Posted on Nov 23, 2015
"Fallujah Marine veteran beaten over mistaken case of stolen valor"
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From: USMC Life
A Marine veteran who fought in Fallujah was attacked by an airman who believed he was lying about serving in the Corps. It happened over the weekend at The Long Shot, an Arden-area bar, according to CBS Sacramento.
The Marine veteran, Michael Delfin says he tried to show the airman his ID, but he believed he was looking for a fight.
“I noticed a guy had a fade and he asked me if I was in the service and he said, ‘Yeah, I’m in the Air Force,’ and I said, ‘Oh I was in the Corps,’” he said.
The airman was looking for an active duty CAC card, but since Delfin was a veteran, he only had this VA card – he was accused of lying about serving on the spot.
“So, I asked him to read my ID, and he was like nahh stolen valor, stolen valor; this guy’s a fake,” he said. “He’s ignorant. He needs to learn how to read an ID, plain and simple,” he said. “When a vet tells you he’s a vet and he’s obviously wearing a fallen brothers bracelet doesn’t even recognize that.”
Things started turning ugly and the Delfin tried leaving, but was jumped in the parking lot by the airman and one of his friends.
“And before I knew it I couldn’t get off the ground. My leg gave out; it was kind of a blur,” Delfin said.
Delfin’s tibia is broken, and his jaw might be too.
“I did over 12 years in the Marine Corps; I was a tracker and I was in combat in 2004 in Fallujah,” he said.
“Because everybody that’s in the service does their job, but when you go to combat it’s a different thing, so to claim on me I’m stolen valor, that’s a slap in every veteran’s face,” he said. “He needs to get caught. He needs to get made an example of, plain and simple.”
Sacramento Police have filed a report, Delfin has also heard from an Air Force investigator.
http://usmclife.com/2015/10/fallujah-marine-veteran-beaten-over-mistaken-case-of-stolen-valor/
A Marine veteran who fought in Fallujah was attacked by an airman who believed he was lying about serving in the Corps. It happened over the weekend at The Long Shot, an Arden-area bar, according to CBS Sacramento.
The Marine veteran, Michael Delfin says he tried to show the airman his ID, but he believed he was looking for a fight.
“I noticed a guy had a fade and he asked me if I was in the service and he said, ‘Yeah, I’m in the Air Force,’ and I said, ‘Oh I was in the Corps,’” he said.
The airman was looking for an active duty CAC card, but since Delfin was a veteran, he only had this VA card – he was accused of lying about serving on the spot.
“So, I asked him to read my ID, and he was like nahh stolen valor, stolen valor; this guy’s a fake,” he said. “He’s ignorant. He needs to learn how to read an ID, plain and simple,” he said. “When a vet tells you he’s a vet and he’s obviously wearing a fallen brothers bracelet doesn’t even recognize that.”
Things started turning ugly and the Delfin tried leaving, but was jumped in the parking lot by the airman and one of his friends.
“And before I knew it I couldn’t get off the ground. My leg gave out; it was kind of a blur,” Delfin said.
Delfin’s tibia is broken, and his jaw might be too.
“I did over 12 years in the Marine Corps; I was a tracker and I was in combat in 2004 in Fallujah,” he said.
“Because everybody that’s in the service does their job, but when you go to combat it’s a different thing, so to claim on me I’m stolen valor, that’s a slap in every veteran’s face,” he said. “He needs to get caught. He needs to get made an example of, plain and simple.”
Sacramento Police have filed a report, Delfin has also heard from an Air Force investigator.
http://usmclife.com/2015/10/fallujah-marine-veteran-beaten-over-mistaken-case-of-stolen-valor/
Stolen Valor
Air Force
Marine Corps
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 105
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That idiot Airman is piece of crap and finally, I am getting tired of this SV stuff because we have people ready to start a fight. Too much sensationlism...
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CMSgt Eric Turner
SGM Chris Cortazzo, the kid was an idiot, you're duplicating it by disparaging another service with a "one size fits all" remark. I'm an engineer and have been on and placed many of my members on Army deployments where they constructed, maintained outposts, cleared areas/roads of IEDs and lived for the most part outside the wire. I have also seen many Army folk deployed with no job hanging around on bases like Anaconda everyday wearing PT gear or at the swimming pool. That in no way disparages the soldiers overall efforts of the warriors that were there
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SMSgt James Yearsley
SGM Chris Cortazzo - Your ignorance of the roles of USAF security forces is showing SGM. Why not do a little research before showing your ass. SMSgt Jim Yearsley, USAF SP/SF, 1970 - 1991.
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SFC Familia Gonzalez
Maj Werner Saemmler-Hindrichs - I believe so... I didn't see it and probably a good thing I didn't...
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CSM Thomas McGarry
I have to pretty much agree with you SSG! Unless one have irrefutable evidence that someone is displaying stolen valor it probably best to give one the benefit of the doubt. Of course liquid courage and a two on one "fight" probably muddied the water here!
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Well, I hope that Airman can produce really good evidence in his defense at his court-martial. And before he steps in that court room, his higher NCO's need to take him to a visit to the woodshed.
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SGT Jerry Ericsson
The Air Man needs to see Running Bear for a trip to the Showers, Oh by the way, I ran into Running Bear, as it happens, he had been transfered to the 35th Engineers at Cam Rahn Bay, I was with the 18th Engineer Brigade at Dong Ba Thin, I took a trip over to the 35th, which was under the 18th, to fix their Switchboard for them, and there was Running Bear, I took him out and tried to buy him a beer at the service man's club, but he refused and paid for all the drinks, while we shot the shit about our times at Fort Lost In the Woods. It is one of my favorite memories of my time in Vietnam.
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SMSgt Lawrence McCarter
SGT Jerry Ericsson - No problem with a typo, until You pointed it out Yourself I never noticed. I was a Cam Ranh Bay Myself in 1968 until getting sent to DaNang where I spent the next 9 months to include the rest of 1968 into early 1969. Prior to Vietnam I was a Whiteman AFB, MO, not that far from Your Fort Lost in the Woods, MO. It sounds like Running Bear made His Counseling communication with that troop very clear and set Him on the correct path.
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William Barry
MSG (Join to see) - I honestly think there is way too much disrespect all the way around. My friends father was a Navy seal Chief in VietNam and my dad was a foundry worker pouring 300 pots of metal over his head into molds. God help you if you got into stupid nonsense like this. A lot of it comes from parents not really able to discipline kids when needed.
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Like the young Marine said, I hope they find the guy and make an example of him. Let's not make an intra-service "thing" out of this. It's one guy, acting stupid. Just regretful that it was one of our own.
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SSgt Darla Adams
Yes, very disturbing and very embarrassing that any airman would believe they had any rights to question a marine who would be more probable to have fought on the ground than that airman ever will.
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Cpl Michael Dean
A bit of an incomplete story, but it just sounds like the airman was looking for a fight.
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SMSgt Lawrence McCarter
Cpl Michael Dean - Its a shame It wasn't the Airman that got His ass beat, He would have deserved it. I'm Air Force Myself, but wrong is wrong and that so called Airmen, if He even was which I sort of doubt. He may actually be the one who is the phony. I have a lot of brothers and sisters in all the branches of the US Armed Forces and have the greatest respect for all of them for their service. There also is still a crime here also of assault and battery which is certainly not justified. That coward also had to enlist the aid of a friend to commit this crime, they both deserve to go to jail.
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