Poser Busting

Marauder06 said:
Many years ago, I visited an SF member of our site at Walter Reed after he got wounded (the second time) in Afghanistan and got a significant part of his leg blown off.

When I got to his hospital room, a different SF member of our site (former 18D) was debriding his hand, and the wounded Green Beret (also 18D), in between bouts of passing out from the drugs and probably the pain, was having a peer-to-peer discussion with the doctor over his treatment. It was one of the most incredible things I've seen. Many people here know one or both of the above men.

A different friend of mine is missing his entire right leg and suffered all kinds of other injuries after he was blown up (2nd Purple Heart) in Iraq.

Those men earned their Purple Hearts, and everything else America gave them.

Fully concur on the "scumbag" label for fakers.
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I know both men, Maria and I visited the 18D at Walter Reed, his positive attitude was beyond belief.

The other 18D, besides being a fucking crazy man is a man I consider to be a friend.

Frankly, both men are 2 of the best men I know.
 
Devildoc said:
Inversely, this is also why you see some people who earned a PH albeit for a minor would not wear it, because they feel they didn't deserve it. We all know those guys, too.
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Similarly, that's why I didn't file for disability after I got out of the Army. My friends have disabilities. I have... inconveniences.

..but after a post-retirement year of getting nickel-and-dimed to death on co-pays, hospital travel, and the like, for conditions that were legit service related, I filed. I didn't want to try to get rich of of it, but I also didn't want to be out of pocket to pay for treatment of things that happened to me because/while I was in.
 
Devildoc said:
Inversely, this is also why you see some people who earned a PH albeit for a minor would not wear it, because they feel they didn't deserve it. We all know those guys, too.
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I'm one of those. I gave my PH that was pinned to me to put on Jared Monti's grave. I gave it to his father, who was my HS Earth Sciences teacher, Paul Monti.

He wanted to say hi when he heard I was in the area after retiring. I was sitting in the plane on my own two feet however painful it was, and his body was on my C17.

I felt like my shit was a boo-boo and was not earned. So many mixed feelings siting there for hours balling my eyes out. They all thought we were in the same unit. I didn't know what to say or how to say how this had felt. His father was a father to me as well and there was his son, KIA and here I was alive and breathing.

You could imagine how it felt that day and entire flight back.

Jared C Monti | War on Terrorism (Afghanistan) | U.S. Army | Medal of Honor Recipient
 
During my hospitalizations and rehab, I saw guys so fucked up, they were never going to be the same. My friend, Paul "Tex" Hernandez was shot in the back by a VC sniper. When we put him on the Huey we thought he'd had it. He lived...but ended up in a wheel chair for the rest of his life. There but for the Grace of God go I.

I allow myself a Purple Heart license plate. If that's flaunting it, then maybe I'm guilty. My Dad told me to get one because when they were first issued, they were free.
 
Gunz said:
During my hospitalizations and rehab, I saw guys so fucked up, they were never going to be the same. My friend, Paul "Tex" Hernandez was shot in the back by a VC sniper. When we put him on the Huey we thought he'd had it. He lived...but ended up in a wheel chair for the rest of his life. There but for the Grace of God go I.

I allow myself a Purple Heart license plate. If that's flaunting it, then maybe I'm guilty. My Dad told me to get one because when they were first issued, they were free.
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I think it's totally appropriate and if I had earned one I'd do the same thing. Especially with such a small part of the populace in the service, or even knowing someone who served in war, pPeople need to be reminded.
 
Just a thought from a civilian...I grew up in Air Force family, but did not serve. I wear a camo shirt for convenience. I've had some well-meaning people thank me for my service. I tell them that I appreciate the sentiment, but that I was not in the military. I have an aversion to being mistaken for someone who's earned those thanks. I spent two years with a military charity as a way of giving something back to the people who did serve.
 
As a vet from the 90s, having 2 parents that were both Nam vets, a grandfather that landed on D day and my POS sister that is a vet, we come from a long line.

I don't have a vet plate, though, I have a few small emblems (jump wings, EFMB and 82nd patch) on my truck. I don't use veteran parking spots, I dont partake in veteran discounts, feel weird mentioning it.

I wear a memorial wrist band, sometimes a t shirt, nothing bro-vet'ish.
 
My license says veteran on it, but not on my plate or any of my awards. I do have the Gunsite Raven sticker on the back though.

I don't do the free meals either, however I am guilty of using mil/vet discounts at online shops like Glock, Vortex, Leupold, Aimpoint, etc.
 
Even if I did the free-meal thing on Veterans' Day, all the places around here are mobbed so I don't bother. But @AWP that is a stand-up thing to do.

I got my bell rung pretty well, concussion/mild TBI, but never put in any paperwork for it, it didn't really 'show' until after the event. I was like, 'ah, fuck it...' and just drove on. I guess if I had done the legwork I could have gotten a PH, but knowing the dudes who got really fucked up, I felt like I didn't want to cheapen it. I do have 'veteran' status on my DL but that doesn't do anything.
 
Topkick said:
I attend my High School's alumni veterans day assembly and eat the free pancake breakfast. I want to show I appreciate the kids doing that for us.
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I showed up at my 20th reunion in blues ( was still in at the time). I was the only one there still serving among classmates who never had and felt like I was an outsider among the very people I had grown up with.
 
The Quartermaster said:
I showed up at my 20th reunion in blues ( was still in at the time). I was the only one there still serving among classmates who never had and felt like I was an outsider among the very people I had grown up with.
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Yeah, I don't go to class reunions for that reason. The military changes us in a way that my former classmates never did. I still run into a few high school friends in town, but we no longer have much in common. Small talk. The alumni vet assembly is different, all the guests are veterans.
 
Topkick said:
Yeah, I don't go to class reunions for that reason. The military changes us in a way that my former classmates never did. I still run into a few high school friends in town, but we no longer have much in common. Small talk. The alumni vet assembly is different, all the guests are veterans.
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That's the honest truth right there.

Some of them felt shame for not joining and doing their part especially after 9/11. And they all wanted to tell me this as if they were carrying it with them and I was the first person they could get that off their chests with. Thankfully my wife knew to be my buffer and did the talking for me.
 
Topkick said:
Yeah, I don't go to class reunions for that reason. The military changes us in a way that my former classmates never did. I still run into a few high school friends in town, but we no longer have much in common. Small talk. The alumni vet assembly is different, all the guests are veterans.
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I went to high school in Fayetteville, NC, which was directly adjacent to Fort Bragg, NC. I haven't been back to any of my high school reunions but I imagine there there are a lot of vets among my classmates.
 
I feel bad for those he preyed upon but c'mon people, in this day and age use the FOIA or some other way to do your due diligences with.
 
The Quartermaster said:
I feel bad for those he preyed upon but c'mon people, in this day and age use the FOIA or some other way to do your due diligences with.
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Not even that, just use your head, people. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Saint Youngblood is a horrible porn name. Lastly, former CAG guys don't "freelance" for the DoD and solicit private citizens. They run shooting schools and podcasts.
 

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