LA State fire marshall retires when caught in phony finery
Louisiana state fire marshall State Fire Marshal Butch Browning has been allowed to retire when he was spotted on several occasions wearing military medals on his uniform when it was confirmed that he never served in the military.
“We’ve been informed that Mr. Browning never served in the military, yet he was wearing military ribbons awarded to every branch of the military service that span World War II, the Korean war and the Kosovo campaign,” [Rafael Goyeneche, president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission] said. “That’s problematic.” From WWLTV4;
Browning’s departure was announced in a press release Tuesday afternoon by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. The statement did not address the state investigation, simply stating that Browning was leaving for a job in the private sector.
Browning says he received the medals while he was a fire chief at another department and that he’s not aware of any investigation (WAFB9);
State Fire Marshal Butch Browning retired from his job Tuesday effective immediately. Browning says he is not the target of any investigation and resigned to take a job as a superintendent at a plant in Ascension Parish. Browning says he received the job offer several months ago and it was “too good to pass up.” Browning told 9NEWS he was not aware that the Inspector General has an ongoing investigation against the Fire Marshal’s Office.
These shitbags are everywhere, apparently.
Category: Phony soldiers
I don’t get the point [if even allowed] of wearing military awards on a civilian uniform?
Well, I found a good photo of this “fine individual” wearing “his” military ribbons at
http://www.laplacevfd.com/ImageGallery/DSCF0020.JPG
Here’s my take on what he’s wearing over his right pocket:
Top: Army of Occupation Medal (World War II)
2nd row: MSM
3rd row: AFGCM, DMSM, KCM
4th Row: LOM w/OLC?, Korea Service Medal, RCOTR
5th Row: USMC Security Guard Ribbon, NSDM, NEM
At least the guy was smart enough to stay away from awards for valor (or was too stupid to know the difference). And he at least wore the two that can be reversed (AOM, KCM) facing he right way. But he might have the LOM w/OLC on backwards – it looks like the OLC might be inverted in the photo. The photo’s resolution isn’t quite good enough for me to tell for sure.
Sheesh. As Bugs Bunny would say: “What a maroon.”
It is true that some departments use military style ribbons or medals for exceptional heroism, but they are few and far between. Most firefighters don’t get one much less a rack of them.
Help me out here. I’m just an old retired USAF mechanic so maybe I don’t fully understand how all this medal stuff works. He says he got them while serving as a local fire chief? So local fire departments can award military medals? Wow! Times have changed. Must be how most of these A$$wipes earned theirs! Maybe y’all are being too hard on these guys. After all, you don’t know if that Seal Trident or Ranger Tab wasn’t actually awarded by their local parks and recreation department for a summer field day. We need to make sure about that before we condemn them!
3 – That’s what I was wondering. I’ve seen Air Assault wings on NYC EMS guys before, so that made sense….but for a fire department to straight up co-opt military ribbons for their own use stuck me as strange.
When it comes to uniforms, less is best. And…Telling the truth is earier than remembering what you told in the lie, and to whom!
I met a man yesterday who was a Vietnam era veteran. He served in Germany during his enlistment. Great guy, never embellished a thing. I felt like taking his picture & posting it as another example of true American vet. He served & he is proud of his service without telling lies.
@7…I call bullshit. Pix or it didn’t happen!
lostboys: nah, it happens on occasion. My cousin’s husband and a former colleague were each old enough to have served in Vietnam (I missed by a few years), but got sent to Thailand instead. They’ve never tried to tell anyone otherwise, even though I believe that both qualified for the VSM due to providing direct support for operations in Vietnam. And both appreciated that it was simply the “luck of the draw” that sent then to Thailand vice Vietnam.
Speechless.
Well isn’t being an state fire marshal kind of like being a general in the office? Guess not.
On another note. A cop I knew from another department who’d been in SF in Nam (a no shit been there done that) had a police chief who’d been in the Marines a few years between shit. So the Chief told his cops that they could wear their military ribbons on special days (4th of July etc). The police chief had 3 ribbons and my friend had a few rows.
After that, the Chief cancelled that order.
I just looked at the pic of this turd. Hey I earned the WWII Army of Occupation Medal (service in West Berlin 75-76) so I wonder if he even knows what they stand for.
(ours stood for getting up every morning at 0500, running PT and working until 1700 and getting drunk all weekend)
“. . .. .was leaving for a job in the private sector.”
Yeah. . .one step ahead of the indictment, and able to keep his severance/retirement pay, and stay out of jail.
Mebbe someone could find out where that “private sector” job is, and notify them of the arriving douchebag.
Right on Woodman…. Who in their right mind would hire this clown?
@8 Want me to ask for his DD214 to prove it? That might be a first. “C’mon, show me your DD214, lostboys doesn’t believe you weren’t in actual combat with a silver star!”