Lester Brown passes
It’s been brought to our attention by more than one of you that a Lester Kent Brown passed recently in Twin Falls, Idaho. The date of birth lined up with the Lester Brown we’re familiar with from the Elko, Nevada area. We have been able to confirm that the deceased Mr. Brown in Twin Falls was from Spring Creek, Nevada (just outside Elko).
Whatever we here at TaH/Valor Guardians have to say about a man, we don’t like to speak ill of the dead. No obituary has been posted on Les Brown yet, so we don’t know the way in which he died. I say with all sincerity that our hearts go out to the friends and family Les left behind. Christmastime is an especially hard time of year to lose a loved one.
We’ll ask you to please be respectful with your comments. You’re all adults, and you now know as much as we do.
Category: None
You kept it classy. Good for you, Mason.
“We’ll ask you to please be respectful with your comments. You’re all adults, and you now know as much as we do.”
Can we quote Bette Davis instead? Asking for a friend.
Hack Stone has a hard time understanding why some people who do things that help their fellow veterans and citizens find it necessary to embellish their military accomplishments in order to lend credence to their philanthropic projects. Helping homeless veterans, disabled veterans and those who suffer from PTSD are noble efforts, but when you feel it necessary to pump up your military records with fictitious achievements, all it does is call into question what motivates you to do your charitable deeds, to help others or draw attention to yourself. Not everyone in the military is an Audie Murphy, some get to be the tip of the spear, the rest of us get the shaft. Just be satisfied that you answered the call, and did your part in defending America. Otherwise, your legacy will have an asterisk, and your friends and family have to deal with the shame you left for them.
Well put, Hack.
After a number of years in LE, the truth is everyone lies. Some people lie more than others. People lie to their spouses, their friends, their preacher and especially the police.
It is to try to cheat and alter the calculus of judgment that we all make and deal with everyday.
I agree that everyone lies, to some extent. But most of us lie about trivial stuff that in the overall scheme of things doesn’t amount to much. Many of us have lied to our spouses about something we were supposed to do when they were away, like taking out the trash or putting the laundry in the dryer, when they call. But most of us that served in the military don’t make up fabulist war stories that we never experienced, like being a POW (one of my most despicable faves).
What will his stone have on it is my question?
Depends on where he’s buried and what is provided to document the individual’s service.
If he’s buried in a National Cemetery, the VA will provide the tombstone. VA policy appears to be to list conflicts occurring during a person’s documented service, regardless of location of service, and selected decorations.
Assuming the DD214 or other documentation provided to the VA is accurate and matches the FOIA reply TAH received concerning the individual, that means a tombstone provided by the VA would probably list “Gulf War”, since he appears to have legitimately served during that conflict.
If he’s buried in a private cemetery or a DD214 at variance with the FOIA response is used to document his service for National Cemetery burial, all bets are off.
Not sure how state veteran cemeteries handle things. I think most if not all follow the VA’s lead here, but I’m not sure.
Even so, there is some flexibility about what is chiseled on the stone. For instance, we here at Casa OWB could have Viet Nam, Persian Gulf, and GWOT on our headstones because we served during all three. We only asked for Persian Gulf, since that is where we got hazardous duty pay.
It is my understanding that state cemeteries must follow at least some VA rules when they take VA supplied headstones and whatever other perks the VA provides. Not certain how far that extends – our local state cemetery follows the VA rules to the letter but some of that may be choice rather than mandate. Dunno for sure.
Thanks for the update, OWB. Glad to see that at least some parts of the VA use common sense. Many if not most large bureaucracies seem to have lost that capability and become quite inflexible instead.
In all fairness, it may be an unintended consequence. Since I filled out the form, and the form did not require more than a single entry, perhaps it was just an oversight on their part?
Bottom line – any vet who feels strongly about what they want on their tombstone should fill out the form ahead of time. Make a reservation and submit it yourself if you want to control what it says. Most families will be too busy at the time of burial to argue when the cemetery administrator tells them that their loved one already submitted the paperwork.
All-Points Logistics.
Lo and behold, a turd resides in this hole.
Every veteran deserves a proper burial regardless
of the secrets or lies they take with them.
Hack will have to disagree with you. Take someone like Daniel Bernath, unrepentant to the bitter end, who made it his personal mission to destroy anyone who even remotely questioned his embellished claims. His scorched earth policy of attacking anyone he had a real or imagined beef caused a lot grief and cost a lot of money to many people who never even heard of him. Hack Stone is seriously asking if Daniel Bernath had a Military Detail at his funeral. How would you like to be a Sailor on that detail?
Good post, Hack…include traitors, deserters, felony murder, etc.
Bernath was still honorably discharged, Hack. And he was never convicted of one of the small number of crimes that would disqualify him from burial in a National Cemetery.
Even a-holes like Bernath deserve a proper burial if otherwise entitled to same, as distasteful as that might be.
Hondo,
Remember the 1970s band BADFINGER?
Come And Get It. No Matter What.
Baby Blue. Day After Day?
Unfortunately, good point.
Here’s a great example.
Badfinger’s (USA) manager, Stan Polley.
A WWII vet,
from the 1960s on (until his death) he lived as a wannabe Jewish mafia type,
including scamming anyone anywhere.
He ran off with Badfinger’s income, the record company money,
leading to 2 band member suicides.
He financially ruined a bunch of others, too.
Even when pushing 70, he conned $1/4 million
from a California aerospace engineer.
He could always lawyer up, and avoid jail.
Of course, he never paid off his civil restitution.
Yet, his ill gotten proceeds have ensured his surviving children live quite well on eastern Long Island.
But here he is, laying in a California National Cemetery,
looking all honorable and heroic in death.
Worse, his stone scratchings are a final dig, at someone.
Ugh.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72635714/stanley-h.-polley
A group named “Badfinger”? And a sleazy manager named “Polley”?
Hmm . . . yeah, I think I might have heard of them before.
(smile)
Excellent page and article, Hondo.
For everyone else,
here is a Beatles quality music video of Badfinger put out by Apple.
Considering George Harrison was a huge influence and a producer on their albums, yeah, the sound is unmistakable.
A totally underrated band gone too soon, IMO.
Actually, NHSparky, only one of Badfinger’s albums was in part produced by Harrison – Straight Up. And he shared production duties on that one with Todd Rundgren. Harrison started production on the album, then got tied down by prep for the “Concert for Bangladesh” and handed over production of the album to Rundgren. (Harrison also played slide guitar on their hit from that album “Day After Day”.)
Per Wikipedia, here’s the production team for each of the band’s “classic lineup” (e.g., 1969-1975) albums:
Maybe Tomorrow (released under their original name, “The Iveys”): Tony Visconti, Mal Evans
Magic Christian Music: Paul McCartney, Tony Visconti, Mal Evans
No DIce: Geoff Emerick, Mal Evans
Straight Up: Todd Rundgren, George Harrison
Ass: Chris Thomas, Badfinger;
Todd Rundgren
Badfinger (released in 1974, first Warner Brothers album): Chris Thomas
Wish You Were Here: Chris Thomas
The similarity to the Beatles’ sound you’re thinking about likely is due to Paul McCartney’s production of their three best-known early tunes (“Come and Get It”, “Rock of All Ages”, and “Carry on Until Tomorrow”). These McCartney-produced tunes were used in the film The Magic Christian and provided many their first exposure to the band’s music. The Badfinger album containing them (“Magic Christian Music”) wasn’t that big a hit in either the US or UK, and their earlier album as The Iveys (“Maybe Tomorrow”) was virtually unknown in both places.
Regardless, you’re correct in saying that they were a great band. Unfortunately, they were also royally screwed over by the music industry (and in particular by their sleazy producer, Stan Polley) and never received their due – either financially or recognition-wise.
Hondo,
<— Former FaceBook friend and current group mate with the current drummer of the Bob Jackson UK version of Badfinger,
Ted Duggan, as he owns a nice set of North Drums.
I created the North Drums group.
Roger North is now a member.
🙂
Oh, and for what it’s worth, MarineDad61: Polley may have been a sleazebag and fraudster, but he apparently served honorably and was never convicted of a crime that would disqualify him from National Cemetery burial. So like it or not, he legitimately rates a veteran’s burial.
Honda,
I know. However,
when I drove down that stretch of I-215
over 5 years ago,
I was more than tempted to visit Polley’s grave,
and leave an inkjet print of the Ass LP cover,
adhered over his name on the stone
with a can full of pink spray paint.
Only travel time (late) prevented me
from taking the exit to the Nat’l Cemetery.
I don’t believe that I would have been the 1st.
Obviously, a long time Badfinger fan here.
Thanks.
Taking a large bottle of nitrogen-infused recycled beer collected after its lease has expired and using that to water the grass on his grave might be a better option. Far less chance of being observed and prosecuted for vandalism. (smile)
Hondo,
Thanks for the tip.
I’ve only ever desecrated 1 grave, and only with urine, by standing over it and pissing on his stone.
(Retired teacher who was also
a convicted child molester.)
I’m already geared up for the 2nd,
the “Sinister Minister” in PA
who murdered 2 wives, 1 in my town,
and 1 in the Poconos.
You might want to consider using a “Mellow Yellow” bottle. That would provide camouflage, and also just seems . . . fitting.
Dropping the bottle “accidentally” while visiting the grave also might provide additional concealment. (smile)
Yep. Play this on your headphones as you get there and make it perfect:
https://youtu.be/bb3WpOJvsug
The Stranger,
I was thinking…
… more like this.
Agree.
“Veteran” is a title one earns for serving at least somewhat honorably in the military. Yes, it is troubling to think about really bad people being honored along with the rest of us simple humans. But, being a veteran is not about how a life is lived generally but what one of us did or was willing to do during a period of time, be it a single enlistment or a long career.
Yes, we have seen many liars and otherwise despicable people who disgraced the title they earned while making us ashamed to call them brothers. It just doesn’t alter the fact that they were/are still veterans.
What we honor is a service provided while we might shake our heads in disgust at the failure to live honorably in other regards.
I agree, and I know many here are familiar with Oise-Aisne and Plot E.
Sadly, it’s a tradition that needs to be revived. I’m not suggesting either Messrs. Brown or Bernath would qualify, but too many modern soldiers do.
Can’t say I see the need – at least, not as Plot E was originally used.
All of those buried in Plot E had been dishonorably discharged and executed due to conviction for capital crimes (some of were convicted of rape; the rest were convicted of murder). Each of those (dishonorable discharge, capital crime conviction, Tier III sex crime conviction with final sentence of life imprisonment or death) disqualifies an individual from eligibility for burial in any National Cemetery.
https://www.va.gov/burials-memorials/eligibility/
My guess is they were only buried in a military cemetery back then because the US generally wasn’t repatriating remains of those who died overseas during World War II and they had to be buried somewhere. They wouldn’t be eligible for such burial today.
Now, if you’re advocating a new form of “Plot E” – say, one for those with less than an Honorable Discharge who nonetheless qualify for National Cemetery burial/grave marker, or who received an honorable discharge but were later convicted of a felony – I could possibly support something like that. (I’d need to see the specifics first, though.) Unfortunately, that would also be an absolute freaking nightmare to design/implement/manage. I’m thus not optimistic we’ll ever see that kind of change.
I’ll address the elephant in the room – somebody has to.
What does this mean for the annual Chili Feed in Elko?
Daisy Cutter,
Over 2 weeks ago, the Elko POW*MIA Awareness Ass. posted that
they will be making a statement about the Chili Feed in January 2021.
IMHO, it could go either way.
After February 2020’s 1st ever decrease in proceeds and donation check,
this could go either way.
And now, they have the 2020 virus as an excuse.
We shall see….
My money’s on “Cancelled this year due to the pandemic (and we hope everyone has forgotten all about our SV ‘issues’ by next year)”.
Hondo,
Yep.
However, the other way… would be a combination
“Les Brown Memorial” and “Screw the Virus” chili feed.
Knowing the history of the Elko POW*MIA Awareness Ass.,
these are certainly on the table (of chili pots).
By the way, Elko’s Ron DaRonche is alive and well,
and busy on FakeBook again,
with a newly found FakeBook page.
https://www.facebook.com/ronald.daronche
It will depend if Phildo can get the check in the mail.
The obituary will prove to be interesting.
“These hack websites are going after our vests,” Brown said. “They went after ‘River Rat’ in May for stuff that he was wearing on his vest. They talk about things we wear on our vests that we didn’t earn. Well, we all wear something on our vests that we didn’t earn.” — Les Brown —
No, Les, we don’t all wear things we did not earn on our vests. The only things on mine that I did not earn are clearly marked as honors to others – like the Service Dog Memorial patches and the unit patches for my Dad with the words “In Memorium” built into the patch. There is no mistaking that they are for someone else.
Meanwhile, what Les Brown and others like him have done is cause me to permanently hang up the vest. It’s been a very long time since I wore it. It will likely never be worn again because guys like Les Brown have tainted it.
We don’t all wear a wristwatch facing inward either.
… with a canvas/velcro flap that covers the face to protect it from the bad brush when you’re out in the bush.
And then……
BDUs.
Army Uniforms.
At parades.
At a school. With schoolchildren. And hugs.
Hugging schoolchildren while dressed up with
fake rank and phony unearned combat patches.
I’ll stop here… with the must see clincher link.
https://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=89407
Reminds me of that grave in the movie “Tombstone” but as I understand it, it is a real gravemarker.
It is. My brother visited Tombstone and it’s in the cemetery.
I can confirm. Been there, seen that personally. It’s in the “Boot Hill Cemetery” in Tombstone, AZ.
The name of the cemetery isn’t unique, though. Apparently quite a number of cemeteries in the “Wild West” were called “Boot Hill” because those killed in gunfights “died with their boots on” and were buried in said cemeteries.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boot_Hill
Came here for this.
No Les,
No More
Or No More Les
Yes, that is a real marker on Boot Hill, Tombstone, AZ. I’ve walked by it (and many other markers) many times when I was stationed at Ft Huachuca (Ft We-Got’cha).
Some people live their lies to the fullest, some people go their whole lies never accomplishing anything, some do nothing but suffer throughout their lies, as if they were born to suck.
At least Les “Do-do” Brown wasted not-a-second of his lie, his ability to live so far from the truth is really a testament to the skill he had as a fabricator of bullshit.
———
If you see a mound of dog excrement, cry not, it still has more value to society than embellishers I will not name here, out of resomething for the recently departed.
At least he wasn’t related to Lester Brown and his band of re noun or Lester Flatt whom combed his hair with possum fat, and when it’s my turn to go, I’ll know that I didn’t disgrace the Brotherhood of the NDSM and all the TAH Chicks and guys commenters with embellishment and bad puns.
No hurry Jeff but I expect your headstone will contain a pun or two.
Thanks Beans.
Classy/Respectful/Adult,
You be the judge.
(I can’t believe it took almost 30 comments 😏)
https://youtu.be/PVrEwCa8nSA
Sorry,
Not a great (embed) link, dis better.
Just look at the legacy he left for his family members.
I admit I have no class. And I don’t mind speaking ill of the dead. Death changes the fact that there is a bit more oxygen for us to breath. If you were an asshole in life, after you die you are just a dead asshole.
It would be interesting to nail the worst of the worst,
those Stolen Valor liars and Military Phony idiots
who turned the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project
into a joke of tall tales, outright lies, and outrageous Stolen Valor.
Especially those who are not only alive and well today,
but still out there publicly since,
in any form,
whether it be parades, memorial ceremonies, Legion, VFW, Navy Club,
any of it.
The article link below is from (way back in) 2007,
when in-house cleansing of Medal of Honor and POW phonies occurred.
And, we know it’s still going on today.
IF the Project videos can be viewed by sort,
it shouldn’t be too difficult to come up with tales so tall,
and phonies so phony,
that verifying them (as phony) should be fairly easy.
It might also be likely to find 1 or more names already known.
Known here.
At the least, IF the Library of Congress is deleting them quietly,
others (like us) can hang them out to dry publicly.
(Paste)
Error, fraud mar vets’ oral histories, critics say —
A seven-year, multimillion-dollar effort by the Library of Congress to gather American veterans’ personal war stories is peppered with inaccurate information and fraudulent claims of heroism, critics say,
casting doubt on its value as a historical record.
Staffers at the Veterans History Project on Tuesday were hastily removing from the project’s Web site a number of references that bestowed the nation’s highest military honor on soldiers who never won it, confirmed Matt Raymond, the library’s director of communications.
The incorrect Medal of Honor listings are just the tip of the iceberg in a collection of 50,000 oral and written histories that also includes numerous other errors regarding
everything from lesser medals to rank attained and whether or not the soldier was ever a prisoner of war,
according to outside experts on the database.
(end paste)
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna20853588
IIRC, we had a number of our phonies profiled here who had recited their bogus war stories to the Veterans History Project.
iirc, when some of us complained to those collecting the data, their response was indifference, at best, and disdain toward those of us suggesting that they verify the info they were receiving, at worst. It was disgusting.
OWB,
Ugh.
I wonder, has Honor Flights Arizona (Maggie DeSanti)
learned their lesson on this, for doing the same thing?
Thanks.
The strangest thing…..
After about 30 hours of FakeBook buzz… on December 20 & 21.
and some posts with a bunch of clicks and a few comments,
FakeBook has now gone totally quiet on Les Brown.
For almost 6 days.
Nada.
More, BOTH the obituary webpages found still have
NO obituary, and
NO sympathy expressions of any kind, from anyone.
Worse, the Elko Daily Free Press
(the (infiltrated) hometown newspaper
that started it all with Les Brown (and his glory story)), has
NO OBITUARY.
Something’s up…..
with all this eery silence the past 6 days.
https://www.facebook.com/355840094496593/posts/what-can-be-said-when-you-lose-someone-close-to-your-heart-and-someone-as-specia/3639791449434758/
Wonder how things went at the “Reception Center” on the “Other Side”?
Karma is a steel toothed, cast iron bitch!
KoB,
Or… a lightning bolt in the ass.
The Three Stooges nailed Elko, over 70 years ago.
It begins with Shemp at the pearly gates.
Shemp’s “eligibility” is blocked by his papers (report).
Shemp can only redeem himself,
if he agrees to return to Earth (as a ghost),
to reform his phony cousins, Moe and Larry.
BONUS – Moe and Larry don black to work their newest scam.
ZERO obituary on Les Brown, from Nevada or Idaho, after 12 days,
and NADA since the initial announcement posts on FakeBook.
What’s wrong with these desert folks?
Many other citizens out there, old and young,
are getting obituaries.
But not Les.
Even the Elko Daily Free Press, the instigator of all this,
puts out fluff news on Anthony Brown, Charlie Brown, the Cleveland Browns,
but NADA on Les Brown.
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/elkodaily/
This may end up being the last comment,
on the last webpage,
on the entire internet,
about the sad and quiet end of long time phony Les Brown.
(blip)