People ask why the military active, reserve, guard, veteran, retiree and their families get so upset with those who choose to buy a uniform, place a whole host of decorations and badges on it then prance around as if they actually accomplished what they are showing.

The First Amendment allows these impostors the freedom to express themselves as they see fit. If they choose to express appreciation for the military by wearing the uniform of a particular service then they are free to do so. Why is that impersonating a law enforcement officer is illegal, but doing so in the same manner as a military veteran is not? There is a federal law against this action, but it only applies if the impostor accepts benefits as a result of their misrepresentation of military service. So, why does the military community get so upset when these impersonators who choose to use their constitutional right to express themselves?

Here is my explanation.

I come from a military family. My direct and indirect family has served a government in some form or fashion throughout history. From the Crusades to present day, a member of my family has served in the defense of the country of their chosen nationality. Some may have done so out of national necessity in the form of a draft or conscription yet, others did so willingly. We have shown our country that we will not allow aggressors to dictate to us our way of life. We have spilled our blood and laid down our lives for our country and are very proud of doing so. My last count was over 100 years of service to the United States of America and still counting.

We raised our hands, pledged an oath and refused to allow our nation to go gently into that good night.

My family, and respective indirect family, have served in every branch of the service in order to protect the citizens of these United States from those that would do us harm. My father-in-law served in Korea and Vietnam. My father, his brothers, and an Uncle served in Vietnam.

A member of my family lost a leg during Vietnam and it has taken others years to recover from the effects of wars. I lost a great uncle at Pearl Harbor and a brother lost appendages while serving. All of us suffer from some form of emotional distress and some are feeling the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). None of us complain because it is what we signed up to do. We signed up to protect that which we hold dear, the United States of America. I would be remiss if I did not account for the families who sacrificed so much just to ensure their servicemembers understood that their home was taken care of and the home fires continued to burn.

Family is yet another aspect imposters do not understand. As servicemembers deploy or finds themselves away from home for extended periods of time, the family left behind is struggling to make ends meet. The children don’t understand why dad or mom is away and the spouse is left lonely and unaware of what is going on elsewhere. Times are hard for both the servicemember and the family and it takes a nasty toll on some who find themselves unable to handle the emptiness of being alone for long periods of time.

Impostors do not understand this and their actions are a slap in the face to the families who have lived and are living the realities of life in the military.

I lost a friend in Iraq, I buried over 300 veterans, and I knocked on the doors of 10 killed in action Marines. It’s not easy to live with the emotional baggage that comes with this type of duty. Those families that lost their loved one as an action of service to our country should be irritated and annoyed to no end that someone is parading around as if they accomplished what their loved one accomplished.

They should be absolutely livid that an individual who never had the guts to sign on the line and raise their right hand is wearing a uniform they did not earn and is receiving the accolades that they never received. I knocked on the door of a bronze star recipient. The family was distraught and beside themselves.

The father, a Marine, was visibly upset. To this day I believe with all of my heart that if this father ever caught sight of an impostor the confrontation would be physical. He served our beloved Corps, his son not only served, but was decorated for his service. To have an individual spit on that sacrifice is worthy of a stay in jail.

When I retired I was in a bad place and going in a direction I was not going to be able to sustain. My wife of over 20 years was helpless as she could not find a way to bring me out of this coma. She tried and I thank her for staying by my side through the very tough times. Her resolve is yet another reason why impostors aggravate servicemembers and their families.

They do not understand the sacrifice that is accepted by the servicemembers and their families. They do not understand what it takes to put the uniform on every single day. They cannot fathom the concept of being away for long periods of time then having to start over each and every time. They have no realization of the thoughts that are going through true members of the military’s minds as they leave their loved ones to go in harm’s way. I was one of the fortunate ones who found friends who were able to pull me away from the path I was headed down. To them, I am truly thankful. These men served our country, they understood my struggle and were able to breathe a semblance of reality into a life that was on a crash course with destiny.

Impostors will never and can never understand the bond between servicemembers. Each service has their specific nuances and the members of that service will relate, but the military is a huge family and we will stick together through thick and thin. Yes, it is common knowledge that the services tend to have a little distaste for each other. In the end we understand that we are in the fight together. If we fight among ourselves that is OK, but if an outsider tries to muscle in then the focus of the fight changes and the services will unite. We become the United States of America and we will fight as one.

So, I struggle to understand why there are military impostors. I would love to talk with one just to understand the mentality that is going through their unintelligent and unaware brain. I would have them come over and sit with a few friends, enjoy adult beverages, then try and make them understand that what they are doing is not only disrespectful but painful to the currently serving, veterans, and the families of lost veterans. We take it personal, and rightfully so, that these individuals are allowed, by law, to misrepresent the military and disrespect our sacrifice.

I would hope that the public would question those who wear the uniform. Those that wear the uniform and wore the uniform would be glad to explain themselves. The bigger problem is that the public is so quick to accept a person in uniform that they do not do research to confirm the person. Look at the uniform and you may see differences that stand out.

Each service has their own respective awards and badges. Take a picture then review it on the Internet. There are a many websites that verify military awards, badges, and their proper placement. If what the person is wearing is absolutely ludicrous, say something. Stand up for those who have paid the price for you to do so. Let the impostor know that he/she has been exposed as a fraud. If they used their charade to gain benefits, turn them in. Don’t be afraid to say something as true military professionals will be more than happen to explain themselves. FYI, true members of the military, veteran, retired, or currently serving tend to avoid recognition and do not draw attention to themselves. They will shy away from public acknowledgement of their presence. If you don’t believe this I challenge you to attend an airport homecoming of our servicemembers, it is a humbling experience you will never forget.

Here are a few websites where you can read about impostors and find ways to determine if someone is real or fake:
Burn Pit - www.burnpit.us
This Ain’t Hell - http://thisainthell.us/blog/?page_id=30655
Guardian of Valor - http://guardianofvalor.com/
The Sandgram - http://www.thesandgram.com/
Extreme Seal Experience - http://www.extremesealexperience.com/Fake-Navy-Seal-Verification
My Service Pride - http://www.myservicepride.com/content/bust-poser/
My Service Pride Military Awards and their order of precedence - http://www.myservicepride.com/content/category/awards/

A quick lesson on military awards. Impostors like to use higher awards of valor as it makes them look better to an unsuspecting public. If someone is wearing the Medal of Honor, Silver Star, or Bronze Star these awards are for acts of valor and questioning them you will find holes in their stories. Additionally, the military keeps very good records of those who have received these awards, it wouldn’t be hard to find out if you’re talking to someone who actually performed heroic actions in combat and someone who went to the Army-Navy store.

The Korean and Vietnam awards being worn by an individual who is clearly too young to know when those wars took place are a good clue that they are an impostor. Badges are a bit more difficult as each service has different ones and they are worn in different places. A really good clue that you’re looking at an impostor is a person who is wearing more than three badges above their ribbon rack and if they didn’t take the time to ensure they had the correct service badge to match the uniform call them out.

A common Army badge worn by impostors is the Combat Infantry Badge (CIB). This is awarded to those Soldiers who endeared some form of combat during a qualifying action. If you see stars on the top of and attached to the badge, chances are you’re looking at an imposter. Stars indicate subsequent action in different qualifying actions. This is highly unlikely especially for a young person and the Army keeps very good records of those who have received more than one CIB.

Lastly, it is rare to see a servicemember wear their medals below their ribbons. There are a few medals authorized for this type of wear. If you see someone wearing the ribbon and the medal that corresponds to that ribbon they are an impostor.

Take the time to do a quick Google search on military impostors or posers and you’ll find a whole host of articles and videos concerning this topic. Read a few of these or watch the busted poser videos and you will quickly learn how to spot these individuals and then call them out. These people are doing more than exercising their First Amendment rights. They are trampling on the memories of fallen heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice so these idiots can express themselves. They are slapping the veteran community in the face and making a mockery of what it takes to be a servicemember. Our soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen deserve better and have shown these United States that they rate a measure of respect.