Posted on 01/21/2019 11:23:54 PM PST by LouieFisk
If I saw this guy on the street, Marine wouldn’t come to mind.
Thanks for the link. Just installed all three books onto Kindle.
Exactly, it determines veterans' benefits eligibility. If you were not in Southeast Asia, you are simply a veteran, not a Vietnam veteran.
“I should know, I got one. It was a long time ago, friends.”
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Not so long that people have forgotten.
Had two older bros who got the same ribbon (since they were in VN I reckon they should!).
“Or he IDENTIFIES as a veteran.”
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That’s it! If he feels like a vet who can say he isn’t one???
:D
I would never classify myself frauduelently as a combat veteran of any kind, but I am quite proud of my service, and learned a great deal from it. Fraudulently assuming that role of combat veteran is an extremely disrespectful and dishonorable thing to do...I view it as a mark of someone who mentally weak to the point of being mentally ill.
I am grateful to my country for allowing me to serve, and doubly grateful to those who did put themselves in harms way in combat, as well as anyone who did serve.
One of my favorite movie scenes is from "The Caine Mutiny" where the Caine's officers are celebrating their legal victory over Captain Queeg, and the pilot who was their defense attorney comes in and berates them:
LT GREENWALD: Well, well, well. The officers of the Caine in happy celebration.
LT. MARYK: You're kind of tight.
LT GREENWALD: I've got a guilty conscience. I thought the wrong man was on trial, so I torpedoed Queeg for you. I had to torpedo him. And I feel sick about it.
LT MARYK: Take it easy.
LT GREENWALD: When I was studying law, and Mr Keefer was writing his stories, and Willie was tearing up the playing fields of Princeton, who was standing guard over this country of ours? Not us. we knew you couldn't make any money in the service. Who did the dirty work for us? Queeg did, and a lot of other guys. Tough guys who didn't crack up like Queeg.
ENSIGN KEITH: Queeg endangered the lives of the men.
LT GREENWALD: He didn't endanger any lives. You did. A fine bunch of officers.
LTJG PAYNTER: You said yourself he cracked.
LT GREENWALD: That's a very pretty point. I left out one detail in court. It wouldn't have helped our case. At one point, Queeg came to you for help, and you turned him down.
LT MARYK: Yes, we did.
LT GREENWALD: He wasn't worthy of your loyalty. So you turned on him. You made up songs about him. If you'd been Ioyal to Queeg, do you think all this would have come up? I'm asking you, Steve. would it have been necessary to take over?
LT MARYK: It probably wouldn't have been necessary. If that's true, we were guilty.
LT GREENWALD: You're learning. You don't work with the captain because of his hairstyle, but because he's got the job, or you're no good. The case is over. You're all safe. It was like shooting fish in a barrel.
There is a lot contained in this one passage, but all of it completely hits at the core, and particularly the recognition that there are people who serve during the good and prosperous times, who man the wall while the rest of us enjoy our lives. I am proud to have been one of them, and that is good enough for me.
You are incorrect about the Vietnam Service Medal. Maybe you are thinking of the National Defense Service Medal.
The requirement for the Vietnam Service medal is "The VSM was established by EO 11231, 8 July 1965, as amended by EO 13286, 2 February 2003. It is awarded to all Servicemembers of the Armed Forces of the United States serving in Vietnam and its contiguous waters or airspace there over, after 3 July 1965 through 28 March 1973. Servicemembers of the Armed Forces of the United States in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia, or the airspace there over, during the same period and serving in direct support of operations in Vietnam are also eligible for this award."
I don’t dismiss it. I am proud of my service. I have a DD-214 to prove it, but I doubt that this indian has one. My point was this: contrary to what most people think, there were more sailors, soldiers, and airmen that were serving stateside at that time. All of us who served during that time were aware of our importance. I was in the Air Navy and the Carriers that were parked off the coast of Vietnam could not have launched the thousands of bombing sorties without our support. However, I felt the pain of my brothers who were killed or maimed in that awful place when we read the casualty reports. I talked to several who deployed back to us after their tours and we learned about how utterly mismanaged the war effort was.
I was being supportive of you. I am sorry you took it any other way.
We must remember that one of the most famous “indians” was the one who sheds the tear over littering.....Oh wait!! turns out he’s an Italian!!! Personally I’m a little tired of the noble indian stuff!!!
“This is contentious claim, since the last combat troops left Vietnam in 1971, while Nathan served in the U.S. military from 1972 to 1976.”
Odd that the combat troops were gone after 1971, but my Dad (USAF) was killed in Vietnam in 1972...
Ironic that Kathy Griffin called for the kids to get doxxed and the only one that’s happening to is the Indian.
I was USMC, Vietnam 1966 and 1967. I’ve never heard of a Marine “recon ranger.” This guy is a fraud.
++++++++++++++++++
Thanks for that. Been waiting two days for a Marine to point that out. I was in the Army for 20, including two combat tours in Vietnam, and I never heard of a “recon ranger” either.
Today in Cinncinati enquirer, Phillips said he faced racism and bigotry with Covington. He now says originally he wanted teachers and chaperones punished. But because of sandmanns statement he had changed his mind and want explusions!!!!!
His actual title was bum with a drum.
I have a brother in law that joined the Army in the Spring of 75, a couple of months before Gerald Ford “officially ended” the war. He is eligible to receive any benefits that may arise with serving as a Vietnam era veteran. Not that he ever has and not that he has ever claimed to have been a combat vet.
I have another brother in law that served in the ARMY Reserve during the 60’s (he used his daddy’s political influence to get him into the reserves). This POS has tried to claim for years that he actually served in combat during one of his many 2 week summer trainings. He even stole my late fathers Bronze star, and of course he’s a big Democrat.
My sister who married this turd was actually dating one of the sailors on the Pueblo. I guess she switched to her husband while the other was in captivity.
He said he was a Marine ... they were out of there by 1971
Re: post 107, thank you for that correction. But in reality, whatever the ribbon was called, those wearing it called it the Vietnam service medal. I remember they told us we got it because of service during the Vietnam era which was technically still going on. I remember thinking I didn’t really deserve it because I didn’t serve overseas but I was proud to wear the ribbon to honor those who did and our military. Don’t mean to split hairs here.
Not true. The kid who wasn’t there but at his brothers wedding was dozed along with family members.
No, it’s improper to call a National Defense Service Medal (red and yellow) the Vietnam Service Medal (Green and White, with a clasp “1960 - “). That’s not “hair-splitting. You may as well claim it’s a Purple Heart or Silver Star or anything else.
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