It's always easier to pick out a poser if you served in the same branch and the same era but there aer signs to watch for. On war, the more someone tells big stories I think the less likely they were to have seen the horror of wa. Have two friends, both Marines. One says, "hey they are making a movie on Fallujah." Second. No thanks, I had a front row seat to the original."
I find losers tend to mess up stuff that those who served would never do. If wearing a uniform st a parade, something is out of order or doesn't fit. They especially mess up branches. USMC uniform with Army infantry badge or Army with Marine marksmanship badges. Recently there was a poser who said he was a Marine Chaplain. He was wearing USMC dress blues and a cross. Doesn't exist. Nsvy chaplains proudly serve Marines and wear USMC uniforms - EXCEPT - only a Marine can wear USMC blues. Navy would wear own blues.
Marines say Oorah and Soldiers Hooah. Navy can't figure what to say and I have no idea on USAF. I to know Soldier and Marine would not use mother's phrase unless purposely showing respect to other branch.
Just a few ideas. (Fighting kindle fire so apologies if I missed typos)
Just a few ideas
Well, you taught me something. I knew that corpsmen (not pronounced corpsemen) served with the Marines. I didn't have a clue that chaplains did. I also didn't know they wore Marine uniforms (and I assume by extension that the corpsmen do, as well). I also wouldn't have assumed that they would not wear the Marine blues if they wore their fatigues. Thanks.
I enlisted in the Navy to avoid the draft in 1970. I spent 4yrs and two months in the Navy. I extended the two months for second class P.O. I spent most of my time in a helicopter squadron. I served on three different carriers. I couldn't recite a general order if I had to. I vaguely remember getting gassed in boot camp. I sincerely doubt that I said any general orders when I ran out of there. I didn't especially like the Navy. I did my duty, got out, and moved on. Two good things about the Navy. I got to see the world, and I went to college on the GI Bill. I do remember my service number, which when I enlisted was different than my social security number.
You just made me remember... When I was in the gas chamber, it was my service number that I had to cite. And by 1986, when I was in boot, our service numbers were our SSNs.
Forgive me if I'm crossing into SZ territory with this, but...as an OIF veteran with my own personal feelings about military posers and how hot the tar should be for them, my thoughts have wandered into the realm of "free speech." How about I buy some police dress blues on 4th of July? Why the hell not? Some sorry prick who never stood a day shoulder to shoulder in uniform, let alone off in some foreign sliptrench can banter about in my uniform and lie through his sorry teeth about a load of crap he saw on CNN, so why can't I assume the same role as a police impersonator?
I never will. Because it IS WRONG. And police imposter's are thrown in bloody jail. Like this, with a hand on the back of the head
. This is not right; it isn't a slap, it's a downright KICK in the face a la Roadhouse (Roundhouse) to all my brethren, before and after.
Rant off.
What is OIF?
It is not illegal to DRESS as a police officer, but to IMPERSONATE one. I used to be a paramedic/firefighter. I had a police scanner in my car, and carried a legitimate badge. Once someone tried to cut me off, and I didn't let him. He was behind me, and started flashing his headlights, and wielded a badge. Knowing better since I carried my own badge, I called the police (yeah - had a cell phone back in 1993 - lol). I stayed on the line with the dispatcher while listening to police on the radio (I had a permit to have the scanner), and guided them to the guy. He had been following the guy in the truck that was in front of me, and didn't like that I'd gotten between them at a 4-way stop. He tried to pass me in a 30 mph no passing zone in front of the school that my kid was in, a kindergartener.
The guy evaded for a short time, doing a u-turn on a via-duct, but from my info, the police were able to find him. He had pulled into the bar he was meeting his friend at, threw the badge in the back of the friend's truck, and went inside. Police found the badge, which was some kind of Illiniois election official badge (we were in Porter, IN), and questioned him, and called the Illinois election people. They confiscated the badge, not because he broke the law, but because the Illinois people told them that he should no longer have their badge, that he had left that position long ago. I asked the police about impersonating an officer because he tried to get me to pull over, and they said that they could not charge him with that because I didn't pull over. Even though he had intent, he hadn't found a fool that would pull over, so they couldn't press it. And these officers weren't trying to get out of work. I knew them, and my brother was a cop in the next town as well, and they knew it. Their hands were tied. For whatever reason, a person has to actually BELIEVE (at least in IN at that time) that a person is an officer, before they can charge that person with impersonating one.
You can dress up like a cop, they even sell badges, just better not try to make an arrest...
Yup.
