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I'm Proud to Be A Vet- BUT....

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donjr

Well-known Member
SWMBO and I just went out to Golden Corral for a free meal, and were early enough to be near the head of the line. The manager asked if we'd mind them seating someone else with us, so they could serve a few more folks more quickly, and we told them that was fine with us. So, he brought in another gent about our age, and seated him. He proceeded to get his food, bowed his head and gave thanks. Seemed like a fairly nice guy at first.

Then, he told me he was in the Air Force, and worked in crypto. He currently lived at Edgewood Arsenal, and works in communications. During the war, he was stationed on the USS Nimitz, and wasn't comfortable until he went down to the supply department and got a hammock to sleep in. And, he was in country and got captured, but managed to get away when he tossed some pebbles at the guard to make sure he was asleep before he took off. He stayed off the roads, and the Seabees found him sleeping on the beach at Pusan, and took him straight to the sickbay. Thereafter, LBJ pinned a medal on him, but he wasn't sure what for. He apparently was also shot in the back and in the butt during this time.

Now, I'm not a genius, but the Nimitz wasn't built until long after LBJ's rule, and I never saw a hammock used on any ship. Nor do I recall an AF crpto guy being needed on a Navy carrier. And, isn't Pusan in Korea??

What would you do? Blow the whistle on this clown, for claiming to be a vet, or just let him cling to the fact he has just been recognized as a dumbazz?

Too many guys there this evening are true vets. Why do these guys have to crawl out of the woodwork on occasions like this?
 
I am not a vet, but i know of several who claim to be, but are not. Pathetic, but I don't think you can change idiots. They have lots of experience.
 
Is there a chance there was a little bit of dementia or confusion on his part when he was telling the story? I'd hate to just call somebody a liar.
 
I like to give the benefit of doubt, so is it possible this man's
memory is so far gone that he can't keep facts straight?
I've seen that happen as people age, its not a pretty site.

If that's not a possibility, I would have called him on it.
My freedom of speech is guaranteed just like his right to lie.
(see stolen valor act overturned)
Just one of the many freedoms we defended.
 
I took my Army discharge along to Applebee's, but they didn't ask for any proof. I often wonder how many were claiming to be vets to get a free meal. Hal
 
Very fortunate to not have to serve in Vietnam - BUT real close.
Don't know - But I couldn't "pretend" to be a Veteran for a meal or even a free ticket to the state fair.
 
I'm thinking he might have got shot in the head or something. A guy who's making up a story should be able to do better than that.
 
I am proud to have served USCG 1959-1963 active then 2 yrs. reserve but always felt the fellows that were in harms way deserved the greater respect.
 
I am a vet of the Korean war but I will never go to any place that gives me anything free because of it. I have worked hard all my life and went on to college and got a degree. I am determined to pay my own way and eat where I want and when I want not just to promote some fast food resturant.
 
I think from the standpoint of the business they would rather feed a few fakers than try to question every veteran that entered the restaurant. I bet they would make the 11 o'clock news if they turned down a real vet because they didn't believe his story.
 
The guy is a fake. You should have called him out.
LBJ died in 1973.
The Nimitz didn't join the fleet until 1975.
Air Force personal did not serve on Navy ships.
Hammocks haven't been on large Naval ships. Since WWII.
Pusan is in south Korea. A long way from Nam.
 
Yes but is that really any different than a singer getting on stage with dog tags hanging from his neck and a army shirt on singing about how proud he is......

Or a elected official making life and death decisions about our troops.....

And neither have served a day in their lives.
 
I am not a vet, couldn't pass the physical in 1965. But I had breakfast with two of them this morning at Bob Evans and I could be prouder to call them friends. And the stack of pancakes they got was bigger than both of them. Thanks for all of your service. Rather than make a public fuss, I think I would quietly let the manager know what the guy tried to pull so he could tell him not to come back next year.
 
So he was in Korea then didn't get recognized for his heroism until LBJ was prez then years later served on the USS NIMITZ after 1975.Then later served during the gulf war on the Uss Nimitz. Then with use of his secret Air Force time machine helped Sgt. York capture all those Germans . He didn't care if York got all the credit because of his wounds being shot in the back and butt and all. Makes sense to me.
 
I'm a little mixed on the issue. I retired in 2011 from the Coast Guard. I also did almost 10 of my years in the Navy. Since my career was somewhat less exciting than we would see on television, lying has been a temptation. I was just the mechanic for the folks who did all the exciting stuff. Even on 9/11 I was stationed in New York, BUFFALO, New York on the completely opposite end of the state. The unit sent people to assist in patroling the harbor, but me. During the Gulf War my thrilling excitement was that I repaired boats for the SEALS attached to our ship. In Kosovo, I was the boat engineer for the TRAP team, but when the air strikes sunk a ship, we were order to go the other way. You see a trend? I'm always close, but still not that close. I was even turned down twice for Iraq, which actually was barely dry land in Dubai. Of course that was in the very early days of the war when it was humorously called, "Operation Enduring Per Deim". I've been telpted to lie and tell people that I was a super hero, but instead, I merely accept that I was just the guy who fixed things for the heros, clearly this guy, if he even was a vet, hasn't come to terms with a lack luster military service.
 
Bob, I'll bet those SEALs don't think you were "just the mechanic".
Their lives depended on that boat.
Don't sell yourself short.
Thank you for your service.
 
"If his memory's so far gone, howed he know to go get a free meal???"


Your tax dollars probably paid a community organizer to drive him there and prompt him to tell them his account.
 
I am not ashamed of my service. I worked hard. Those SEALS and the sailors and many Marines and later the Coast Guard depended on me to keep equipment going, and I did. I worked long hard hours at sea and in port and on shore duty while in the US Coast Guard, but when we sit down with fellow vets to talk about military service, no one makes a movie about the guy who rebuilt the fire pump in Aux #2 in record time. Some of us accept that our service, while honorable was not the stuff people muster up to hear about, and some lie about it.
 
That was exactly my thought, js- but you beat me to it! LOL

Had a friend who was a Vietnam vet- no doubt about that- but the stories had grown over the years to where he was pretty much the hero of the whole shebang. He was also supposedly present in a coffee house in San Francisco when John Sebastian, John Fogarty and Suzi Quattro wrote the song "Suzie Q"- Only problem is, the song was actually written in 1955, when Charlie was only 7.
 
I'm a veteran, but never really felt like it- was National Guard, 1969 to 1975. I defer to the guys who really put their lives on the line, and keep a low profile.

Was proud when my son wanted to wear my Class A's to school on "dress up day"- He came home and reported a dozen or so "thank you for your service"s from his schoolmates. A little different than it was back in the day.
 
One thing I have learned is that true heroes seldom brag. And they frequently downplay their own contributions. Just read any interview of a CMH recipient. To a man they all say the same thing, "I was just doing my job."

I went to Golden Corral tonight with my Dad (US Navy/Korean War) and my nephew (Army NG). I'm happy to report I didn't see anyone full out faking it. Though there was one fella wearing BDUs and sporting a SeaBee T-shirt that had me wondering.
 
I had a friend who fell off the bow of the Nimitz he was on the phones up front when plane missed the cable or something like that, he jumped over to the net but went to far and missed it. He said its long way to he water.
Walt
I served under Kennedy still don't like the guy he wimped out on everything.
 
To Bob and some of the others below who wonder if their contributions were important, here's what George Patton in his famous speech had to say about the matter (edited somewhat to get past the filter):


"All of the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters, either. Every single man in this Army plays a vital role. Don't ever let up. Don't ever think that your job is unimportant. Every man has a job to do and he must do it. Every man is a vital link in the great chain. What if every truck driver suddenly decided that he didn't like the whine of those shells overhead, turned yellow, and jumped headlong into a ditch? The cowardly b----rd could say, "He11, they won't miss me, just one man in thousands".

But, what if every man thought that way? Where in the he11 would we be now? What would our country, our loved ones, our homes, even the world, be like? No, GD-it, Americans don't think like that. Every man does his job. Every man serves the whole. Every department, every unit,
is important in the vast scheme of this war. The ordnance men are needed to supply the guns and machinery of war to keep us rolling. The Quartermaster is needed to bring up food and clothes because where we are going there isn't a hell of a lot to steal. Every last man on K.P. has a job to do, even the one who heats our water to keep us from getting the 'G.I. (diarrhea)"

One of the bravest men that I ever saw was a fellow on top of a telegraph pole in the midst of a furious fire fight in Tunisia. I stopped and asked what the he11 he was doing up there at a time like that. He answered, "Fixing the wire, Sir". I asked, "Isn't that a little unhealthy right about now?" He answered, "Yes Sir, but the GD wire has to be fixed". I asked, "Don't those planes strafing the road bother you?" And he answered, "No, Sir, but you sure as he11 do!"

Now, there was a real man. A real soldier. There was a man who devoted all he had to his duty, no matter how seemingly insignificant his duty might appear at the time, no matter how great the odds. And you should have seen those trucks on the road to Tunisia. Those drivers were magnificent. All day and all night they rolled over those SOB-ing roads, never stopping, never faltering from their course, with shells bursting all around them all of the time. We got through on good old American guts. Many of those men drove for over forty consecutive hours. These men weren't combat men, but they were soldiers with a job to do. They did it, and in one he11 of a way they did it. They were part of a team. Without team effort, without them, the fight would have been lost. All of the links in the chain pulled together and the chain became unbreakable."
 
I knew 2 brothers in different infantry companies that were first assigned to General Bradley's forces. Bradley told the infantry men to ride to the front on his tanks, or anything that moved, to save their energy for the front.

They were later transfered to Pattons command. When Patton came by and saw them riding on his tanks, he told them that they were getting his tanks all muddy, then told them: "You dirty SOB's walk to the front".

Patton never went anywhere near the front, because he knew he'd be in the sights of a lot of infantrymen.
 
I'm another one that did a mundane, back water job for 22 years. A couple of times, I even took crap about it from other military folks that should have known better.

My response: I went where I was told to go, and did what I was told to do, just like everybody else.

Personally, I avoid all the Veteran hoopla, it just strikes me as "flavor of the month" phoniness. Your BS'ing tablemate is a shining example of that. I wouldn't have called him out, but I'd have made a point of ignoring him.

Reverse snobbery on my part perhaps, but that's how I feel.
 
I did the Army thing. Nothing glorious to speak of, 'cept sleeping in mud or snow or dust more often than not. Post Vietnam era myself. Not the well oiled machine we all think of when we hear US Army. All that at Ft Sill Ok. That said, I did my watch. Don't expect much in return.

Best friend was career Navy. On Forestal post Vietnam era through Persian Gulf round 1. Still works for Navy as a subcontractor. He has a hammock in his basement for when he can't sleep in a bed. Said he slept in one for 12+ years on the Forestfire. So that's not out of the realm of possibility.

Saw a piece on TV this morning about the high numbers of ex Military who are homeless and suffering from mental illness. Quite possible your encounter was with someone like that...Or he was just a whack-o....Who knows. Long story short, I don't have the fight in me any more to argue with anyone over something that won't change the outcome of how the world turns.
 
(quoted from post at 21:36:25 11/11/13) The guy is a fake. You should have called him out.
LBJ died in 1973.
The Nimitz didn't join the fleet until 1975.
Air Force personal did not serve on Navy ships.
Hammocks haven't been on large Naval ships. Since WWII.
Pusan is in south Korea. A long way from Nam.
Click to expand...

I don't know which carrier, but my Air Force uncle served on one when the ship was short of techs to work on the planes' radar systems.
 
I think I've run into every single never was in, never had any intention of joining but I'm going to lie about it anyway "veteran" there is. Used to be they were VN vets, later they were Gulf war vets. Why people have to lie about it I don't know. One guy near me claims he was in the USMC and was a trained CIA spook/killer/sniper/etc. When I asled where he went to boot camp, PI or SD, he says he never went to either, straight out of civilian life to VN where he killed about 3 million BGs. Why? Why lie? He's a welfare rat druggie, his kids are the same. Everyone knows he's full of it.

I delivered air plane parts in the 2nd and 3rd MAW. That was it.
 
Don, I never was in the service. I agree the guys who pretend to are lower than whale sh!t. When I suspect BS, I generally just let them talk, and the noose of their own making gets tighter and tighter!
 
My dad was Carrier Based Marine Air. His crew repaired prop driven planes that came back in with rivets loose and holes in them. The Flyboys knew the size of their contribution. It got them BACK HOME after runs. He now belongs to a Vet Group that includes a USMC Col. who calls my dad "Sarge" when they get together, out of respect for the work he did on the planes. The "old man" believes that you don't win battles with just the guys firing bullets.
 
Bob:

Just because your career never put you on the "front lines", your service was still of vital importance to the overall operations, and for that . . . I THANK YOU! .

Yes, I'm a Viet Nam Era vet but I personally never got the chance to show my true worth. I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force 29 OCT 65 partly because I have always liked aircraft & armament, but mainly because I had just lost my wife & child, killed by a drunk driver, and there were just too many memories at home. I requested and got training as a Weapons Mechanic - Aircraft Armament Systems; but during training I developed a form of Heart Disease and was no longer eligible for military service and was given an Honorable Discharge on 13 May 66 .

I still wanted to do my part for my country, so my first job after I got out was to go to work in a Munitions Plant. I worked on the propellants for Sidewinder missiles; 3' long x 5" diameter Parachute Flares; and the prototype for the Foliage Penetrating Flare - for pilots downed in the jungles of Viet Nam - nicknamed "The Pocket Rocket".

Doc
 
There are a couple websites out there that expose these pukes. Guardian of Valor , and Stolen Valor . they have Facebook pages also . They do pretty extensive research on anyone they are turned onto . Once verified they are fakes they get both barrels. Local media is also notified. Lot of these pukes profit from their lies. There is also a guy that outs fake seals .I think he has some youtube footage of some of his phone calls with fakers.
 
AND...there are the "Professional Veterans"
who hang out at the American Legion bar all day,
telling lies and hoping someone will feel
sorry for them, and buy them a drink!
 
I had the Honor. To meet a man that was awarded the Medal of Honor. For his service in the island battles of WWII. Very quite and humble man. Told us all that he had no knowledge of what he had done at the time.Until he saw the after action report. Said all he was doing was trying to protect his buddies. He was so scared that after the battle was over. He had to be carried off the field. Couldn't get his legs to move.
 
As some of the posters have already stated, I served in Viet Nam but I'm no hero. To me, the heroes are those whose name are on The Wall in DC. I once read that the military requires about 9- 10 support personnel for each 'line' troop. I was one of those that provided support. I worked on transport air craft as a structural mechanic <-- fancy name for a tin bender.
I didn't write the following but it is worth repeating.

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. skydiverPin it!Share on Facebook Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience!
One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!" Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor." Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory - he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
2 of my uncles served as tankers in 4th armour in WWII. Both served directly under the command of Creighton Abrams at the time, and also under Patton. They spoke of Patton with a reverence reserved for the greatest of leaders. I'm sure he wasn't easy to be around, but his men were willing to crawl through the fire of hell on the old mans orders. He wasn't there to win a popularity contest.
 
When I was a kid in late 40s we played on a swing that was a hammock that my navy uncle brought home when he was discharged. Later when I was in high school, wanting my own room, I rigged the good one we were'nt allowed on in the attic. I slept in/on it about a year. Probably why I've always had back trouble.
 
(quoted from post at 22:06:47 11/11/13) One thing I have learned is that true heroes seldom brag. And they frequently downplay their own contributions. Just read any interview of a CMH recipient. To a man they all say the same thing, "I was just doing my job."

I went to Golden Corral tonight with my Dad (US Navy/Korean War) and my nephew (Army NG). I'm happy to report I didn't see anyone full out faking it. Though there was one fella wearing BDUs and sporting a SeaBee T-shirt that had me wondering.
Click to expand...

Dan T, it's the MOH not the CMH. There is noting nor has there been anything honorable about congress for decades. Please do not down grade the people who have been awarded the Medal Of Honor.

For the OP. I know a guy who did serve. US Army, 2 years, truck driver during Vietnam. He never left the states and was discharged honorably in 69. He claims to have been SF in Nam and a member of Delta Force. Delta Force wasn't created until long after he got out. I called him on it in public. He's still telling the same old lies. So the man who you shared your table with may have served and may had done nothing other than a support job in the states and is jealous of the guys who served as combat soldiers. Hence the lying about what he did. Couse you may be right. He may have never served. I do know a guy who was Air Force and being a truly non violent person is ashamed of supporting operations that bombed targets during Desert Storm and subsequent "no fly zone". Guess he thought he was joining the boy scouts.

For those of you who did support jobs in any branch. You were needed and did a job that made it possible for me/others to do my/their job.

Rick (US Army ret, Armor 74-96)
 
(quoted from post at 21:36:25 11/11/13) The guy is a fake. You should have called him out.
LBJ died in 1973.
The Nimitz didn't join the fleet until 1975.
Air Force personal did not serve on Navy ships.
Hammocks haven't been on large Naval ships. Since WWII.
Pusan is in south Korea. A long way from Nam.
Click to expand...

I was on a Spruance class destroyer in the early 80's, I remember the Nimitz in one of our battle groups.
 
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