Poser Busting

AWP

AWP

SOF Support
Joined
Sep 8, 2006
Messages
19,130
Location
Florida
Just posting some personal experience I've had. Knowing that we see several poser outing posts a year I thought maybe a few of you could benefit from a recent experience.

Short version: Former high school math teacher, beloved by all, with numerous claims of being a Vietnam vet Navy pilot with details. He passed away over a decade ago, but for some reason I ran down his very specific claims.

Poser.

In conversing with friends back home I mentioned what I'd found out about the guy. I was vilified by quite a few people, attacked, belittled, etc. Another significant response was "Who cares? He was a great guy and this doesn't detract from that." A minority supported my efforts and defended me, but more importantly they defended my work.

The take aways for all of you out there ready to bust a poser:
1) Prepare to be the bad guy. Why?
2) People believe what they want to believe and no amount of facts or evidence will sway them. The poser's personality will trump your evidence in the eyes of many. "He was such a good guy, he would never lie to us."
3) Some people just don't care and that includes fellow veterans. Yes, one of my loudest detractors was a vet. "We all knew he was a bullshit artist so why does this matter?"
4) Prepare to have your credibility attacked. Apparently, I was just in the National Guard, so what would I know about "the real military?" Also, my information was from the Internet and you "can't trust the Internet."

Now I know who the turds are back home and I'm fine with that. Just know that the next time your sister or whoever brings home some shitbag or there's a guy wolfing crap at the VFW (another rant in itself) or whatever the case, remember that you could be the "loser" in all of this no matter how righteous your information and the cause.
 
Valid, and timely points (for me). I was... informed yesterday that a person that works at my facility had been bragging to his car pool about going around to restaurants Monday and posing as a veteran to get free meals. I spoke with my LR/ER person this morning and there is no action my agency can take... The person then went on to start a discussion of posing as a mental illness as opposed to a crime or affront and insult. While I agree it's symptom of mental illness... it still must be stopped.
 
Learned a long time ago Free that no matter how frivolous their claims or outrageous their actions were, when they are on their deathbed or recently passed on, if nothing else egregious occurs (Such as additional fame or ill gotten monetary gains passed on) better to just leave it be until some time has passed.

Many people have the old adage of "Why trample on a mans grave" affixed to their mentality. Once they've gotten over the stigma of their loss, then proceed to hammer away. Sure, then you're gonna get the "Well, he's no longer here to defend himself, now is he?" That's when you make sure whatever it is you are bringing to the table is iron clad and wired tight along with a good reason for doing so.

Bottom line - get em while they're still upright and stealing oxygen. Otherwise, you'll more than likely be pissing up a rope with an audience who just doesn't care.
 
For me it was more curiosity than anything else. I honestly didn't start out with "This guy's full of crap and I should tear him down." He made very specific claims with dates and people involved and for me it was simple curiosity. What I found was that he lied about every single facet of his military service. I loved the old man, I thought the world of him, and finding out what I did was a blow. At the end of the day though I detest their ilk with every fiber of my being.

I put in almost 2 years of research, running down his story through veterans groups and associations, cruise books, even emailing men who would have flown with him. Nothing, nada, not even a trace. The funny thing is, and maybe speaks volumes about me, I was more pissed that these oxygen thieves attacked my work. Beat me up? Fine, but my work? GFY
 
I exposed an uncle-in-law for being a poser. He had claimed to be a Ranger school grad and a "green beret" as he said it. Turned out he was a supply guy, not an RS grad and did three months as a candy striper in 5th SFG, before being booted. Long story short, I called him on his claims, and he somewhat backpedaled, bit kept up the "I was a green beret" bit. :rolleyes:

I have not spoken to that side of the family in years, and honestly don't miss them at all.

Personally I've taken more of the approach that if they are AD/RC/NG making a false claim, I will try to crush them through their chain of command. If they are a veteran or claiming to be, I will cuss them and tell them what poser trash they are, being sure that people around hear it, and than I avoid the tard.
 
http://www.examiner.com/article/arm...-navy-store-over-teen-employee-marine-uniform

Army veteran Aaron Bennett says he was banned from an Old Navy store in Jacksonville, Florida, after he pointed out a teen employee improperly wearing a Marine Corps uniform dress jacket complete with rank insignia, ribbons and a weapons badge, News4Jax.com reported Wednesday.

Bennett, who comes from a military family, knows that United States Code makes it illegal "to falsely represent oneself as having received any U.S. military decoration or medal." The law making that illegal is known as the Stolen Valor Act.

According to Bennett, when he informed the store manager, he was approached by a deputy and mall security, who said he was banned from the store.

Bennett said he was trying to honor the uniform, especially considering that Jacksonville is a Navy town.

"It's disgraceful, men have worked hard trying to earn that uniform and have died wearing that uniform," he said.
Click to expand...

On one hand, it's shitty that wearing a dress blue jacket complete with full decorations wouldn't receive any raised eyebrows by store staff. It's also shitty that this employee didn't think anything of it. ON THE OTHER HAND, I have a feeling that this Army vet was banned because he didn't talk to the manager in the most calm, rational way. Also, this young employee was not trying to pass themselves off as a bona-fide Marine, they were wearing it as a fashion item. If they had taken off the decorations, I would be totally cool with that. The fact is that the blues jacket looks really good!
 
JAB said:
I exposed an uncle-in-law for being a poser. He had claimed to be a Ranger school grad and a "green beret" as he said it. Turned out he was a supply guy, not an RS grad and did three months as a candy striper in 5th SFG, before being booted. Long story short, I called him on his claims, and he somewhat backpedaled, bit kept up the "I was a green beret" bit. :rolleyes:

I have not spoken to that side of the family in years, and honestly don't miss them at all.

Personally I've taken more of the approach that if they are AD/RC/NG making a false claim, I will try to crush them through their chain of command. If they are a veteran or claiming to be, I will cuss them and tell them what poser trash they are, being sure that people around hear it, and than I avoid the tard.
Click to expand...

Yeah, there's a big difference from wearing a green beret (which the "candy stripers" did) and being a Green Beret.
 
I bust posers as I see them before I put them in The Camel Clutch. I have no sympathy for your lying, piece of shit posing shitbag self.

The other type of posing I have a hatred for is "I almost enlisted in the.....",. Ah go fuck yourself.

I was working security years ago at a retail store. Someone pointed out to me that one of the contracters working a display was "...a Marine"

"So I heard you're a Marine? Really? Where did you serve?"
"Oh well I was a Marine in the DEP for 6 months until I was honorably discharged for an injury"
"Um what?"
"Yeah I got my eardrum punctured so I got out of the Marine Corps"
"You're not a Marine you do understand that right? You were a "poolee" in the "pool" program. You didn't go to booth much less complete boot"
"......."

Yeah fuckstick.
 
Marine0311 said:
I bust posers as I see them before I put them in The Camel Clutch. I have no sympathy for your lying, piece of shit posing shitbag self.

The other type of posing I have a hatred for is "I almost enlisted in the.....",. Ah go fuck yourself.

I was working security years ago at a retail store. Someone pointed out to me that one of the contracters working a display was "...a Marine"

"So I heard you're a Marine? Really? Where did you serve?"
"Oh well I was a Marine in the DEP for 6 months until I was honorably discharged for an injury"
"Um what?"
"Yeah I got my eardrum punctured so I got out of the Marine Corps"
"You're not a Marine you do understand that right? You were a "poolee" in the "pool" program. You didn't go to booth much less complete boot"
"......."

Yeah fuckstick.
Click to expand...

Sounds like my former BIL. The Christmas right after we moved to Alaska we drove to Michigan for the holidays and that's when we met him. He shut right up with his "stories" about Marine boot camp when RP mentioned something about one of his deployments. Chump never made it through boot camp, much less anything else. :whatever:
 
Marine0311 said:
I bust posers as I see them before I put them in The Camel Clutch. I have no sympathy for your lying, piece of shit posing shitbag self.

The other type of posing I have a hatred for is "I almost enlisted in the.....",. Ah go fuck yourself.

I was working security years ago at a retail store. Someone pointed out to me that one of the contracters working a display was "...a Marine"

"So I heard you're a Marine? Really? Where did you serve?"
"Oh well I was a Marine in the DEP for 6 months until I was honorably discharged for an injury"
"Um what?"
"Yeah I got my eardrum punctured so I got out of the Marine Corps"
"You're not a Marine you do understand that right? You were a "poolee" in the "pool" program. You didn't go to booth much less complete boot"
"......."

Yeah fuckstick.
Click to expand...

Bro. If / when you preform the camel clutch on some dickhead, please, PLEASE, send pics or get a video. Thanks in advance.

F.M.
 
I have been involved in outing two guys in my agency and no one really cares. It is amazing actually. Both are known liars one is actually an academy instructor spreading his lies to noobs.
 

Similar threads

AWP
Your Weekend Safety Brief
Replies
5
Views
376
Muppet
Muppet
R.Caerbannog
Economic shifts in Central America and China
2
Replies
27
Views
1K
R.Caerbannog
R.Caerbannog
AWP
Review Death Waits in the Dark by Greg Coker/ George Hand IV
Replies
3
Views
245
Kaldak
Kaldak
Marauder06
Team Rubicon
Replies
7
Views
637
x SF med
x SF med
Marauder06
"Old Men North of Richmond" -- Revolution Song
2 3
Replies
52
Views
3K
“The Old Man”
“The Old Man”
Back
Top