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 10 y ago
Responses: 102
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There was a similar incident to this recently, in that case it was a Senior citizen. As in that case, I would like proof that the attacker was actually and Airman and not just some drunken idiot out to beat someone up. If he is an active duty Airman his commander needs to prosecute him as appropriate for a criminal assault.
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1stSgt Eugene Harless
Exactly, this guy could have grabbed some girls behind and got his ass stomped.
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Pretty scary stuff. Looks like this airman has a lot of growing up to do. If you are not a subject matter expert on every type of issued military ID, you should refrain from calling someone on their military service. When I turned in my CAC card a little over a year ago, I thought my retiree ID card would be of similar quality. Not so! I think I could have made a better ID card on my home computer. If this AF kid has so much spunk in him, he should be transfered to the USMC as an infantryman so he can expend some of his misspent energy in destroying our enemies and not his fellow countrymen.
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It really is turning into an epidemic, almost, the lengths some people are willing to go in order to claim they found some Stolen Valor. One of the golden rules I live by whenever meeting another veteran is a simple one, especially if they're in uniform. Stay in your lane. My uniform abides by AFI 36-2903, I do not expect every soldier I meet to know said AFI, and likewise, unless you know AR 670-1, you have little basis to nitpick a soldier's uniform violations. In this case, had the Airman known DODI 1000.13 regarding identification, maybe this could have been avoided.
TL;DR - Be courteous, and only confront someone if you know for absolute certain something is wrong, and have the documentation to back up your claims. If not, things like this happen. Don't jump into a situation half-cocked, and stay in your own damn lane.
TL;DR - Be courteous, and only confront someone if you know for absolute certain something is wrong, and have the documentation to back up your claims. If not, things like this happen. Don't jump into a situation half-cocked, and stay in your own damn lane.
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SGT Jerry Ericsson
Really, I like the TRUE GOLDEN RULE, Do onto others.... I have lived by that my entire life, during my career as a police officer, and my time in the Army. It would do good for others to follow that rule as well.
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Problem - this is what we are breeding in the ranks today. Last week it was 4 Marines jumping a Viet Nam Veteran. We've got a Lieutenant Colonel on here stating that he would go wall to wall with the young man. The Army started a campaign just a few years back that they are a "profession" of "professionals" and this just shows how late they are. If you have to declare yourselves "professionals" to the world, you have already lost it. And our privates in training aren't allowed to carry rucksacks, they carry laundry bags.
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Bar fight and there is no point in trying to reason with a drunk, because it always end up in a fight. Now the Marine Veteran needs to fight back in the courts and through the AF investigations. Kick Ass.
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SGT Jerry Ericsson
I grew up in a family of drunks, dad, his 5 brothers, who got drunk every God Damn night and fought with each other, got all bloodied up then woke up the next morning swearing to never do it again but when the sun set and they were done in the fields, they would gather at our house and the drinking and fighting went on again. So it was, that I learned to deal with drunks, made me the go to guy on the PD when a drunk was holed up with a gun or a knife, I knew how to talk them down and settle the situation. So I understand the stupidity that comes with drinking, and I even tried it myself when I got home from Nam, after a year, I discovered I really didn't much care for it, and haven't been a drunk since.
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yeah dumb ass ego male shit... young buck who had no brains/drunk to listen.. anger issues.. a lot has been said.. and yes he deserves some punishment!, have him demoted by a rank, pay for medical expenses!, it was done off base so depends if marine filed charges. and I would have him do a few hundred hours of community service hours required to disabled vets and especially this Marine. Its the only respectful way to teach him and still have him do his part. Maybe he's a good airman on duty?? If I was his command I would make an example of him in a way that other service men can learn. maybe make him a poster child in the air force paper.. Just because bro was a marine doesn't mean he wanted to fight and gang ups suck. That shit happened to me a few times on base. Anger counseling is crucial, airforce is usually chill 9-5ers..
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We make jokes about feminist campaigns that attack alpha males, like the *toxic masculinity* or *male fragility*, but these SV people are proving some of them right. If you are someone that feels a powerful urge to seek out, confront, record, or assault someone because of some misguided sense of valor, I hate to break it to you - you don't have it.
What happened to military men being a cut above the gen pop? Even if you come across a phony - is tearing him down and exposing him how a man handles that situation? I think most of us would agree not. An overwhelming majority of those out the *stealing valor* have mental health issues, and most of the rest are poor and desperate. Does a man that strives to be a cut above kick another man when he's down? Sure, there are probably a few sociopaths out there fraudulently claiming some kind of military service, but it's not valor they are after - it's a dollar, a business deal, a client, an investment, or something other than whatever valor it is you think you have.
If you feel like you need to protect valor, you don't have it.
What happened to military men being a cut above the gen pop? Even if you come across a phony - is tearing him down and exposing him how a man handles that situation? I think most of us would agree not. An overwhelming majority of those out the *stealing valor* have mental health issues, and most of the rest are poor and desperate. Does a man that strives to be a cut above kick another man when he's down? Sure, there are probably a few sociopaths out there fraudulently claiming some kind of military service, but it's not valor they are after - it's a dollar, a business deal, a client, an investment, or something other than whatever valor it is you think you have.
If you feel like you need to protect valor, you don't have it.
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SGT Jerry Ericsson
I guess even back when I was in, what, the black boot army? (the used to always talk about the brown boot army when I as in!) we had our share of idiots and bull shitters, I guess it is still the same. My nephew used to tell me tales of his service at Fort Erwin back in the 90's, sure didn't sound much like my time in the 70's so times change, but soldiers remain the same, they are a cross section of what the nation has to offer. Sure back in my day there were still a LOT of draftee's but they served their 2 and got out unlike we RA trooper who did our 3 or 6 first then got out.
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Suspended Profile
This is exactly the kind of stupidity all these stolen valor sites cause and promote......stupid.....why do people feel the need to bother and challenge people who are minding their own business. I had some jackass ask me why I had a retired AF plate holder on my car.....i told him i was retired AF...he then wanted to see my DD214 for some reason....told him to EAD he had no authority to question, detain, or harass me and I walked away....WE are breeding and encouraging these idiots every time we circulate one of their videos or stories......this needs to stop......Unless someone is trying to profit or otherwise use their status to promote a cause can't we just leave them alone......this is so stupid i've had it happen to me twice now.....it needs to stop.
SGT Jerry Ericsson
Ya, my wife always wants me to wear my Vietnam Vet cap, in case we can get a discount or something. Sort of pisses me off you know. All these folks and their thank you for your service crap, some times I just want to tell them they are 20 F'NG years to late and to keep their thanks, but I usually say thanks and move along. I rarely wear it any more, but ya I am proud that I had the guts to ENLIST back in 1970 and go over there while I had classmates going to college when they sat on a million dollar ranch just to avoid going, and others ran to Canada, and a few got drunk and drove to damn fast then died when they left the road, the ultimate draft dodge. Na to much crap you know..
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Didn't know AF could call anyone out for SV. Aside from the 1% of them that serve Combat roles, I've seen cafeteria workers with more dangerous jobs. Boot POG. No wonder he can't tell the difference between a real man and a fake.
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