Bruce (VA)
Well-known Member
I had the unpleasant task of exposing (again) another fraudulent “war hero”. The sad part about it was that the guy really was a veteran; he served 20+ years in the Army Reserves. All stateside, all as a clerk, but that somehow wasn’t good enough for him. No, he wanted everyone to believe he was a Special Forces V-N vet, complete w/ a Silver Star.
Bottom line, if someone served in the military in any capacity, in any branch, active or reserve, they have earned my respect and that of 99% of all Americans. There is no need to pretend to be Rambo. Because it won’t take long for someone who really was there to see through the BS. And it’s usually the small chit that gives them away.
I can’t speak for WWII, Korean or Gulf War vets, but the answers to but a few simple questions can usually smoke out an alleged V-N combat vet imposter.
“What is a puncture wound 25?” (It’s a PRC-25, FM back-pack radio)
“What do you use a battery bag for?” (the PRC-25 battery was about the size of a cigarette carton & came in a thick plastic bag. You put your wallet & smokes in it)
“What did you always carry in your top left pocket?” (a plastic C-ration spoon. Or, if you were lucky, a large metal soup spoon stolen from a mess hall. And the metal spoon was called an ‘e-tool’. As in entrenching tool)
"What was the 'basic load' of hand grenades carried by a Vietnamese soldier?" (none. They couldn't throw them. You never issued grenades to Vietnamese)
There are plenty more questions like this from V-N & I'm sure every other war.
I had no idea stuff like this was so common until I started reading about it. Yea, I'd run into a few beer hall BS artists over the years, but never to the extent of actually wearing unearned medals, etc. Too bad the media doesn't find these stories as newsworthy unless it involves some scumbag politician.
Stolen Valor
Bottom line, if someone served in the military in any capacity, in any branch, active or reserve, they have earned my respect and that of 99% of all Americans. There is no need to pretend to be Rambo. Because it won’t take long for someone who really was there to see through the BS. And it’s usually the small chit that gives them away.
I can’t speak for WWII, Korean or Gulf War vets, but the answers to but a few simple questions can usually smoke out an alleged V-N combat vet imposter.
“What is a puncture wound 25?” (It’s a PRC-25, FM back-pack radio)
“What do you use a battery bag for?” (the PRC-25 battery was about the size of a cigarette carton & came in a thick plastic bag. You put your wallet & smokes in it)
“What did you always carry in your top left pocket?” (a plastic C-ration spoon. Or, if you were lucky, a large metal soup spoon stolen from a mess hall. And the metal spoon was called an ‘e-tool’. As in entrenching tool)
"What was the 'basic load' of hand grenades carried by a Vietnamese soldier?" (none. They couldn't throw them. You never issued grenades to Vietnamese)
There are plenty more questions like this from V-N & I'm sure every other war.
I had no idea stuff like this was so common until I started reading about it. Yea, I'd run into a few beer hall BS artists over the years, but never to the extent of actually wearing unearned medals, etc. Too bad the media doesn't find these stories as newsworthy unless it involves some scumbag politician.
Stolen Valor