You’d Better Watch Out

 

1. I agree - we ran across one of these guys - going on and on about his Vietnam Days. He did not know at the time, we had an ‘in’ to fact check him - at the Records Section in St. Louis. His story was true - problem was the guy whose name it came up under - wasn’t him, was older and thus he was using someone else’s identity and war story - as his own.

   Meanwhile, a Korean War vet who suffered an injury, who was losing ground on his sanity after his wife died - couldn’t even get into the local VA as they were claiming he never served.

   So our connection proved a scam and helped a man get the benefits he deserved.

   Such a shame that people do this kind of s*** - I can’t get anything from my Dad’s service in WWII as it burned in the warehouse fire of 1973 - and only his financial records survived. The Navy was able to do up a form for his awards - but as to the ship he was on and the islands he served (Navy Doc to Marines in the Philippines) is lost. My mom won’t even speak of him anymore. Even worse for my Uncle who was killed in an accident in WWII, the only thing existing to prove he served was the VA records for his burial.

   Meanwhile, people who hate the Armed Forces with a passion, parade around as bona fide Veterans - A Pox on Them and may this website ferret them all out.

   Posted by wardmama4       12/04/2009  at  04:54 PM  



2. Burkett first published the book in 1998—a real wake-up call to gullible news people who were publishing sob stories by phonies who were, in many cases, never in the service.

   One of the unmitigated benefits of the Internet is the online cottage industry outing these liars.

   I explained to an uninformed elderly friend how there is a bond between men* who have suffered together. And, consequently, rage against those who try to falsely claim that fellowship without paying the dues. 

   Public exposure is cruel.

   * and some women

   Posted by Chops       12/04/2009  at  05:30 PM  



3. Kudos to wardmama. Well done!

   How widespread is this problem? How do you know if he’s ‘embellishing’? Or ‘stealing valor’?

   I don’t know. But most of the guys I work with are ‘Nam veterans. They seldom talk about their experiences. Medals and awards are never mentioned. My guess is if the idiot is bragging about his medals, experiences, etc, he’s probably a fake.

   I’ve little to brag about. I’ve only two medals, both of which you have to work hard to avoid receiving:

   Good Conduct (I think this is automatic if you avoid a court-martial offense)
   Sea Service (automatic after 90 continuous days at sea)

   That’s it. No heroics, no Purple Hearts, nothing. I’m glad. Earning all that other stuff might have gotten me killed! And if not me, no doubt some of my shipmates.

   But for six years I was ‘at risk’ of earning such awards.

   Posted by Christopher       12/04/2009  at  07:28 PM  



4. There’s an example of it here… http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1233188/Hunt-Remembrance-Day-conman-marched-impossible-haul-21-medals.html this clown is most definitely in need of a good thrashing.

   Posted by LyndonB       12/04/2009  at  10:40 PM  



5. It was interesting some of the stories - my ‘in’ worked the Navy (Marine side, appropriate for a Marine Vet) and the usual job was simply verifying service for jobs, security and burial. One call was interesting in that the local Marine acting as a CAO inquired as to what honors the man deserved. In searching the records - big surprise came up - he was a deserter and thus not qualified for anything. It is amazing what comes up - with a simple phone call. She also said that there are people who call constantly claiming to have served and not getting their ‘benefits’ - I am not sure at all - why someone continually calls when turned away - do they think that the next person will simply ‘buy’ their story?

   I do not think people realize - that it is an insult, most especially to those who died, to have people whether for mental issues or to spit on the Armed Forces to parade around as a fake.

   I have to agree that the ‘biggest’ talkers tend to be the biggest fakes. Of course we also have turncoats in Congress - my two least favorite are Kerry and Murtha but McAmnesty joining Kerry in 1992(or was it 3) to stab the MIA/POWs in the heart did not ever endear him to me - survivors guilt my a** - political expediency all the way.

   If it had not been for Palin - I’d have never voted for whats-his-name at all. I kept hoping that indeed Saracuda was just a heartbeat away from making the USA better for the first time in decades. Oh well.

   Posted by wardmama4       12/05/2009  at  09:35 AM  



6. I recall the phony Special Forces puke who told atrocity stories about his bullshit service in Iraq.  I thought he looked suspiciously like a pencil-necked geek—but I was in the Marines, so what do I know.  The Real Operators were all over this POS—his lingo, his uniform, his story, and etc.  Only the liberal press fell for this crock.

   My analogy—it’s like trying to convince someone that you were from their home town, when you’d never been there.  You couldn’t stand up under 15 seconds of inquiry.

   Posted by Chops       12/05/2009  at  04:14 PM  



7. Good point Chops. I do recall being in a conversation that included a guy who claimed to be USN (retired).

   Yet when I talked to him he didn’t know any Navy lingo.

   I blew him off back then (over 15 years ago) as I was unaware of this problem.

   It was at a chess tournament. I couldn’t see how his fraudulent claim to be a retired Master Chief would help him play chess. It didn’t. While we were never paired, I did score 3.5/5 for the tournament. I believe he scored 1/5 against mostly the same opposition.

   Posted by Christopher       12/06/2009  at  09:17 AM  

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