Stolen Valor: How do you deal with these individuals?

I mean, you just can't make this up!

A jacked up uniform does not necessarily imply a case of stolen valor. You should see some of the jacked up uniforms I have run across on bases over the years. I don't usually get involved with outing them. Typically, I have better things to do with my time than try and out every pretender or embellisher I come across. That would be a full time job in itself. The other reason I don't bother with it is that we live in a very dangerous society and initiating a confrontation has the potential for it to escalate into violence. Again better things to do with my time than deal with a self defense scenario that could have been avoided in the first place. I understand not wanting to walk past a mistake, but I suppress that urge to avoid potential issues. Honestly, I didn't survive three combat deployments to risk getting shot over something that could be avoided. I prefer to let karma take its toll, because the pretenders will get theirs in the end.

Believe it or not, we discovered our VFW Post Commander was a perpetrator of Stolen Valor. I, and all our line officers, our Judge Advocate, State Commander and staff caught him in a secure location (no escape) and persuaded him to resign, then turned his written confession over to authorities.

If you feel comfortable doing so, approach the individual and engage him in conversation. Identify yourself and tell him what you suspect ... since he is in uniform, ask him for his ID.

Let me clarify what I mean by jacked up: he had 6 skill badges, ranger and special forces tabs on the right side of his uniform. Not to mention he was a specialist.

Before I asked for his ID I'd probably ask him some questions about his military service to gauge him. Maybe he is just a jacked up service member. Benefit of the doubt is a great tool. Than if all else fails or I truly suspect he is honey I Amy ask for his ID and see where it goes. I try to keep my temper at bay.

One thing I've noticed about all these people is they all look harmless. Don't get me wrong. They need a good curb stomping, but I doubt any of them ever made it to school with their lunch money.

How would I like to deal with stolen valor? With a swift and vicious throat punch. How would I actually deal with stolen valor? Much like most others apparently.

Step 1: Whip out my phone and record as much as possible while cajoling as much self incriminating information out of the individual as possible.

Step 2: Once the individual has dug themselves as deep as I can get them to shame them on the spot as publicly as possible as legally as possible.

Step 3: FLASH FLASH FLASH - Disseminate evidence as rapidly and widely as possible. Make this person as infamous as humanly possible and do everything in my power to make sure that anytime a future employer, or whoever, looks into their background they see this.

I know what I would like to do... and I know what I should do.

I would like to give the offender an attitude adjustment. What I should do, is verify, then call them out. If I am in a position to refer to law enforcement, do so. But, under no circumstances, lose my bearing or my mind and be the guy in cuffs at the end.

Do some digging while talking to them. Ask for a photo as if you are impressed with them, then take it to the police. Let them take it (or not) from there.