Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with a guy and wonder what y'all thoughts are. A little background...

I have known this guy for years very casually. His daughter and my daughter are the same age and both of them being athletes in high school we sat through a lot of various sporting events together. Nowadays it's grandkids and we are once again sitting around watching volleyball, basketball and softball games. This gentleman is always decked out in some sort of Army apparel, usually of the Vietnam era. Shirts, jackets, hats with "Vietnam Vet", Ranger tabs, jump wings, CIB, POW, ect. He keeps a POW flag and 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles flag flying in his front yard. I had always assumed he saw action in Vietnam. He has a CIB pin on his hat and CIB patch on his jacket. People often tell him "thank you for your service," and one day a guy introduced his son to him as a hero. "Look son, this man is an Army Ranger and was a POW in Vietnam." The guy in question always acknowledged the thank you as if it were fact.

Yesterday we ended up sitting beside each other at a basketball game and had a one hour break between games. That gave us some time for conversation and I asked about his service in the Army. I was surprised when he told me he never went to Vietnam. He enlisted and served in the Army from 71-75 and his only posting out of the US was to Germany. He was a crewman on an APC and was a trained as a mortar man. He said he was later "attached to the 101st". No talk of earning a Ranger Tab, CIB or of POW.

Seems pretty disingenuous to me. Is this a case of Stolen Valor?

Last edited by MOGC; 01/17/21.
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.