Have you seen military posers in person?

A huge controversy in Canada over something very similar, a man wearing military uniform in Ottawa during Remembrance Celebrations who was never in the military, the govt will probably be prosecuting.

Was he mentally challenged? Was he trying to "gain" anything with his costume?

My view on this issue differs from many of brothers and sisters I'm sure, but here it is. There are many out there who idolize our military members, some wanted to serve but couldn't, some hsve other mental issues and can't distinguish between what they wish they could do and what they really have done. Most of us can tell the difference immediately as can most civilians. For me the guys that actually try to get things for free or get recognition for false claims are the ones that anger me, but there again most businesses are wise to this and require things like a DD214, military ID, or VA ID, some require leave papers, so I could care less if someones wearing fstigues wrong to show support look at it as a form of admiration. For those of us who survived combat the hardest thing to do is to listen to someone talk about combat who clearly never saw it. I personally get more pissed at people who were in the service who lie about their jobs and what they did.

To all of the candy ass pieces of crap that is making statements like "anybody can buy them and wear what they want, why is everyone getting so upset"...... Well, they can kiss this disabled veterans ass..... For myself and all of my military brothers and sisters, regardless of the branch of service, we walked the walk, took the oath and earned the right to wear that uniform..... So for some POS to put on a store bought uniform and pretend to be someone special, yes that is offensive.... Not butt hurt as some may claim, just pissed off and mad as hell about fake cowereds that didn't have the intestinal fortitude to raise their hand and take the oath.......

I have ran in to one, that I know of. I looked him square in the face and told him he was a lying idiot.
I Retired after 20 years, from the Army, and wear military clothing on a regular basis, as it is cheap, comfortable and fits my lifestyle, so I don't get bent about seeing military clothing being worn. I particularly like the combat shirts as they go well with my Carhart vest.
I was approached by the individual mentioned above, while I was wearing a pair of ACU trousers and a British combat shirt, while I was at the local Southern States feed store. Now mind you, everyone working in the store knows me and why I disappeared for over 20 years, but this guy was someone I had never met. So while I was waiting to check out, he announces that we must have been in the same unit because he remembers the uniform. I look at the check out clerk and smile. "Oh really? What unit was that?" His response was, "You should know, you're in the uniform, unless you're a fake! The 1st Marine Ranger BN of course!" I winked at the clerk and asked if he was with them when they went to Columbia or when they were deployed to Slobovia? Of course he said he was there for both! Me - "Really? What Cohort?" Him - "Oh, that was 2/6 Recon." Me - "What was your job?" Him - "I was a Sniper Bomb Tech!" Him - "What was your job?" Without missing a beat I said "Inflight Missile Mechanic" at that point, the clerk lost it! I finally finished paying, with about 15 folks listening to the exchange, I turned to him and came clean. "I am retired from the Army, I have a few MOS's one being EOD." "The uniform you see is a combination of US Army ACU pants and a Desert British combat shirt. To my knowledge, we haven't been at war with Columbia or Slobovia? 1st Marine Ranger BN, 2/6 Recon? Really?" His only Question was "What's EOD?" Again, the clerk lost it (he is a Veteran) and I just looked at the fool and said, " You're a lying Idiot." And walked out to the sound of laughter and chuckles.

I've spent some time in the veteran's group in the virtual reality simulation, Second Life. Everyone has an avatar there, and we can fit them with uniforms to match our real life ones. We always spend a bit of time vetting applicants to the group, questioning them to make sure they're really veterans. I've observed over the years that no poser ever claims to have been a cook, a clerk-typist, a motor pool mechanic or a medic. They're almost always Seals, Airborne Rangers, SF, Special Ops or some combination of the above. I remember one who insisted he'd been a Special Forces Seal Ranger in the Marine Corps. At that point, we let him spin his story for a while while laughing our asses off in a private chat window, then called him out on it and told him to take a flying leap.

We found that there were only a few questions we really needed to find out who was a real veteran. Everyone who's been in will know his basic active service date, where he went to basic training, and some details about the bases where he's been stationed, and once they start bitching about waiting in line for everything, we know he's for real. I also discovered that just about every former Marine will know the answer to, "Who was Daniel Daly, and why did he refuse a commission?"

In real life situations, the easiest way to figure who is real is to get them to talk about their stateside duty stations. No heroics, real or imaginary, just the tedium of everyday service. That's stuff no one can fake very well, and we've all been there to know what is real and what isn't.

My son is a Navy veteran and this pisses me off when people try to act like they served! By the way THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE SERVED... blue star mom!

I'm a bit late to the party, but here's my 2 cents anyway. Yes, I think it is disrespectful for someone who never served to wear a uniform in order to gain something from it. And yes, I believe we should confront stolen valor when we see it. At the same time, I also agree with some comments above that some folks may either be mentally ill, or just plain admire the military and as long as they make it clear that they are not trying to pass themselves as Soldier, then cool. I do however, have a big issue with how some Soldiers and veterans confront stolen valor. Being violent, yelling obscenities, etc. for the purpose of putting it on video and online, IMHO shows us all in a negative light, and is far from the professional, soldierly behavior we encourage and demand from our Soldiers. That type of behavior makes you just as wrong as the person you are trying to belittle .

So what. Civilians can wear articles of military clothing. The eagle globe and anchor is a slight problem. I let my own kids where my old bdu shirts. I took off my CIB, air assault wings and unit patches, and rank. Left the usarmy and name. I don't concern myself until I see qualification badges or combat patches.

E7 petty officer...that's funny....sometimes I wonder if some of these folks are mentally ill. On another note, sometimes theRe are true vets, that wear older uniforms, and young troops assume they posers because they can't remember details ect. Personally, I ignore such things....I still remember when any kind of working uniform was forbidden to be worn out in public....to and from work only....jmo