Beguiled by Bravado into Believing a Lie.
Most people who make false and embellished claims of military service go to great lengths in order to support their claims. We often see false documents, altered pictures, claims that could never be true, sock puppets, legal threats, and so much more being used by posers to defend their lies.
Some of the most bold posers use bravado to fend off anyone who dare question their service. They will use all forms of deception to justify their lies. We have had several cases in the recent past that stand out. One man had started his own FaceBook veteran group and was invited to help Admin many more veteran groups. He used the fact that many people who are known within veteran communities were on his friends list to establish his credibility. He had been doing it for many years. His blunder was to try and join a private group that investigates Stolen Valor. They take their lies too far, they always seem to go too far.
During our exposure of another recent case, a man used all kinds of documentation to support his lies. His family, beguiled by bravado, bought into his lie. For decades they were sure his claims were true. After all, he had proof. A lot of proof. Pictures on the wall, documents, awards, and many other veterans that knew him well. Or so it seemed.
I thought you might want to see the things we went to recover from this recent case. It is one thing to use words to describe the lengths these posers will go…quite another to see their deeds with your own eyes.
Here is one of our recent inventories surrendered by a man that never spent a day as a United State Marine:
All recovered from one military poser. The money and time people will put into protecting a lie must be exhausting.
Much respect to the men and women of TAH for your unwavering support. Without all of you, there would be no us.
Many thanks to little Nicky with this particular case. Proud of you brother, Semper Fi.
Category: Marine Corps, Phony soldiers, Valor Vultures
Good grief. It must be exhausting to perpetuate that kind of hoax for that long.
Exhausting and expensive. Lot of money to blow on such a prolonged lie.
Just think – if he’d just used all that money to buy a clue.
What other needs/wants did his family have that might have benefited from the money spent to reinforce his deceit?
This pogue is the end result of a Bum Fuck.
Saying he is a poque is implying that he was any sort of personnel to begin with so he doesn’t rate that term either. js.
pogue *typo*
Pog
Person… Other than… Grunt
I like the mentioned in dispatches palm on the purple heart. That’s different.
The time and effort to build and maintain this lie is extraordinary.
The Phillippine Defense Medal? Really? For what? Shopping at a Filipino store?
LBFM Service Ribbon
Getting VD from a Pinay ‘lady of the night’ ?
Oh FFS.
I had to physically turn away from my computer screen for a while.
Seeing all of that phony Marine poser bullshit made me nauseous. And furious.
Thanks for getting in there and putting a stop to this poser nonsense, Dave.
Semper Fidelis.
Just think, we did not even see the tats, harley or fat boy with beard pictures. Also missing the poser hundred-yard-squint.
NO leather vest or dog either.
Oh he had a leather vest…which actually contradicted some of his own claims.
Well. I, for one, don’t like marines.
They act like if they are all infantrymen, when only one out of 7 is.
Embellishment anyone?
Good morning, Yef!
Wow; that’s an exceptionally bright, insightful, and well thought-out comment that you, a supposed Army professional, have made there about your Marine Corps brethren. You’re a real ‘team player’!
And what a great decision to post that comment here on the pages of TAH!
I also find your use of the lower case ‘m’ when you spelled ‘marines’ (instead of ‘Marines’) to be especially clever. That’s one of our favorite little digs that people like to use when they attempt to disparage us Jarheads! It always cuts, but not very deeply!
Hopefully the other Marines and Fleet Marine Force Sailors that are on Team TAH will stop in here today, pause and reflect on your commentary, and then give you all of the attention that you so richly deserve. I’m sure that your words will be very well-received by all hands!
Thanks again for posting, and I hope that you go on to have a great Marine Corps day today. Ooragh!
And always remember, “Every Marine is a Rifleman’!
Semper Fi!
P.S. By the way, is there any chance that you’ll be lucky enough to get orders to a Joint assignment any time soon? If you do, you’ll get to work with Marines every day!!! Hooray!!!
Yeah- I have a question and comment for ole “Yef”
What’s the deal?
Some WM steal your boyfriend and you’re still holding a grudge?
…….and oh-my comment as a former FMF Marine.
Go fuck yourself.
Golf clap for LCpl Nelson and Mick.
What the fuck is Golf?
……..and my humblest apologies for not commending you publicly, Mick for the eloquent words of advice for this clueless wonder.
Only thing I’d add is maybe stay on topic.
If you wanna insult a Marine- may I suggest you do it face to face.
Yef…that was just unnecessarily dickish.
Being proud, confident and competent in your own abilities should negate the need for you to make such ridiculous comments.
“Every Marine is a Rifleman”… ever hear that statement before, Yef?
What’s your claim to fame, Yef?
Hey Yef
Inferiority complex much?
Go fuck yourself.
The scumsucking bastard didn’t have the balls to enlist when he could….he should be stood up against a wall and shot imho!
While some might frown upon beating the sh*t out of an old man, there are exceptions to be made.
Well, do it. Go to his house and beat him.
How bad are you going to beat him? Bloody nose? Hospital time?
The truth is Mike, dollars to donuts, you’ve never delivered a real bearing in your life.
Beating*
Sock puppet cleanup on aisle 6!
Looks like someone took a dump in IntelPogboy’s Cheerios.
If you’re so upset about offhand remarks that you have to lash out like that, Poguelette, I suggest you find a freezer and cool your heels in it….
call 1-800-Cry-Baby
Who is this IntelPogboy of whom you speak? Could this be joey’s sockpuppet?
That was my though, maybe Commissar got tired of being the joke that he is?
Thought, not though.
No. The Piuperdink’s expression is drowned in bad grammar, fragmented phrases, sentences that don’t make any sense, and lack of backup for anything.
The other bitter little person is literate, writes complete sentences and expresses himself clearly.
There is a definite difference between them. You have to make note of their consistency that shows their differences, just as LC rattles on and on when s/he could cut what s/he says by about 50% and still get the point across.
Holy crap. That isn’t a hobby. It’s an obsession.
My question: why not put all that time and effort into something tangible that would benefit other people and provide the same sense of satisfaction? Or take up something like training dogs for obedience trials and schutzhund?
There are so many ways to satisfy the need for positive attention, ways which are harmless, that I have difficulty understanding this.
Training dogs. My late uncle trained dogs for the Army but one day during training, one of the dogs was laying on the grass during landscaping and was partially run over with one of the lawn mowers so needless to say the dog was now DE FURED from serving in the Army. This was during the draft.
Nice article, Dave. I appreciate the work you, Jonn, Scotty and countless others put in ID these wanna-be’s.
I noticed that there was a Navy Cross in a couple of the photos – I had the honor of meeting an awardee of the Navy Cross back in the mid-1990’s. CAPT Davit A. Taft, MC, USN – here’s a link to his citation:
http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=4105
Senior Chief, you had me wondering how a doctor could be awarded a Navy Cross. After following your link, I now remember hearing about that shortly after it happened.
IIRC, there were three Medical Corps officers awarded the Navy Cross for their service in Vietnam…
Wow. Talk about obsessive, this guy has it big time. What’s the medal in the first pic, second row, second from the right with the blue, gold and red stripe? Got the rest, and felt ill.
Never mind, Navy and Marine Corps Medal, of course.
yeah…one “Gunney”
The condensed version of him is “silent but deadly”
Damn! Hack spent 22 years in the Marine Corps, and the only swag he sports is occasionally an olive drab cap with the Eagle Globe And Anchor embroidered on it. Picket it up at the Henderson Hall PX. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to carry that particular hat anymore. This guy must have spent tens of thousands of dollars to live the lie.
I attended the two-week Amphibious Warfare course at Little Creek – twice – so you know I’ve got the attendant Marine Corps bling and tattoos.
I did the 3 week marine amphib recon course (scout swimmer school) there with my ODA; does that make me a recon marine who can sport all that “jirine” recon bling? Maybe I should get one of those EGA tattoos. I also took over the battalion area of the 1st Recon Bn and inherited a bunch of their unauthorized weapons, plus boxes of their cammies and K-bars, so I guess my whole ranger company can now claim to be Viet of the Nam 1st Recon Marines, as we did take over their rear and field AO.
I remember Henderson Hall.
They had the that giant MCX.
You used to be able to walk through the side gate from Myer over to HH.
But don’t walk on the grass!!
He’s got so much bling that he makes Gunny Highway seem like a slacker.
That gnarly ass ash tray in the second picture is certainly from the Vietnam era. Maybe he is legit Dave are you sure?
Ok 3rd picture. My bad.
Holy cow! That is a TON of money right there!! It’s so sad to me that some people are so desperate for attention that they will make stuff up and go to lengths such as this to back up their fantasies.
I just don’t have it in me to lie about what I’ve done. Maybe I’m just wired differently, but I don’t like drawing attention to myself–I’m more of an “under the radar” type of person. I remember a high school teacher (driver training instructor) teaching us about the difference between attention and recognition, and I’ve never forgotten that lesson.
Wow.
It appears that you guys busted a serial poser.
I have always wondered though in some cases like this if there is not a degree of mental illness.
I am not letting dirtbags off the hook but curious as to how jacked up someone has to be to truly believe that he/she was something they were not. And then, as pointed out, the money and time spent to uphold the smokescreen.
At that point, it becomes their identity and their entire existence is a falsehood.
Sad.
“I have always wondered though in some cases like this if there is not a degree of mental illness.”
That’s exactly what I thought after looking at the pictures. My God, to invested that much money and time into a lie has got to be due, in part, to mental illness. WTF!!!!
Serial poser?
(Puts on sunglasses)
Are you saying he is a Froot Loop?
Every POSer that we have exposed has some type of mental illness.
Everything on a Marine Uniform has a reason for being there. Everything affixed to a real Marine’s uniform involves tangible events, meaning, various degrees of hard work, joy, sacrifice and in some cases pain and sadness.
What do you think a poser sees when he dons such a uniform? What thoughts fill his mind?
That’s a great question, but I don’t know, Doc. I really don’t know.
In my opinion, I doubt that many of these posers actually have the capacity for that type of deep, personal introspection that so many of us here on Team TAH are intimately familiar with whenever we reflect upon our military service.
As such, these posers probably don’t see much more than themselves playing an adult version of ‘dress up’ when they put on a uniform. They’ve already made the decision to ‘rock the lie’ by donning a uniform that they don’t rate, so they probably also don’t feel any personal shame while doing so.
It’s incomprehensible, and it’s infuriating.
Semper Fidelis.
yeah I suppose it’s not the uniform itself otherwise they could just put it on and walk around in it in the privacy of their home. I guess it’s the feedback they get from those that they dupe with the facade. But even then gaining respect, affiliation, admiration etc for lies would just feedback into subconscious self-loathing since that person deep down has to know it’s not really them getting the positive feedback.
Maybe it is just that Walter Mitty complex taken out of their heads and into their daily existence. Also, all that positive feedback they get reinforces this behavior. Funny how nobody wanted to falsely claim to be a Viet of the Nam steely eyed combat killer when the war was going on.
There are some people with little to no sense of guilt or shame. Think of the capability for self-evaluation as a Bell Curve. In that model, these people are at a 3-sigma point. I, also, am loath to call this a “mental illness” as that immediately generates sympathy for bad behavior.
true, and remember a lot of folks have personalities that don’t satisfy the diagnostic criteria for any certain mental disorder but nonetheless have certain traits that align towards one (or more).
That’s one use for the application of formally administered personality inventories.
IDC SARC, I’m no behavioral analyst; but I remember, on another post, you mentioned the positive effects of reinforcement (dopamine) when one’s behavior or opinion is seconded by others. It seems to me that in the case of some people (including some posers) the same result is generated by -negative- reactions to their opinions or behaviors: they don’t quit, they just keep coming back. To me, it seems that as long as attention is paid (positive or negative) they will keep repeating the same program. I’m inclined to think that posers might not really care whether the attention they receive is positive or negative…as long as they receive -attention- everything is just fine.
Basic rule of behavior any stimulus which doesn’t change behavior, reinforces it.
Big implications in that regarding those with undesirable behaviors which resist efforts to change them…children and adults
Great question. I like to think they get the same thrill as a kid in a Spider Man suit. They look cool but deep down they know it’s all bullshit. Except these guys are older and have the capacity to know they’re wrong so their thrill is tinged with guilt. I hope there’s some guilt there anyway.
As much contempt as I have for these scumbags, I also feel sorry for them. Albeit, very little. For they will never know that huge relief you get when you’re told that you made it. You’re one of us. When that cat with the giant fist pounds that badge in your chest and you don’t feel a thing but pride. They’ll never know that. It has to eat at them. At least I hope it does.
Sorry, cannot resist.
I have to wonder how long the poser will wait for things to cool down before he jumps right back into that “ring of lies” because he misses the attention and undeserved admiration from others.
I don’t go to great lengths in my embellishments. I just spread my hands wide and say “the last fish I caught was this big”.
…..I cut him in half for bait.
Reminds me so much of my pos brother…sigh.
That’s gotta be frustrating. It would be bad enough were it a trusted friend or a respected teacher. To be one’s own brother must lead to a special kind of internal conflict hell.
I think this may require a different classification. This may actually represent the phenomenon of Valor Hoarding 🙂
One phony, my favorite kicking toy, Kyle Christopher Barwan, has spent 117 days this year, (80 in one stretch, 37 in the current, ongoing stretch), in the Polk County, Florida jail. He is in now for violation of Probation, that is, more than likely, going to get him prison time. He does this because he is too damned lazy to work for a living, and has found that there are gullible citizens, mostly ladies with low self esteem, that will support him, thinking that he is an officer in various Special Operations units. Phonies always have other underlying problems that affect those around them.
Nice.
Hopefully this is the start of a very long stay.
The medals, patches, uniform, ashtrays, etc. are bothersome enough to see, they can be easily purchased on-line, uniform catalogs, flea markets and such.
BUT, where in the hell does one get purple heart certificates and all of the other official looking documents that posers use to fill in all of their pretend bullshit?!
If one were to see someone just claiming their poser shit showing only awards & such as proof, that’s one thing. Many people would be skeptical of a posers claims based on that. But, when there are official type documents in the mix, then this documentation would appear to support their claims and most people would take it as the truth.
It’s waaaaay to early this morning, plus the lack of sufficient caffeine, to see this crap.
Glad you guys busted his sorry ass.
Here’s one that spent 36 months in jail – Bob Neener:
http://mail.socnet.com/showthread.php?t=117204
https://www.bbb.org/nashville/business-reviews/internet-shopping/bob-neener-military-certificates-in-smithville-tn-37026434/Alerts-and-Actions
But he’s still in business:
http://www.citationexpress.com/usmc-awards.htm
http://www.citationexpress.com/MOS_0372_Critical_skills_Operator.png
That Rat Bahstid will make you a MARSOC legend, including IDC SARC Qualified.
FFS
I had no idea the ARCOM could be awarded to a Marine. Oh, I forgot. Posers can be awarded anything they like.
Joint/Combined Operations make all sorts of things like that happen. The recent conflicts have resulted in all sorts of cross service awards. The Navy in its infinite wisdom decided that awards given from other services would no longer count for purposes of promotions. Can’t give those forward deployed folks an unfair advantage over those left in garrison. SMH
Which would you rather face, being forward deployed where you only have to worry about shot or blown up; or back in the rear with the non-deploying 1st Sgt knee deep in your shit because you don’t have 100% participation for the Navy Marine Corps Relief Fund?
I earned 10 sea service deployment ribbons, there’s your answer. 🙂
I told my 1st Sgt that I did not join to shake the troops down for “voluntary contributions”.
Bet that was well received.
I once had a 1SG that was like that with the Army Emergency Fund and I strangely had more than my fair share of Saturday CQ Duty. It was rumored that many an E4 and below in that unit gracefully teabagged his coffee cup and farted in his K-pot when cleaning his office after hours.
Much respect to those that work tirelessly behind the scenes to expose the filth and scum that steal from those that have earned it. Nice job getting back all the photoshopped awards and EBay treasure. I hope his next stop is to cover up those tats before they get removed the hard way.
How many posers get 100% VA disability because of their grandiose stories while we actual veterans are looked at with skepticism because we’re missing a piece of paperwork or have fairly bad injuries without an exciting tale of heroics to justify it?
Not that I’m bitter, I’m just losing hope in actually getting help from the VA.
@ FLAG WAVER, Et Alii:
REP FOR VETS got my brother a 100% Service Connected Disability, and they got me a 70% Service Connected Disability.
Their web site is at:
https://www.reforvets.com/
You can telephone them at:
1-888-573-7838
I sent a message to them and will be calling tomorrow. Thanks, brother.
When the DVA budget has grown four-fold since 2000, yet the total veteran population continues to decline, that’s what a lot of folks call, “easy money.”
Even if only 10 percent of the budget is fraudulent benefits (and I think I’m lowballing it by at least a factor of 2) then that’s almost $20 BILLION a year. Yeah, billion.
I may be wrong but it is my understanding that compensation payments do not come out of the VA budget.
Unfortunately, you are indeed wrong.
Compensation and Pension (C&P) is one of the mandatory programs funded from the VA budget (mandatory as they are a legal entitlement specified in Federal law for those who qualify). There are three such mandatory VA programs: C&P, Readjustment Benefits, and Insurance and Indemnities).
The VA’s 2018 budget request is for approximately $186 billion. Of that, a bit over $104 billion is to cover those three mandatory programs. C&P is by far the largest of the 3 mandatory programs.
In contrast, the portion of the VA budget request for 2018 dedicated to support VA medical care is approximately $72.3 billion.
https://www.va.gov/budget/docs/summary/fy2018VAsBudgetFastFacts.pdf
It would not surprise me at all to find that 10+% of the VA’s entire budget is indeed spent paying for either fraudulent payments or medical care for those individuals embellishing their symptoms or outright lying. And it wouldn’t shock me to find the total paid to support fraudulent claims and/or care to those embellishing or lying about their “SC” conditions tops 20% of the entire VA budget.
When something of value can be had simply by lying, sooner or later someone will lie to get it. And the smart money is on “sooner”.
@ DAVE HARDIN:
How did you persuade ALMON FORREST HENTHORNE, JUNIOR to hand over all that stuff?
Did you personally collect it?
When posers pretend to have served in the United States Marine Corps, it has a special impact on me.
I wanted to join the United States Marine Corps, but they turned me down, which at the time, left me totally devastated.
So, I volunteered to be drafted, which automatically put me in the United States Army.
But, I’m in good company, because the United States Marine Corps also refused to accept Audie Murphy, and as a result, he also ended serving in the United States Army, becoming the most decorated hero in the Second World War and a Hollywood movie star.
@ DAVE HARDIN:
After collecting all that stuff, what happens to it?
Is there some place like a museum where you would send it to?
I served and deployed with Army guys all the time. Don’t ever think my ribbing of them means I have anything less that complete respect for them.
Audie Murphy is an excellent example of the Corps letting one slip by.
It is all being held in storage for the time being. Eventually, if its not needed for any future purpose, the fake things will be destroyed and the rest of it will find a happy home.
‘Audie Murphy is an excellent example of the Corps letting one slip by.’
I’ll tell you this; if you take the time to research or do some ‘targeted browsing’ late at night…there’s something in the water in TX and PA.
For a great, in-depth look at Audie Murphy during and after WW2, check out the writing on him in ‘Warriors’ by Max Hastings.
Actually I’d consider the book a must-have for any veteran interested in military history at a very personal level. I cannot recommend this book highly enough using only text.
https://www.amazon.com/Warriors-Portraits-Battlefield-Max-Hastings/dp/030727568X
The TAH repository of poser bling?
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=raiders+of+the+lost+ark+final+scene&view=detail&mid=F70B83460007BD1F6C54F70B83460007BD1F6C54&FORM=VIRE&PC=SMSM
Audie Murphy was turned down initially by ALL the services because he was underage. He forged his age and only tried the Army, which took him in.
Im embarrassed to say that my mother IS married to this slime ball P.O.S. When I first met him 18 years ago I new something wasnt right about him. He’s always been stand offish to me, claiming I disrespected my mother as a young girl (to which he hadnt a clue) to now find out he has not only disrespected his father “a real Navy Vet” but my mother, brother,sister, our kids and THIS ENTIRE COUNTRY! Almon Henthorne YOU ARE A PIECE OF SHIT!!! You didnt even have the balls to be truthful with us before this shit went public. I HOPE YOU GET PROCECUTED, YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING LIAR! Thanks to Dave, Scott (Stolen Valor) & Nick for outting his disgraceful ass.
Vampires. They thrive on the feedback tinged with envy they receive from those they dupe. Their incredibly tiny mental penis stiffens into the tiniest fraction of an emotional erection with those around saying “wow, what a stud, thank you for all you did.” Like a career criminal, it is amazing how much work and effort they put into it, when they could have put the same effort or less into actually doing something non-delusional. Just freakin’ pitiful… but pity doesn’t always arouse sympathy – sometimes it also provokes anger.
I hope all of that made one nice lawn fire
@ FAT CIRCLES 0311:
It would be better to store that stuff in case it’s ever needed as evidence in some possible future court case.
It might also have potential value as part of a museum collection, maybe in a future public exhibit of stolen valor.
I’d be all for a gofundme to fund a yearly BBQ for all the phony hunters @ TAH and the other prominent websites/groups that do the same thing. The work they put in is invaluable and protects every Veteran who honestly represents their service. And I have no doubts they all have moments of stressful consideration. I will leave the accurate targeting to them, except in specific cases where claimed unit or training/class/etc. associations can be nailed down by yours truly with 2 degrees of separation or less via personal contact with (former) colleagues. I’m very leery to dabble because I was once within a cvnt hair of confronting an almost old-timer over NSW claims when a few hairs stood up and I realized (fortunately, in the nick of time, thus saving me thousands of $ in future bar tabs) that I was dealing with a legit NSW veteran most likely suffering from early onset dementia and a couple of decades of ‘hard, lost living’ (I’m certain some reading this understand exactly what I’m referring to). Except for the most obvious, idiotic phonies (fortunately SOF phonies usually fall into this category) the pressure must build up more often than not – I can think of nothing more horrifying for a solid veteran to have to face than having erroneously ‘outed’ a legit veteran as a phony. And I trust my gut too much to do the job without the wide cross-branch knowledge of the serious phony busters – my initial ‘hunch’ re: Joe Mantitties would be exhibit #1 against me were I standing tall before the man on this issue. The ‘common knowledge’ that many well-meaning, supportive Citizens with no military service have re: US SOF (as well as UK SOF across the pond) is insane enough as it stands today. Imagine how bad it would be without the phony hunters, ‘Stolen Valor’ being written, etc. I think a night’s bar tab donated to a very large, very politically incorrect BBQ with The SARC serving as ‘Moral Compass for all Related Nighttime Activities’ is the least that all of us… Read more »
The BBQ might fly. Not sure the world’s ready for IDC SARC as moral arbiter for night activities, though. That might be the proverbial “bridge too far”. (smile)
IDC SARC would have us all “hitting this or that”. Would there be a “Doctor of Sexually Transmitted Diseases” in attendance?
That person is not scary.
I’ll just keep the the most infected slags suitably entertained.
One other thing I’ve noticed when looking at a lot of the ‘evidence photos’ @ TAH, and I was wondering if any of you had similar thoughts, experiences, etc.
What’s up with all the super clean patches, perfect certs, and so on.
I’ve got a lot of patches and a few badges and pins from foreign SOF over many years. They are all kind of beat up – mainly because when I received them I stuck them in a pocket in a go bag and didn’t remove them for another six months or more of go bag smashing travel.
The same goes for certs, graduation programs, etc. There’s a couple I wish I could get cleaner, unbeaten duplicates of but in a way the dog ears and 2-3 coffee stains is something that sort of ‘looks right’, if you all catch my meaning.
I don’t think I’ve got a single patch or badge that doesn’t have some obvious wear or loose threads, etc. At the time and even today it seems kind of silly to worry about ‘mint condition appearance’.
Of all the medals and badges, of all the nick-nacks and patches, and posters, and clocks, and engraved swords, and shot glasses, and other finery, of all these things there is one small item that always trips them up in my eyes.
The Navy and Marine Corps Medal.
Every fucking poser out there gives them self that particular medal. If you look at the medallion closely it does say “Heroism” on it. But what these morons fail to know is that the medal is awarded for the kind of Heroism that is displayed when the Sailor or Marine performs this heroic act anywhere else but in combat. It is also one of the least awarded medals in the entire list of military awards. Even rarer than the MOH.
So, whenever I see that medal on the uniform of someone who’s ribbons are already jacked up, whose badges are on wrong, or whose cover doesn’t fit right, I automatically know he’s a poser.
Call it the Poser Identification Medal.
‘Poser Identification Medal’
Good one!
A couple of other personal poser favorites are the Navy Cross with Combat ‘V’, and the Silver Star with Combat ‘V’.
And yes, I have seen poser assclowns wearing them in the past.
TINS (This Is No Shit)
I have too. Also, there was a fake Coastie with “V” on “his” Purple Heart.
Hell, THIS ass monkey had a bronze PALM on “his” PH. That’s a first for me.
Although I have to say it does look kind of cool.
If some of these posers instead said “I am a -reenactor-” or “I am portraying a (whatever) of the (so and such) era, well, what harm? Not much difference then with the folks dressed up as Continentals.
Admit it is “let’s pretend” and you are eccentric. it is -not- evil to play “costume party” your whole life (SCA, Cosplay, Rev War, etc…), just a bit odd.
America is the place where we are free to be odd.
But to go whole hog and claim the fantasy is reality? Why? Not the crooks. Crooks will be crooks. Smite them with the gavel, etc. But the otherwise self-supporting folks doing this crap confuse me terribly.
Want to be heroic? Go volunteer somewhere. -Anyone- can do heroic things. It has to be easier than “rockin the lie”.
“It has to be easier than “rockin the lie”.”
And ultimately more satisfying. Posers will never forget that they are not what they pretend to be. Actually doing, even if nothing ‘heroic’ ever happens, provides the satisfaction, and it is real and it’s uniquely yours.
I recognize that USMC cover that looks like it needs a little headliner spray. In my several years perusing TAH, I’ve not seen another like THAT one.
And to mr. sharkman, everything you have ever posted here makes sense. Thank you.
Quite an ‘I Love Me’ collection based entirely on hubris and nothing else. This is into the realm of foolishness. Jeez, man get a life. I will say he took the phrase ‘Go Big or Go Home’ to the nth degree. Navy Cross, Silver Star, anything and everything imaginable.
Did that dipshit give these items willingly? Did he have any remorse? Any apology offered? And what happens to this stuff now so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands again?
Well this is one I look forward to being behind me. Yeah I’m the Nicky (Nick) that did the collecting of all the poser paraphernalia. I will add it was all given up to me by this poser of his own free will. He fully confessed and admitted his lies were just that. He gave me everything he had that was Marine Corps. I remind all that he did serve 22 months in the Navy received a General that turned Honorable so that cant be taken from him. This was at a time of war in Vietnam, 1968 the height of that war. I personally believe like one here already stayed he has a mental issue. This all started cause he was out of the Navy in the earliest part of the 70s as stating he had been a Marine back from Nam on a resume to get a job. It was a lie that grew over the years into this. When busted he at first denied all but when i pressed him on this with his wife and friends he eventually admitted to it all. I actually do feel for him as I cant imagine being in any mans shoes returning to the states from anywhere during that time as our society treated our Nam veteran so bad. As I said I’m just glad this one is behind me. Thanks for the kinds woeds Dave semper Fi my brother. I will always Honor Their Sacrifice Comfort Their Beloved Left Behind Never Ever Forget.
Nick, wow.
You did well. And so did your team.
I think you ended up HELPING this guy, not hurting him.
I also in some cases of SV, that there are some mental issues going on with those folks. The real sad ones are the folks who did indeed serve, but it just was not enough (embellishment).
Thank You for what you did.
Semper Fidelis
What a sad story. Nick, thank you for what you did. It sounds as though you handled the best way possible.
Thanks for what you did, Nick… Semper Fi!
Jackass to all the real combat veteran’s that need to re construct their classified file’s to received the Valor awards that are for real.
502nd Combat Aviation Bn. 343rd Dustoff Honduras, El Salvador, 1985-86.
Which a group of us are ATTEMPTING to do right now.
God Bless and comfort you, Nick.
I too would like to commend Nick Mottola and Dave Hardin for a job well done! This is the first that I’ve seen the actual medals, certs, etc. ” confiscated “? I fully trust that once these items are no longer needed as evidence that they will be destroyed/ dispersed to anyone having actually earned them, yet do not possess. Semper Fi Dave and Nick…
By the way, Dave, that is one great expression in your title, “Beguiled by Bravado.”
You might want to copyright that as it would make a great title for a book on the most egregious of these Stolen Valor frauds.
Something must be wrong with my computer screen.
I thought it said; “Beguiled by Bras”
Volume I Of a never ending series.
Thanx PT…even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and then.
My dad did 20+ in the Marines and even did a tour in Vietnam. He joined in 1953 because in the tiny world he grew up in WVA as the youngest of eight dirt poor kids of a coal miner it was either the military or the coal mines. After a day in the coal mines he went to see the recruiters. The Army recruiter told him that it would be two weeks before he could ship and the Marine told him he could ship the next day. Marines it was. He enlisted as a machine gunner and then when the opportunity came he changed to supply and for most of his time he worked a supply MOS. He never got any big medals, no letters from the president, never was wounded, never had to face the enemy in combat at all, no secret missions, no scout sniper, no UDT training or any of that imaginary high speed stuff. Just providing supplies to units and sometimes working in a big warehouse. When he retired in 1975 as an E-8 the military was very unpopular. Vietnam Vets were unpopular too. Most of the posers in that era were political hacks and operatives trying to blacken even further the reputation of the military. The media denigrated the military in every way possible. My dad learned a marketable skill in the Marines (logistics) and from contacts he had from when he was in was able to find steady work when he retired. He hung out at the VFW and the AL and would throw back a beer or two. Outside his comfort zone he would never talk about his service to a non-vet or even identify himself as a vet. Most of his friends were vets and they were friends of the family of course. Many of them shared his low key outlook. It wasn’t until the early 80s when Reagan started restoring respect to the military that he started identifying himself openly as a retired vet. By the time he retired the second time he picked up a USMC flag that he… Read more »
God Bless your father, so much!
Right now, we have, Posers by Year (TAH); and posers by Branch of Service(Military Phonies). Why not, Posers by State? That is, a registry, according to the states in which they live. Would you wish someone within that registry, although a certified contractor, to do work within your home? If you are a manager in a small business, wishing to hire someone, would you prefer to hire an individual who is a poser? It might make some sense to list posers by state, regardless of rank or military status claimed.
Many move once exposed. Impossible to keep it accurate.
My first experience as a poser was in 1964 when the first Beatle’s album came out and they were all wearing Nehru jackets with those hair cuts. Awesome. I was 15. A local haberdashery in Tarzana ,CA had a lime green one in the window for $15.00 I saved weekly and eventually bought it. I was thrilled as that jacket was going to be my ‘break out’ into the elevated social strata of Reseda High School. I placed it in my closet and wore it in the house but feeling nervous all of a sudden. I felt weird and fake as I then realized I really was not a Beatle and can’t sing but a skinny kid with too many zits.
I never did leave the house with it on and I do not know what happened to it, nor do I care. How do these shit birds leave their houses wearing and living a lie. Hell, they never learned what I did at 15. Great gobs of goose shit.!! Talk about messed up SOBs.
CAPT Bones USN (ret)
[…] Issues With Females In Authority! The Political Hat: Bake The Musical Cake This Ain’t Hell: Beguiled By Bravado Into Believing a Lie Weasel Zippers: Everybody Panic, Only Three Years Left To Save The Earth!, also, German Court […]
I will add;
For all you would-be or current-but-yet-to-be-detected posers out there reading this, here’s the tale of ‘just’ and ‘average’ Fleet Sailor.
http://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=72961
You don’t need to prowl around in the dark punching holes in bad guys snot lockers while packing a SOPMOD to be a tough-as-nails BAMF.
If you aren’t past your early/mid 30s, and you feel the need, go sign on the line and do 4-6 years in the Fleet or humping a ruck as a ‘regular’ Infantryman or riding into battle in a Stryker (if you’re really, really insane) or, Gods help you…maybe go 03xx USMC.
You’ll love it, you’ll hate it, you’ll have the time of your life even if you don’t know it at the time, you’ll get a little swagger in your step, you’ll make the best Friends you will ever have (and have 20x more of them than most guys your age), you’ll pick up some sea stories and learn to invent even greater ones, and – if you’re lucky – you might get the chance to save your own little corner of the Free World (TM) once or twice.
Best of all, is you will give yourself a gift that most guys will never receive: You will know and understand exactly who and want you are, ‘when it counts’.
FW&FS, Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr. The powers that be had better make certain you are sporting Crows before you are sent off to the Next Big Gig.
He had more shit than I do!
My father told me that most people who said they were in the shit somewhere because they WANTED TO BE were dead flat lying. I know now that he was right.
But he also told me “You can’t shame a deadbeat.” This fella’ has NO shame.
Dedication from the hunters brought this one to light! This was far from a quick exposure. Awesome work and a good outcome. Congrats and respect for all that flushed this turd. Semper Fi!