dave
Brigadier General
Posts: 1,679 
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Post by dave on Nov 27, 2016 0:52:17 GMT
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benteen
First Lieutenant
"Once An Eagle
Posts: 406
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Post by benteen on Nov 30, 2016 18:02:11 GMT
Dave, Well done. Thanks for sharing that with us. Be Well Dan |
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Post by quincannon on Nov 30, 2016 18:48:05 GMT
Before everyone gets the warm fuzzy, about self appointed do gooders there is a caution that everyone should be aware of for their own good. It does no good to out and embarrass a thousand if you in the process harm the good name of one.
I had three occasions to conduct this type of investigation during my career.
The first was of a Sergeant First Class who wore a 1st Infantry Division combat patch, and a Bronze Star Ribbon on his uniform. An investigation proved that he did serve in the Far East, but not in VN, and as such was entitled to neither.
The second concerned a First Sergeant who wore an 82nd Airborne Division combat patch and both a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. He in fact got no closer to combat than Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
The third was a Chief Warrant Officer, whom the Director of Personnel was convinced was wearing a Distinguished Flying Cross, a Silver Star, and an Air Medal, with I forget how many clusters, unlawfully and against regulations. I went at him for at least four or five hours, after thoroughly examining his personnel file, which indicated no such decorations and awards. His only answers to me during that period were I cannot comment. I was semi pissed, convinced he was both lying and stone walling. He would not even indicate which unit he was assigned to fly with. When I came out of that interview I was convinced that this guy was a complete phony, and at that point his future career was in severe jeopardy. A few days later I received a call from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. I was asked what my security clearance was. Evidently my answer was adequate. A few days later I was picked up in an Army aircraft at Andrews AFB, flown to Fort Bragg, given a limited need to know, and was briefed on this young man. The matter was dropped there and then.
As I look at it, I would be more than willing to let those other two rascals go, and continue to live in the fairy land they created for themselves, than to have ever even been part of questioning this fine young man.
The cautionary tale is you do not judge by your emotions, you judge only by the facts , all the facts, and those facts are some times, in fact many times not available to you just because you want to see them. Bringing people to the justice they deserve is a good thing. Being a vigilante never turns out well in the end.
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Post by deadwoodgultch on Nov 30, 2016 23:40:46 GMT
Chuck, I have told you about an USAF Major with two Silver Stars, and a friend. The Brigadier he served under hated him in that he gave his intelligence directly to C. Abrams in DC. The Brigadier did not want one of these awards to bestowed to the USAF Major and an Army Captain, as they would not let him in on what they were sharing with DC. This also took place in VN. Sometimes the need to know outweighs rank. The Major was buried in Arlington 10 years ago, he died due in part to AO complications. I was honored to be part of that funeral.
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dave
Brigadier General
Posts: 1,679
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Post by dave on Dec 1, 2016 0:47:21 GMT
I agree that one must very carefully investigate any potential fraud case to protect against innocent people being harmed. The man who has made it his mission to catch imposters has a web site that provides the information about the exposure of the fakes. Regards Dave guardianofvalor.com/ |
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Post by quincannon on Dec 1, 2016 6:14:04 GMT
Dave: I am sure you would be shocked by the tens of thousands of men and women that returned from WWII, wearing junk on their chests that they were not authorized to wear. Most of that was innocent enough meant to impress mom or a girlfriend. Had the Valor Vigilantes been abroad then, half of the U S Army would have been in the clink.
What gives this guy or anyone else the right to take the law in his own hands? People, even despicable people that pretend they are something they are not, have the right under law to due process. These people who run these web sites, do not guarantee that right, and as long as ANY harm can come from these actions, they should be prohibited.
Why do you think that first valor law was struck down? Do you think it was done because the Supreme Court were a bunch of woozies? No, it was done because it violated civil rights and due process. That is why the second law is more restrictive and more narrow in scope, focusing in on the for profit aspects.
It does no good to try to purify if you break the law, or violate rights in the process.
Guardian of Valor my sweet ass. Just another schmuck trying to take the law into his own hands. You just wait until that Valiant Valor Warrior gets hit with a defamation and slander lawsuit that takes everything he owns. Then see how much of a guardian he is.
Let me be perfectly clear here. I despise people who wear the uniform when they are not authorized to do so, wear medals, badges, and decorations to which they are not entitled, and those who falsify their credentials claiming military service when they either have none, or claim a higher level of service and/or expertise that they have in order to gain.
What I despise more though are those who do not strictly adhere to both the letter and spirit of the law, that respects the rights of every citizen, innocent or guilty. nice guy or shit ass. The law is more important then some ass hole playing dress up for fun, profit, or perversion.
Another thing that I bet you had not thought of is what if one of these Valor Vigilantes decides to do this for profit. In other words dig up some dirt on some pretender then tell him that he will keep it private for a fee. Don't think that can't happen with this type of activity, for it was a thriving business until lately with threatening to out gays and lesbians, when that was much less accepted than it is now. This type of business always presents dangers that are not always seen on the surface. |
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