Stolen Valor Epidemic
06-06-2005 | 04:55 PM
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Stolen Valor Epidemic
I got this article someone (an ex. SEAL, (ex etc.)) that works very close to Steve Robinson.
Steve Robinson gave an interview to the Wall Street Journal on SEAL Posers. This is only a small portion of the article. The remaining portions of article are about fake medal wearers and so forth.
I knew it was bad but not this bad. Neither did the person that sent me this info. It doesn't stop their though. I have had people claim to be in the similar units and who claim to have gone to similar schools I have attended. One of these morons was my 19d Cavalry Scout cousin who I nabbed in front of the whole family. I'm sure gpatmac, oaf and a few others here have heard their fair shares of bar stories from posers too.
So I’d just like to say that I have a niche for this stuff as well as a lot of personal resources. Well you saw how I belittled OLMEK and his father, right? If you ever get suspicions about someone’s veteran claim I’ll take pleasure in exposing them.
Steve Robinson gave an interview to the Wall Street Journal on SEAL Posers. This is only a small portion of the article. The remaining portions of article are about fake medal wearers and so forth.
The FBI's Mr. Cottone estimates that for every actual Navy Seal today, at least 300 people falsely claim to be one. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society in Mount Pleasant, S.C., suspects that the number of people who falsely claim to have received a Medal of Honor is more than double the 124 living recipients.
The Department of Veterans Affairs will prosecute only those military impostors who try to register for veterans' benefits. Law enforcement lacks the resources to investigate all but the most aggravated situations; as a result, the law that led to Mr. Carlson's arrest is rarely enforced. At the same time, military discharge papers and Purple Hearts can be bought on eBay by the dozen.
Concerned with a burgeoning army of dissemblers, actual veterans and other are turning to the Internet to stop the fakers in their tracks. POWnetwork.org, HomeOfHeroes.com, AuthentiSEAL.org and VeriSEAL.org, among other Web sites, provide concerned citizens with a free investigation into a person's military status. AuthentiSEAL.org and VeriSEAL.org neither solicit nor accept funds. POWnetwork.org and HomeOfHeroes.com both have some sponsors but the vast majority of their funding comes out of their founders' own pockets. None of them make a profit from their endeavors.
Once a fibber is detected by these sites, the jig is up. The investigators have no enforcement power of their own, but they will contact employers, family members, news organizations and even the federal government about the alleged phony. In some cases the fraudsters' personal information along with a photo will be posted on the Web.
AuthentiSEAL.org, which investigates and reveals questionable Navy Seals, says it has exposed nearly 20,000 false ones since its launch in 2000 and currently receives about 20 to 50 inquiries per day; over 99.5% of the leads reveal an imposter, the group says. Inquirers range from a woman curious if her new boyfriend is a real Seal, to contractors in Iraq checking on a job applicant.
"As long as the military is held in high repute, people will co-opt it for their own personal gain," says former Navy Seal William S. "Moose" Robinson, author of the self-published "No Guts No Glory: Unmasking Navy SEAL Impostors."
Mr. Robinson, a 54-year-old blacksmith in Forsyth, Mo., served as a volunteer investigator for AuthentiSEAL.org, a nonprofit Web site that investigates and reveals phony Seals. "Falsely claiming to be a Seal is a direct insult to the veterans we've lost," he says.
According to Mr. Robinson a surge of phonies emerge every time Hollywood releases a big action movie about the military. This year's "The Pacifier" starring Vin Diesel as a disgraced Navy Seal turned babysitter inspired a handful of impostors, reports AuthentiSEAL.
VeriSeal.org, a similar Seal-busting service, maintains a "Hall of Shame" with photos of "phonies" -- even setting the record straight about dead ones. When Tony Maffatone, the Hollywood security expert credited with inspiring Sylvester Stallone's Rambo character, died in a 2000 scuba-diving accident, obituaries made mention of his stint as a U.S. Navy Seal. But VeriSeal.org says that he never went through Basic Underwater Demolition/Seal training, a requirement to become a Seal...
The Department of Veterans Affairs will prosecute only those military impostors who try to register for veterans' benefits. Law enforcement lacks the resources to investigate all but the most aggravated situations; as a result, the law that led to Mr. Carlson's arrest is rarely enforced. At the same time, military discharge papers and Purple Hearts can be bought on eBay by the dozen.
Concerned with a burgeoning army of dissemblers, actual veterans and other are turning to the Internet to stop the fakers in their tracks. POWnetwork.org, HomeOfHeroes.com, AuthentiSEAL.org and VeriSEAL.org, among other Web sites, provide concerned citizens with a free investigation into a person's military status. AuthentiSEAL.org and VeriSEAL.org neither solicit nor accept funds. POWnetwork.org and HomeOfHeroes.com both have some sponsors but the vast majority of their funding comes out of their founders' own pockets. None of them make a profit from their endeavors.
Once a fibber is detected by these sites, the jig is up. The investigators have no enforcement power of their own, but they will contact employers, family members, news organizations and even the federal government about the alleged phony. In some cases the fraudsters' personal information along with a photo will be posted on the Web.
AuthentiSEAL.org, which investigates and reveals questionable Navy Seals, says it has exposed nearly 20,000 false ones since its launch in 2000 and currently receives about 20 to 50 inquiries per day; over 99.5% of the leads reveal an imposter, the group says. Inquirers range from a woman curious if her new boyfriend is a real Seal, to contractors in Iraq checking on a job applicant.
"As long as the military is held in high repute, people will co-opt it for their own personal gain," says former Navy Seal William S. "Moose" Robinson, author of the self-published "No Guts No Glory: Unmasking Navy SEAL Impostors."
Mr. Robinson, a 54-year-old blacksmith in Forsyth, Mo., served as a volunteer investigator for AuthentiSEAL.org, a nonprofit Web site that investigates and reveals phony Seals. "Falsely claiming to be a Seal is a direct insult to the veterans we've lost," he says.
According to Mr. Robinson a surge of phonies emerge every time Hollywood releases a big action movie about the military. This year's "The Pacifier" starring Vin Diesel as a disgraced Navy Seal turned babysitter inspired a handful of impostors, reports AuthentiSEAL.
VeriSeal.org, a similar Seal-busting service, maintains a "Hall of Shame" with photos of "phonies" -- even setting the record straight about dead ones. When Tony Maffatone, the Hollywood security expert credited with inspiring Sylvester Stallone's Rambo character, died in a 2000 scuba-diving accident, obituaries made mention of his stint as a U.S. Navy Seal. But VeriSeal.org says that he never went through Basic Underwater Demolition/Seal training, a requirement to become a Seal...
So I’d just like to say that I have a niche for this stuff as well as a lot of personal resources. Well you saw how I belittled OLMEK and his father, right? If you ever get suspicions about someone’s veteran claim I’ll take pleasure in exposing them.
Last edited by Salty; 06-06-2005 at 05:07 PM.
06-07-2005 | 09:31 AM
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Shhhhh....you'll blow my cover....got everyone here at work hoodwinked that I'm the SEAL that was shown on CNN landing on the beach in Somalia.
I mean, if yer gonna cook up a story, make it BIG!
I mean, if yer gonna cook up a story, make it BIG!
06-07-2005 | 10:51 AM
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Dude, I beat all of you.
I was what they BASED James Bond on! They just made him british because british people are so cool. Golden eye? Psh, I did that, and with no stunt doubles!
Oh ya and that was after I was a Ranger, a SEAL, and a FBI agent all in one.
I was what they BASED James Bond on! They just made him british because british people are so cool. Golden eye? Psh, I did that, and with no stunt doubles!
Oh ya and that was after I was a Ranger, a SEAL, and a FBI agent all in one.
06-07-2005 | 11:33 AM
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right.
After I invented time, I was a SEAL, green beret, and in Delta Force all at the same time. Then I built the great wall of china with my robot ninja army from the year 3625 (I got a great deal on them on Dantooine), and fed Hitler bad information to make him lose the Korean War, but then Saddam invaded Lithuania with his panzer divisions manned by cyborg orangutans so I had to initiate CODE SEVEN with the Lunar Freedom Force.
After I invented time, I was a SEAL, green beret, and in Delta Force all at the same time. Then I built the great wall of china with my robot ninja army from the year 3625 (I got a great deal on them on Dantooine), and fed Hitler bad information to make him lose the Korean War, but then Saddam invaded Lithuania with his panzer divisions manned by cyborg orangutans so I had to initiate CODE SEVEN with the Lunar Freedom Force.
06-07-2005 | 12:00 PM
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Originally Posted by platypus
right.
After I invented time, I was a SEAL, green beret, and in Delta Force all at the same time. Then I built the great wall of china with my robot ninja army from the year 3625 (I got a great deal on them on Dantooine), and fed Hitler bad information to make him lose the Korean War, but then Saddam invaded Lithuania with his panzer divisions manned by cyborg orangutans so I had to initiate CODE SEVEN with the Lunar Freedom Force.
After I invented time, I was a SEAL, green beret, and in Delta Force all at the same time. Then I built the great wall of china with my robot ninja army from the year 3625 (I got a great deal on them on Dantooine), and fed Hitler bad information to make him lose the Korean War, but then Saddam invaded Lithuania with his panzer divisions manned by cyborg orangutans so I had to initiate CODE SEVEN with the Lunar Freedom Force.
This made me laugh.
I've always liked: "I had Saddam in my sights but command told me to stand down."
We laugh but some of the stories in the ‘hall of shame’ pages of these phonie websites are quite outlandish. Most of them are very entertaining. It’s not uncommon to have people claiming SEAL T6 and CIA in their resumes. Some of them have actually convinced a lot of people and we last working as veteran police academy instructors. Scary. One was a judge IIRC.
06-07-2005 | 12:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Salty
This made me laugh.
I've always liked: "I had Saddam in my sights but command told me to stand down."
We laugh but some of the stories in the ‘hall of shame’ pages of these phonie websites are quite outlandish. Most of them are very entertaining. It’s not uncommon to have people claiming SEAL T6 and CIA in their resumes. Some of them have actually convinced a lot of people and we last working as veteran police academy instructors. Scary. One was a judge IIRC.
I've always liked: "I had Saddam in my sights but command told me to stand down."
We laugh but some of the stories in the ‘hall of shame’ pages of these phonie websites are quite outlandish. Most of them are very entertaining. It’s not uncommon to have people claiming SEAL T6 and CIA in their resumes. Some of them have actually convinced a lot of people and we last working as veteran police academy instructors. Scary. One was a judge IIRC.
06-07-2005 | 02:12 PM
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Originally Posted by 1reguL8NSTi
Nope still got you beat, the Bourne Identity and Splinter Cell are based off stuff I did. Me and Tom Clancy go way back. His books are basically my biography.
BTW, his wife cooks killer fried chicken
(Derailing threads is fun!)
06-07-2005 | 05:21 PM
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No lie. Tom Clancy and Moffit Burris treated me and my team to a lobster dinner during the 82nd airborne convention in Charleston, SC a few years back. Then we all got **** drunk. Dead serious.
06-10-2005 | 09:29 PM
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So a Special Forces soldier, a SEAL, a Force Recon Marine, and a Ranger were all sitting around the campfire telling war stories.
SF: You guys think you're so tough. I once solo-halo'd into Russia, foot marched 300 miles into Moscow, pattern-analyzed and then sniped the head of the KBG, then fought my way all the way home. I killed 60 commies over a weeks' time with only my Mel Pardue Benchmade automatic folder.
Seal: That's nothing wimp! I once free swam 100 nautical miles from anchored ship to shore off the coast of Beirut, layed 400 line of sight sub-surface mines, called for spies extraction as 40 chase cigarette boats approached, I then detonated all of the mines while I was swaying in the breeze no more than 100ft above the surface and destroyed every boat.
USMC FR: You're a *****. I was initially the only coalition soldier working north of the Southern No-Fly zone in and around Baghdad, and while I was providing mission critical information to the MEF commander, I killed an average of 11 insurgents a day over 180 days with my THUMB in order to protect my hide status.
After a short period of silence, all of the warriors' eyes turned to the Airborne Ranger who said nothing as he stirred to coals of the fire with his ****.
SF: You guys think you're so tough. I once solo-halo'd into Russia, foot marched 300 miles into Moscow, pattern-analyzed and then sniped the head of the KBG, then fought my way all the way home. I killed 60 commies over a weeks' time with only my Mel Pardue Benchmade automatic folder.
Seal: That's nothing wimp! I once free swam 100 nautical miles from anchored ship to shore off the coast of Beirut, layed 400 line of sight sub-surface mines, called for spies extraction as 40 chase cigarette boats approached, I then detonated all of the mines while I was swaying in the breeze no more than 100ft above the surface and destroyed every boat.
USMC FR: You're a *****. I was initially the only coalition soldier working north of the Southern No-Fly zone in and around Baghdad, and while I was providing mission critical information to the MEF commander, I killed an average of 11 insurgents a day over 180 days with my THUMB in order to protect my hide status.
After a short period of silence, all of the warriors' eyes turned to the Airborne Ranger who said nothing as he stirred to coals of the fire with his ****.
06-13-2005 | 07:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Salty
No lie. Tom Clancy and Moffit Burris treated me and my team to a lobster dinner during the 82nd airborne convention in Charleston, SC a few years back. Then we all got **** drunk. Dead serious.
06-13-2005 | 07:41 AM
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Originally Posted by gpatmac
So a Special Forces soldier, a SEAL, a Force Recon Marine, and a Ranger were all sitting around the campfire telling war stories.
SF: You guys think you're so tough. I once solo-halo'd into Russia, foot marched 300 miles into Moscow, pattern-analyzed and then sniped the head of the KBG, then fought my way all the way home. I killed 60 commies over a weeks' time with only my Mel Pardue Benchmade automatic folder.
Seal: That's nothing wimp! I once free swam 100 nautical miles from anchored ship to shore off the coast of Beirut, layed 400 line of sight sub-surface mines, called for spies extraction as 40 chase cigarette boats approached, I then detonated all of the mines while I was swaying in the breeze no more than 100ft above the surface and destroyed every boat.
USMC FR: You're a *****. I was initially the only coalition soldier working north of the Southern No-Fly zone in and around Baghdad, and while I was providing mission critical information to the MEF commander, I killed an average of 11 insurgents a day over 180 days with my THUMB in order to protect my hide status.
After a short period of silence, all of the warriors' eyes turned to the Airborne Ranger who said nothing as he stirred to coals of the fire with his ****.
SF: You guys think you're so tough. I once solo-halo'd into Russia, foot marched 300 miles into Moscow, pattern-analyzed and then sniped the head of the KBG, then fought my way all the way home. I killed 60 commies over a weeks' time with only my Mel Pardue Benchmade automatic folder.
Seal: That's nothing wimp! I once free swam 100 nautical miles from anchored ship to shore off the coast of Beirut, layed 400 line of sight sub-surface mines, called for spies extraction as 40 chase cigarette boats approached, I then detonated all of the mines while I was swaying in the breeze no more than 100ft above the surface and destroyed every boat.
USMC FR: You're a *****. I was initially the only coalition soldier working north of the Southern No-Fly zone in and around Baghdad, and while I was providing mission critical information to the MEF commander, I killed an average of 11 insurgents a day over 180 days with my THUMB in order to protect my hide status.
After a short period of silence, all of the warriors' eyes turned to the Airborne Ranger who said nothing as he stirred to coals of the fire with his ****.
HAHAHAHAHAHA How'd you hear about that man? I told those guys not to tell anyone else.