Possibly: Cloud never went to the Shinra.
This is a thread of possibilities, where we can debate and discuss everything that might be in VII, because, face it, there's so much missing in Seven's world that gaps need to be filled.
One of the issues I have deals with Cloud joining the Shinra Military. The dude never did. Oh, sure, he has a handy story about how he knew all about the Nibelhiem incident, how Sephy torched the place, and how Tifa got sliced up, but that could easily come from a detailed report by anyone who was there. Yeah, there were to faceless, anonymous soldiers there, but we all know that neither of them were Cloud; there's just now way that he could fit his hair into one of those helmets! So where the smurf is he getting his information?
So feel free to share your own theories on the unelaborated or poorly concieved world of FFVII.