Have you seen military posers in person?

MSgt Cynthia Bishop - to be honest with you If I had stay and done a 20, took the seal team offer made the cut I would have been in my early mid forties at retirement.

No, he was claiming that he was currently a SEAL. Fifty pounds overweight, hair to his shoulders, 45+ years old and a Reservist. I think not.

Lol...that would NOT end well.

Best plan ever

You have a good point Sarge but most civilians who have never been in wouldn't know what regulation to look for. They wouldn't know necessarily that there are specific regulations for how to arrange your ribbons. Based on the picture they obviously wouldn't also know that you don't wear your medals on your class A's. No one is butthurt but it is insulting. The only reason why someone would run around in a uniform is to gain and benefit from it even if it's something as small as a veteran's discount or a free dinner on veterans day. Who knows maybe this clown is an actor trying to play the part of a soldier and hoping he could convince those he came across that he was for real.

A safe bet is if they’re putting something, anything, on it. Cammies are cammies but if there’s names, ranks, etc and they’re parading around pretending to be Mattis himself. That’s stolen valor, I’ve been out for awhile now and don’t give much of a shit to call them out and make a scene unless they mention their “heroics” of war. Then you bet your ass I light them up wherever we are, aside for church. I personally don’t get offended when I’m doing that, I’m offended for the boys that went into that shitstorm and didn’t come back. Both my generations and generations past. And I don’t care if what I’m doing by lighting them up is right, wrong, or makes me seem butthurt. I didn’t lose my cousin in Afghanistan and my good friend to suicide in the stumps for Johnny on the block to try to score pussy by pretending he was there or knows one thing about service to the country. Hell no. Maybe when I get older I’ll see it differently, but as it is I have no pity for the guys that pull that move.

I was a DoD logistics contractor at AGW, IQ in '06. I wore desert cam and boots, but absolutely no tags, patches or anything that would lead anyone to think I was regular military. I had and have too much respect for the men and women I worked with who wore the uniforms of our country or our allies.

With nearly two decades of constant warfare, an entire new generation has grown up with "military chic" styled clothing. Some designer rags come with rank patches and bogus insignia; these are not Mil surplus. Add in the Grunt Styles and Ranger Ups, veteran-owned clothing lines and you will see a ton of people of all ages in military inspired garb, including Mil surplus. During the Vietnam Era, same thing happened. Yeah, I am THAT old. We had posers then, too.

Posers like the clown in the article are people who pretend to be active duty or retired members of the US Military. Some of these people do have mental/intellectual/behavioral issues beyond their control. Getting pissed off at someone who is clearly mentally/intellectually impaired is over the top, IMO. The posers that get my goat are those outright frauds; true stolen valor maggots who profit off the reputations, forged in the fires of war, of other men. A-holes like that deserve to be taken to task by any lawful means.

Most unintelligent answer/comment I've seen regarding stolen valor

PO1 Donald Hammond - Check out the USS Belknap CG 26 and the collision with the JFK. I was on the Claude V Ricketts DDG 5. Good men died that night and we weren't at war or on a SUBMARINE. That's my point!

Still doesn't speak to what I was speaking to. Anybody, anywhere, can die at any time. Look at the military that die in airplane crashes, in vehicle collisions, etc etc.
I never said you had to be on a submarine to die. Go back and read my statement again. Take a class in Reading Comprehension 101 and then try again.

PO1 Donald Hammond - You be a grumpy ol fart at times , yes .

I agree Eric. The problem some of us have is that whole “positive image” thing. Cussing folks out and threatening violence to someone in public don’t quite meet that definition. Like you said, talk to people in that situation with firmness and emphasis, but not in a hostile kind of way. If nothing else, the 30 civilian people who would have otherwise thought “What a dickhead that guy was” won’t be thinking that.

Capt David L. Duffy - Thanks Capt. Yup, we had garrison caps in the AF as well, however they weren't called "pisscutters". We did have our own name for them also, but it was no where near as polite as "pisscutters". Thanks for the info.

Impersonating a soldier? Who cares. Impersonating a Marine? Punishable by death. Lol

thanks Robert didn't know ya cared lol

LCDR Ward Shaffer - I know khakis wore them long before 98, but I was referring to E-6 and below wearing a black pisscutter. I was in 80-99 and E-6 and below did not have them until 98.

Every situation is different. It sounds like the Young Man just wants to honor his brother and father. I agree 100%. There's always an exception to the rule..

Thank you for this share Sgt Tony Shopes . Hopefully it will be a reminder to us all , to not rush to judgement . This story makes me feel good , this young man is honoring his farther and brother who both served

PO3 Steve Bagley - Steve I had not seen this young man for a few years until 3 days ago. He now carries as he is being trained by an adult living facility, although he remains with mom. He now has dad and brothers DD214 in his (poser) pocket. He remembered me hugged me, and said look what I get to keep. He then showed me the papers. He said no bodiies (SP SIC intentional) can tell me off. I said no person should ever tell you off and his mom ordered name tags below his brother and fathers (he wears both uniforms camo and dress) that say in loving memory of my dad and brother. PS I was impressed as he was at church in Class A's and he can align the awards better than many soldiers. He takes pride in that. It

The only ones that bother me are the ones that try to convince me that they’re real vets and they or their stuff doesn’t match the yarn they’re spinning, like the “airborne ranger, green beret, gunnery sergeant with the top secret mos...

I just went to the range here in town today and the guy behind the desk told me that his dad taught him to shoot - his dad was a Green Beret in the military...for 45 years! Now, he could have been at one time Spec Ops and the 45 years could be a total of active and reserve / guard, but I must admit, I almost called bullshit. But I didn't. Not my issue. But I didn't believe a word he said.

You never know Tom. You have to be careful with these things.

SSgt Bruce McClelland - I'd like to know that too. Back in my day 64 to 70 I never heard the term.

Popped collar is a an unauthorized way to to wear the ACU or the new uniform. It is wearing the shirt zipped up all the way and the collar turned up. The only time that is authorized is if you are in the field and wearing body armor unless unit SOP says otherwise. If they are in uniform and wearing it like that you need to tighten up their shot group with an on the spot correction.

Thank you all for your service. I admire and respect our military and truly appreciate what you all do and have done.

Sgt James Pibbles - Au Contraire You are partially right there Sarge, Ya'll might be the only Branch that can say that BUT Aviation Ordnancemen be they Navy or Marine once they put on the Flying flaming piss pot We are AO's FOREVER! because IYAOYAS! The Brotherhood is tight and lasts forever.

PO2 Rev. Frederick C. Mullis, AFI, CFM - well at least you never had to go get a bucket of steam.

SN Shawn Wilson - Shawn, Being second generation NAVY, I knew all the little pranks long before I ever raised my hand. Relative Bearing Grease, Mail Bouy Watch, Portable Pad Eye's, Keys to the COD, Passenger Blivits. Hell I even had my hair cut by my own barber before I went to Boot, I jumped in the chair with almost a completely shaved head, and told the barber to take a little off the Top, He smiled and said "Get out of my chair you smart ass!"

I feel like I'm upvoting every answer but they're all hitting close to home. I put twenty-five years in Illinois state prisons and the time spent in mental health and segregation units was made harder when you realize the hopelessness. You try to develop enough of a rapport with the inmates that you can get through a shift without suicides, cell extractions, or fire hoses. When you get there you realize that this is the rest of their life. When they go past a certain point there is no outdate, no reintegration, and no return to the world. Some of them came in with a year or two and manage to turn it into life.

SPC David Schuler - I am from Attica, NY. I was on the medical team after the riot in 71. It is a long story. However, I knew many of the hostages, some who were killed, you get the picture.I enlisted in the Army a few years later. The riot had an impact on my life. It is the employer in the area. My brother worked there after he got out of the Army. The NYS Corrections system was the place to work. There were riots at another place when I was in the Army and set up emergency leave. Being from the area where there are prisons, we learned that life is very uncertain after 1971.There is still that mindset in the 'prison towns that is in the military.

CWO3 (Join to see) - No good deed goes unpunished, right? And my all time favorite, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Until the hostilities cease, I would treat everyone as a wolf and not sheep.

SGT Thomas Price - Yes and I was trying to say that sometimes a stray dog will bite the hand that feeds it. It comes with the territory of being a stray. Once bitten it doesn't matter what your intentions were, and death is final.

SFC Jim Ruether - thanks Jim, my late dad served eight years in infantry, won bronz star inWWII, when old he worn his uniform, it was really correct, and being military I would try fix it. Think about it, if a crusader accused him of being a fake? My half brother's dad wound at Anizo, more than like could of been a similar case. I am very careful whom I call out, I only once quested a guy in NYC looking for money, where is your VA card, I ask him if disabled veteran? Loads of hero, especially WWII and Korea veterans that can wear uniform properly due to old age and senility. Thanks for your rely, and your service. Jim I always held more respect for senior NCO's than officers, since I was one. Mike

One thing I can say for certain, the older uniforms I still have don't fit, the last ones I wore as recently as 5 years ago don't fit nearly as well as they did when I retired. Age and gravity takes a toll, along with just shy of 40 years of service.

I retired in 1995 after twenty four years of combined active and reserve and guard service with an eleven year break to raise a family. My service included both hot and cold war participation. My uniforms hang in the closet and are tended to as required. Last memorial day a young grandson asked if I would take him to the city parade in Manchester, NH. I had not worn the class A's since my retirement twenty five years earlier. It fit like a glove, (think OJ's trial) I wore the short sleeve T W (tropical worsted) tan dress shirt this spring, it also fit like a glove with room to spare.

It must be the humidity. All my uniforms have shrunk in the closet since my 2012 retirement also. Went from XL to XXL in T-shirts too.

My favorite is when young kids asked if I served in Vietnam (I'm 50). I tell them "Look, I was BORN during that war, not in it. I wasn't hunting Charlie in the jungle in my diaper with a pop gun." Most laugh when I point that put.

SMSgt Kevin Bishop - I have one of those also or whats left of it has a purple color as I remember I to need to upgrade. LOL!

SGT James Ray - didn't ask me, but it is on it.

“Frank you went to Vietnam in the 90’s to open a sweatshop”

“That’s right and we lost a lot of good men in there “

-it’s always sunny in Philadelphia