Embellishing Military Service

LimaPanther

Recon Marine
Verified SOF
Joined
Dec 4, 2018
Messages
285
We spend time coming down on posers but seem to overlook those that embellish the things they did while serving. It is one thing when they blow smoke to other vets, but when done in the press it is another matter.

For an example I am going to use a news item pertaining to a Marine I know that attends many Marine Association meetings. Some may have seen him because he looks like COL Sanders from KFC. Has his own chair that he sits in while holding court with new attendees. Senior NCOs and officers avoid him. Sometimes wears a kilt. I have another article that I would like to post but it is 5 pages long. Says he was billeted in PI as a Drill Sgt in 1958. Used a propane torch to remove "peach fuzz" from recruits faces. Also buried 4 non-quals on the range with buckets on their heads up right while he lectured them. I was at PI in 60 and never heard any of this. He retired as an E-8. Article says Master Sergeant of Marines.

This comes from the "Andalusia Star-News" in Alabama. This was published Saturday, June 23, 2012.

Sitting back in his high-winged chair while chewing the end of his pipe Andalusia native Sir (Redacted) talks history --his own and what he's learned from the extensive collection of books he owns.

(Redacted) went active in the Marines in the 47th Riflery Company Reserve Unit in Montgomery at 17 years old. He married his wife, (Redacted), on Jan 2, 1959, and said the couple would've gotten married on Christmas, but he was busy serving in Lebanon.

(Redacted) said when he left the Marines, he transferred to fleet reserves in 1979. During his military service, he calculated that he had visited 51 countries.

(Redacted) recorded 2,147 parachute jumps and more than 1000 dives during his career in the military.

His highest rank in the military was general, after gathering intelligence when he was parachuting.

"I did some very interesting things, and I got to work with some interesting people," he said. "I got to see some presidents up close, and brief them. I got to go to places other people didn't have the knowledge to go to."

Some batallions he said he served with during his career included: the 1st batallion Marines in 1958; the 6th Marines during the Cuban missile crisis, 2d Recon, he was a platoon sergeant in Vietnam, and from 1969-70 and part of 1971, where he was with the joint recovery center to get pilots out when they crashed.

In 1975, he fought in the last battle, and was an intelligence officer in the 2nd batallion, 9th Marines, and served in three branches of service in battle.

Additionally, (Redacted) has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. His knighthood for the Queen was for services to the crown. He was also knighted in Scotland as well in the Knights of Malta in the order of St John for his early involvement in Vietnam with the French legion.

Anyone want the articles let me know and I'll scan and send them.
 
Knighted? Whilst it is feasible...

No it isn't

CAN NON-BRITISH CITIZENS BE KNIGHTED?

Sort of. Notable non-Brits are only eligible for honorary knighthood, meaning they aren’t allowed to add “Sir” or "Dame" to their names. They do, however get to append the suffix “KBE” to their monikers if they so desire. Bono, Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg, and Michael Bloomberg are all technically “KBEs.” If any of them later become citizens of the realm, the honor is usually made substantive and they are “bumped up” into real knighthood. In 2005, Irish-born BBC personality Terry Wogan received an honorary knighthood, and when he became a British citizen later that year, he could start making people call him Sir Terry Wogan.

How Does One Become A Knight?
 
I deleated the name above but I am adding a PDF file that includes his name but since it is public I know it is available. In this article he claims he was a drill SGT but in my above posting he said he didn't get married on Christmas 58 because he was in Lebanon. Says in this article he had been a Sgt in 58 but picture in article shows him as a Sgt in 66.

http://www.bobrohrer.com/sea_stories/mcgowin_and_the_buckets.pdf
 
Thanks for pointing that out. The online list of recipients I saw was from Wikipedia was incomplete & not knowing the persons name I thought it best to just question the legitimacy. As discussed elsewhere, as a source Wikipedia should be quoted with caution. BTW there wasn’t a Marine Sargent on the list there.
 
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