IMHO, Serving in the military should be enough

[Platapus]

No need to lie

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/nat...15&format=text


Marine charged with faking war wounds for gain

SABILLASVILLE, Md. — On a sultry day in July 2008, Marine Sgt. David W. Budwah strode in his battle fatigues to the front of a picnic pavilion to tell three dozen young boys what he did during the war.

With his clear gaze, rigid posture and muscled, tattooed arms, Budwah looked every inch the hero he claimed to be. He said he was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan when a homemade grenade exploded, wounding his face and arm when he dove to shield a buddy from the blast.

"We’re here to make sure of the freedom you have every day," Budwah told his audience at Camp West Mar, a wooded American Legion compound about 60 miles northwest of Washington.

But the Marines say Budwah is a liar, a fraud and a thief. They are court-martialing the 34-year-old Springhill, La., native, alleging he was never in Afghanistan, wasn’t wounded and didn’t earn the combat medals he wore — or the many privileges he enjoyed.

Budwah joined the Marines in October 1999 and spent nearly all of the next six years with a radio communications unit in Okinawa, Japan, according to the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va., where Budwah has been stationed since February 2006.

Phony heroes aren’t unusual. Thousands of complaints pour in annually to the FBI and civilian groups about impostors flaunting store-bought medals.

Their very prevalence exposes something else — a nation so eager to embrace its war fighters, especially the wounded, that it sometimes fails to discern between the real heroes and the fakes.

"In every society in history, the warrior is glorified," said phony-hero debunker B.G. "Jug" Burkett of Plano, Texas. "The second you say you’re a warrior who has performed heroically in combat, everybody perceives you differently."

Burkett, 65, a Vietnam veteran and author of the 1998 book, "Stolen Valor," said the urge to honor the wounded can cloud a person’s judgment.

"I tell reporters that when you’ve got a guy who’s vocal — ’Let me tell you how I won my Silver Star’ — your antenna should go up," Burkett said. "The real guys typically don’t talk about it."

Budwah’s case is remarkable because he is an active-duty Marine facing military justice, not a civilian charged with wearing unearned medals. Of nearly 3,100 courts-martial last year in the four major armed services, only 27 were trials for wearing illegal decorations. Just two involved Marines.

Prosecutors say Budwah wore unauthorized medals and accepted VIP invitations to rock concerts, major-league baseball games, banquets and other events meant to fete wounded warriors.

He faked post-traumatic stress disorder in hopes of leaving service early and was sent to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, where he bluffed his way into 33 events from late July through November 2008, according to charges obtained by The Associated Press through an appeal of its Freedom of Information Act request.

Bethesda hospital spokesman Chris Walz said the staff tries to involve as many patients as possible in such activities, which range from free NFL tickets to speaking engagements like Budwah’s at Camp West Mar.

The charges include making false official statements, malingering, misconduct and larceny. Budwah faces up to 31 1/2 years in prison and a dishonorable discharge if convicted on all eight counts at a trial set for Oct. 20. at Quantico.

Budwah, who declined to enter a plea at his Aug. 5 arraignment, denied wrongdoing in a brief telephone interview in April. "The allegation is not even true," he said, declining to comment further.

Defense attorney Marine Capt. Kelly Repair and prosecutor Marine Capt. Thomas Liu also have declined to comment.

...

People fabricate military injuries for many reasons, including laziness, greed, sympathy and psychosis, said Loren Pankratz of Oregon Health & Science University, who wrote about PTSD impostors in his book, "Patients Who Deceive."

"A more common theme would be somebody who would represent sort of the antihero — the guy who’s given his all and yet been abused and misunderstood," Pankratz said.

Burkett said others are simply con men.

Walter E. Boomer, who served as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps from 1992 to 1994, vaguely remembers meeting Budwah in November when they were guests at a Grand National Waterfowl Association benefit on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. They shot at ducks, drank and dined with other VIPs and shotgun manufacturing executives.

"I accepted his story at face value," Boomer said. "Nothing that I recall would have set off alarm bells."

Budwah again managed his way to the center of attention at a September 2008 boxing event in Glen Burnie, Md. Organizer Scott Wagner said the highlight of the night was when he brought Budwah and dozens of other military hospital patients into the ring for a standing ovation.

"Were they injured or not? I don’t know and I really don’t care. If half of them were injured, I still feel good about it," he said.

A year after Budwah’s speech to the youngsters at the American Legion camp, Spencer Shoemaker sat stunned in the family’s kitchen as he read the charges against his Marine idol for the first time.

Shoemaker, then 10, was so impressed he had his picture taken with Budwah and kept a treasured newspaper clipping about the visit. He said Budwah’s talk made him want to join the Marines.

"Well, it’s better that I know," the boy said after a long silence. "It did tear me down, but I’ll still join the Marines."

His father Michael, a construction worker, seethed at the news about Budwah.

"He scammed America," Shoemaker said. "He scammed a kid."

A dishonourable discharge is what this guy needs.

One would think that being a Marine would be enough to be proud of

Sad state of affairs when a Marine feels he needs to lie to get respect.

Sad state of affairs when a Marine feels he needs to lie to get respect

There was an ex-marine on another forum, any time any military related topic came up he would cite his expertise and insight as a combat vet who had been through it all in Vietnam.
Unfortunately for him in an earlier "who here served" topic he had mentioned his unit and his specific job. His job was office based and his unit was in Okinawa.
It just reminded me of him when I read this bit......

spent nearly all of the next six years with a radio communications unit in Okinawa, Japan

[Dowly]

What a douche.

[Shearwater]

"The real guys typically don’t talk about it."

To me that sums it all up.

Their very prevalence exposes something else — a nation so eager to embrace its war fighters, especially the wounded, that it sometimes fails to discern between the real heroes and the fakes.

True enough. There has been such an inflation in the use of the word 'hero' that in my view it has practically lost all its value.
I just find it gross that he went so far as to fake post-traumatic stress disorder. It ridicules the people who really suffer from it.

[ETR3(SS)]

Here's to hoping he gets all 31 1/2 years and his justly deserved DD!

[Jimbuna]

How embarrassing

To be honest I don't know which is worse, the military with it's medals, pomp and posturing or the crooks who swindle people with the whole deal. IMHO it's a pretty tragi-comic situation.

I'm sure that guy will be crucified for what he did in some shady court-martial and when that happens there won't be any media covering it.

[UnderseaLcpl]

And it gets worse....

On a sultry day in July 2008, Marine Sgt. David W. Budwah strode in his battle fatigues to the front of a picnic pavilion

Cammies in public!? That's a no-no in the Marines.

There's actually quite a bit of this kind of stuff that goes on, though. Not on this scale, of course. I don't think I know a single marine who would be caught dead falsifying a war record (or at least I hope I don't), but a lot of people fudge medals and the like when they think they can get away with it.
Case-in-point, if you ever attend a Marine Corps Ball you'll notice that virtually everyone has a "rifle expert" badge. I guaran-freaking-tee you that probably less than half of them are actually rifle experts, and most of those are just marksmen (the lowest shooting badge you can attain). Nobody wants to wear the pizza-box to the ball, though. There are girls there.

Another one you'll see a lot of is the combat action ribbon, or CAR. Everybody wants a CAR, but not a lot of people get the chance to earn one in the Marines. To recieve it, you have to recieve and return fire. Mortars don't count. IEDs don't count. Rockets don't count.
Considering how few Marines are ever on actual patrol duty (most of them are in support MOSs back at the base), it can be difficult to get into a situation where you can obtain one. Nonetheless, every mf'er at the ball will have one on.

I don't usually get on to them about it, other than some teasing. The way I see it, they'd have one if they'd gotten the chance to earn one, and some of us who earn them didn't do much to get it. Now a purple heart or something would be a different story. Wearing an important medal that you didn't earn is an insult to the men and women that did earn them.

[Tchocky]

That's freakin' weird

[AVGWarhawk]

Simply amazing how far a person will stoop.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

Simply amazing how far a person will stoop.

So you'll not be interested in hearing why I was awarded the Victoria Cross