Rules for Posers

[blackhawknj]

Or "poseurs". I prefer that word. With the War on Terror having made military service patriotic again, and service in Vietnam now seen as something noble and honorable and manly, a new crop of poseurs has arisen. A cousin and I came up some rules for them:
1. Poseurs are ALWAY Special Forces, "Green Berets", "Specops", SOGs, Rangers, LRRPS, Navy SEALs, snipers, always some sort of elite force, never a plain old infantryman-or a mortarman, a tanker, an artilleryman-or a medic. Or a support troop.
2. Since poseurs do not "have a life", the spend a lot of time reading Vietnam magazine, or in the military section of the larger bookstores. What books I have seen about Vietnam seem to be mostly about elite units, with an occasional memoir by a grunt, and I have seen next to nothing by support personnel. Who would read a book entitled Combat Cook or Vietnam Finance Clerk?
3. If a Vietnam poseur, their records were "lost" in the 1973 St. Louis Records Center fire, or are
"sealed" by "The Agency". If a current poseur, they work for a "hush hush" agency.
4. Poseurs never look the part, they look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy or the Michelin Tire Man.
They "can't exercise due to an injury" or have a "glandular disorder". But they are incredible crack shots.

[Bill D]

They also seem to have an inexhaustible supply of jungle cammies and boots.

[Griff Murphey]

It is a real interesting phenomenon. I had a very good personal friend in my profession who claimed to be a Navy Cross and purple heart awardee (among many other decorations) with 4 victories as an F6F Hellcat pilot. He claimed to have risen to the rank of 0-6 in the Naval Reserve. After our organization gave him a big award for his service, a skeptic who had access to his SSN checked him out with the POW NETWORK. Turned out it was all fabricated. When the need for pilots faded toward the end of WW2 he was sent to radar school, then discharged as a cadet. His sole decoration was the Ruptured Duck. Why not claim the honorable truth?

I had listened to his stories for 25 or more years. I don't think he realized how transparent the Internet made his lies. He has since passed away but this is not a nice legacy for friends to remember a person by.

Here in Dallas Ft. Worth there was a guy named Duckworth who claimed to be SF, dined out on it for years, I think the guy who wrote STOLEN VALOR busted him.

[Guamsst]

I always get excited when I meet someone who wasn't a hollywood style spec ops hero. Old guy here in town talked my ear off when he found out I was military. He told me all about going to his training in the navy and being put on a landing assault ship or something and about how he was not too dissapointed when the war ended as his ship was preparing for the landings on mainland Japan.

Also had a friend who was spec ops. He was Combat weather. Those are the guys who land in a place to see if it's safe for people to land there....LOL His big adventure was falling out of a helicopter, hurting his back and getting to be part of civil engineering before shipping out to Vietnam. Actually, he never got shipped to Vietnam. But he came real close...LOL

[m1ashooter]

Here is a sure way to ID a poser. The men I served with and myself never bragged about what we did nor have I met a veteran who did, other then tell tale tails to each other. The posers brag about themselves.

[Griff Murphey]

Here is the 180 degree difference. I was in San Antonio for my college reunion (ain't saying how many years...) and we were in FAST FREDDIES getting a burger. Next to me was a young man about 21 on crutches with a wounded warrior shirt, cast on his leg, and military haircut. I thanked him for his service. His response was: "Can't wait to get back!"

[blackhawknj]

Poseurs always have more war stories than any 10-20 real Spec Ops types-or real veterans-put together. And more "fruit salad" to "back it up." Where a lot of poseurs get caught is when they wear medals that either weren't authorized at the time or, like the MoH or the Distinguished Service Cross, are too easy to verify.

[cplnorton]

They always wear dogtags outside their clothes. Man I hate that! lol

[John Sukey]

My HEROIC military record. Too late for Korea and too early for Vietnam. For three years we wern't mad at anybody

[Griff Murphey]

I think a lot of people involved in the veteran scene look like bums. Scraggly hair, camo, sleeves torn off shirts. I kind of make an exception for the motorcycle guys such as the patriot guard as they perform a security service, although they are pretty rough looking, maybe that intimidates the crumb bums harassing military families today. I feel if you wear a uniform, or part of it, it should be as nice as when you stood inspection on ACDU.

[phil441]

There have been many occasions when I felt I should wear my old uniform. However, the buttons seem to be about a foot from the buttonholes. The uniforms still look sharp, I don't........

[Griff Murphey]

I have the same problem. I have one jungle fatigue jacket that was gigantic on me in 1975 and I can still squeeze into it, but it doesn't look too sharp. The stuff I wear now is all repro. Sometimes I do a 50's Army NCO, SFC in fact, for JCG shoots; all heavy starched, military crease, spit shined black boots, coffeecan cap. I think most people know it's a put-on. White nametape reads "SNORKEL."

[dryheat]

The uniforms still look sharp, I don't........
That's a good one.
I remember locally one of the newspaper publishers(nickname-"Duke" or something,as I recall. It's been a long time)got busted for the exact same thing. This was pre-internet, just some one doing some digging. After all, that's what reporters do.

[Art]

There have been many occasions when I felt I should wear my old uniform. However, the buttons seem to be about a foot from the buttonholes. The uniforms still look sharp, I don't........

Hmmmm, I read this and I was inspired to try on some old uniform stuff. I got a khaki uniform shirt from when I was in in the '60s. It would button but it was a snug fit. The pants are just too painful to mention, . I was 5'8" and weighed about 145 back then. I've shrunk about a half inch and weigh 175 now. I'm really not a big old fat guy but age does take a toll

[TomSudz]

Ask a suspected poser if he has any pictures of himself in the service. Since they don't, it's usually because the ex threw them away or the house burned down. Kinda the "dog ate my homework" excuse for scumbags.