[jjgilz]

I came across an interesting topic that set the baseops.net forums ablaze recently. A couple of other AF pilots on the forum called out a guy who said he was a pilot and a JAG on a couple of car forums. His downfall was that he said he was an F-16 pilot, deployed OIF hero and a Major select at 26 years old! These aren't the Billy Mitchell days anymore...most Major selects are at least 30 before they get promoted. The posters also found another guy who stated he was an F-4 driver only to then claim he was actually a WSO (which is debatable) and a department head instead of a civilian secretary like he turned out to be.
Not to get on a soapbox, but I guess what surprised me is how people are so quick to claim being someone that they really aren't. It's kind of sad that there are people out there that piggy back off of others sacrifices for fame and/or undue respect. It apparently is pretty common. One post even states that there are former NAVY seals who search out fakes on the internet...I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that! Anyways, my goal isn't to start a witch hunt on this forum or any other. I think that by and large almost everyone on the MH are upstanding individuals. But I think integrity and honesty are extremely important and the only source of true credibility. How common do you think it is for people to overstate their credentials? What do you think motivates people to lie about their military service in an era where the internet makes fact finding so much easier?

I've attached the link for your reading.

http://www.flyingsquadron.com/forums...howtopic=12027

Take Care,
Jeff

[bsmith13]

Interesting topic. I have no idea what makes people say they are something they aren't. Maybe they have such a bad self image that they try to impress people with what they wish they were. Maybe some of it is out of a misplaced sense of admiration for the people they are pretending to be.

I know that this particular phenomenon isn't limited to bragging about yourself. During WWII, my great uncle served at Asaam Air Base in India. He was originally a PR officer, but he volunteered for anything he could, and eventually wound up as part of the air rescue service that was cobbled together by the base commander. He was killed in action on a C-47, flying from one base to another. In spite of the fact that all this is well documented in our family, I have an uncle that insists that he was a pilot in the Flying Tigers.

Who knows?

[hworth18]

I would imagine it is no different than people pretending to be police officers or doctors.. It gives them some attention and a feeling of superiority over their fellow members.. Unfortunately, you get the "asses with the masses", and they all seem to come out of the woodwork, kinda like going to the fair or your local Super Walmart on a Saturday night. .

[Tundra04]

Wow, just spent the last hour and a half reading all of the threads on the various websites connected to this story. For some reason, our hobby be it military diecast, military model building, or aviation history ALWAYS seems to bring out the goobs. Just go to an IPMS model contest and you'll see what I mean.

[DADoser]

Here is a site I ran across several years ago:

http://www.cyberseals.org/authentiseal/

They used to have a "wall of shame" that listed known SEAL imposters (if I remember correctly - one was even a college professor somewhere on the east coast). Reading the page above is interesting. To summarize - There are so many "males" (??? I won't use the term "men") out there posing as SEALs that they couldn't keep up the process of looking into all the fake claims/imposters. Read the whole linked page - it is interesting.

What's really bad - about 10+ years ago, I was a high school counselor. Part of my responsibility was with the armed forces recruiters as well as academy liasons. We had a navy recruiter who told me he was a SEAL and then started telling me stories - i.e how he made this sniper kill at a ridiculous yardage, etc. I knew enough to know he was full of shit. While I wasn't going to call him a liar, I asked him a question so he knew that I knew he was full of shit. I asked him why he wasn't wearing the trident on his uniform. He tried to tell me that the Navy didn't want him to wear it because people liked to pick fights with SEALs in bars. It wasn't too long before we got a new recruiter. I asked what happened to the other guy - and told the new Navy recruiter that the former had claimed to be a SEAL.....He just laughed and said that the former recruiter had gotten in some "trouble."

Its just wrong on so many levels for someone to pose as anyone who has served (when they have not) - but to have someone actually in the service stealing their "brother's" valor seems to be worse in a slightly deeper level.

[dasboot]

Hey, I was born in 76 but served my country in vietnam.

[duxford]

I didn't think I would ever be able to tell you all how proud I am of my son. But this thread just led into it.

FYI: He is in Helmand Province, in southern Afghanistan, with 1st ID. He is 41 on Sunday--and was just promoted (when the Senate approves the list) to LTC/lieutenant colonel. It took him 18 years to get here. Now if he were not infantry, say a chaplin, the promotions would come sooner, of course.

Thanks for listening.

PROUD PARENT OF A U.S. SOLDIER says the sticker on my car window.

Dux

[DADoser]

Originally Posted by duxford

I didn't think I would ever be able to tell you all how proud I am of my son. But this thread just led into it.

FYI: He is in Helmand Province, in southern Afghanistan, with 1st ID. He is 41 on Sunday--and was just promoted (when the Senate approves the list) to LTC/lieutenant colonel. It took him 18 years to get here. Now if he were not infantry, say a chaplin, the promotions would come sooner, of course.

Thanks for listening.

PROUD PARENT OF A U.S. SOLDIER says the sticker on my car window.

Dux

NO - you CAN'T talk about your son here. This thread is about "Posers" - one of which your son is definitely "NOT."

Seriously - thanks for sharing/"bragging" about your son. As far as I'm concerned, you can do that anytime - PROUD parents always welcome! (Of course, I don't own or moderate the forum - so my opinion here may not mean much -

Take care.

[Warhawk]

How about this JERK!
http://www.warbirdforum.com/sperry.htm

[1948]

Poser Pilots are a disgrace even on my home planet and of course some of the crew on my spacecraft pose sometimes when we visit off world bars. It is tough enough flying one of these beauties without having to keep my fellow beings and crew members from posing.

PS
does anyone know where I can get some SAT445Qad330-%^#3 for my fuel?