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If you were to attend a parade or musical celebration of the 235th anniversary of Americans declaration of independence today, youd likely see lots of men and women in the uniforms of the United States military. Almost all of them are serving their country honorably and well. But a tiny percentage arent servicemen and women at all, or are wearing medals and other decorations that they did not earn. Stolen valor, some call such behavior.
Even prominent men and women have lied about their military service or decorations. And a good many of them have been exposed by a cadre of veterans who keep a look-out for imposters - particularly at holiday gatherings such as those on the 4th of July. One of the most determined military fraud hunters is Larry Bailey of Mount Vernon, Virginia. He is a retired Navy captain and SEAL. Thats the same elite Navy parachute and demolitions unit that swooped down and killed al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden in May.
Over several years, Bailey, who regretfully concludes that military fakery is rampant, has exposed a rogues gallery of military masqueraders that has included corporate executives and members of Congress. Some fakers did serve their nation honorably but could not resist dressing up their records with claims of battles they never fought, medals they never won, or tortures they never endured. For example, Bailey points to Joseph Ellis, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian who admitted embellishing his resume by claiming to have served as a platoon leader in Vietnam. In truth, he spent the war at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, teaching history.
And a few years ago, Los Angeles, California, Superior Court Judge Patrick Couwenberg was removed from the bench after falsely claiming to be a decorated Vietnam War veteran who worked undercover in Laos for the Central Intelligence Agency. Bailey says men often make up heroic war stories to impress women, to puff up their job credentials or because they think it will inspire youngsters such as Boy Scouts and military recruits. He says some people have lived their falsehoods so long that they could pass lie-detector tests about their stories.
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Read Stolen Valor by Burkett and Whitley. Military impersonation is nothing new. Even hollywood types faked service in the Military. It's easy for municipalities to check the records of alleged Veterans but they seldom do it until it is too late. The 9th circut US appeals court ruled that the 1st Amendment justifies civilian impersonation of US Veterans so it is a moot point.
I think "pathetic loser" is closer to the mark, but OK."Stolen valor,” some call such behavior.
I asked him the most basic question of all: Thats cool, where did you go to basic training? He replied, "Man, I am not no infantry m-f'er, I'm a D-boy!" and then waddled off to another part of the veterans display area.
Read Stolen Valor by Burkett and Whitley. Military impersonation is nothing new. Even hollywood types faked service in the Military. It's easy for municipalities to check the records of alleged Veterans but they seldom do it until it is too late. The 9th circut US appeals court ruled that the 1st Amendment justifies civilian impersonation of US Veterans so it is a moot point.
Do you have a link to this? Thanks.
I was manning a display table that had weapons from the French Indochina War (1945-54) and the Vietnam War (1965-71) laid across it when a large, portly gentleman bebopped up to our display, looked around, smiled and said, "I was in the Rangers man. I was with the D-boys in the Mog, dude!" Sensing bullshit,
I couldn't fit into my old uniform.
A reference to Delta Force. A good book about them is "Blackhawk Down". The movie was awesome but the book is even better.What's a D-boy? I never heard of that before.
I was manning a display table that had weapons from the French Indochina War (1945-54) and the Vietnam War (1965-71) laid across it when a large, portly gentleman bebopped up to our display, looked around, smiled and said, "I was in the Rangers man. I was with the D-boys in the Mog, dude!" Sensing bullshit,
A reference to Delta Force. A good book about them is "Blackhawk Down". The movie was awesome but the book is even better.What's a D-boy? I never heard of that before.
I couldn't fit into my old uniform.
I couldn't fit into my old uniform.
Unfortunately, I have that same problem...tho I am proud to say that for the 21 years I was in, I still fit in my commissioning dress blues without alterations......afterwords, however....
I was manning a display table that had weapons from the French Indochina War (1945-54) and the Vietnam War (1965-71) laid across it when a large, portly gentleman bebopped up to our display, looked around, smiled and said, "I was in the Rangers man. I was with the D-boys in the Mog, dude!" Sensing bullshit,
I got out in 74.
I could still fit into my uniforms.
Don't hate me because I'm beautiful, boys.
I can, however, understand if you hate me because I don't have to work on it, though.
Some of us are just genetically luckier than others.
