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Readers Respond to 'Phony Marine Busted -- Too Fat to Be Real'
November 30, 2006 5:22 PM
The report, "Phony Marine Busted -- Too Fat to Be Real," ignited two separate but not exclusive debates among our readers: one reminiscent of the run-up to the 2004 presidential election and the other on the morality of posing as a highly decorated officer.
Some readers saw "The Blotter" report in terms of President Bush and former presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). For President Bush, readers debated whether he acted like the phony Marine by wearing a flight suit aboard U.S.S. Lincoln to declare an end to major combat in Iraq.
"What about George Bush playing dress up in that flight suit on the USS Lincoln? Seems worse than this poor guy, since Bush was trying to dupe the whole nation into thinking he was some kind of war hero," wrote a reader dubbed "redglare." But Leroy countered, "Saying that this Mc Lard-O wearing falsely earned medals is akin to Bush wearing the flight suit aboard the USS Lincoln is logically flawed. As president, he is commander in chief and the head of the military. He wasn't wearing any undue medals."
THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS
Meanwhile, for Sen. Kerry, readers discussed the medals he received for his service in Vietnam and how that service was portrayed during the campaign. "John Kerry is just as big a fake. Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot he tossed 'his' medals away. That's how much they meant to him," wrote in Joseph Carter. Karl Leuba, however, saw it in a different light, "Consider the damage done to John Kerry. The stories of his real courage were belittled by people who had the back story of fake heroes to lend credibility to their claims that Kerry did not deserve the awards he earned."
Leuba's point -- how the impersonation of a highly decorated veteran affects real veterans -- was a far more contested debate. Readers debated how serious an offense was committed by the phony Marine and how many resources should be directed toward its prosecution.
In the beginning of the discussion, David wrote, "With all the problems this government is experiencing, are we actually spending the time and money charging men with playing dress up? I admit it is worng [sic] and a slap in the face of all the men and women who have served so bravely, but was anyone really hurt by this?" To this, Chris promptly responded, "David, You just answered your own question - that slap in the face to those who do wear the uniform hurts real bad."
As for those who have served our country, "Imposters stealing from real war heroes gets very personal," said Doug Sterner, who runs "Home of Heroes," a Web site dedicated to telling the stories of true war heroes and exposing those who fraudulently pose as decorated members of the military. "For the veterans who were in combat, the fact that these phonies are wearing unearned medals and decorations is absolutely horrible...It is a slap in the face for every veteran and the family of every veteran, especially for those who have paid for their medal or medals with their life.'
As a closing remark, a comment written by a reader dubbed "AAP" summed up what most of our readers were getting at, "Simply put - Those 'Trinkets' are a visual reminder that there are people volunteering to sacrafice [sic] and keep me safe. I'm insulted that some imposter is so ready to accept my appreciation and respect. On him they are Trinkets...on the proud chests of our Military they are badges of honor, sacrafice [sic], courage, respect, and Duty to uphold our Constitution."
November 30, 2006 | Permalink | User Comments (13)
Is there more info about this guy on the net somewhere?
Posted by: david | Nov 30, 2006 5:43:50 PM
Well, I'd like to see the same outrage by former and current military personnel when one of their own is attacked as a coward because they were democrats, despite risking their lives for America. I'd like to hear a loud chorus of protestations from our veterans after one of their own is excoriated and ridiculed by the media, questioning their patriotism --- simply because they were democrats. Since when have we become a nation of people who think it is perfectly appropriate for pusillanimous pundits pretending to be reporters, insinuating that our soldiers don’t deserve their medals --- simply because they’re democrats? What in the hell is America's evil media oligopoly thinking? --- How much longer must our troops and citizens suffer from their casual displays of malevolence and cruelty, defaming and maligning us --- simply because we are democrats?
Posted by: Leslie Pool | Dec 1, 2006 7:23:27 AM
Another thing about imposters is that they use this to get ahead. A gentleman was outed as an imposter well AFTER he had been leading the state's National Guard ( I beleive it was New York). People who have been hired at companies specifically for their military service have been found out later to be imposters or lied about their service (i.e. won medal for bravery on the battlefield but was actually stateside in peace time).
More needs to be done to stop these imposters.
Posted by: aleigh | Dec 1, 2006 10:36:31 AM
Yet another fiddle to play the song of indignation upon, while "Rome" burns and nothing is actually done to fight the very real causes of the fire.
Is everybody effectively distracted from the real problems and issues in America yet?
No?
Stay tuned.
"The hits just keep on comin'!"
Posted by: Zach | Dec 1, 2006 2:20:21 PM
Want phony? Just check out the drudgereport. The phony democrats are now saying they will not impletement the key elements of the 911 commission. and while Iran and North Korea are building and testing long range missles, the democrats are going to gut the missile defense system.. FEEL SAFE AMERICA? This goes unreported on ABC, CBS, NBC and Cnn. But fear not I am sure Brain Ross will protect us..
Posted by: SL | Dec 1, 2006 9:22:28 PM
I wondered about the president's attire on the aircraft carrier but was informed that he was going into areas where the (fire-resistant) coveralls were required by Naval Regulations as a safety measure.
But then the Bush-Haters never tire of recycling lies long after they are found to be false, do they?
Posted by: Thos | Dec 2, 2006 12:10:06 PM
300 million people in this country. Over 6.5 billion people on the planet.
And if one person out of those millions and/or billions elects to pretend to be a military vet from the ranks of the U.S. Marines or for that matter the hoardes of Ghengis Khan, the rest of mankind is affected, how???
Posted by: Zach | Dec 2, 2006 12:45:07 PM
Regarding Bush's flight suit, the president was a fighter pilot in the National Guard in the seventies so I think that earns him the right to wear the suit.
Posted by: ScottInCgy | Dec 7, 2006 3:26:18 AM
Since Bush was flown to the aircraft carrier in an aircraft, he was required to wear the flight suit. The fact that he continued to wear the flight suit on the aircraft carrier made sense, why change when he would need to wear it again to leave. Being a pilot in the National Guard has nothing to do with any right to wear a flight suit, any one who would be taking a ride in a fighter aircraft would be required to wear it as a form of protection against any elements should the need to eject be required.
As a veteran, I find it disguisting that you have the people who are taking advantage of peoples sympathies by using medals that they never earned, by speaking out of turn on things that they do not have knowledge of and slandering the people who have earned the right to be honered. Mr. Kerry and Mr. McCain come to mind, both have needlessly been slandered to be able to have a small person feel big.
Posted by: ELA | Dec 7, 2006 3:25:43 PM
As a decorated veteran I really have no objection to this gentleman playing dress-up. As long as my retirement pension comes in on time he could dress up as the Queen of Sheba for all I care. Bless him for keeping the rest of us entertained, and bless those who protest with their lofty statements for providing us with even more entertainment.
Posted by: Athan | Dec 8, 2006 2:52:57 AM
For those who can decipher it, this fellow decided "in for a penny, in for a pound" [no pun intended] He looks to have purchased just about every personal award that a Marine COULD receive, starting with the Navy Cross. Any two of his top row of medals (in the photo) would be cause to question his story. Additionally, getting three rows of miniature medals mounted properly is a few hundred dollars, then he spent the money to buy the Marine Corps League formal dress (red jacket, bowtie, tux shirt, pants-though you can't see them)--oh, and his age, 48. Did he earn his Navy Cross at age 10 in the Tet Offensive in 1968?
Sad that someone has zero self-worth and has to resort to pathetic attempts like this to be noticed.
Posted by: JimD | Dec 8, 2006 2:14:20 PM
The commander in chief can wear a flightsuit if he wants.
Posted by: Travis Roste | Dec 8, 2006 2:43:01 PM
This man has to be the dumbest person on the face of the planet to even think anyone would buy his little act he is way too fat and would never meet the physical requirements even if he tried. and to top it all off he is way too young to have even served in Vietnam so there for he just outed himself which shows how stupid he really is.
Posted by: ashley witcher | Feb 2, 2007 9:34:49 PM
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