Stolen valor? Nope...stolen PTSD.

[scott1970]

We had a five hour standoff at a motel with an armed "Vietnam vet" suffering from the PTSD. We talked him out, and no one got hurt. In shoe polish on the bathroom mirror he'd written in large letters, "HELP, I'M STILL IN SAIGON." He was dutifully wearing his Vietnam Veteran ball cap and accompanying shirt.

Here's the rub. Being from Tennessee a group of us took off our boots, counted fingers and toes and began to cipher this man's age. Turns out the Vietnam War ended shortly before he was old enough to attend. When called on it he readily admitted to having been too young to "officially" serve in Vietnam. He joined the military a little after the war ended, was stationed in Korea, and was part of an elite group who was secretly sent to Vietnam to wrap some things up. Since it was a secret I seriously doubt y'all have heard of this.

 

[irocdave12]

So you arrested Frogfur is what you’re telling us? He was pretty good at spinning those yarns

 

[TheX]

So you arrested Frogfur is what you’re telling us?

And BOOM goes the dynamite.

 

[Fattyfrisco]

So what, I'm a reincarnated Rough Rider.

 

[irocdave12]

And BOOM goes the dynamite.

Sorry I couldn’t resist

 

[TheX]

Sorry I couldn’t resist

Well done!

 

[LtDave32]

Thought he was "still in Saigon", huh?

I wonder if he was aware that except for a skirmish at the US Emabassy during Tet '68, there wasn't fighting in Saigon.

It was in the South. Pretty much where all in-country personnel would walk around to sightsee or do tasks in the rear area.


Last Summer I had hired this local guy to do some labor on my wife's family home as we were remodeling it for sale.

I was there all day, So was Anna, and so was "Mike" for several days. We got to talking, and he told me that he had graduated high school in 1976, the same year I did.

Within 5 minutes of conversation, he told me he was in Vietnam.

I said "wait a sec, you just told me you graduated in 76. How could you have been in Vietnam when the fall of Saigon was in 1975?"

His reply (after having the bug-eyed, speechless arrest of someone caught fresh in a lie) "Oh,... I went early".

pfft.

I told him that I was in the service, and I was the same age, and there was no "early" that would put him in Vietnam prior to 1973. And to not talk about "Vietnam" to me again.

He continued to work for us for a day and a half, very quiet and off to himself, then began not showing up, not answering his phone.

Yeah, typical.

 

[K.O.M.A.]

I used to work with this guy who claimed to have been in Vietnam. He told us that he had been wounded by a grenade while serving as a Navy combat medic with the Marines. He claimed to have shrapnel all over one side of his body. We were MRI techs, so working around a giant magnet was a pretty unusual job for someone supposedly loaded with shrapnel. He had the whole wounded Vietnam vet thing down pat, right down to the "thousand yard stare" when asked about what happened over there. I believed him though, he was very convincing. Then one day when he wasn't there this lady came in looking for him. We told her that he was off that day and she said that she had been his first wife back in the early 70's and that she heard he worked there and thought she'd stop and say hello. I said that must have been tough when he went off to Vietnam and came home injured. She looked confused and said "Paul was never in Vietnam, in fact, the closest he got to Vietnam was Hawaii, he was a Navy corpsman there. Did he tell y"all he was in Vietnam?" When we told her yes she started laughing and told us that she had been married to him the whole time he was in the Navy and assured us he never saw combat. She said she was going to visit his sister that lived nearby and left. Paul never came back to work. I assume she saw him and asked him why the hell he told everyone where he worked he was in Vietnam. He had worked there for over 15 years and just didn't come back. Fucking coward. I have the utmost respect for vets and don't understand the whole stolen valor thing, at all.

 

[PeteK]

Maybe he had stroke induced amnesia that made him think he was a was hero...

 

[Oldskoolrob]

I haven't been to vietnam, but I've been to China-Town.

 

[Bobby Mahogany]

I haven't been to Vietnam but my sister has.
Three years ago.
She had a nice trip.

 

[Bobby Mahogany]

So you arrested Frogfur is what you’re telling us? He was pretty good at spinning those yarns

Maybe he had stroke induced amnesia that made him think he was a was hero...

MLP members be like:

 

[scott1970]

Besides having plenty of crazy he also had enough firepower. He had unloaded all his guns and made this bed display prior to surrendering.

Besides plenty of ammo, a pair of legit shotguns (a third was an antique) , a pair of .357 Magnums (the Dan Wesson was very nice), he had two guns of genuine concern in comparison. One was a scoped .300 Win Mag (it was an older Remington 700 with an amazing trigger), and the other was a Marlin 444 loaded with Hornady Leverevolution which is a devastating round especially in a big bore. He could have made for a bad day at the office.

 

[southbound]

Ya know, I always was a big supporter of the second amendment , even was a magazine subscribing fully paying member, round sticker on my truck NRA for at least 15 or more years. Probably closer to 20. Competitive shooting, DCM participant, High Power Service class marksman. Aspired to make it to Camp Perry one day....
I just am not so sure anymore. Life in this peoples republik of California, its too much of a liability to own guns anymore and I certainly question and take a double look at some of the folks that have guns.
Not wanting to be an elitist, but really question if it is right for just anyone to have a gun, like this malfunctioned man that surrendered! There are many people that should have guitars instead of guns and ammunition.
I dont know what the real answer is, but no matter which side you are on, the gun laws are stupid idiotic. I dont know, I just dont know?
I do miss benchrest precision shooting and building wildcats.
Today I am getting back into it in a different way. Shooting cast lead bullets thru custom built air rifle. Successfully completing the 400yrd Pepsi challenge. Luckily it isnt very easy to get there with an airgun, too exclusive and too much work, so we dont have anyone doing stupid things to bring attention upon ourselves. I doubt air rifle would be protected by 2nd amendment, as they are not firearms.

 

[Rando375]

So you arrested Frogfur is what you’re telling us? He was pretty good at spinning those yarns

 

[scott1970]

Ya know, I always was a big supporter of the second amendment , even was a magazine subscribing fully paying member, round sticker on my truck NRA for at least 15 or more years. Probably closer to 20. Competitive shooting, DCM participant, High Power Service class marksman. Aspired to make it to Camp Perry one day....
I just am not so sure anymore. Life in this peoples republik of California, its too much of a liability to own guns anymore and I certainly question and take a double look at some of the folks that have guns.
Not wanting to be an elitist, but really question if it is right for just anyone to have a gun, like this malfunctioned man that surrendered! There are many people that should have guitars instead of guns and ammunition.
I dont know what the real answer is, but no matter which side you are on, the gun laws are stupid idiotic. I dont know, I just dont know?
I do miss benchrest precision shooting and building wildcats.
Today I am getting back into it in a different way. Shooting cast lead bullets thru custom built air rifle. Successfully completing the 400yrd Pepsi challenge. Luckily it isnt very easy to get there with an airgun, too exclusive and too much work, so we dont have anyone doing stupid things to bring attention upon ourselves. I doubt air rifle would be protected by 2nd amendment, as they are not firearms.

If we apply this way of thinking to the First Amendment think of all the lives we can save from bullying, all the feelings that can be spared. By applying sensible restrictions to the First Amendment we can finally prevent so many negatives that only make life harder for so many. The government could make us even safer.....like this millions of unarmed Chinese and North Koreans. UTOPIA!

 

[southbound]

Yeah we could keep all the lames from opening their mouths.... uh wait....
Doh! Nevermind!
I guess it would matter on who decides who is lame and who is not?
Could we make it into a test and only those that are intelligent enough, entertaining enough, witty enough and attractive enough and redeeming enough are allowed license to speak?

 

[TheX]

shall not be infringed

 

[Tim Fezziwig]

My Old BOSSMAN was a REAL' Nam vet. The stories he told? Holy Hell. He was shot in the stomach-put in mental hospital after flipping on LSD-paralyzed for a year- he is way STRONG. He used to put the "boots" to me-said I reminded him of crazy white boys from his squad. We had TIMES.

 

[Shred Astaire]

Maybe he had stroke induced amnesia that made him think he was a was hero...

I think maybe it was “Woke“ induced amnesia lol!