I wasn't even a boy scout. I'm not a joiner. That's not to say I haven't seen combat.

Get over the idea that you have to either be a cop or a soldier to be in a combat situation. Go to any ghetto, barrio in any major US city, and if the conditions are right you could be in a life and death situation in minutes.

When you have a person or group of people itching to see your blood on the sidewalk, don't delude yourself, you are in a combat situation.

Only this time you don't have a radio or partner to call for backup. You don't have the other guys in your unit to save your life, you are on your own.

Talk about scary.

 

Its not about seeing combat. Its about people with false claims of being in the military. People have fought and died to wear the uniform that they do, and others go around wearing that uniform without sacrificing anything. Its different than being in the ghetto and getting shot at by gang bangers.

 

Kinda like people who claim to be American but really arnt huh?

 

I have no issue with people being humble

 

Except that it's such a rare quality these days.

Not me though. I think my humility is one of my strongest character traits.:thumb:

Az

 

Can't some people just get real and be proud of their real service time.

I realize that I may be called on the carpet, but I was just an 0311, grunt in the Corps...64 - 71, got wounded a couple of times and thats it, nothing more, nothing less.

All you wanna be's, just examine yourself to see if your real enough to tell the truth every once in awhile.

I don't think anyone will ever know how may guys are going around running their mouth about covert recon missions into Cambodia when they were really changing oil in jeeps at Ft. Hood.

Every now and then there will be a story in the media about a high-profile person getting busted in a lie about their military service. But most of them will get away with it.

Personal experience: My dad was in the Marines and my sister was in the Army. I barely made it through Boy Scouts. Over the years, I have acquired assorted Marine/Army t-shirts and hats and such. After a while I noticed I was treated different when I wear one of these items. People much older than me call me "sir" or offer to pay for my coffee. Now I avoid wearing the military stuff because I don't feel I deserve to.

My dad has Marine license plates on his truck and is absolutely positive it has gotten him out of a few tickets. I've seen people buy him coffee and treat him better than they otherwise would. And why not? He fully earned a place of honor.

I will wear the military stuff only around the house or if I'm with people who know me well. You don't intentionally have to say or do anything to give the wrong impression...sometimes just a t shirt innocently given to you by a relative will be enough to count as unearned valor.

~Tevin~

 

My dad has Marine license plates on his truck and is absolutely positive it has gotten him out of a few tickets. I've seen people buy him coffee and treat him better than they otherwise would. And why not? He fully earned a place of honor.

I am not surprised.

I unintentionally flashed my armed serviced dependent ID while searching for my license during a traffic stop when I was 18. The officer stopped me right there and said "Thats good enough for me, have a nice night sir" He didint even look at anything, He just saw the color of the card, and the lay out and assumed I was military I suppose. It was just walk up, good evening, license and registration (sees dependent ID) Ok have a good night. He in fact went back to his car so quickly I was too confused to really correct anything..not that I wanted to question it at the time

I felt very bad afterwards as if I had stolen something that wasnt mine. Namely unwarranted recognition.

But its proof of concept.

 

Just wait until the current wars end there will be a rash of new heros just like the nam era has had over the last 40 years.

 

My Dad was in WW2 and had 2 silver stars. He never talked about how he got them. I think most people who talk a lot are just trying to make themselves feel good.

 

At my age,military service wasn't an option,it's hard to brag about being drafted,today someone says draft and they adjust the fan :thumb::thumb:

Times sure change,a lottery ment what month you went into the service,now you WANNA GET YOUR NUMBER CALLED!

Most normal people,back then, don't make a big deal out of it,since you had no choice,most hid their service since the nation looked down their nose at Vietnam vets and many still do today.

 

I've dealt with a few "fakers", and they always say something incredibly stupid to give themselves away. It seems to me that people who were/are actually military tell "war stories" along the lines of "SGT so-and-so was such a jerk, and SPC so-and-so was so funny", or "remember that time we saw that goat in the hotel?"

people who have actually seen or done the hardcore **** don't talk about it, at least not with people who don't know. They have "vet talks" with other vets in their garages and back patios while drinking a beer.

At least that's what everyone I know seems to do, and they are a stand up bunch of guys.

I don't know what they did over there, and I won't ask. It's not my place, or anyone else's for that matter.

 

Exactly! My husband has 19 years in so far (Marines and Nat'l Guard) and has lost track of how many times he's gone overseas, and I've NEVER heard him express a desire to swap "war stories" with anyone. They just come up in normal conversation with other vets. But mum's the word around non-vets (myself included usually). When he does talk about his trips overseas, it's about the crazy things they did or benign stories about those he served with at the time.

I was having this EXACT conversation with an old friend today. He served for a brief stint before being getting himself an OTH discharge. He said he wanted to meet my husband and exchange war stories. And immediately I knew he was full of crap. (There have been other clues, but this was the proverbial straw.) I told him hubby's war stories were things like "Well we were in Rota and a buddy and I convinced a drunk Cpl to hit on this really old and ugly hooker..." or something along those lines. I only really know hubby's seen stuff because I have copies of his commendations and I've seen the ribbons.

It seems everyone you meet with prior service experience was either a sniper or special ops...at least in the younger crowd. Seriously, there's nothing wrong with being a supply guy, ya know?

 

I realize that I may be called on the carpet, but I was just an 0311, grunt in the Corps...64 - 71, got wounded a couple of times and thats it, nothing more, nothing less.

Thank you for your service.

Your statment reminds me of something my father said. He was USMC and served in Da Nang in 69-70. I asked him if he saw combat and his answer was "Yeah. Some guys over there saw more, some saw less". I never asked again. If he ever wants to tell me more about it that's entirely up to him.

 

I have had numerous WWII pt's over the years. Many (not all), when they talked about their tours would say "So n so was a hell of a Sgt. he died doing....." "My buddy So n so he always made sure....." To a man (don't know of any WWII women vets I have taken care of) they almost always down played their role in whatever the task at hand was.

 

I try to show respect to all Vets, if their posers and i can call BS I will do that to.

Hell I'll sit around and have a drink with ya and shot the Breeze. Mine will be a soda though.

I'll tell you about the time a guy in our platoon was running around the barracks drunk wearing nothing but a Superman cape. Maybe some other funny **** and probably alot of grips about hard NCO's. We'll have a laugh.

And maybe if we got to know each other well enough I'd tell you how a friend of mine Died and i didn't. and we could share some tears. But for know those are mine.

101st

 

This phenomenon is in no way restricted to the US. I served in the NZ Infantry (TF) and am quite proud of the fact. Didn't see any combat, even missed out on peacekeeping missions (our overly-PC govt is sh!t-scared of upsetting voters by actually using our soldiers as anything other than disaster relief), but still gave my blood, sweat and time training to be able to serve my country.

The NZSAS is one of the smallest special forces units in the world (although recognised as being one of the best :thumb, and yet, judging by the number of "secret-squirrels" I met, it would appear the unit numbered in the thousands. Everything from tales of dark, mysterious ops in un-nameable parts of the world, to the ubiquitous "I can't tell you about what we were doing" stories. It used to **** me off, but in the end I just pitied them, that they were so weak and insecure in their own lives that they felt the need to invent these stories.

In contrast, my old civilian unarmed combat instructor also trains NZSAS (among others) and I was fortunate enough to meet a few genuine troopers when they were here for a course. They were some of the most humble, down-to-earth guys you could ever hope to meet. I also served with a former Royal Marine (Falklands vet), and a former Legionnaire. Their stories were always of funny happenings, pranks played, and very occasionally, lessons learned in combat.

 

When people ask if I saw any combat in the Marine Corps, I just laugh and say, "Oh,hell no, I was stationed in friggin' Southern California !! When we weren't scrubbing rifles and toilets that were already spotless, we were partying like heathens and going to see everybody from AC/DC to Stevie Ray Vaughn!!" :

 

ive often wondered why everybody on the web that was in the army was special forces or a sniper, and all the guys in the corp were force recon. the internets are interesting places for this sort of stuff. i like to hear the stories by these sorts of people cause it just lets you know how full of it they are. personally i served 11 years 3 months and 3 days in the airforce, i was an aircraft mechanic, never saw combat, didnt jump out of no plane to rescue a downed pilot or learn to fly a raptor. i fixed planes, i think i may have qualified on the rifle 3 maybe 4 times during my time in. i got some good traveling in working planes and can pretty much only tell what places i was drunk in or where to find a gentlemans establishment. other than that my career was filled with trying to get days off, get a good trip and and keep myself and troops under the radar by doing our job and keeping quiet. i may not know what its like to wear full battle rattle or even be issued a rifle for just in case but i did do alot of maintenance engine runs on the ground, and those can be alot of fun holding the throttles of some turbofans

 

I can only speak for Vietnam as I do not know the figures for other wars:

Vietnam as stated by the govt took place from '65 - '75. In that time there were approx 2.52 Million US soldiers assigned in country and at sea.

Of those, and here the number gets fuzzy some where between 250 - 350 thousand soldiers served in combat. Its not an easy number to count due to how soldiers are assigned, but you can bank on the above numbers a LOT of research went ton coming up with them by the military.

So right off the bat meeting a combat soldier is a RARE occurrence. Meeting a sniper or Forde Recon, Special Forces etc etc is REALLY RARE. I have a lot of stories about meeting supposed heroes and questioning the facts of the story they told.

Allow me to relate one.

I was in Vietnam, been there maybe 9 mos or so and got a letter from the mother of a friend back in the US. The letter was asking me to see her son before he died. She included some of the stuff he wrote and it read like a 'Sgt Rock' dime store novel.

He had regaled his family of incredible feats of heroism, SF, Airborne, LRP, RANGER, you name it and the bullets were flying and he was fighting for his life on a daily basis if not more often. She had included his mailing address and on the next mail run I grabbed the clerk on the chopper that had brought the mail and asked him 'where is this address?' As it turned out it was on LZ English, but a short chopper ride from the LZ we were operating out of. I decided I needed to make a PX run. LZ English was a MAJOR LZ with combined forces, a AF air strip, PX you name it.

I left out a few days later in a lull between going back out again. I arrive and start looking for a running buddy fully expecting him to come repelling out of a chopper with his gun blazing.

I found him, went to the tent were he WORKED, he was the ASSISTANT SUPPLY CLERK. I walk up to his desk and he asks me what I want. I stick out my hand and say JACK. He looks and says who are you? I say, Don...Don who? Don, your running buddy from the real world. He stands up and looks and says I don't know you. Again I say its me, DON, your drinking and running buddy, I drive the white Chevy, you know. He turns white and says "my god, what has happed to you?' JACK, I am out in the bush with the 1st Cav...

Jack has on spit-shined boots, starched fatigues, clean shaved, Army haircut. I have on a flak jacket, no shirt, steep pot, have not saved in days, have not bathed in weeks, tired, hungry and in need of sleep. Jack being the supply guy gives me boots, fatigues, I eat a hot supper and breakfast and leave out the next day on the mail run.

I ask Jack about his letters and he laughs a bit nervously and tells me its for the folks back home, but LZ English is as far forward as he has been in the time he has been there.

Jack is still telling war stories, came across a mutual friend while back and Jack had told him he had made over 10,000 Army Airborne Jumps and had gone to SEALs school to boot.

Sad that Jack has to feel he needs to do this. Jack retired after 20 years, he was an E 6, clearly he did not do well in his career and over the years I came across him on various posts I was stationed on. I would get together with him for a meal, he drank heavy and the more he drank the more he talked of his exploits as a Army super hero. I knew his CO and Jack was a mess up soldier who never saw combat, never did much beyond be a some unit supply clerk...I feel sorry for him mostly and figure he is harmless.

 

OP-understand your frustration with posers. I too feel it, however, did lose my brother in 1998-he was the victim of a sniper in Nam-nice shot to the spine. He lived many years in pain, and used a lot of meds. I was just starting high school when he shipped over.
I joined the Navy in 1980-ended up in the middle east, and was actually in Sigonella when our friend invaded Kuwait. Took two days to get to Instanbul, and a 12 hour bus ride to get to my command in Sinop. Yes, was on an antenna farm, and yes saw combat, and yes have the medals and DD214 to prove it. Oh-I am also a female. Need proof? Will happily fax my DD214 to any reliable source-after redacting my SSN.

 

I feel guilty wearing my uniform in public. I'm national guard, just got done with AIT, no deployments yet, though hoping for one, or possibly warrant officer flight school. I hate trying to explain to civilians that I have been in the military only 7 months, and have yet to give the US what it has invested in me. I think that most people genuinely respect military service, and want to show support and respect, and I hate to hear about people manipulating that. I always feel embarassed when people offer to buy me a cup of coffee or thank me for serving, I try to explain that I haven't served anything yet...

 

You have nothing to feel guilty about or anybody else that ever wore a uniform in service. It doesn't matter what you did or do it's all important and honorable. What is a crime is to pretend to service when you never did or to honors that you never earned. Pilot or cook, tanker or supply clerk the military needs them all and cannot function without them. None are any more important than the other no matter what they tell you.

 

So right off the bat meeting a combat soldier is a RARE occurrence.

I use to work in a place where the MAJORITY of new hires were guys who'd been in combat and several of them had come from recuperating from injuries sustained in combat, some with visible reconstruction. One young fellow sort of really got to me. He was a young African-American, hit by an IED. One eye continually had problems. He walked with a substantial limp which he tried to hide with a kip to his walk...to me, it looked as if it'd get progressively worse and he'd eventually be using a cane, and eventually wind up in a chair He fought the drousy effects of his medications to keep his job. Another young man showed a developed shyness. He'd discolorations and scarring from injuries sustained to his head from his combat in Iraq. One night years ago, I walked with several as across the water the 4th of July fireworks display caused many to flinch and a lot of variously nervous and relieved laughter.

Older soldiers, retirees in their second career helped several of these young men navigate through their VA OJT and upgrade their disabilities, because several didn't want to admit how bad they'd been injured. Some current employees also got activated in the reserve and guard and served in theater. At another location, one young woman who'd been activated was killed when a vehicle filled with female servicemembers was hit by an IED and hit by fires. That certainly sounds like a combat situation to me. One of my officers got put in for a silver star for his actions in Fallujah.

I've read enough DD214's with applications through being on and chairing interview panels and as a vocationally certified instructor.

So many young people served. So many of them saw horrific things and so many got engaged.

By what sort of measure are combat veterans 'rare'.

That's ignorant and insulting.




I've contempt for those who claim to have been in the military but haven't been...but other than a few nut jobs given enough rope to hang themselves, I don't have the time or patience to let some numb nuts tell me some lies about bogus service and usually a few good questions will weed them out quickly but it's better to just let them start talking rather than insult a real veteran by interrogating him. Lots of posers. Great example, bogus Vietnam Era War veterans. Just ask them questions about units and locations, listen to their terms. So many of the rag bags walking around in tiger stripes with shaggy hair claiming to be vietnam veterans and begging weren't.

 

So right off the bat meeting a combat soldier is a RARE occurrence.

I use to work in a place where the MAJORITY of new hires were guys who'd been in combat and several of them had come from recuperating from injuries sustained in combat, some with visible reconstruction. One young fellow sort of really got to me. He was a young African-American, hit by an IED. One eye continually had problems. He walked with a substantial limp which he tried to hide with a kip to his walk...to me, it looked as if it'd get progressively worse and he'd eventually be using a cane, and eventually wind up in a chair He fought the drousy effects of his medications to keep his job. Another young man showed a developed shyness. He'd discolorations and scarring from injuries sustained to his head from his combat in Iraq.

Older soldiers, retirees in their second career helped several of these young men navigate through their VA OJT and upgrade their disabilities, because several didn't want to admit how bad they'd been injured. Some current employees also got activated in the reserve and guard and served in theater. At another location, one young woman who'd been activated was killed when a vehicle filled with female servicemembers was hit by an IED and hit by fires. That certainly sounds like a combat situation to me.

By what sort of measure are combat veterans 'rare'.

That's ignorant and insulting.

%100 true. Just because someone deployed as a supply clerk, fueler etc doesn't mean they didn't get shot at, deal with IEDs, mortars, etc. Some cope with it better than others, but it's not a safe assumption that "combat soldiers" are somehow easily distinguished from "non-combat soldiers".

 

Now and then I'll pick up the tab be it a dinner at Applebee's or a scoop of ice cream at Baskins and Robbins for soldiers and airmen. A while ago, I saw a stressed looking young female soldier, talking on her cell phone, trying to have someone meet her outside a convenience store. I saw her crumple up an empthy pack of cigerettes and her 10th Mountain Division combat patch on her right shoulder. I went in, got her another pack of Marlboros, handed it to her and thanked her for serving and thanked her for representing my old Division so well, and she cried and gave me a hug.

That occurred in seconds. I got in my car, and drove off. She was leaning against her car, smoking, looking a bit more relaxed and she waved.

No, I don't smoke, don't really like smoking, but she does.

These are fine young Americans. I'm lip quivering, chin lifting, damp eyed proud of them.

 

Hey man good to hear from someone in the old corps. Im an 0311 with one tour to Afghanistan, we had some pretty good firefights while we were there but people still find ways to make up stories here in our unit. One guy in out platoon got hit in the shoulder being a moron, and he made up this great tale about charging some building with 4 dudes in it, all bull ****. We called him on it but he still runs his suck. Oh well deep down people like that know they didn't do ****.

 

The hardest question anyone has ever ask me is; what's it like over there? I just want say; Why don't you join the military and find out for yourself. But out of politeness I restrain my self. I just tell them that it is different.

Yeah, I wish I had a dime for every time I've heard someone claim they are a sniper, or Navy Seal. I think it takes a little more to be a sniper than qualifying expert a couple of times at the range for annual qualification.

 

I'm probably the luckiest veteran on this board. I did four years and four months, all peace time and all stateside! Never had to shoot at anyone or be shot at. I just welded on aircraft and did my job. Man, I am so happy to have no war stories to tell! Those that saw battle went through something that I'll likely never have to. I thank them silently when I wake up every day and to their face when I meet them.

 

U

Wish I had a penny for each story that I have heard that they were:
1) Secret Missions behind the lines

Yes, I read the report after it was "declassified".

2) Long range sniper, 4 tours in the bush

The bush wasn'[t really that bushy if it was classified as "long range".

3) Can't tell ya cause then I would have to kill you

You don't have the clearance to do that.:upsidedown:

4) Operated in Laos, but it was secret stuff

"Operating in Laos" was the secret stuff...and you failed.

 

Of course, the first thing that catches my eye this evening on the Army Times is this: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/07/army-ranger-faker-admits-he-made-up-story-071611/

"If his claims had been true, Jeff “Rock” Harris would have been one of the most highly decorated Americans since the Vietnam War. Harris, 46, told an audacious tale to the Kinston Free Press, a North Carolina newspaper. He said he was a former Army Ranger who had racked up 316 sniper kills, earned 70 medals and been wounded in the action that inspired the movie “Black Hawk Down.”

I just don't get people anymore.

 

Of course, the first thing that catches my eye this evening on the Army Times is this: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/07/army-ranger-faker-admits-he-made-up-story-071611/


I just don't get people anymore.

thats pretty awesome. in my 11 years and change i only managed to get 3 medals, and wear E-6 for a little bit before i got out. that guy would probably give capt america a decent run. and im not saying that there arent combat vets out there, but meeting them on the internet is pretty rare. to the poster that worked with alot of new hire combat vets did you live near a big VA hospital?

 

Wow, no respect for the uniform from that guy.

 

I served 91-95 in the Marines. That's as much of a title as I will ever want in life.

I have mass respect for anyone who signed the contract and did the time, no matter what branch or when. I am proud of my service, as I am proud of my country and those who served to keep it strong.

Snipers and Recon are way over rated anyway....lol

Semper Fi

 

1. US Forces went into both Laos and Cambodia in late 1970 and 1971.

2. People from Nebraska who think hanging around in crazy neighborhoods is like combat
are enough to make one wonder if raising corn causes brain damage. Soldiers do NOT just opt to roll the windows up, lock the doors, make a U-turn and drive back to the farm if they see the S about to HTF. They eliminate the situation.

3. stabbing the gas pedal of some airplane is not the equivalent of killing enemy soldiers either.

On the other hand, if Kev would allow it, I could post enough photos of my Ranger Team after small skirmishes to gag you all.
If you are ever curious as to someone's combat experience ask to see his CIB or Ranger Assn. membership card.

ISS