Interesting. Thanks for your service.
Did you inquire of Jim as to whether he’s interested/willing to implement this?
I think “valorous until proven cravenly dishonest” is good enough for our purposes. If such a thing were instituted, I would decline to participate.
(Just to clarify: I have a DD214, and can show it to anyone...who is willing to come here and see it.)
Does my slacking six in the AR during Vietnam (E-4, E-2; E-4, E-2) count? George W. Bush had a better attendance record.
More work for the mods/JimRob
I’m willing to believe those here, until given reason not to.
No. My word is my bond.
If your “system” is needed, why not one for every “status” one may want to use in a post etc. Race, Sex, marital status, voting record, etc.
If I doubt someone, I ask privately or vett via common open source information.
I am not willing to post my service record so someone can “approve” of my service. Too much personal information, unredacted.
Mine is framed and on the wall at the office. I did tape over the SS# though. LOL
Do you know this to be happening?
DeepInTheHurtgenForest, is that you?
(This came up in 2003.)
Besides, the rare poster who uses their service record to diminish another's opinion generally ends up discrediting themselves.
I don’t know id this is necessary. I know we end up with some braggarts who are faking it, but almost inevitably the real veterans on the bards smoke the faker out in minutes.
Asking JR to track credentials and validate military (or any other) status opens a door that I think is both unreasonable and potentially dangerous.
People claim to be lots of things on the internet. We’ve had freepers claiming to be a priest (or was it a deacon) and claiming to be lost deep in a forest in Germany. Wasn’t there also someone claiming to be a long-legged, green-eyed blonde? You have to take all those claims with a grain of salt. Hopefully most people are honest - but does it really make a difference in our lives if they’re not?
Plus, anyone who wants to lie about their service can forge a DD214.
Did you know John Kerry was in Vietnam?
Good idea S-Bot but agreed it’s alot of work for the Mods.
I would do it if they were willing to do the work.
Was I wrong in posting this question?
There’s enough FReeper institutional knowledge that we’ve historically been able to “out” the wannabe’s. I rarely make an issue of my service unless I have a personal anecdote to illustrate a point I’m trying to make. Whether or not that enhances my credibility, I leave purely to the discretion of the reader...
We are posting to an internet forum using made up names and you are worried about somebody fudging on military service??
A simpler step:
Recognize that military service is irrelevant to most discussions, and having served does not make an unsound opinion sound, or an invalid argument valid—so why mention it?