Stolen valor

SSgt George Fallon - The 'one-upmanship' is always at the forefront especially with the Rear Echelon non combatants. You just sit back and give that little smile of knowing the level of BS being 'spewed' out for all uninformed to hear.
On occasion, being in the Special Forces, when we were doing joint training with other units that didn't have the level of experience or training as we did, we would often sit around and do the typical BS (some of it based on fact and some based on fiction) and watch the 'jaws drop' and the 'eyes widen'. We all would get a good laugh out of it.
When I was on my first tour in Vietnam, when I was with the 1st Bde of the 101st, myself and two other's of our unit got to go back to our main base camp, which we hadn't seen in nearly 10 months, to do some training on a new piece of equipment that the Army was looking at fielding. While there we got to go to the little 'outdoor theater' to see a movie, which we hadn't seen since we were at the base camp. While trying to watch the movie, there were some REMF's several rows of 'sand bag' seats behind us arguing on how trough each one had and which one had it the worst.
I finally had enough of their crap and stood up and turned around and told them that if felt that they had it so bad, they could come back up to the forward base camp with me and go be my 'ammo bearer' on my machine gun crew and get a feel of who really has is so bad. They immediately shut up and sat down and didn't say another word.

Give it a fucking rest! Do what you do and hold your head high, but stop with the bitching about "stolen valor". What you or I did during our time in the military can never be stolen.

Agreed! I often wear a USS Ronald Reagan ball cap and people ask me about my service and whether I actually served aboard that ship. I tell them it wasn’t yet commissioned in the 80s but that Ronald Reagan was damn sure my Commander-in-Chief! A fact I am quite proud of as a matter of fact! No one has ever tried to say “stolen valor” but I am ready for any pipsqueak punk who tries! I bought mine at the gift shop of the USS Midway museum in San Diego where any other visitor (Navy Veteran or not) can purchase one!

I don’t like people who talk up crap about their military service and likely anyone bragging about heroics is a damn liar! Those who are the REAL DEAL are usually quite humble and often reluctant to speak out!

BULL, this has to be addressed. These schmucks tell their fairytales in order to gain something. Something they didn't earn! And something many of our brothers and sisters will never get a chance to benefit from.

Yes spot on. I absolutely hate Stolen Valor and have been active in helping out phonies. You have to pick your battles and know what you are talking about. However " Stolen Valor" what is going on here.
There is a HUGE difference in just being a liar and doing something that can you be prosecuted for. A guy who walks up to you in the park and claims he was a Member of SEAL team 27 in Vietnam in 1986 is stealing valor, but if you think he will be locked up for it,, well it ain't going to happen.
If the Same person also never served and forged a DD214 to get VA benefits he will probably go to jail for fraud alone. Stolen Valor is just another charge they can add, but most times they never do.

No doubt about it! I hate to sound like that “grumpy old vet” but I think there are a lot of kids 1. Over emphasizing their service record and 2. Looking for fame

I don’t understand why someone would want to wear a tshirt representing something they didn’t accomplish. I won’t even wear a tournament t shirt if I didn’t work the tournament.

It's stolen valor, however what he did would not fall under the SV act of 2013.