Opinions on the subject of " Stolen Valor"

[patrick66]

I think we can all agree that this asshump is an impostor and should be shot. This was from a dozen years ago...

http://www.militarycorruption.com/androsky.htm

 

[dongei]

Guess I'll be first. I paid the dues to wear my old camos and so did many other vets. I don't wear them though and neither do any of my friends. I guess that is how you can find the posers.

 

[Brandy]

I agree on that too dongei, i donated all of my uniforms, other than dress blues, to the fellas in my old unit. I didn't plan on needing them. I think I have an old boonie hat some where and a set of extreme cold weather under armor top and bottom.

 

[steve from staten island]

A year or so before my dad died he told me he couldn't find his medals. Said maybe someone stole them. I don't know were that came from as that was very unlike him to say that. His health was failing fast at this point. I spoke to a co worker a Viet Nam vet who was active in vets affairs. He told me were and how to get duplicates of those medals. I did it and they arrived. When i drove to see him and brought him those medals his face lite up like a kid at Christmas. I'll never forget that day. He was so strong in his day, a no nonsense guy and here he was old and frail just holding these medals,looking at them over and over again. I could only image what was going through his mind

 

[Brandy]

Your a good son Steve.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Steve, you the MAN! I can just picture your dad looking over those medals!

 

[monaco66coupe]

if I may put in my point of view of this topic, I can totally understand the irritation with Fools that for whatever reason they want to place themselves in a place that makes them seem they were in the Military. it happened after every war, be it WWI, WWII, Korea,or Vietnam. I can sympathize that it seems worse to Veterans here that went in as Part of the all Volunteer force. (1974 to present)
However, in the 70's and 80's, the same problem existed. Back then the Veterans of the time were as much at fault, as they would sayid you Volunteer, or get drafted? The Guys that Volunteered felt they were somehow more loyal and professional than those that didn't. From the Civilian guys, it was: Did you evade the Draft, and why not?

I can say that as a Volunteer, some of the finest men I served with were draftees. They accepted their duties, and performed them to the best of their abilities. Many stayed in for life. I can say I had the greatest honor of most Veterans, in that I served on active duty with WWII veterans, Korean war Veterans, and some of the toughest Infantryman from the Vietnam War. In my day there were so many of us, that the miniscule few piss ants that tried to say they were veterans were irrelevant. Today, so few serve that the numbers of those piss ants seem like more than they really are.
To this day, even at 62 years old, when I run into another guy my age and the topic comes up, I can tell which category they were in. I don't mention it, I don't refer to it, But I don't have to. Their regrets show through even to this day, How they spoke to us, treated us, and dismissed us. it wears on them. I don't really care anymore, but I give in once in a while, and mention how much I miss loading a gatling Gun and rockets at 6:00 in the morning in the jungle, fighting off snakes and land crabs, and listening to the WOP WOP of those rotor blades. They groan and walk away.


I suggest that we all cheer up, and be proud that we aren't one of them. We all did what we were told, Dangerous or not. None of us had any control of that.

From an old helicopter Guy

 

[6t4polara]

Drafted 50 years ago and amazed at the number of older guys who were in Nam.
Never crossed the great salt pond myself but I remember the bases here were fully staffed.

 

[Bruzilla]

Such big talk from a person that seems to have seen so much of the World, but won't talk about his own service record. I got my pink card, where's yours?
I digress, it really pisses the snot outta me. I'm talking about the guys that are 4 star Col's with 69 Ribbons and some of which are only awarded to Enlisted that think their tough $h!t, yeah it bugs me.

??? When have I ever not discussed my service record? I've discussed it quite a bit. As long as the discussion isn't classified I've never had any reluctance to share my experiences.

As for what bugs you, why don't you like seeing senior officers with enlisted ribbons? I know a lot of mavericks who started off enlisted and ended up as senior officers.

- - - Updated - - -

I think we can all agree that this asshump is an impostor and should be shot. This was from a dozen years ago...

http://www.militarycorruption.com/androsky.htm

Good Lord! Looks like he bought the whole catalog!

- - - Updated - - -

I can say that as a Volunteer, some of the finest men I served with were draftees. They accepted their duties, and performed them to the best of their abilities.

I've heard this subject come up a lot over the years when discussion of bringing back the draft comes up. Reminds me of when my parents came to see me graduate from bootcamp, and after meeting other guys from my company they said how impressed they were with how mature and professional they acted. I thought "you should have seen them two months ago... you wouldn't know they were the same people".

A lot of guys have told me they would rather serve with someone who volunteered than someone who was drafted and was forced to be there, but I think once you're in and you adapt to service life, most folks get it together and serve professionally. There's always the ten or 20 percent that are just going to be screw-ups whether they were drafted or volunteered, but for the most part once you're in, you do your job as best you can regardless of how you got there.

 

[Seventy]

A year or so before my dad died he told me he couldn't find his medals. Said maybe someone stole them. I don't know were that came from as that was very unlike him to say that. His health was failing fast at this point. I spoke to a co worker a Viet Nam vet who was active in vets affairs. He told me were and how to get duplicates of those medals. I did it and they arrived. When i drove to see him and brought him those medals his face lite up like a kid at Christmas. I'll never forget that day. He was so strong in his day, a no nonsense guy and here he was old and frail just holding these medals,looking at them over and over again. I could only image what was going through his mind

"Since a mirror only shows the present, at some point a mans son will be the only way for him to see himself"

I am sure your father was happy to see them medals, but that smile was for YOU bringing them, YOU going out of your way to make your father happy. Cheers, to a good son raised by a good father...

 

[steve from staten island]

Thanks for your service B

 

[Richard Cranium]

I still have an ear necklace when I fought in the battle of Ma Pao Tufu against General Chow and his chickens.

 

[steve from staten island]

Thanks and it was that co worker who helped me. As i recall he helped me file whatever paper work. For anyone wanting to know i think its easy to do. You need DD214 and discharge. Im sure there must be a web site to help and i do recall something in the American Legion magazine about this

 

[the mississippi madman]

I think we can all agree that this asshump is an impostor and should be shot. This was from a dozen years ago...

http://www.militarycorruption.com/androsky.htm

That picture needs to be put under " punchable faces"

 

[Brandy]

Steve, and everyone else, it is simple to get the medals replaced. Just go online to the VA.gov and there's a link for that. Or, google replacement service medals and follow the links. It happens daily that folks need them for funerals and presentations etc..

 

[65RoadRacer]

I was in the USAF many moons ago, and these days I wouldn't be able to tell if someone is stealing valor or not, for the most part. There are obvious clues, like flag patch on the wrong arm, or facing the wrong direction, but otherwise I wouldn't say anything because I wouldn't be 100% certain.

Seeing all the stolen valor, it does bother me quite a bit, because whenever I do see a service man or woman in uniform, I thank them for their service. If I did so to a poser, and found out afterwards, I'd probably want to punch his effing lights out.

 

[Brandy]

While we are traveling down the road, so to speak, of getting benefits like medals replaced and such, if there are any of you out there that need to get in the system for help with whatever, please ask me, or one of us and we will gladly help you get what you so gallantly earned, no matter how long ago. Seriously.

 

[66Satellite_in_NC]

I was at a personnel inspection at Naval Station Dam Neck, VA in 1985,

I was at NAS Oceana in 1985, not to far away IIRC. I used to take the bus from base to the beach and always had to go into Dam Neck on the way back.

 

[Bruzilla]

I used to go over to Oceana for lunch a lot of times. I loved watching the Tomcats flying around.

The best thing about Dam Neck was our schoolhouse was one block back from the beach, and between us and the beach was the A or C school for the Fire Control Techs. They had 5" guns on the roof of their school and would fire them to students could learn how to track their firing, and we run outside and stand in the parking lot when they shot them. It was so cool to fell the shock wave that hit you when they fired.

 

[66Satellite_in_NC]

The first few weeks at Oceana were tough, touch and goes at all hours of the night, the squadrons would wake my *** up when they went full afterburner on the take-offs, but like anything you get used to it. I worked at AIMD there in the calibration lab, fun times while it lasted. Got out after 1 enlistment, was going out to sea on either the Kennedy or the America if I re-enlisted.

You could always tell a deployment was coming up, they would steal every last spotlight outside the barracks for night-lights in their bunk...LOL