Tony Skrzypchak
Every few weeks, someone will send us this guy, Tony Skrzypchak. The boy’s uniform is so screwed up, that folks think he’s a phony. According to his records, no, he’s not. It looks like he was sent to Saudi Arabia and Central Command for Desert Storm from the 25th Division in Hawaii, as a replacement, you know, because we were supposed to have thousands of casualties, according to the media. He’s wearing a 1st Cav combat patch which is reasonable. Yeah, his medals are screwed up, as well as the way he’s wearing them, but there is no “stolen valor” here. Other than the beret he’s wearing – berets were authorized in the Army in July 2001 and his active duty service was from August 1988 – March 1992, then he went in the Reserves until August 1996.
I’m also pretty sure that the blue shirt and striped tie aren’t authorized, but like I said, this is NOT stolen valor – he’s just a slob. So stop sending me “tips” about him – it took us about two years to get the FOIA for some reason.
Category: WTF?
Soup sammich…..perhaps his mental health questionable.
He looks like he’s going for the 1000-yard stare. Maybe that is helping with his VA claim?
Well, he does mean well, doesn’t he?
Good grief dude! If you want a picture of your bling just throw up an old faded picture from when you were active duty! wtf?
Oh well, never the less…
Thank you for your service!
I rather like the look he presents in the topmost pic. Reminds me of De Niro in The Deer Hunter, with a touch of Errol Flynn. The bottom pic just makes me nervous.
Yeah, whether or not correct I get the distinct “deck’s missing a few cards” impression when looking at that bottom photo.
Bottom pic is De Niro as Travis Bickle
I can only imagine what the drill sergeants did to this poor bastard’s name in Basic. Anything beyond Smith and Jones was too challenging for the ones I had.
I’m guessing he was “private alphabet.”
When Youngest was in Boot Camp, one of his fellow boots was named “Yu”
And the sergeants used that mercilessly.
VA Claim has been approved
I spoke to this cat personally, he proved all the orders for every award he has on. He was just FUBAR with placement.
Guarantee he was never called anything but “Alphabet”. Needs to learn a better knot for the tie, generally when a knot is bigger than your fist it’s uncomfortable.
I bet my unit was made up 40% of guys like this dude. Both of them funny enough.
I’ll just leave this right here.
http://i.imgur.com/DmTVH84.jpg
FB says he works at veteran’s tree service…perhaps he’s taken a few too many falls.
Each visit to my VA, I’m asked if I have fallen since my previous visit. I’m thinking this guy’s response would be “fucking A”.
And “do you want a hit?”
Is he a branch manager.
Does he work in the root cellar?
4 years and only Specialist? Maybe he got smoked for his uniform?
Mind you, my father was repeatedly busted during WWII for his pranks when his superiors didn’t share his sense of humor… but he also practiced proper uniforming.
Well, still, good to see he’s legit, just sloppy legit.
It was difficult to make E-5 in many MOSs in the 1990s because they were cutting the Army manpower in half. Literally. So promotions were tight. Even with maxed points many could not get promoted.
I figure that’s why he got out a few months short of four years – the 90s was an entirely different era.
Damn. I missed the 90s. Don’t ask.
Yeppers. They tried to rush me to the NCO board thinking I would reenlist if I made E-5. I refused to go with only a month of service left. I got out almost a month early of four years because I had saved much of my leave.
When I was an E-6, had a guy move into my stairwell in Germany – he had been on the E-6 list longer than I had been an NCO and had been an NCO longer than I had been in the Army. 71L, very slow promotions.
I shoulda thought of that. Thanks for settin’ me straight(er)
I second that. I was AD in the early 90s and it was very tough to get promoted due to Personnel cutbacks that were part of the Clinton Curse.
We used to secretly put bush wings on someone’s uniform just to see how far he’d walk around before someone noticed. Now that’s comedy.
My personal favorite was discreetly putting a blown up latex glove on someone’s ballcap, then clucking like a chicken when they walked by.
ermahgerd…that’ awesome^^^
Had an E-6 at Monterey who would carry his books in his right hand, salute an officer smoothly with his left hand as he walked by, and switch his books on the downstroke so when the poor schmuck of an officer turned around to chew him out, he was by then walking nonchalantly away with his books in his left hand as if they had always been there. Was fun to watch the officers’ faces.
David, that is excellent!
In 1971 I was assigned to Fort Leavenworth for a year – home of the Command and General Staff College. Whenever any of our EM had to take papers to the HQ building, we had a box full of odds and ends. Grab the box, drive to the HQ parking lot, throw your papers in the box, get out of the car, pick up the box with both hands, and walk into the building passing field grade officers by the score.
I think the idea came from our CO – a most excellent Major who I believe left the Army as a BG. His name was Byron S. Baldwin, branch Signal Corps. He was my favorite commander during my 6 years. He was an outstanding leader who demanded excellence. He earned our respect and got it.
Sure he was not ASA?
Prussian blue on the binoculars is a favorite. Does not wash off … it wears off after a few weeks!
He could have a form of early onset dementia.
Dammit!
Do not tell me this walking abortion was a Wolfhound….shit. on. a. stick.
The unit crest of my former 4/27th Inf on this train wreck makes me ill……he is in dire need of a generous application of FM 22-102
That goatee, though…
Almost gives Canuck Franck’s beard a run for his money.
http://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=56411
Lou Diamond still had the best one…
Why wear a uniform you stopped wearing 20 years ago? It’s just sad.
I always wonder about that….I wasn’t a lifer so I’ve no particular attachment to the uniform. I maybe understand the retirees whose lives were defined by their life of service still putting it on.
I’ve never worn the uniform again after leaving the service. I don’t even possess them anymore, I have a couple of meager mementos in a baggy in a sock drawer.
But hey whatever floats your boat I guess.
That’s why mine is hanging in my closet, exactly as I took it off almost 20 years ago, correct then, unchanged and untouched.
I KNOW I wouldn’t be able to fit into it now. Forget buttons being stretched. Mine wouldn’t even be able to touch.
Is there still room for one more category? How about “Stolen Slobbery”?
I dont think he stole it…I think he earned it.
This guy is a two wheeled tricycle!
Clown-O.
To my fellow civilians on this board: This story is why we leave the poser busting to the Veterans. Too, too many of us make mistakes, and wind up calling out people who don’t need calling out.
Remember, those of us with no military service have no business questioning those of us who do. If a servicemember is messed up, the Veteran community will take care of him soon enough.
I agree. When I see a ‘Bolivian General’ walking around (apologies to all real Bolivian Generals out there), I simply ignore and avoid them. I do that for the reasons you mentioned, and I figure that ignoring them deprives them of what they want most: attention.
Wonder if he was just trying to see if he fit in his uniform anymore.
I see some guys are still calling him out as fake. Jonn has his records.
Seems like this sort of thing will occur with more regularity now that everyone is taking pics of everything and everyone then posting them for all to see. The above pics look to be taken in a private setting – not at a parade or other public event.
What is the chance that a grandkid simply asked his pawpaw about his military service or discovered the uniform jacket, maybe the medals, stored somewhere? Many of us would likely try the thing on to see if it still fit. Kid takes the pic.
Or some other scenario equally innocuous.
Until someone offers proof that this guy is publicly claiming that which he has not earned, why should any of us care about this?
The fact that he is a Veteran who has not made false claims regarding his service is one thing. How he wears the uniform and presents himself in it for photos is quite another matter. I recall the porno Marine of a couple of years ago who opted to wear part of his uniform in a gay porn movie. It sickened me but had nothing whatsoever to do with Stolen Valor either. None of us has carte blanche to sport our military finery however we like just because we are Veterans. There is no crime (literally) when a person refuses to stand for the National Anthem either. Nevertheless, whose blood doesn’t boil when we see this or, if we’re at the event, who doesn’t say something to the SOB? Wear the uniform properly or not at all.
I arrived at B 4-27 INF just after Desert Storm. 4-27 sent a few Platoons under C 4-27’s flag if I remember correctly
They wound up pulling VIP security for CENTCOM HQs
They did send a couple of Platoons. I was in OAC (captains course) with a LT who was one of the platoon leaders.
Well Jonn has called it.
The guy is legit, awards wise
Having said that, if he’s going to wear the uniform like that…
he should be doing pushups until he strikes oil.