GeneB Loc: Chattanooga Tennessee

Point him out to a real vet. It will be taken care of.

Dannj

👍

whatdat Loc: Del Valle, Tx.

Very well said. I was in the Guard. As I was finishing active duty basics & school, we were told to expect to be sent to Israel/ Palenstine as war had broke out (6 day war; they didn’t know how long it would last originally). Obviously did not end up going,

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

You can still call yourself a Viet Nam vet. The VA now recognizes those who served on ships off the coast of VN for special circumstances when it comes to health benefits. The problems a lot of Nam vets have due to agent orange have been recognized as also effecting people like you. Due to the winds blowing the agent over the Navy ships in the waters off VN. You may not have been "boots on the ground" but you are still a VN veteran.

USMC 1/3/Charlie, Da Nang 1971

Stephan G

Anyone can wear whatever baseball cap they want with whatever glop is available. It is their right and qualifies under the freedom of speech and self expression. For someone to make assumptions that by wearing military insignias the individual was is some combat venue is a violation of that freedom, like it or not. People are free to make whatever stories they want, it is their right to freedom of self-expression.

There are a lot of people who were in the services that make even more grandiose claims. Again, their freedom for self-expression.

Bit of trivia, I was in a ready-strike group. I was given the Viet Nam service medal (1969). It was demanded back later by the DoD at the behest of Congress, who decided to narrow the requirements to get the medal. In that time, I still had only one hour to get into the barracks to get my gear and weapons, to be ready to fly to Viet Nam, ready for battle. Though many ranking officers took flights over Viet Nam to get their Viet Nam service medal, without setting any part of their boots on that soil.

I did miss out on a Purple Heart because I was not in a combat zone when bled. But that was another situation in which recognition by the DoD was (and is) highly skewed. (I was armed, in performance of duty, and put into a potentially fatal situation in which I was lucky to come out with minor injuries. 3 of the 4 requisites. Not in a "4. Declared Combat zone".)

As for "Stolen Valor" law noted above, two things. One, the person has to be in the military and, two, doing it as a scam for something of value, such as cash. (No. 45 qualifies as such person, legally. The "wiggle room" is that he is no longer in the "service". He was subject to the UCMJ, at that.)

Jimmy T Loc: Virginia

I think that I would have changed lines since there was a high probability of a lightning strike in his immediate area.
JimmyT Sends
U. S. Army, Truck Driver
RSVN 68-69

pendennis

There's a true story about LBJ when he served in the Navy during WWII. Seems he was assigned to an air mission in the Pacific, but the aircraft developed problems before take off, so he didn't go. Due to the mix-up, the folks on that aborted flight were awarded the Silver Star. LBJ didn't have the b@!!s to demure.

Sinewsworn Loc: Port Orchard, WA

Monkey Mountain 1972-USAF.

skip_m Loc: Phoenix AZ

I served 57-59 mostly in Alaska enjoyed it a looong time ago Skip

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

When I was there, we went up to Monkey Mountain to work on the fire control for the Hawk missile battery there. The Marines there actually had a pet monkey. Here’s an image of him.

Stephan G

For the record. Viet Nam was not a war with the USA. It was a "Police Action under the auspices of the United Nations". The phrase was the basis for denying any person in the US military that was not sent over to Viet Nam, specifically, Viet Nam recognition. AKA Political Word Play. The same scenario with Korea in the 1950s.

Dannj

There’s no way you will convince me that “freedom of self expression” includes lying. And if the lying is done by a former military person the offense is compounded. Through every stage of my Marine Corps service, integrity was the foundation. No exceptions.

KillroyII Loc: Middle Georgia

I wonder if it is a WalMart thing.

I was in country in 65/66 but chose not to obtain a cap indicating that... until a friend, that was with me in Vietnam, had one made for me. I wore it often, until there were 2 occasions in WalMart where someone started a conversations and were OBVIOUSLY lying. I was uncomfortable listening to them drone on with spectacular lies. I don’t think I was angry but felt sorry for people whose lives were such that they needed to lie.

I don’t wear that cap as often now, and never in WalMart any more.

My wife is the only person I share any details, about things that still bother me, with. I don’t even share at VA medical visits (I am 100% P/T)... which I only go to, to get some of the associated benefits (glasses & hearing aids).

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Smudgey Loc: Ohio, Calif, Now Arizona

While I am sure that you felt some sort of connection with him being that you are ex USMC as well, it really dosn't give you the right to start asking a complete stranger questions. He may have been giving you all that BS because he didn't want to be bothered by a complete stranger.