WDBJ7 Investigates: Roanoke Police Chief Deputy placed on administrative leave following reported false claims of military experience https://www.wdbj7.com/2023/11/23/wdbj7-investigates-roanoke-police-chief-deputy-placed-administrative-leave-following-reported-false-claims-military-experience/?outputType=amp Falsely claiming to be a Green Beret and an Arabic interpreter. He served honorably but not in those roles. (He was a SIGINT Analyst, 35N in the modern Army, not the 35P he was claiming.) He was put on administrative leave and then resigned.
Not sure how much difference a 35P vs a 35N is... but he could have been honest and truthfully told his 'credentials' the way they were... I mean, he's already up there at the 35 level, he could have worked towards a better paying position with the trifecta of certs, degree, experience. With the distance education options now, it's so much easier than 'cheat' your way into a position...
As a veteran, I don't consider what he did to be stolen valor because he actually served in the military. He lied about his job, which is something totally different IMO. I consider stolen valor to be when someone claims to have served but didn't.
I have no horse in this race (Canadian) but per the article, I guess the Guardians of the Green Beret look at it differently. Guardians - 1. Chief Deputy - 0.
Most veterans would disagree. Claiming to be SOF when you weren't is very common and it is stealing the valor from all those that actually made it onto those teams. Nobody lies about being a Finance Clerk for a reason.
Let's remember the word "valor" in "stolen valor." It is a claim of bravery and performance under fire that isn't true. Saying you served in one specialty instead of another is a lie, but it isn't stolen valor. It's just a lie. It gets more dicey if you falsely claim membership of an elite force, such as the Green Berets or Navy Seals. But even this can be shaky. If you graduate from Ranger School you wear a Ranger tab on your uniform. But if you were never in the Rangers, are you a "Ranger"? (The consensus is "no," but it is controversial.) Stolen valor is much more clear when someone falsely claims to have served in a combat zone. (I served in what was technically a combat zone--the Republic of Korea--and even received a campaign medal for it after-the-fact. But that wasn't valor; it was service.) Also, it's pretty clear if someone claims to have served and did not. So, there are lots of lies someone can tell about his/her military service that aren't "stolen valor." I served. I served honorably. (I have three honorable discharges to support that.) But I didn't not serve with valor. That's a whole other ballgame.
Controversial indeed: the Ranger Association insists that tabbed and scrolled are both "Rangers" but I've never met someone calling themselves a Ranger who only went to Ranger School and was never in the regiment.
Usually, in my experience anyway, them as actually got shot at don't talk about it much. Those as brag are suspect. Then there are those who are damaged. They sometimes do talk but it isn't bragging. It’s a desperate attempt to deal with the trauma. They will tell their stories over and over, compulsively. To those all I could do was listen as long as they wanted to talk.
Also noticed something on a re-read. He claimed service from 1992 to 2003. The Army confirmed his service was from September 1992 to January 2001. The extra 2 years of service gives him an opportunity to claim he deployed in the Global War on Terror (GWOT).
I don't think so. He CLAIMS service till 2003. The Army says his service ended in Jan. 2001. His claim is just a bogus bolster for more BS stories. The Army knows the truth. "Sergeant Deputy" might not, any more - he's told so many stories. So - no "gedunk" medal. And no book award for fiction, either. Maybe the Liars' Club has something...
I have a meaningless medal that I admit I'm fond of. The Merchant Marine Expeditionary Medal is kind of cool because although I wore it on my Navy uniform it's actually a civilian award from the Department of Transportation. No one outside the Merchant Marine knew what it was!
Although I admire and appreciate your extreme modesty here, Nosborne, I feel folks should know it's definitely NOT meaningless. Google: "The Merchant Marine Expeditionary Medal is awarded to U.S. merchant seamen who serve on U.S.-flag ships in support of operations involving American and allied military forces. The medal is not specific to a certain military operation or conflict, but the award citation would give such details." As always, kudos and props.
Well, in 1977 I completed Navy Officer Candidate School with a very sharp enlisted man who decided to go for a commission. I remember seeing him at a formal at home by the school CO. We were in whites. He had a Purple Heart with TWO stars for additional awards. He didn't talk about it either. That's why I call my little award "meaningless".
Definitely. Nothing is worse that seeing someone portray himself than something he is not. The guys that are the real deal seldom brag about their efforts. My first four years in the US Army were in the Infantry. Several of us looked at becoming Rangers, SF, etc. As grunts we were developing the skillsets that would need to be mastered to make it on the teams (albeit with a lot more rucking and physical fitness pursuit--especially for muscular endurance). In the end, I chose against trying out since I had two small children--had I been successful, I would not have enjoyed their typical deployment schedule.
