Is this a case of Stolen Valor or Respect?

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 20:16:38 -0400

I recently found these from a news entity in that area. If you are not familiar with the location it is the site of the initial attack at the Recruiting Station. But this person was reported to be a military medic and was even featured on a news website. I love the picture but then I looked closer at it.

This guy is not wearing military boots, has the flag on wrong, is wearing a Harley Davidson combat patch with a Medic patch over it, not shaved, and has his sleeves cuffed.

For some reason I doubt this guys is an actually Army Medic. He did get a lot of attention by this. But was he just trying to pay respect or is this a disgusting case of stolen valor? I am leaning towards the stolen valor. If you want to pay respect to a fallen comrade then you need to look respectable. According to the News entity that took the story down now he claimed to be an Army Medic so that only shows he is claiming to be a soldier.

I also attached the website to the photography that took the pictures. I think it is odd how this guy got some professional shoots.

https://www.facebook.com/LaurenCoakleyPhotography/photos/a [login to see] 63 [login to see] [login to see] 58166345/ [login to see] 13420/?type=1&theater

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Response by SFC Everett Oliver made Jul 19 at 2015 8:24 PM

SFC Everett Oliver — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 20:24:58 -0400

Difficult. Obviously the man is not on active duty. He may or may not be a veteran. He may have been hired by the photographer for all we know. What we do know is that he is not what we are led to believe...

Response by PO1 Shahida Marmol made Jul 19 at 2015 9:21 PM

PO1 Shahida Marmol — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 21:21:05 -0400

To show respect he didn't have to wear a uniform. He could have taken this picture in civilian attire and it still would have been respectful. Instead he wore a uniform that the general public would assume he is a solider, and he didn't even wear it correctly. And he wasn't shaved. Why pretend to be a solider if you're not look the part 100%

Response by PVT Robert Gresham made Jul 19 at 2015 10:56 PM

PVT Robert Gresham — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 22:56:48 -0400

LT - When you get out do you plan to keep up with all regs on uniform? If you were not in at the time that flags became issue, like I did...... I wouldn't know a where to place a flag either. Just because we are Veterans and no longer keep up with your Regs doesn't mean we do not feel and hurt at the death of our Brothers in Uniform. Give the man a break until you know for sure.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 20 at 2015 6:14 AM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 06:14:59 -0400

I am going to assume this man has a good heart, simply by the actions he is taking in the pictures, and therefore I will say that my answer is respect. There are a few things that influence my answer.

First, this man isn't walking around the local shopping center looking for discounts. He isn't there primarily to tell his story. While it may have been reported that he was an Army Medic, we all know that sometimes reporters misunderstand, their editors make last minute changes, and things go to print that aren't entirely true. Perhaps, the reporter got a quick statement while this man had other priorities, to include paying respect to the fallen, and made some assumptions to fill in the holes in the story. We don't know that there was any ever intention of representing himself as something he is not or never was.

Second, I personally know many contractors who are not and never were military, but have some combination of the uniform because they too have deployed to support our efforts. If one of them decided to throw on their uniform to show that they continue to stand with us, I wouldn't immediately be offended. While it may not technically be correct, as they are portraying themselves in a certain way when they wear the uniform, if their heart is in the right place, I'm not going to attack them. I would rather have civilians who support and stand next to the military, and genuinely care when lives are lost, than a crowd of people quick to point out how they feel we are overpaid, undereducated, and a drain on tax dollars.

Now, if this story was attached to an interview with the man where he went on for half an hour about the action he saw as a Medic, using the tragedy to sell his story and genuinely gain his 15 minutes of fame, I would feel differently. From the information I have here, however, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he was just trying to show that there are good people out there who stand with America.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 20 at 2015 7:08 PM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 19:08:04 -0400

This is extremely hard because we do not know the whole story or the reasoning behind it. If indeed he was claiming to be an Army medic, active duty service member, or something that he is not it is dishonest at the least. This is a very sensitive situation because of the events that preceded it, but that does not excuse dishonest or misleading behavior. If he is a veteran and the media got the story wrong, not a big deal and I would have no problem with it. If he has not military affiliation and was making false claims it is tragic, there are thousands of other ways he could have showed remorse and respect for those who lost their lives.

Response by Capt Jeff S. made Oct 24 at 2015 2:49 PM

Capt Jeff S. — Sat, 24 Oct 2015 14:49:03 -0400

I get that he is trying to do a meaningful thing, but I question his motivation in getting all dressed up in a uniform he didn't earn the right to wear to do that. If he truly respected those who wear the uniform, he wouldn't put it on. I think he was as much OR MORE! seeking attention for himself as he was trying to show respect for the recruiters that were shot.

Response by CPT Pedro Meza made Mar 28 at 2016 2:28 PM

CPT Pedro Meza — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 14:28:22 -0400

There is no such thing as Stolen Valor, and we need to get off our soap box, I choose to see the positive in the message instead of the negative. We do not need any more division among us.

Response by SFC Jaysin Smith made Jan 29 at 2022 3:33 PM

SFC Jaysin Smith — Sat, 29 Jan 2022 15:33:51 -0500

Do you all know how many of our brothers and sisters have been falsely accused of stolen valor? To the point where a real marine was beaten! A real purple heart recipient was sent to prison! It's better to let 1000 of these guys slide then to accuse 1 genuine service member. Because you never really know. Because he can't answer your questions to 100% satisfaction or he refuses. If you come at me trying to ask for my CAC or my VA ID I'm gonna tell you to fuck off. If you wanna get aggressive well I might get my ass whipped by you or your group, but I promise you that someone is coming to the hospital with me. And the rest are gonna remember me. I've noticed that a lot of guys who try to call this shit out have little to no deployments, have generally never made it above E-4 and are in fucking POG jobs. Get the fuck off it. Let them tell their fuckin stories and live in the satisfaction of what YOU did to serve YOUR country.

Response by Sgt Judy Leonard made Mar 12 at 2022 9:34 PM

Sgt Judy Leonard — Sat, 12 Mar 2022 21:34:07 -0500

Give it a break. I don’t see you trying to respect the fallen. In fact I see it as you stealing respect of he fallen by focusing on the person doing the respect.