Wannabe alert

[Packo]

I'm doing a little acting in a group that redu old radio broadcasts. We did a Shadow episode, "The Phantom Voyage" yesterday and will be doing Orsen Wells "War of the Worlds", Mercury Theater version on Halloween. Before the show and getting into costume, I showed up wearing an Airborne Polo Shirt. One guy points to it, and says, "Airborne, huh". I resonded "All the Way". He says, I was Airborne also. I asked, who with? He says....104th. I said, "huh?". Then he says 82nd. I said, "oh, Almost Airbone". He says...well that's what you say. I then asked if he was in Vietnam. No....Germany. I asked, with the 18th Airborne Corps?, He says, no, the ahh, 104th. He was in from 60 to 71 according to him. I can't find any 104 Airborne, except in the Russian Army, and thought the 18th was about the only Airborne in Germany, but may be mistaken. Was there a 104th as part of the 82nd????? He's a fairly nice guy....but.

Pack

[82Rigger]

Packy,

There ain't no "104th" element in the 82nd, nor has there ever been.

Steve

[39mto39g]

Why do people say crap and why do VN vets let them?
The army has so many different units it's hard to keep track. But, when a guy says he was with the 104th. A few more questions should be asked. Wear did you take airborne training, what was your class, What does PLF mean and maybe you should reach down and pull your head out of PLF #4. But that is an opinion.

Ron

[covan]

I have one I don't know what to do with.

I came across a Marine who claims a Navy Cross and a couple of Silver Stars. He sometimes wears a Marine officer's uniform but I don't think he ever made it past E-5 or 6. In a search of NC citations he does not show up.

I don't know the guy personally and don't know what to do with the information I have.

Send him a letter, report it to the FBI? Go to the local paper?

[MORTARDUDE]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,1236423.story

Who's Who to vet U.S. vets after Tribune report
How the investigation was conducted
By John Crewdson | Tribune correspondent
October 25, 2008
Who's Who, the country's biographical reference standard since its founding in Chicago 110 years ago, spends up to $1.5 million a year checking the educational and work histories submitted by those listed in the volume.

But military decorations? "We never thought anybody would be dumb enough" to lie about those, said Who's Who publisher Jim Pfister, so Who's Who never vetted those. Now it will.

Pfister, himself a decorated Vietnam veteran, decided to do so after a Tribune investigation discovered that a third of the medals for valor claimed by hundreds of Who's Who "biographees" are not supported by their military records. "We will change some of our processes in scrutinizing the awards section," he said.

The Tribune uncovered the apparently bogus claims by scanning commercial biographical and newspaper databases for individuals claiming the military's five most esteemed decorations for valor: the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross, the Air Force Cross and the Silver Star.

In addition, randomly selected newspaper databases back to 1995 unearthed 273 obituaries in which the deceased were credited with 344 medals of valor. Of those medals, the Tribune found that 288 were not corroborated by military records.

The Tribune obtained the records from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, a massive storehouse of 56 million records. The center contains "the complete paper files that document the service of our nation's veterans from the late 1800s to today, ranging from Gen. Douglas MacArthur to Elvis Presley," said NPRC director Ronald Hindman.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, the newspaper requested the military records of the individuals whose names were identified in the obituaries or from Who's Who, which selects people on the basis of past achievement or future promise. Except for personal data such as Social Security numbers, military records are public information, including a complete list of the awards and decorations bestowed on an individual during his or her military career.

It is sometimes impossible to determine the source of false information in obituaries, but those in Who's Who fill out and sign an extensive biographical history. They are given several opportunities to check their profile for accuracy before it appears in print. Each year they receive an update form in which they can correct errors or add new accomplishments to their profiles. They must sign the form before returning it to Who's Who.

For lack of storage space, Who's Who does not retain original biographies or update forms for more than a few years. But the company's computer shows the date that each successive communication was sent to the biographee, the date it was returned and whether any changes were indicated.

The publication listed 333 people with 356 claims of medals, 116 of which appeared to be unsupported by military records.

[Packo]

I wasn't in the 82nd, nor was I in in 1960, I suspected, but didn't know. There could have been a 104th MP Company, or 104th Intellegance.....Like Doc Fred could say, "I was in the 15th Med." Now, having been in the Cav, I know what the 15th Med is. We were also getting ready to perform, so I wasn't about to go into a litiney of questions. Next time I see him, I'll talk with him. Davey Crockett said, "Be sure your right, then go ahead." I'm fair to anyone, unless it's outright blatent, and I know for sure. He also could have been with the 82nd for awhile, then was transferred to Germany to the 104th whatever. Ron, I sure hope your not telling me to pull my head out of my ass....if so, it's really uncalled for, but I think you mean that other guy.

Pack

[82Rigger]

Packy,

Other than the 18th Airborne Corps, the only airborne elements in Germany as far as I can find were elements of the 8th I.D.

But none of those 8th elements were designated "104th".

Steve

[Packo]

I was supposed to go with the 18th after Vietnam....brrrr, playing war games on the Chez border, but was "lucky" enough to get wounded.

Thanks Steve.

Pack

[splummer]

I'm confused when you talk about the 18th airborne corp being in Europe. At Ft Bragg in 1969 I thought the HQ was there, along with the 82nd AB and my GLORIOUS UNIT, the 12th support brigade. Those guys wanted me to go down to Puerto Rico with them for war games but I figured I had played enough already and got out of it all.

[SuperScout]

You might want to remind the A-hole that the Stolen Valor Act, as now signed into law, puts him at risk of being arrested and fined by Uncle Sam, the very same entity that he claims as donor of all his medals. I encountered the very same type of POS at a Home Depot, and he has beat a hasty retreat to parts unknown.