Posted on 10/26/2008 11:41:03 AM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
This morning, as I began reading the Washington Times, my eyes were assaulted by this image;
This is an Obama supporter going into an Obama rally in Fayetteville, NC over this caption;
PHOTOGRAPHS BY J.M. EDDINS JR./THE WASHINGTON TIMES Charlie W. Williams of Raeford, N.C., a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars and supporter of Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama, lines up early to get into a rally at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville on Oct. 19. “He’s going to get a lot of white votes,” he said of his candidate
I get real suspicious of veterans who wear all of their medals when they’re not in uniform. Although we’re usually proud of what we’ve earned, we don’t usually wear all of our “bling” because it looks too much like bragging. So I started checking the medals and ribbons on Willie’s left breast (Lord knows I don’t want to get started on the right breast full of Unit Citations). So I blew up the picture;
I also looked for images of Army Medals and discovered that I also needed to find some Navy Medals, too.
The highest award is two awards of the Bronze Star, one with a ‘V’ for valor. Since it’s illegal to claim a medal for valor you’re not awarded, I absolutely believe that, without further evidence to the contrary. The rest are (in order viewers’ left to right and descending);
Purple Heart/Army Commendation Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal/Army Meritorious Service Medal
Reserve Component Overseas Training/Republic of Korea Service Medal/Army Acheivement/Good Conduct
Army of Occupation/Southwest Asia Service (Desert Storm)/Vietnam Service medal (3 stars)/National Defense
NATO Medal/Korea Service/Armed Forces Service Medal/Army Service Ribbon
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal/Army Overseas Ribbon /Navy Meritorious Unit/Navy Combat Action
United Nations Service/Republic of Viet Nam Campaign/Multinational Force and Observers Medal/Outstanding Volunteer Medal
Aside from the fact that his ribbons are all out of order (something a career NCO would never do), he has the Southwest Asia medal for Desert Storm, the Armed Forces Service medal (which is for service after 1992). He’s also wearing a Navy Combat Action ribbon, which he only could’ve earned as a member of the Navy or Marines. He also has an Overseas Service Ribbon which can only be awarded to people on active duty after 1981. The Multinational Force and Observers Medal didn’t come into being until Jimmy Carter started sending troops to the Sinai. His National Defense Service Medal has an oak leaf cluster, subsequent awards of the NDSM are denoted by a bronze star device not an oak leaf.
Willie is wearing medals and ribbons that didn’t come into existence until after he left the service since he says he was in Korea and Vietnam. He wears a star on his CIB so that means he had to have been in the Korean War before July 27, 1953. Since his Good Conduct Medal has five knots, he must’ve served between 15-18 years (each knot is three years of service) but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he did twenty, that means he retired before July 1973 and many of the medals he wears didn’t even exist at the time he retired and they’re awarded for service he couldn’t have.
The Outstanding Volunteer Medal didn’t come into existence until 1992 - Willie could have won it but he would had 40 years of service, but even Colin Powell only did 35. Most E-7s get booted if they don’t get promoted to E-8 before they hit 22 years.
He’s also sporting a 555th Parachute Infantry patch - the famous “Colored” Paratroopers. They disbanded in 1950 before the Korean War when the Army desegregated.
A few weeks ago, I busted out a warrant officer on Military.com who listed every conflict since Vietnam as wars he’d participated in during his thirty year career. Questioning him and comparing his profile to his medals, we narrowed his wartime service down to just the Global War on Terror - and surprise - he was an Obama supporter touting the IAVA report card.
Zero Ponsdorf and Wpage sent me this article about phony soldiers from the Chicago Tribune. They seem to be everywhere.
If you’ve been in the military, just be proud of your service for what it was, you don’t need to make stuff up to be accepted. Cheezum crow.
Welcome, Gateway Pundit readers.
In addition to all the other problems with an image like this, I am particularly offended by the wearing of a Marine Expert Rifleman’s badge with all that Army crap...
I think a get-up like that moves into the Bob Hope arena where no one is going to take it seriously.
It’s the one who look squared away and have a bunch of fruit salad you have to wonder about.
And that only accounts for the ribbons on his left. I could be wrong, but Willie probably got some of them at the PX.
I have some stuff that I wear for friends. I wear one or two of my little brother’s badges because I’m proud of him. But I wouldn’t wear any of his medals.
lets, see. National defense ribbion with an OLC, they get bronse stars not OLC. I see 2 or 3 un ribbons, I believe you are only authorized to wear one.
I think Willie was Jesse MacBeth’s, (remember him?), RI at Benning. It’s tragic and I’d like to see the stolen valor act applied in this case.
I’ve had only two instances in my career where I had to hammer somebody for wearing something they weren’t authorized, (1 soldier and 1 marine.) In both cases, it concerned qual badges. Wearing decorations not awarded is even more heinous.
You know something’s up when you see someone wear both an 82nd Airborne and a 101st Airborne pin.
especially with that many multiple awards...
Rifle, carbine, Machine gun and grenade no less.
Thank you for posting this. I’ll be sure to send this photo and link out to all my military pals as to what an Obama supporter looks like in uniform. Um, they in turn will rapi-send to a zillion others. Well, media? Do some diggin’ will ya? A blogger is doing the work YOU are supposed to be doing. And yes, it must be Obama’s fault that one of his supporters is defacing military honor.
I hate to say it: But the guy in the photo has the same look in his eyes most the Farrakhan activists in Fayetteville have.
PX hero.
Who’s that? Who’s there?
- Police!
We’ve had complaints about con men pretending to be blind and crippled.
I ain’t seen nothing since I stepped on that landmine in Vietnam. It was very painful.
You were in ‘Nam? So were we. Where?
I was in...Sang Bang...Dang Gong...I was all over the place, a lot of places.
What unit were you in?
I was with the Green Berets, Special Unit Battalions...Commando Airborne Tactics...Specialist Tactics Unit Battalion. Yeah, it was real hush hush. I was Agent Orange, Special Agent Orange, that was me.
I'd like to see the Stolen Valor Act amended to include ass whoopings for SOBs like Willie.
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