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Fake POW
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May 5, 2012 14:16:34   #
tramsey Loc: Texas
 
Bring him down here to our VFW Club on a Friday nite, we'll take care of him, real good care of him. The Club sill probably pay his way and meet him at the station.

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May 5, 2012 15:39:49   #
Frank T Loc: New York, NY
 
Roger, I'm not conflating anything so don't put words in my mouth. I know that not all soldiers are heroes. That's not the point. I said that impersonating a war hero is a violation of federal law. If this guy is that demented that he thinks he actually is one, then he can plead the insanity defense.
I don't even care if he goes to jail, the expense of the trial and a hefty fine of lets say 25K will get the message across to him and his ilk that this behavior will not be tolerated. Or better yet, give him community service in a VA Hospital where he can meet real heroes.

Roger Hicks wrote:
Frank T wrote:
It is a violation of federal law to impersonate a war hero. I'm not sure who would arrest and prosecute him or even what the law exactly says, but I'd start by contacting the Office of the Attorney General and going from there.


Not all soldiers were (or are) heroes: is he claiming to be one? I've known plenty who hated war, especially the ones who were drafted. Even the volunteers will seldom classify themselves as heroes.

Of course, many didn't come home. Both my grandfathers were killed at sea in WW2. One of them got the George Medal before he died. From what my grandmothers said, neither of them regarded himself as a hero. Conflating 'soldier' (or 'sailor' or whatever) and 'hero' is mistake enough. Conflating 'hero' with 'deluded old man' is even worse.

Cheers,

R.
quote=Frank T It is a violation of federal law to... (show quote)

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May 5, 2012 15:43:41   #
jdeanb Loc: Texas / central
 
I am with Roger. We don't need more in prison for the tax payers to feed. Yes what he did is wrong but jail won't stop the next one with sick ideas.

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May 5, 2012 16:07:22   #
Raider Fan Loc: Lake County, IL.
 
As a Viet Nam vet myself I find it despicable that he feels he must to a disservice to those that were POWS. lOCK THEM UP AND THROW THE KEY AWAY!

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May 5, 2012 16:07:40   #
Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine
 
Frank T wrote:
Roger, I'm not conflating anything so don't put words in my mouth. I know that not all soldiers are heroes. That's not the point. I said that impersonating a war hero is a violation of federal law. If this guy is that demented that he thinks he actually is one, then he can plead the insanity defense.
I don't even care if he goes to jail, the expense of the trial and a hefty fine of lets say 25K will get the message across to him and his ilk that this behavior will not be tolerated. Or better yet, give him community service in a VA Hospital where he can meet real heroes.
Roger, I'm not conflating anything so don't put wo... (show quote)

Para 1:Sorry, I had no intention of accusing you of conflating it. I was trying to make a more general point that that it is an increasingly common conflation.

Para 2: As I said before, is he going to do it again? Unlikely. Is a trial going to stop anyone else doing it? Again, unlikely. If he were convicted, where is he going to find $25,000? And even if he could find it, is a $25,000 fine appropriate, as compared with the penalties normally imposed for other offenses? Only out of sheer, pointless vindictiveness. Has anyone any idea of what he could actually be charged with, and what the maximum penalties are?

As for 'the expense of the trial', that is born by the state, and would probably run into tens of thousands. You may want your taxes wasted on pointless show trials, and then on trying to collect uncollectable fines: most people don't.

Cheers,

R.

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May 5, 2012 16:14:42   #
tarcher Loc: Not sure yet.
 
ferrinmike wrote:
Here in Salt Lake a man has been recognized, and honored for being a POW. Claimed to have been imprisoned in VIET NAM for 6months. Been on TV and several stories in the news. SOMEONE decided to check his facts, since they had been in the group he claimed to have served with, at the same time.
No records of him being a POW, or even serving in VIET NAM. He was drafted, and served two years statside.
So what should they do to him? There is a lot of talk of prosecutiing him. I know several Vets who served and I see vets at the VA who were injured, or imprisoned at one time. My vote of course is YES prosecute him. In honor of all those who were POW's or even served in the war. So what do you think?
Here in Salt Lake a man has been recognized, and h... (show quote)


Yes, nail him. I have High School buddies who were killed over there. He all he has done is make light of their sacrifice.

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May 5, 2012 17:31:25   #
tramsey Loc: Texas
 
I still say send him down here. We'll give him some community hours all right. LOL Just send himd down.

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May 5, 2012 20:27:16   #
Jackinthebox Loc: travel the world
 
Roger Hicks wrote:
soupbone wrote:
Did this fellow see any gains from his impersonation, such as $$ benefits, pay for appearances, selection for a job, etc.? If so, by all means prosecute him. If, on the other hand, all he did was to use his assumed status to bolster a weak ego, don't prosecute him - pity him. For a military person - current or former - there is no worse offense than to steal valor. For someone without military experience, it's hard to explain; it has to be experienced.

I went through three phases regarding this stolen valor thing. The first was, of course, burn them. Next came the "expose this sorry sack of s**t and hold 'em up for ridicule" phase, but now, I've reached the point where I just want them exposed, then let them go and live their miserable little lives knowing that WE KNOW.

soupbone
CPT, USAFR, Ret.
Did this fellow see any gains from his impersonati... (show quote)


Your opinion should be more informed than mine because of your background -- all opinions most assuredly aren't equal -- and I have to say that yours is the post I agree with most in all this thread.

Cheers,

R.
quote=soupbone Did this fellow see any gains from... (show quote)


How does one find out or service medal and citation claims are valid?

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May 5, 2012 22:05:53   #
MadMike Loc: SALT LAKE
 
I apreciate all of your input. I think he has already been publiclly humiliated because this is on the news a lot in the last week. I don't think prison would be an option, but I think at least he should loose any benefits he recieves from the VA. DISHONORABLE discharge, and no benefits! I am a Viet Nam "ERA" veterain, I do not claim to have served in any war. My brother is my hero, 2nd Air Calvary, helicopter gunner. Never injured, but enlisted when they tried to draft him. Served 3 years instead of 2, and lived through &^%^. This man should not deserve to be called a veterain in good standing after this. I'll probably post at some later date what really happens to him. Again, thanks for your input. Mike

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May 5, 2012 22:37:11   #
soupbone
 
Jack, you might try Googling "Stolen Valor" - there are several websites dedicated to this issue, usually just exposing folks who have made very public claims. As far as being a concerned citizen just checking out someone who claims to have gotten a Bronze Star in Berzerkistan - I don't know if that information is easily available. You might be able to get the info through the Freedom of Information Act, but that is a long process and it may not be worth the time and effort. One good pre-test for these people is to note if they willingly blab to anyone and everyone (especially pretty girls) about their secret or black ops experiences. The folks who did it don't talk about it.

soup

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May 6, 2012 00:23:07   #
Jackinthebox Loc: travel the world
 
soupbone wrote:
Jack, you might try Googling "Stolen Valor" - there are several websites dedicated to this issue, usually just exposing folks who have made very public claims. As far as being a concerned citizen just checking out someone who claims to have gotten a Bronze Star in Berzerkistan - I don't know if that information is easily available. You might be able to get the info through the Freedom of Information Act, but that is a long process and it may not be worth the time and effort. One good pre-test for these people is to note if they willingly blab to anyone and everyone (especially pretty girls) about their secret or black ops experiences. The folks who did it don't talk about it.

soup
Jack, you might try Googling "Stolen Valor&qu... (show quote)


Thanks, I find though that it is very difficult, indeed impossible, to prove a negative. Cannot prove that something did not happen. I know of someone making false claims but just ignore the pity full jerk. He also makes claims of scamming people on ebay and I would like to nail him at that.

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May 6, 2012 06:39:18   #
BW326 Loc: Boynton Beach, Florida
 
One of the main questions has been, "Has the person falsely claiming militray service or honors been able to realize any intrisnic value from making such claims?".

I was concerned to read that the VA has admitted that there are a number of times they are fooled by doctored DD214 (discharge papers) as well as state license bureaus that issue special license plates for Medal of Honor, Silver Star, POW, and Purple Heart recipients. More over, VA medical facilities give extremely high medical preference and 'no copay status' to all POW and Purple Heart recipients and that is a huge monetary benefit in and of itself so I would think that at the very least, claiming medals that qualify for monetary benefits should be made illegal irrespective of whether they have actually used them for that purpose.
In lieu of that, our forefathers used to just tar and feather them and run them out of town on a pole. That works for me too.

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May 6, 2012 07:52:04   #
konica135 Loc: Ormond Beach, FL
 
ferrinmike wrote:
Here in Salt Lake a man has been recognized, and honored for being a POW. Claimed to have been imprisoned in VIET NAM for 6months. Been on TV and several stories in the news. SOMEONE decided to check his facts, since they had been in the group he claimed to have served with, at the same time.
No records of him being a POW, or even serving in VIET NAM. He was drafted, and served two years statside.
So what should they do to him? There is a lot of talk of prosecutiing him. I know several Vets who served and I see vets at the VA who were injured, or imprisoned at one time. My vote of course is YES prosecute him. In honor of all those who were POW's or even served in the war. So what do you think?
Here in Salt Lake a man has been recognized, and h... (show quote)


Shouldn't the nation be asking the same questions about the credentials of the present POTUS?

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May 6, 2012 07:54:44   #
Jackinthebox Loc: travel the world
 
konica135 wrote:
ferrinmike wrote:
Here in Salt Lake a man has been recognized, and honored for being a POW. Claimed to have been imprisoned in VIET NAM for 6months. Been on TV and several stories in the news. SOMEONE decided to check his facts, since they had been in the group he claimed to have served with, at the same time.
No records of him being a POW, or even serving in VIET NAM. He was drafted, and served two years statside.
So what should they do to him? There is a lot of talk of prosecutiing him. I know several Vets who served and I see vets at the VA who were injured, or imprisoned at one time. My vote of course is YES prosecute him. In honor of all those who were POW's or even served in the war. So what do you think?
Here in Salt Lake a man has been recognized, and h... (show quote)


Shouldn't the nation be asking the same questions about the credentials of the present POTUS?
quote=ferrinmike Here in Salt Lake a man has been... (show quote)


Many are asking but the liberal media keeps hiding.

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May 6, 2012 08:46:44   #
waterbug49307 Loc: All over, currently Big Rapids Michigan
 
He might be living in his own little world. You don't have to be a vet to have that happen! Doesn't help that the news media is creating news instead of just reporting it. As a veteran myself, I don't like it and I think something should be done, just don't know what. But fact checking needs to be more of a priority I believe.

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