Meet fake combat veteran Noctis Draven!
This pro-Russian, antisemitic influencer commits stolen valor while poisoning your mind :)
It must be said that a lot of the pro-Russian antisemites on Twitter are foreign trolls.
So when I come across an actual American who simps for Russia, targets Jews, AND has a large following, I get extremely annoyed.
It would simply be more comforting if all such accounts were trolling from abroad, but the truth can be more complicated. And the story of Texas-based Noctis Draven (his actual, legal name now) is a harsh reminder of that.
NoctisDraven (here’s an archived link to his page as of June 29, 2025 - nearly 200k followers at the moment, and please take note of the fact that he has “combat veteran” in his bio) came to my attention due to making certain claims about his service.
These claims seemed a little doubtful to me and my friends. This is how he wound up on our radar.
When someone claims to be a combat veteran and drapes themselves in the flag, they can capture an audience very easily. “Of course we must listen, this person has sacrificed so much for our country!” … But sometimes, people lie.
It’s important to be crystal clear about what these lies are, and why they are so poisonous, which is why I’ve put together this detailed report.
In the case of Noctis, whose name used to be Josh (I am not disclosing his full former legal name at this time, but this detail will become relevant in just a second), he has made repeated false claims such as going on “multiple tours of Iraq”:

Made claims of severe service-related PTSD:
Pointed out that Russia “will find no stronger ally” than his “combat veteran” self:
Applauded Hamas and the use and indoctrination of children in terrorist operations:
He has disputed that he is stealing valor, a.k.a. misrepresenting his service:
He further bolsters his claims by stating that he was in the 101st Airborne - for those of you who are unfamiliar with the 101st, being a part of it is a big deal, it’s the service equivalent of saying that you dated Sydney Sweeney
(Now, a bunch of SEALs and/or Green Berets might yell at me and say that THEIR service is the equivalent of dating Sydney Sweeney, but whatever, one of my close friends was in the 101st, they have a special place in my heart):
So now that you have a general idea of who Noctis Draven is, let’s look at what’s true and what’s total BS.
It’s true that he is a Texan who legally changed his name to Noctis Draven.
And BECAUSE the legal name change is part of the public record, we were able to obtain the full name he served under:
From then on, we simply obtained his military records under FOIA.
Now, every time someone does this, some ignorant busbody comes along and screams that this is “illegal.”
It is not.
In fact, it is in the public’s best interest that claims of military service can be adequately verified.
And it is in the best interest of Noctis Draven’s large audience, and in the interest of anyone who comes across him, to know that he is NOT a combat veteran.
He’s a former Texas National Guardsman who spent less than two months in Iraq total and about a year and a half on active duty total (weekend warrior for the rest of that time, as the saying goes - and believe me, I’m not using this phrase to disparage our national guardsmen, I just think it’s hilarious that this dude is out here cosplaying as a tortured Jason Bourne type).
These are the dates of his foreign service below:
These are his awards and badges below, as you can see, it’s all very typical stuff, nothing combat-related here (I say “typical” because newsflash, must of our service members don’t see combat, which is absolutely fine! It doesn’t diminish their service!):
He did NOT engage in combat operations. He was NEVER in the 101st Airborne. And his MOS (military occupational specialty) was 21E10, heavy construction equipment operator):
These are cropped because I have ethical standards, unlike Noctis Draven himself, and don’t wish to publish too much of someone’s personal information, even if it’s someone I am personally disgusted by. BUT if you think I’m lying I can send you a fuller (but still redacted) version of what we found.
Why is this important? The guy did serve. He did not serve in the capacity that he CLAIMS to have served in - and that’s where the trouble lies.
Noctis Draven uses a fake persona of a tortured, disillusioned, scarred war veteran in order to brainwash people to simp for the likes of Russia and Hamas. He is betraying his oath AND his audience when he does this. Using his verified Twitter account, presumably with ad revenue turned on, he lies to people about who he is in order to poison their minds. This is extremely ungood!
Nothing is stopping a guy like Noctis from saying, “Hey, I was with the guard in Iraq for a bit, I’m disillusioned, I did not like being over there, I saw things that stayed with me, and here’s what I have to say.” It’s OK for people to have opinions, and to relate their experiences, and otherwise act like human beings.
What’s not OK is building up some elaborate fake combat veteran persona and using it to cram foreign disinformation down the throats of nearly 200k (as of now) followers.
I publish the Normie Restoration because I am sick of how the internet is breaking our minds. People like Noctis Draven are perfect examples. They take their service and twist it into a dark and disturbing fairy tale that they use to gain prominence, and they use said prominence to spread prejudice, anger, and disillusionment.
They are damaging our society and aiding our foreign adversaries.
Is this person trying to get on Russia’s payroll? Or maybe Qatar’s? I can’t speak to that at this time, but I have my suspicions.
I also have no doubt that Noctis Draven’s extremist followers and Noctis himself will be displeased with this report, and I am realistic enough to expect some trouble.
I have asked myself if it’s risky to publish this, especially at a time when I am still recovering from major surgery (which is highly inconvenient), but whatever. We needed to set the record straight.
Thank you as always. And thank you to my friends, who brought him to my attention and helped me make sense of this total fraud’s records.
Don’t forget to subscribe <3
UPD: Because the e-mail version of this newsletter sadly cannot handle too many images in one post, I am providing just a couple of additional snapshots featuring Noctis Draven’s (or Nocshit Drasshole’s, take your pick, but that’s my new nickname for him) lies.
In particular, this lengthy story about being hit by an IED caught my eye:
Now, if the incident described above were true, it would typically result in a CAB (combat action badge) on his official record.
It’s not true.
Because he lies. And he lies. And he lies.
There are many more such instances on his Twitter account (he has blocked me after we argued following the publication of this report; Godspeed, I guess), but I don’t have the time to catalogue them all. Rest assured that I don’t make accusations of stolen valor easily.
As always, thank you for reading.
I would like to share this to X and Bluesky, but would like to ask for your permission first Natalia, let me know what you think. .