a below-average student. He knew no more about nuclear physics than any lay person at the time who read what the popular magazines wrote.

And finally, no, Hubbard was not a great explorer along "Indiana Jones" lines. His one and only "adverture" was a "filming trip" to the caribbeen with some of this class mates--- which was a horrible disaster.

Hubbard spent a few days in China, after running away from school. His comments about the Chinese people are too racist to quote here.

Hubbard then spent about 8 months in South America. No one knows what he really did there, but he claimed to have been "searching for lost gold mines." A long time ago the Jesuits closed down many mines in Peru, partly out of the disgust of slavery, and partly because the grade of ore was decreasing. Many of those closed mines are "lost," and Hubbard claimed he went looking for them. This seems extremely unlikely, since Hubbard had no knowledge of gold mines, no tools, no money, and a great aversion to hard work.

The only "work" he could even remotely get would have been extra-legal, or menial. Prostitution is a possibility; drugs and alcohol perhaps. Whatever required the least amount of work would have been more attractive to Hubbard.

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