I had the misfortune of meeting a Marine Medal Of Honor and Silver Star winner who also has five Purple Hearts. He was captured in Vietnam, escaped from a POW camp, led a team back to the camp and rescued 85 POWs. Plus he was a sniper in Russia before Vietnam. And he has mental problems from all the babies he killed in Vietnam.

Unfortunately, the hero’s service records show he served 2 years stateside, no combat service. Funny, I guess the Marine Corps totally failed to document his awards.

I call guys like that disgusting pieces of shit.

My favorite story in that regard involves a pretty but not very bright gold digger who believed the fantasy world of an ex-SEAL, Ranger, Delta Force, etc. member and married him. At the bachelor party he was telling me how he had been on a Pacific Island and had had the opportunity to marry an Island Princess, but turned her father down (the King) because he was waiting for his true love.

I never could figure out how much of what he was saying was real to him. I don’t think in his mind it was all just fabrication.

“And let’s don’t over look the possibility that Dillrod got his fantasies published because the publisher knew, or strongly suspected, that he was completely FOS, and wanted to exploit the image of him as a heartless wanton killer turned loose by Chimpy McBushitler, the Emperor Sithlord Cheney, and Darth Rumsfeld on the sweet, peace-loving children of Southwest Asia. Publishing that kind of narrative would be seen as pro bono charity work for The Cause.”

That’s an angle I hadn’t thought of before. Company publishes a book they know is BS. They know it’ll become so controversial it’ll make money even if all the lies are exposed. Company can blame the veteran writer for the lies, and even get all righteously indignant that someone suggests they shouldn’t have believed the author (since the left-leaning people in the literary industry so cherish all veterans). Book makes money, veteran looks like a liar in addition to being a violent moron, everyone’s happy. Sounds like a workable plan to me.

I definitely share your vision of the Old Guard’s demise. Will I be part of that? Hopefully, but I realize I may not be. I could be the literary equivalent of the soldier who took one step onto the invasion beach before being hit. He only took one small step, but his successors accepted the German Army’s surrender.

Unofficial Military Times web site: http://projects.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=71460

And a DoD site: http://valor.defense.gov/Recipients/ArmySilverStar.aspx

Like I said, I’d be happier if he was just a poser.