Posted on Jul 26, 2018
SFC Military Police
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You know who I’m talking about but I’ve only recently come into contact with a few. These are the guys with the best war stories who got out, retired, were kicked out, etc… and now use their veteran status to gain special treatment. More often than not, they gain free rifles, hunting bows or fishing gear and all they had to do was flash their DD214 and have really good stories about why they have PTSD. If you have the time you can scour the net and find the same guys picture. Some, not all, but some deployed and the worst thing that happened to them was the coffee shop ran out but just like you and I, they have all of the accessories to say they were there.
I remember one time during the Gulf War in 1991 when I finally got to use a phone there was a wire dog (commo guy) keeping it all running and he joked “I get a combat patch too and aint gotta deal with the shit you’re doing”. He was right, can’t hate him for choosing a sham MOS but it’s when they come home with the Hollywood worthy stories that you just want to choke slam them.
Those of us that have been there know that those who truly have PTSD don’t talk about it, in fact most won’t even bring it up, especially to civilians. Some of these guys have some pretty outlandish stories but it’s like having veterans watch military movies, we just want to scream bullshit.
There are literally hundreds of organizations out there that cater to the veteran population. The organize hunting trips, fishing trips, outings, etc… and these guys try to go to all of them. Anyhow, many of these organizations are legit, founded and run by veterans with good intentions in their hearts. Unfortunately, there are also those out there that just filed for their 501c3 papers to show they are a non-profit and now they prey on the good nature of patriotic Americans. Just Google “Fake Veteran Charities” and you will see. These asshats get millions in donations and no one knows where it actually goes, Wounded Warrior Project is one of those. Perhaps someone could petition Congress to assign an auditor to look into it but I think we veterans are more creative.
One of the organizations I used to volunteer with to take Soldiers fishing lost its funding when the war started dying down and it was no longer cool to support the vets. It’s a shame because many of these Soldiers just needed someone to talk to that wouldn’t judge them. Someone who had been there and seen and won’t call them a pussy for seeking help.
We need to have veterans research these groups and people and call them out so that those that are legit can continue to help our warriors.
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Responses: 3
MAJ Ken Landgren
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One soldier who got out as a PFC in Vietnam pretended to be a war hero. As the years transpired, his rank reached MG status and was making speeches.
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SGT Joseph Gunderson
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As for the "professional vets", I couldn't care any less. If they want to spend the rest of their sorry lives leeching off of people who are more than willing to hand them, what did you say, fishing poles and discounts, who cares. They aren't doing anything to me. On the topic of the charities however, I do believe that there should be more independent insight into what those organizations are doing. This means that more people should be looking into the places that they intend to donate to and more people need to ask questions when it comes to how their money is being spent.
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SGT David T.
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I really could care less about these groups/people. They do not affect my life at all. So I don't bother with them. As a general rule, I don't give to charities other than my local animal shelter and that is usually in the form of old crap I was going to throw out anyway that they sell at a yard sale.
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