Military Fakes- sometimes you just have to share the joke...

[Bluebird Marsha]

I'm quite sure the first person to illegitimately claim military service was some guy who claimed to be a Spartan who survived the Battle of Thermopylae. Be that as it may, there is a long and inglorious history of this kind of behavior, and I suspect that as each generation of veterans ages, the claims get more outrageous. The internet has stopped some of the worst of it, but some folks continue to get snookered. I submit this first example, recently acquired, because it is so over the top as to be funny. An immediate bust, for rather obvious reasons!

But this example is more concerning. He was taken down a year or two ago, but what took so long? His uniform was equally silly, and he promenaded in it for some time. Is it that are so few WWII veterans left to question what they're seeing, or is it that we naturally defer to the elderly and are afraid to question their claims of heroism? I suspect that as the WWII generation dies, we will be seeing a last gasp of this goofiness.

 

[Weston]

Being in the Air Force, that guy looks a little young to be a Master Sergeant. Also, he apparently has quite a few specialties! LOL...the dead giveaway (other than the insane amount of ribbons, some of which he couldn't possibly have earned) is the terrible placement of items on the uniform. Just awful.

Let me suggest a kinder, gentler route for these folks: if you're like this first guy, join the Air Force. We've got plenty of places to go where you can earn ribbons fast with your friends - and you might learn something about serving others while you're at it.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Here's one that was recently convicted here in Eastern North Carolina.

http://www.wwaytv3.com/2011/04/22/fake-marine-colonel-found-guilty

AF

 

[Puzzicato]

this is the British version.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Are these guys just re-enactors who've gone crazy, confidence tricksters, or just plain barking mental?

 

[1961MJS]

Are these guys just re-enactors who've gone crazy, confidence tricksters, or just plain barking mental?

Hi Baron

I've been around re-enactors. One local guy worked his way up the re-enacting chain to be a brigade commander, so his portrayal of a Civil war brigade commander was somewhat earned. A lot of guys in re-enacting go get an officer's dress uniform so that they can look good at dances and carry a sword. They're civil war privates by day, Captains by night...

Trickster: Probably not, who'd believe him?

Just plain barking mental? I think we've hit the nail on the head here. WRT to our pre-pubescent USAF Master Sergeant, 99% of reenactors and budding tricksters would be able to find out that you can't wear the Combat Infantry Badge anywhere EXCEPT on a US ARMY Infantry uniform. One of the other 4H Shotgun coaches is ex-airborne, and earned the CIB while there. He is still pissed he couldn't wear the CIB when he broke his leg and was re-assigned to the MP's late in his career. Budding trickster's would also note that our USAF buddy has more medals on him than Hackworth (the most decorated guy on earth right?).

later

 

[Puzzicato]

Surely re-enactors pride themselves on the accuracy of their costumes? None of these people get points for that! So conmen and nutters, I would think. Maybe its related to Munchausen syndrome?

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

The one that makes me laugh is the Combat Infantry Badge (CIB) with two stars which signifies multiple awards -- in this case three awards. While one-star recipients (two awards) are probably not that uncommon today -- he would most likely be a Desert Storm veteran who is now a senior officer or NCO, a legitimate two-star CIB recipient would be VERY rare, if not practically impossible as it would indicate Vietnam service! The most recent conflicts that the CIB was authorized for was Vietnam, Desert Storm and the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was not authorized for Grenada (1983) or Panama (1989).

 

[LizzieMaine]

One thing that makes it that much easier for people to get away with this kind of nonsense is that the majority of people today are completely disconnected from the military -- they didn't serve, their immediate relatives didn't serve, and nobody they know serves. So they have no idea how to read a uniform -- they don't know what all that insignia stands for, so how are they going to catch on? It makes it much much easier for something like this to happen. The days of companies giving away "A Pocket Guide To Military Insignia" as a premium to their customers are long past...

(But even I know that you don't wear ribbons and full medals on the same uniform. That elderly sailor's not just a phony, he's also very gauche.)

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

There's a whole database that keeps tabs on these imposters

http://www.pownetwork.org/phonies/phonies1140.htm

Even though a lot less flamboyant than the above examples in that she hasn't been known to wear a uniform, if you're in the Baton Rouge area watch out for this woman. She tries to scam people out of $40-60 by pulling out a military ID claiming to be a soldier from Fort Polk whose car had been burglarized. She's even tried to pull this scam on service members in uniform! ("Can you help a fellow soldier?") And by all accounts she's a nasty b***h.

[video=youtube;qyS4G5K32hg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyS4G5K32hg[/video]

 

[Bluebird Marsha]

The funniest part of the uniform is what's not in this picture of the baby zoomie. In the rest, he has a GREEN BERET!, and he has his pants bloused into a pair of desert tan BOOTS! For the full story, and ensuing hilarity go to: http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=24149. I'm quite positive he's mental, since he wore this Halloween version of an Air Force uniform - with what appear to be Command Pilot Wings- to his stepfathers graduation from Army Basic. At the Home of the Infantry, beautiful Ft.Benning! His picture was taken when he went to a Battalion HQ because a drill sgt. dissed his awesome self. The XO got the picture after he stopped laughing, but before the MP's threw him off post. I hope they made him bounce at least once!
i
Perhaps we can resurrect the Pocket Guide to Military Insignia? I can picture it done in the style of Chick Publication religious tracts, with phonies being highlighted in comic strip format. We could leave them in bathrooms around America. Perhaps with overseas editions.

 

[LizzieMaine]

 

[Gene]

I'm quite sure the first person to illegitimately claim military service was some guy who claimed to be a Spartan who survived the Battle of Thermopylae. Be that as it may, there is a long and inglorious history of this kind of behavior, and I suspect that as each generation of veterans ages, the claims get more outrageous. The internet has stopped some of the worst of it, but some folks continue to get snookered. I submit this first example, recently acquired, because it is so over the top as to be funny. An immediate bust, for rather obvious reasons!

He must have been mighty cold in Antarctica. Also, I wonder where he was stationed during Korea.

Ohhh I get it. He was in the Army in WWII, then he reenlisted in the Air Force during Korea, THAT'S why he's wearing the CIB.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Also forgot the desert combat boots with the AF blue uniform: EPIC FAIL

And here we see Sgt. Booger preparing for combat with his deadly arsenal of game controllers.

 

[Rathdown]

In the UK they're called "Walts", short for Walter Mitty...

 

[Harp]

the Combat Infantry Badge (CIB) It was not authorized for Grenada (1983) or Panama (1989).

Believe CIB was authorized for Grenada; or it should have been,
considering extraordinarily inept planning per said operation.
Rangers were forced to exit at 500 ft over enemy held drop zones,
well below base altitude combat/equipment jump requirements-all
because the idiots at the Pentagon opted public relations over lethality.
Grenada was one f/up dice roll.

 

[Bluebird Marsha]

Someone over at This Ain't Hell pointed out the Antarctica service ribbon. It was the Airborne, Air Assault wings, plus the pilot's wings that sent me into giggles. Someone thought they recognized a Coast Guard pin in all that mess. Apparently the Navy was able to escape his attention. Rambo can't swim?

The Sgt. Major I had in college (early 80's) enjoyed telling tales of the various guys he beat up during the Vietnam war. They liked to traipse around in Special Forces and Rangers tabs and insignia. They didn't expect to run into guys who were in those units. Pity about their noses

 

[Gene]

Someone over at This Ain't Hell pointed out the Antarctica service ribbon. It was the Airborne, Air Assault wings, plus the pilot's wings that sent me into giggles.

Don't you know? He jumped out of the helicopter he was piloting into the sub-zero temperatures of Antarctica, where they thought a Polar Bear was holding hostage a group of Special Forces....DUHHH!!!!

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Someone over at This Ain't Hell pointed out the Antarctica service ribbon. It was the Airborne, Air Assault wings, plus the pilot's wings that sent me into giggles. Someone thought they recognized a Coast Guard pin in all that mess. Apparently the Navy was able to escape his attention. Rambo can't swim?

The Sgt. Major I had in college (early 80's) enjoyed telling tales of the various guys he beat up during the Vietnam war. They liked to traipse around in Special Forces and Rangers tabs and insignia. They didn't expect to run into guys who were in those units. Pity about their noses

SSgt. Barry Sadler -- Garrett Trooper (1966)

[video=youtube;S8uIwi1oHuw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8uIwi1oHuw[/video]

 

[Bluebird Marsha]

The polar bears were in cahoots with beluga whales. Our Boys were being held in the underwater Caverns of Doom when Sgt. Boogerman single handedly rescued them. And there was a volcano.

First, he rappelled out of the space shuttle, and when he reached the end of the rope-he turned it into a HALO jump- because he's just that awesome.