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The phrase 'stolen valor' is usually used to criticize two kinds of people.
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People who basically pretend to be veterans when they never served, and people who did serve but massively lie about and exaggerate what they actually did (like pretending you were in some spec ops unit when in reality you were a chef). In instances like this, its almost always that people make books or a public presence or persona of some kind that is dependant on their false or greatly exaggerated acts of military service, though sometimes it can be as petty as some schlub getting an improper uniform and a faked veteran id to get military discounts at fucking IHOP.
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Spouses (almost always wives) of actively serving or veterans of the military who make a huge part of their personality that 'they are the wife of a veteran!' and can often be seen being huge karens on social media, having freakouts any time they feel they are disrespected and claiming that this is unacceptable, because my husband is a soldier!, and then going on FB or TikTok or w/e and writing huge posts where they act as if all of the hardships endured by their husband are actually their own hardships. (This is made all the more ironic by the fact that many of these kinds of wives are also cheating on their military husbands)
It doesn't make any sense whatsoever for JD Vance to claim Walz is doing 'stolen valor'. Walz served, and doesn't seem to have lied about or massively exaggerated any of his activity.
He isn't pretending to be something he isn't, he is not pretending to have done things he has not done.
Stolen (falsely claimed) valor (acts of heroism, suffering for a dutiful purpose, etc.)
We should start calling #2 borrowed valor and include children and other family members of veterans that brag about service despite not serving themselves too.
Edit: added a clarifying line that I am referring to ones that are doing the same thing as the army spouses. "I deserve a discount because my dad served in Vietnam!" people.
Or...
How about just not putting your military personal up on some kind of weird worship pedestal?
You can be thankful to people for being Paramedics, Firefighters, hell even social workers.
There's tons of people that get paid to put their life on the line.
As a disabled us veteran, I would trade the weird obligatory lip service and being used as a prop for politicians who then cut va funding year over year for fully funded veteran services 1000%.
It makes me uncomfortable when someone says "thank you for your service" I get it, they respect it, and don't know what to say, I just don't really know how to respond to it. You're welcome? That seems fucked up on a lot of levels. No problem? Ehhh there's problems. Like, wtf do you say to that? I haven't found a response that I'm comfortable with.
I just go with "thanks for paying your taxes"
Yeah there's a really interesting difference up here in Canada, where when someone says they served we* tend to say we're sorry they went through that, ask how are they doing now, etc. It's not the worship I see done down in the US (that seems to end the moment the VA is mentioned).
(*Does not apply in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba.)
Remind me: what's the term for the GF/spouse back stateside, collecting checks and side pieces while the soldier's deployed?
Tricareatops, Dependapotamous, I’m sure there are a few more
Apparently the current slang is dependa and is focused mostly on the benefits. This one is new to me.
There was a different one I heard as a kid that was focused more on the cheating than the benefits, but I can't remember what that one was.
That one is jodie
Jody is the guy who steals your girl while you're deployed
That’s what I was thinking but I felt more strongly that I was wrong.
Poor decisions were made. lol
That one is not ringing a bell either, but I wouldn't be surprised if there have been dozens over the years and in different languages.
Brass diggers?
It should probably also be noted that the impetus for the accusation is a misquote of him in a video where he said he approves of common sense gun control legislation to ensure that "The weapons of war which I carried, in war is the only place they will be" he did say it a little fast so the publications quoting him dropped the very necessary comma in that sentence and claimed he was saying he carried them during a war, neglecting the fact that with the comma, it makes sense grammatically, and without the comma it doesn't at all, which is a mistake I doubt a teacher would make, even if they were a social studies teacher and not an english one.
The weapons of war which I carried, in war is the only place they will be.
"Weapons of war" there forms a dangling subject, and this sentence does not make grammatical sense after all.
My mother-in-law was a career army staff sergeant who spent most of her working civilian life also with the army as the administrator of a reserve center.
She was in an MI (military intelligence) unit and was deployed to a condo in Virginia. She was never around any combat. She gave so much of her life to the army. If anyone ever fucking criticized her for not picking up a gun and shooting at an Iraqi, I'd give them a big piece of my mind.
I'm very anti-war, I marched against that war. But fuck anyone who criticizes someone's military service. It's not like it's an easy job (well, maybe it was for Vance, since mostly he was giving tours to reporters and writing press releases). My mother-in-law would never act like anyone who went through military service doesn't, at the very least, deserve the acknowledgement that they generally put in some sort of effort. I will criticize Vance's service only because he doesn't respect other veterans.
The US should never have gone to Iraq. I'd rather a VP who didn't than one who did.
I like VPs who haven't gone to Iraq ok?
You saying I can't be VP?!? (Please don't make me be VP)
Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction when the US invaded. Iraq also wasn't involved in 9/11. But for how faulty the publicly given reasons for invading were pushed by the US, Saddam was truly one of the most evil men in power on Earth at the time and I have no qualms with the US having caused his downfall, arrest and eventual hanging by his countrymen.
And Walz protested the war once he was discharged, as he was in the right to do.
Every rally couch fucker Vance and convicted felon trump hold now will just drive more nails in their coffins. Keep showing the world who you are shitstains and a blue wave is guaranteed
They are more fuckstains than shitstains. Their lives are a stain on the world created as a result of their parents fucking.
I sense a Jon Stewart segment on this come Monday.
He's not going to take kindly to Vance's ripping into a fellow vet.
I'm out of the loop on this. Any chance I could ask someone to catch me up?
Walz was in the National Guard for 24 years and put in his resignation well before he learned his unit would be deployed to Iraq.
Vance - who is a Marine who served one tour as a journalist and never saw combat - attacked Walz for 'stolen valor' as he never saw combat.
It's massively hypocritical, has been tried before successfully against John Kerry, (Swiftboating was the term back then) and is coming from the VP of a candidate who avoided Vietnam due to crippling bone spurs, which should make it hard to do shit like play golf.
Both Vance and Walz are veterans. Vance has no grounds to attack Walz's service at all.
This article summarizes the case. VP Walz left the ~~Marine Corps~~ National Guard after 24 years, and some people accuse him of leaving just before the iraq invasion.
Minor correction: Walz was in the national guard.
Did he go to the first invasion?
Afghanistan or iraq part 1 (1991 desert Storm)? It's not mentioned anywhere so probably not.
Indeed. Iraq 2 was the first time National Guard was deployed abroad if I’m not mistaken.
by taking service in the Air National Guard, which he may or may not have taken seriously. People of a certain age may still see National Guard as a form of draft dodging akin to “bone spurs,” but it’s hard to argue that for a man who spent 20 years there.
When I hear the dude was a teacher and National Guards
My Grand-dad joined the Army National Guard for Korea. They've definitely been deployed overseas before.
Example number infinity of republicans using veterans as nothing more than political chess pieces. Heroes who can do no wrong and are the paragon of virtue when it could score some votes. Fake, not real vets or patriots, stolen valor, questioning their service when they disagree with even a single conservative value.
If anyone here knows a veteran, make sure they understand that they will lose a lot of benefits if Project 2025 is implemented.
So... close to half his life in the military vs. a guy who was in it for a few years and also never saw combat and Cadet Bone Spurs.
Not sure the pot should be calling the kettle black- even if the kettle's running mate just became black.
this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2024
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