Fox: Soldier sells AAM on Ebay
There’s a story on Fox News about a soldier who is selling his Army Achievement Medal (says the citation) on eBay because he can’t find a job.
Bill Shephard, 43, of Woodbury, N.J, returned home in 2009, but could not even find an entry level job in information technology, despite going back to school for a network management certificate. With his options running out, Shephard made the painful decision to put his medal up for sale.
“I did it out of desperation and frustration,” Shephard told FoxNews.com. “It was a last resort.”
Shephard’s 12-year-old daughter, Kahlan, was disappointed when she found out her dad was selling his Army Achievement Medal. But her father says he needs the money more than the hardware.
Shephard and his family of five did get help with rent from GOVETS, a veterans’ organization. But he still needs a job and knows there are others in the same desperate straits.
I don’t know what the guy is pulling, but that’s not an Army Achievement Medal, it’s a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. The bidding is up to $3000 according to the Fox article, (I can’t find the actual auction on eBay) and I hope it goes higher, just because I want to see the veteran get through those dire straits, and I’m pretty sure folks are bidding to help him out and don’t really care about the medal, but still….
Thanks to Daniel for the link.
Category: Who knows
Yeah, um, if the troop cannot match the picture on the certificate with the actual medal, I gotta call shenanigans.
Honest man’ll do just about anything to feed his family.
Then there’s being stupid enough to confuse an GWOTEM and an AAM.
Wait you can sell your AAMs I got eight of them lol
$3000 for a medal you can buy brand spanking new for less than a hundred bucks? Oh well, caveat emptor….
http://www.ebay.com/itm/With-great-humility-My-Hands-are-out-Buy-my-mucilitary-awards-certificate-/320928828178?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab8d94b12
Strange, when I was getting ready to retire [2008] IT and Intel were nearly the only jobs on the market.
Perhaps there’s something keeping him from getting hired?
Man, I’m glad you posted this. I just wrote something similar and was looking for places to send it to! lol.. Great minds think alike…
Well damn.
I wonder if he got that network management certificate from a for profit school.
I’m sure the bidders are bidding out of charity, which is cool.
The economy and job market seems bad the past few years, so I can see how desperate people are getting. Also, he’s around the same age as I am, and I would also fathom that his age is also preventing him from finding a job these days, especially in the IT/Computer field. Age discrimination in that industry is quite rampant I read.
I’m not surprised he can’t find a job, even with all these veteran organizations around. I’m employed now thankfully, but looking for something better and spent hundreds of dollars on my resume, sent hundreds of resumes everywhere, etc., but zero interviews. When you reach a certain age, what do the employers say, “too much experience” or some other hogwash.
Best of luck to him and others in same situation.
Careful good folks, something here stinks to high heaven
I am going to say this even though it will draw fire. I know the parties involved. There is much more to this story, Don’t believe everything you see/read. What makes for human interest isn’t always the truth.
and for the record, I wouldn’t bid a nickel.
OK Nichevo, now you have gone and done it! Spill the beans, or post the link to Stolen Valor.
@CI
Depends on the market and whether he had any prior experience in the field. Every job listing in my area for IT work specifies at least 2-5 years experience required on top of a degree (not a certificate). I found one job listing that said “Entry Level,” then in the description specified 1-2 years experience. When I saw that I almost lost my mind.
So working at Best Buy upselling grandma $90 unobtanium tipped Monster HDMI cables doesn’t count.
It’s not stolen valor. He is who he says he is and did what he said he did in the Army. However, there have been numerous opportunities presented to him and many other soldiers in the Guard which he has not taken advantage of.
$3000 for a damn acheesement medal? Damn, I’ve won the lottery and I’m going to blow my medal winnings on women and good liquor. BTW- where do I sign up?
That isn’t just very sad. It is really sickening, too.
Reminiscent of the upsetting ads for Wounded Warriors.
The bidding is not at 5,000.
Sorry guys meant to say now at $5,000.
Nichevo, did you also serve in the Guard? What sort of opportunities are you referring to?
Wow, I have a few, let me see what I can get for one of them.
I do not belive that you can sell your medals to any one. Is this true or not? I can not find any information about it any where. If this is true I should be selling my medals maybe get around 10,000 for them. That amount of money would help since that is almost my whole retirment pay for a year after 20 years.
Ann, numerous as in weekly and sometimes more than one a week job fairs, a state office that does nothing other than disseminate information about potential employers, ACAP which every NG/USAR soldier learns about when they demob, and a host of other resources.
Not surprised a vet cant get a job….kind of surprised a vet doesn’t know his own medals. Really surprised people are bidding on this….
What network management cert was he going for? Was he doing any net admin work prior to getting out? I thought all of DoD (IT peeps) had to get some cert with CompTIA (usually the lesser ones), I had to get my Sec+ a few years ago.
Scam. Got scam written all over it.
If this were a true TTP for income, then Sgt Soup Sandwich could be a multi-millionaire by now.
COB6, I’m with you, something definitely stinks about this.
Nichevo-
Are you talking ‘opportunities’ as in OFFERS, or ‘opportunities’ as in only job fairs, information, processes, etc?
Very very different ‘opportunities’.
As someone who spent a couple of years going thru ‘opportunities’ I must say those presented by many Vets offices and fairs can be less than good. Depending on where you are, many are less-than-entry, don’t require ANY secondary education/skills, or are medical in nature (MANY opportunities there- just get the EDU).
Some do not provide living wages or are only part-time. I still get these lists of vet-pref job listings; also, many of them are advertised ONLY to complete a requirement to do so- quite a few are already filled, canceled, or have so many resume’s submitted you have no chance in hell (do you go thru 3,000 resume’s when advertising for positions? I never did).
I could go on, but I think you get my point…
…must regret tossing their stuff back in the day.
@29, I do and when I posted that, I specifically meant employers looking to provide full time employment opportunities to vets including a recent one by a cable company, (something right within his field!) in the area looking to hire vets exclusively. As I said, there is more to the story than what you are seeing including efforts by senior members of his former chain of command, (he elected not to reenlist), to help him out as they have helped him out in the past when he served with us. There is more to this, more he could have done, and many people he could have reached out to. He elected not to do it and this kind of action pisses me off.
He is not alone, he is not out of options, and he has not explored all of the ones available to him.
Does anyone have contact information for this guy, aside from eBay? I work for an IT services firm and they love vets.
BK, Jonn has my email, Reach out to me and I will make sure thar he gets it.
I too know this guy and his family very well and all is not as is reported or seems. It sucks for his kids but I would not give him anything because he has done nothing to get a job and even left the Guard which PAID him, not to mention he could have enlisted in the regular Army after getting back from Iraq. He was in an MP unit there so what about those skills and security jobs? He gives Vets who really are struggling due to no fault of their own a bad name. But you know what they say…you reap what you sow, so happy harvesting Bill!!!!
How much will my purple heart fetch I wonder?
if fox really gave a damn, they would give him a job instead of making it political.
I will tell you this, after hearing a about this soldier selling his medal on EBay and then Seeing it for myself I was really disgusted. I have served over 14 years active duty and still serve to this day, all this POS (piece of sh&$) has done is embaressed his fellow guard members and the soldiers who continue to serve. And here is an even bigger news flash for the ones that want to feel sorry for a loser like this. You can get a small business loan from the VA to start a business, who in there right mind would start a business that has no market like landscape. He is a lazy SOB, and has no honor I’m glad I never had to fight next to this guy in country. And I hope he reads these comments every one leaves. get a life guy, get a job, and stop dis honoring the ones that serve full time or part time.
(Pro Patria)
Any person who truly needs and wants to feed, cloth, and shelter their children will accept any legal paying job(s) no matter what the duties/responsibilities are!!!!!!!
Fact is there are jobs out there. Not as many dream jobs as we all want, but there are jobs. The problem with too many people these days, isn’t lack of jobs being offered, it is that too many people are too selective and not willing to do something they think is beneath them or embarrassing. However, they are more than willing to jump on the hand-out train for all the freebies they can get, which they aren’t embarrassed of doing.
A loving and supportive parent will work the low paying jobs, and several if they must, until they find the job opportunity they truly desire. Any amount of money, even if it is from a shit job, is better than begging or leeching off the welfare system, and a hell of a lot more respectful than selling your awards!
The welfare system is supposed to help assist people in need not become the sole income support in place of a job. Too many lazy ass people who are ‘healthy’ enough to work leech the system and ruin it for those who really are trying their best and working their asses off to make a living! I would rather see a person, who has a job, but still seems to be struggling, get higher welfare assistance than those who do not work nor do they even try to find a job at all.
I am a Vet myself and I am thoroughly disappointed that another Vet would confuse their awards!!!
Additionally, below are some links for Network Management job opportunities!
http://jobs.saic.com/go/Network-Management-Jobs/299177/
http://network.management.jobs.topusajobs.com/
http://www.simplyhired.com/a/jobs/list/q-network+management
http://jobs.monster.com/v-it-q-network-manager-jobs.aspx
http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=Network+Management&l=
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I have a 4h medal I could sell… lol
I have a kid with the jerk. DO NOT BELIEVE HIM!!!!!