Am I right to be suspicious of freepers who claim they were in Vietnam?

[Michael_UK]

I'm always surprised by how many freepers claim they were in Vietnam. To cut a long story short, I was reading a freeper (I don't know why I bother) going on about how he'd fought and how Kerry was a traitor, etc. He'd posted a few details and said he'd got a purple star for saving the life of a general. I did a few minutes on Google and it seems the facts didn't match. Other freepers sit around amazed at this story of heroism.

Is is wrong to be suspicious of such a "tale" of gallantry?

[trotsky]

1. Supposedly these things are fully documented.

Maybe you can coax a few more details out of him. For one, the "purple star" isn't an award. The Purple Heart is what you get when you are injured in the line of duty. The Silver and Bronze stars are for bravery in battle.

[Michael_UK]

5. Whoops, I meant Purple Heart, my bad n/t

[gpandas]

2. i was at woodstock. n/t

[Richardo]

3. "Purple Star"? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Hee hee hee hee hee hee hee :D

[Richardo]

14. OK you changed it - but that was still pretty funny.

I'd ask what unit he was with, where they were located, time of his tour, how long he was there, who was the CO of his unit, anything to tie him down.

Now I'm not a vet, but I know the vets could tell you how to unmask a fraud in no time flat.

[aden_nak]

4. The anonimity of the internet is a powerful thing. ;)

If his story does not match up, make sense, or seem likely, politely ask to see some documentation. Or perhaps a picture of him in full dress uniform wearing his medals. Surely he'd love to share such a proud image.

[yellowcanine]

6. It is prudent to be suspicious of any claim made by a Freeper - if a

Freeper says the sun is shining I am bringing my umbrella just in case.

[wtmusic]

7. Especially the ones who saw Kerry at My Lai,

kissing Jane Fonda, etc.

[kodi]

17. geeze, get it right, will ya'. he was kissing ho chi minh

.

[Benhurst]

8. You're right to suspect the veracity of anything freepers claim.

[Michael_UK]

13. Thanks

This man claimed to save the life of a general. This general has a bio on an air force page, and wasn't even Vietnam at the time. The person also wrote "I have never told this story to anyone, with the exception of my mom and dad when they asked how I got them". Methinks I smell bullshit from this freeper

[Brewman_Jax]

9. Most freepers I know

aren't vets. Most liberals I know are vets. Makes one wonder how really patriotic most freepers are. :shrug:

[Michael_UK]

18. Does your username have anything to do with Plymouth, UK btw?

[Brewman_Jax]

21. No

I've never been to the UK--at least not yet. It's from my favorite socks. I almost always wear argyle socks...

And the rest is history.

Welcome to DU :hi:

[RobertSeattle]

10. Just like I'm suspicious of "I'm a former Democrat who now votes Repub..."

It's an unprovable assertion in the mostly anonymous internet. I'm sure it's true sometimes, but often it is just a argument ploy.

[jedicord]

11. People who have really seen battle

seldom talk about it. My brother-in-law says he served in Vietnam, and given what day it is it was either on the beach, in the jungle, in the East, in the West, and so on. Big brave man, dontcha know.

My husband, who served in Desert Storm, saw battle, saw men killed, and I'm sure saw a lot more that I still don't know about. He sits quietly when hearing my bro-in-law's tales, not sharing any of his. The scars are deep and permanent in someone who really sees battle.

[aden_nak]

12. What I found on Purple Stars.

It's worth three blue stars, which are awarded for proper attendance. Oh yeah, AND IT'S NOT A REAL FUCKING MEDAL!

Either way, I guess the Pres doesn't have many of those, eh?

So did this guy also earn any Yellow Moons? Green Clovers? What about Red Balloons?

[jukes]

15. PX soldiers abound

never saw a general in the field in nam. if he'd saved the life of a general, he wd have got a silver star, pob'ly a CMH.



LIAR!

[mrboba1]

19. If you save the life of a general

If you save the life of a general, there is no way you don't earn at least a silver star. And I really would thing that the Cong. Medal of Honor would be given.
It was a general!

I would check out premises for 'Nam movies and see if his 'fact' match up to a movie - I was thinking about posting a bogus claim to show how you should always doubt, and it was based on a WWII movie.

[olddem43]

16. You don't get a purple heart for saving someone's life.

They are awarded only for injuries suffered as a result of enemy action.

[Bridget Burke]

20. I knew an ex-Navy Seal

And I think he really had served. He'd regale you with many tales of his non-military adventures but offered no details of his two tours in Southeast Asia.

He said that war changes anyone & that he knew a few who'd never gotten over their experiences. But he also said that, if he had a nickel for every barroom "Vietnam vet" he'd met who never actually served, he'd be a rich man.

[frylock]

22. send a link of his posts to these guys..

people who lie about their service in the 'nam are not looked upon too kindly by the gentlemen who actually served in that hell hole. If this guy is a wannabe, and it sounds like he is, these cats will ensure that it stops.

http://itsjustanamthing.com/wannabessuck.htm

btw.. I had forgot the url for this site, and a search for "outing fake vietnam vets" turned up a post from the DU by SoFlaJet.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=106x9226

[fishnfla]

23. Not just freepers unfortunately, 60 Minutes did a piece on this

Awhile back, 60 Minutes, I believe did a piece on this. A real Viet Nam vet was suspicious of some characters who were claiming to have served, they were protesting homeless/ veterens benefits or something. Turns out some of them were never in country or in the military at all. I also read an excerpt in Reader's Digest, something to do with homeless people claiming to be VN vets who were not.

I think some DU vets will tell you they encounter phoney nam vets once in a while

[LTR]

24. Most war vets usually don't talk about being in battle

The ones I've talked to will talk about everything else (travel, buddies, etc.), but are very mum about what went on in battle.

My grandfather served in Europe during WWII, and never talked about the fighting. He joined the local American Legion post a while back, and noted that the ones who talked about that sort of thing usually worked desk jobs during their stint. I never knew whether he killed a man in combat, and I never asked him. I'm sure if he did, he'd just as soon forget it.

Notice Kerry doesn't like to go into this kind of detail? If pressed, he'll tell. But he usually tries to stress the positives, and not the nasty stuff. The exception he made was when he got up the courage to speak out against the war long ago, to help end the madness.

Likely, the freepers who boast about it never experienced it fully.

[DrWeird]

25. When was the last time a general was killed in combat?

I don't think they take a lot of personal risks.

[aden_nak]

26. Purple Hearts are awarded for being injured int he line of duty.