Posted on Mar 22, 2015
Stolen Valor among homeless vets - Choosing NOT to ask questions.
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Wondering if others are like me and have occasionally chosen NOT to ask additional questions to a homeless vet. The story:
I tend to pick up homeless people out begging on the freeways and take them to lunch. Just about every one of them claims to be a veteran. I picked up a guy today and his first words about military service were that he "was a ranger and 250 went in and 45 came out". Now, he was too young for Vietnam, and too old for OIF/OEF, (plus he admitted that he left service as a corporal and that's hard to believe with Ranger school) and I'm sure no casualties like this happened during desert storm. But he also mentioned that he wished he had his DD214 and told me about his SERE training, so I know he's a vet. I chose not to ask any more questions. I know he was lying, but I also know that he was prior service and so I bought him a few cheeseburgers and fries and drove on.
I tend to pick up homeless people out begging on the freeways and take them to lunch. Just about every one of them claims to be a veteran. I picked up a guy today and his first words about military service were that he "was a ranger and 250 went in and 45 came out". Now, he was too young for Vietnam, and too old for OIF/OEF, (plus he admitted that he left service as a corporal and that's hard to believe with Ranger school) and I'm sure no casualties like this happened during desert storm. But he also mentioned that he wished he had his DD214 and told me about his SERE training, so I know he's a vet. I chose not to ask any more questions. I know he was lying, but I also know that he was prior service and so I bought him a few cheeseburgers and fries and drove on.
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Stolen Valor
Homeless
Stolen Valor Homeless
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 12
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MAJ (Join to see), you were correct to not pursue the matter any further. Help a brother out and move on.
It is troubling to me that you have decided to help these folks by picking them up and buying them lunch. There are a lot of mentally ill folks out there, or ones that wouldn't think twice to releive you of your valuables if given a chance.
This situation may well have escalated had you confronted him about his Ranger exploits.
It is troubling to me that you have decided to help these folks by picking them up and buying them lunch. There are a lot of mentally ill folks out there, or ones that wouldn't think twice to releive you of your valuables if given a chance.
This situation may well have escalated had you confronted him about his Ranger exploits.
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Everyone has a valid point; but you know maybe his cookie crumbled. Just hope the next generation will show patients with my generation. Sometimes things get a little foggy.
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