Was he even a MARINE?
Assuming 1974 as the cutoff he would have been ~19 if his current age is correct. So on the very edge of possibly being there. Say enlisted at 18 and then boot camp, etc .., but then I’m not sure when they stopped sending new troops over.
They may be stretching it to say that he was a veteran of the Vietnam-era.
I enlisted and went to basic on my 17th birthday in 66 and am 69 now. Don’t see how he was in theater at 17. Of course he looks older than dirt so it begs the question how old he really is.
Eddie Murphy was a Marine Recon Ranger in Vietnam, just like Chief Stolen Valor.
(At least, he played one in Trading Places.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKtjBqJ4NxA
I do. My son is a Marine Vet - was in 'nam - and he will be 66 in one month...he went in at 17 - with permission.
My brother was born on February 13, 1944, and enlisted in the U.S. Army when he was 20 or 21. He was in Vietnam ‘66-67, came home, and was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado for another year until he was discharged. He’d be almost 75 now.
Heap big buffalo chips.
Seems like a lot of Marines on FR.
More info.
https://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=84414&cpage=1
We have filed for his military records but the point of this article is that there are stories all over the place about what Phillips’ status is and to do this right takes time.
But in the media’s rush to get a story out — what “facts” rise to the surface and what did Phillips actually say about his military service?
As a good example, in this CNN newscast, Phillips states that he is a “Vietnam Times Veteran” while CNN runs the label below him quoting him as saying “I am a Vietnam Veteran…” which is not what he said.
Then, CNN puts up the label of “Native American War Vet”…
Now, “Vietnam times” seems to be an interesting way of stating his service, but did it really mean “Vietnam era” or simply his time in Vietnam? According to his direct quote with NewsMaven, he uses the same terminology but also extends it to “Marine Corps times” sounding like a period in his life.
Nathan Phillips: Thank you for your support. I could do some more prayers. Honestly. I’m still scared. I’m still feeling vulnerable. But I’m not gonna back down. Those young people from that school, that song was a prayer for their future and my children’s future. We’re facing critical times and we’ve got to make choices, and they’re going to be some hard choices.
I’m not a chief or anything. But I feel like at that moment it was for me to do what I’ve always said in for a long time is that I’m expendable. You know, when I was in Vietnam times and when I was in the Marine Corps times, that’s what I was. I was expendable. Expendable to corporate greed. You know, in all wars, especially the ones that are going down for the oil, you know, we’re fighting against — the pipelines. Now that we’re at a point where we’ve drawn the line, we’ve got to stand that line. All of us.
We have received a lot of questions about Nathan Phillips’ actual service but until his military records come back, the best we could do is to look for a signature in the digital reference library known as the internet.
In a Forbes.com article, it states that Mr. Phillips “was placed in a foster home as a child and later joined the Marines and served in Vietnam.” However, this was not a direct quote from Nathan Phillips. This seemed to reference a Detroit Free Press article which emphasized Phillips’ life story.
In the Detroit Free Press article, it claims Phillips is a “former Marine” and went on later to elaborate more, stating that Phillips served in the Vietnam War.
Born in Nebraska into the Omaha tribe, Phillips said he was five years old when he was “taken away from my family and put in foster care … until I was 17.”
Phillips said he grew up in an abusive home, started working on construction and lumber jobs, and then joined the Marines, serving in the Vietnam War.
He later moved to Washington, D.C., and became active with Native American issues. He’s now with the Native Youth Alliance and also does work with Native American veterans.
It is important to point out that Phillips was not quoted directly, so there’s always the possibility of an over-zealous reporter hearing “Vietnam-Times veteran” or “Vietnam-Era veteran” and assigning their own take on it.
If one were to go back further, The Warren Record (NC) published an article on February 4, 2009 titled “Drum Group Showcases Native American Culture.” They referred to Phillips as a “Vietnam veteran” although he was not quoted directly as saying that.
In a recent article by The Arizona Daily Star on January 20, 2019, they stated that Phillips was a “Vietnam War veteran” and as before, Phillips was not quoted directly.