Secretary McDonald admitted he wrongly claimed to have served in US Special Operation Forces when he was in the Army.

SGT Jim Z. — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 20:34:37 -0500

Just another issue to put his credibility at risk.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/23/robert-mcdonald-special-forces_n_6739184.html? [login to see]

VA Secretary Robert McDonald Falsely Claimed He Served In 'Special Forces'

WASHINGTON -- Robert McDonald, the secretary of veterans affairs, wrongly claimed in a videotaped comment earlier this year that he served in the Army's elite special forces, when his military service

Response by CPT Zachary Brooks made Feb 23 at 2015 8:42 PM

CPT Zachary Brooks — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 20:42:05 -0500

We need to get this away from the bureaucracy and move it to something slightly more privatized. There is no incentive to do things properly and that will always lead to an inferior product.

Response by COL Jean (John) F. B. made Feb 23 at 2015 8:56 PM

COL Jean (John) F. B. — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 20:56:02 -0500

Yet another loser on the Administration's team.

The VA is just another Government agency that has been plagued by gross mismanagement. It needs a complete overhaul.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 24 at 2015 1:03 AM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 01:03:17 -0500

Great...They guy that is supposed to represent the veterans of the US and he can't even tell the truth about his own service.

Is there a penalty for saying you did something when you did not?

Response by LTC David S. Chang, ChFC®, CLU® made Feb 24 at 2015 1:04 AM

LTC David S. Chang, ChFC®, CLU® — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 01:04:44 -0500

At least he admitted it and apologized. He also didn't repeat the story like Brian Williams.

The only downside is that right now everyone is looking to get anything from anyone.

Bill O'Reilly is under heat from comments he made. He is sticking to his guns though, want to see how it plays out.

Response by PO3 John Jeter made Feb 24 at 2015 1:18 AM

PO3 John Jeter — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 01:18:23 -0500

I will give the man credit for having served in the 82nd at least. That should have been a proud enough claim for any man.
I'm not a fan of Huffington Post either. Yellow journalism never appealed to me, but this time they seem to have gotten it right.
So now for the $64.00 question...... If Secretary McDonald will lie about his service when it gains him nothing of value, what does it do to his credibility when he reports on the status of his embattled department? He is charged with rectifying a medical system which has been likened to being a "dead pool" lottery game and he has the added complication of a national cemetery at Ft Bliss in El Paso which has been described as a "disgrace to the nation". It's going to be very difficult for me to place any degree of trust in anything he says for a very long time.

Response by PO2 Jonathan Scharff made Feb 24 at 2015 9:52 AM

PO2 Jonathan Scharff — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 09:52:21 -0500

While I think this is a poor statement from a person in charge of the VA. Especially, from one who served in the Army, I don't think it is quite as bad as putting on a uniform/medals when you never served. I am in no way condoning it, but he was trying to connect with a homeless vet, and he was a Ranger and served in the 82nd which does often work with special forces. He has apologized and I think maybe we should give him a pass on this one.

I know that this is a sensitive topic with all of us and I would like to see all stolen valor infractions stopped, but I would also not appreciate my entire life recorded and every statement that I have ever made to anyone be checked for exactness. I am certainly not saying that I have ever committed a stolen valor act. I am pretty sure that I have not.

This is really a tough topic as we all hold this so near and dear. But, I am also concerned that if we hold our leaders to a perfect bar we will be left with no leaders. How can we figure out where that bar should be? Each one of us has to do that for himself. I can understand if some of us think he should be removed as the head of the VA. In this instance, I guess I am just so frustrated with the state of the VA and its past. I would like to see if he can accomplish anything positive for a change with the VA. Then we can hold him accountable if he fails.

Response by SPC Neil Hood made Feb 24 at 2015 9:59 AM

SPC Neil Hood — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 09:59:11 -0500

#douche

Response by SFC Boots Attaway made Feb 24 at 2015 10:16 AM

SFC Boots Attaway — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 10:16:42 -0500

Saying he "FIRED" so many VA employees (upper level) and NOT doing it. Calling for a review board to determine weather or not to fire the Phoenix Director. Now this? TIME TO GO.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 24 at 2015 12:54 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 12:54:54 -0500

I may be a little biased in this as I look at it from a police officer's perspective. He has been caught in a lie. His credibility is shot. It is difficulty to hold an office of such high authority w/ the needed credibility it implies when you've been caught in a lie like this.

Response by SSG Leonard Johnson made Feb 24 at 2015 2:44 PM

SSG Leonard Johnson — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 14:44:13 -0500

hehehehe don't get me wrong, this cat is a liberal and Republicans clothing, however there is no way in the world that I could have gone through the same Ranger training that he's done. Heck ha ha anybody who's done Ranger and above his special forces is by school of thought :-). I understand though what everybody's trying to get at

Response by COL Jason Smallfield, PMP, CFM, CM made Feb 24 at 2015 3:14 PM

COL Jason Smallfield, PMP, CFM, CM — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 15:14:07 -0500

A few thoughts:
- There are now several data points regarding lying among several senior or high visibility people (Hillary Clinton shot at in Bosnia, Brian Williams, Robert McDonald, others).
- Leads me to believe we are not looking at symptoms but rather a societal illness of some sort (overall morals, ethics, other).
- The excuse of "everyone does it" is a BS excuse. Try using this excuse on your parents sometime and I can tell you their standard responses.
- This is not a matter of a person needing to "watch what they say in public". It is easy. Tell the truth all the time and you don't need to remember what lies you told to whom.
- The argument that "only those who have never done 'X' can criticize" is also a BS argument. This is the equivalent of shouting down opposition or calling someone racist or a homophobe. The intent is to shut the person up who is criticizing or commenting rather than having to engage on what the person is saying in the first place.
- Just like in the killing of a person, not all lies are equal. For killings there are the degrees of murder, manslaughter, and justifiable homicide. For lies I would say there is stolen valor, attempts to obtain unearned benefits or get an unearned advantage, bar stories, and fish tales. There are others but hopefully the above gets my point across.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 25 at 2015 9:07 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 09:07:15 -0500

Do you know when, where, who, what, why, he was lying about his military service?