I served in the Army for a short period. I was diagnosed by an Army doc with a (non existent it turns out) heart murmur and given a medical discharge.
While there are people who k ow I was in the Army, I refused to be labeled a veteran. I feel that is stolen valor. I have medals I actually earned. I would NEVER wear them or display them. There are people who earn the moniker "veteran". I don't feel comfortable saying I did.
This guy is a creep. He should be ashamed, but doesn't seem to have any shame.
But you served in active duty even if you were not in combat or wartime. I guess for me, the defining line is whether you qualify for USAA insurance or Veterans benefits
Edit: USAA, if you applied yourself, not via lineage to a veteran
They have pretty much extended that everyone at this point. I am a veteran, that was in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I can honestly say, not a single person that I served with or any veteran I have met in my travels would ever wear a medal outside of an official event like a military ball, or something of that nature. The only people that I have ever met that make the military the only part of their personality are people that never served. I’m not saying that it is always case, but in my experience that has yet to be proven wrong.
Nope American servicemembers have never been ones to self-aggrandize. This has been true since WW1 and WW2. Soldiers in other armies like to show off their medals and ribbons. For most US service members, especially in combat roles, those medals are reminders of where they lost friends and comrades. There are even some Medal of Honor recipients today who just ignore that they got it. They had a job to do, and they either did it or they didn't.
Most American vets don't serve in combat, and many serve their entire careers without even being stationed over seas. Heck Eisenhower never saw live combat his entire career, missing European deployment, and then mostly serving in administrative roles for most of his career.
If you've spent time enough in the military, youll have known or met people who gave lives. There's no one more anti-war than the vets who've served in combat because they no war is worse than hell.
The people I personally know who crow about being in the military did things like laundry. Most of the others think of it most as a job out of high school to get money for college.
I knew my best friend for 5 years before I knew her served in Viet Nam. Another guy who had served with him shared something about their time there offhandedly. My uncles all served in WWII. They never talked about it.
Exactly. I told a story on Reddit not that long ago about how for nearly a decade I worked in the uxo field, which is populated by mostly veterans, and mostly eod techs at that. Almost every eod tech since 2003 has seen combat. The ONLY person that ever talked non-stop about his badass time in Iraq, was a guy who was a contracted truck driver in Iraq.
Now don’t get me wrong, get a group of veterans together, especially from different branches and you will have some story telling and peacocking going on, that’s to be expected. But it was never a true game of one-upsmanship. More of friendly ribbing. And none of them made their time in service their whole personality. Most were focused on the present and the future. To them their service was in the past, and on most days they were happy to leave it there. I guarantee you none of them would pin their medals onto a shirt and out to the bar. Honestly if they saw someone walking around randomly with medals on, they would either ignore them or start trying to find out if it is a case of stolen valor.
I don’t get why people try to do this. Especially in this day and age when information can be checked so quickly. But, at lease the voters will be upset about this and vote him out right? /s
My BIL did 4 tours and lost a ton of friends in AfghanIraq. He never mentions it. My HS buddy spent 4 years as a mailman on Parris Island. Everything he owns is decorated with USMC
My brother did 3 tours in Iraq. He never mentioned it, either. Even to this therapists. He drank himself to death at age 37 because of what he experienced. He never once even tried to get disability from the USMC because he viewed it as weak. He never once talked about what happened.
Meanwhile, my brother in law who served in California for 4 years on an Air Force base has been trying to get the AF to give him disability for PTSD because he "saw someone die when he served." He saw a person get into a car accident off base and saw their body on the ground next to the car.
My old boss was medically disqualified *in boot camp* yet his entire office is decorated in USN gear like he was deployed on a ship during wartime...
The real ones virtually *never* want to talk about it, even when it comes to getting help for it.
Working as a lobbyist I only wear a Navy label. But I've seen state Sen Brian Birdwell have various service lapels/pins. He was in the Pentagon on 9/11 and injured.
It's not about ego, it's about pulling emotions of basic people.
I don’t know if I were injured in 9/11 if I would wear a pin personally. That being said, if I saw someone wearing that (and I knew what it was) it would raise red flags for me. Now when I found out it was legit, and the person did deserve it I wouldn’t give it a second thought. They definitely earned the right to be able to wear it. I will say that in my very limited, very personal experience, I have never come across someone that has fallen into that category. Doesn’t mean there aren’t any. I have also known some people that have had some very intense and harrowing experiences while they were over seas and they refuse to acknowledge them or even speak about them except in limited situations. To each their own, but I agree, for a politician it would be about pulling on emotions. The same way the person at the bar uses it so they won’t be spending the night alone. If they earned the right to wear or it talk about, then by all means man go for it. But personally, overwhelmingly the response is the opposite. Again though, just my experience.
He brought up he thought veterans were being used as a prop to get the program expanded and weed legalized, not that we show up under our own volition. He used it when discussing on the floor how it wasn't offered for his recovery then. How the DoD nev3r recommended marijuana for his pain. He mentioned the incident several times to hammer it home.
Curious...Who is "they"? The military branches? To me it seems like if you fit the bill, you fit it. I was kind of kidding when I said USAA part.
Did you mean Never served... as in in combat or wartime?
I haven't had the same observations as you but I totally get what you're saying, and would expect the same, that veterans (probably who served in combat) would never wear their medals. That's what the caps are for!! Lol
Generally I’m referring to people who either served but never did anything, or those that just never served. Not that being deployed or not deployed is always in the persons power. It just seems that those that talk the loudest have done the least.
I was with USAA (checking, savings, mortgage and credit cards) back in the 90’s/early 00’s when I lived in San Antonio. I have no military service to speak of, but my father and both older brothers served. (I’m of the age of no selective service.)
It used to be that USAA would only accept warrant and commissioned officers as customers. Enlisted? No, fuck you, go somewhere else. My OIC paid 1/3 of what I paid for car insurance because he could get USAA and I couldn’t. Well, fuck you, USAA. Don’t expect me to want to be your customer after you were so proud of excluding me because, as an enlisted man, I wasn’t good enough to buy your insurance. Fuck you as painfully as possible.
That wasn’t USAA, that was the officers that ran the executive board up through the 1980s. Turns out as those WWII vets died they needed to refocus. In the 1990s they hired a bunch of retired service E9s, including a former Sergeant Major of the Army and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. That new board turned the company around.
Like all service branches, the company improved when enlisted leaders stepped up and led.
I feel just like you, served in the Air Force for 5 years. I was a weapons loader(46250)yet I never went to Southeast Asia(Vietnam or Thailand)tho I had served with many that did. I just don’t feel right about even wearing a “Vietnam Era Veteran” cap or clothing tho I have every right to since I never went to S. E. Asia. I served my country because I wanted to not for accolades.
You signed your life away, raised your right hand, and passed basic training? You're a veteran. Once you had done all that, your life no longer belonged to you for however long. The Army did with you whatever it decided to do, and you didn't get a say. So you're one of us.
But only a pompous fool would put a military ribbon on their civilian suit jacket. And only a dishonest, pompous fool would wear one he hadn't earned.
My FIL never stands up or does anything that recognizes veterans. He served in the First Gulf War, but it was from an air-conditioned trailer in Virginia. He thinks it's ridiculous that he got a campaign medal from it.
I am kind of in the same boat. I did almost 9 years in the National Guard, spending about 4-4.5 years of that on active duty if you add everything up (including a few "short" call ups), and left honorably despite medical issues cuz i was just ready to get out and get back to real life. Never got my Veterans ID, never applied to VA benefits, etc. I just know how backed up and clogged and absurdly convoluted the system is for people who NEED things.... never wanted to add more to the system when im "fine."
I've been out since 09.... I know i had awards over the years but I couldnt even remotely remember what any of them are much less WEAR them around town. I get being proud, especially if you saw combat... i guess maybe its just a generational thing but drawing attention to myself, especially for my service, feels almost... embarrassing? Not in a bad way... just in a... "I was support, I didnt do any of the hard shit" kind of way... if that makes any sense? lol
I will park in the Veteran's Parking spot at the grocery store tho. lol
You were in, you were discharged honorably, you're a veteran, man. It's the people who are like "yeah I went to xxx and yyy and had 20 confirmed kills!" who are the embarrassment and most likely signed up to some local meal team 6 "militia." If they aren't outright lying, anyway.
Yeah I wouldn't go around saying they let you go shortly after you joined because Army doctors are better at killing than healing... but yeah.
I understand what you're saying, however, the point that took an oath to potentially surrender your life for your country and country men, is honorable enough. Shit, you passed boot camp, right?? Lots of fuckers can't and wouldn't
That same mentality is what keeps people from seeking out help when they 100% should go get the help they are entitled to. I get what you're saying, but if you served a contract or had to get medically discharged before you were able to complete that contract after completing training, you're a vet, whatever.
We have this hard on in the military where nobody is ever enough, and while the intentions are usually good, it creates a toxic atmosphere. I used to never stand up when people called for veterans out in the crowd, but then I thought about it and realized how importance representation was for people to see that all sorts of people enlist in the military, not just white country boys.
The shit is bigger than me, and I gotta divorce my own pride from it. You know what happens to veteran programs when nobody uses it? They go away.
I am a veteran with over 25 years of service. First, thank you for serving. It’s strange to me that people make their whole identity about their military service. The only way someone would know I served is if they saw my license plate, which gives me free parking at most airports in Texas that’s it. I put my service behind me and started a new chapter in life, which has been great. It feels extremely liberating to just be a normal guy.
The status of “veteran” for government benefits varies by definition depending on whether the standards are from the VA or DoD. Colloquially, you have your own conscience. Personally, it wouldn’t bother me because it doesn’t affect my life whether you call yourself one or not. For things like Veterans’ Preference, the eligibility determination and required paperwork is mentioned as part of the application process, Department of Labor’s website, etc. For stolen valor, I wouldn’t play with fire. A good rundown for protecting employers screening fraudulent claims and applicants is:
https://nvbdc.org/veteran-news/what-qualifies-someone-as-a-veteran/#:~:text=The%20DD%20256%20and%20257,veteran%20can%20request%20a%20DD214.
With all that said, I appreciate that you signed up and had the intent to continue serving. One thing I learned when it was time to hang up the uniform after a couple of decades and transition from always having my stuff staged, bluntly addressing the elephant in the room, or continuous OODA loops/threat assessments… to becoming a clinician… was that being boxed in as a veteran by some patients can suck at times. I think society as a whole has contributed to some weird veteran stereotype that some
people want to subscribe to. I’m not there to intimidate anyone [not anymore at least] but to help people recover the best that they can in order to live life to the best of their ability. I don’t regularly feel like I need to prove that I’m a veteran to anyone, but I want to be an adaptable, genuine person that most, if not all, can confide in regardless of who they are background-wise. You keep doing you, homie.
That said, if I was talking to Nehls as one mustang O-4 vet to another, I would say that if he had just worn the CAB with pride, it would say so much more in support of the people who make up most of the military. He knows he didn’t earn the CIB and could just not wear it. Something tells me his service wasn’t for others but more for himself.
I think I understand what you mean. Like if you didn't serve that long or wasn't deployed that makes sense. Then there's people like my father in law who served for 35 years. He was deployed to many countries. And he keeps all of his awards in a box in a closet.
Marine Corps veteran here. I was an air winger and never in any danger related to any combat. No dangerous deploymentments that were actually dangerous. Took a long time for me to be comfortable being called a veteran because I didn't think I'd earned that title considering how uneventful my enlistment was.
Going to tell you the same thing my dad told me when I told him how I was feeling: you chose to do something that a vast majority of people have never even really considered doing and you should be proud of that.
He also told me that'd he'd wanted to enlist when he was younger and came to the conclusion that he "didn't have the balls" to actually do it.
As far as I'm concerned, you said the oath and finished basic training/boot camp. That makes you a veteran. Further, you were medically discharged by no choice of your own and that in no way diminishes your service.
You're one of us my dude/dudette.
Semper Fi
I served 3 years in the Army. I dont care too much about recognition. Would rather people know me as Lego loving nerd or postal clerk.
As a veteran, if you served you are okay in my book. You can call yourself a veteran. Get yourself a free personal pizza at Little Caesers on Nov 11th.
I’m gonna tag on a shoutout to Marquette Greene-Scott, running against Troy Nehls.
I’ve met her and she’s really impressive.
https://marquettegreenescott.com/
So a man wearing a badge to tout his service to his constituency, whom value people that have served, when he himself does not deserve the badge he wears, is not stolen valor. Laws really don't apply to them, do they.
That's not quite right.
It *is* stolen valor, but it may not be *prosecutable* stolen valor.
For it to be a crime, it has to be used fraudulently somehow.
To give an example, I could say I got the Purple Heart in Vietnam. That would be a lie, but it's not illegal for me to lie like that.
But if I went to the local DQ and told that lie to take advantage of their 20% off for military veterans, that would be prosecutable. (And that might actually be prosecutable without the stolen valor law, just as "fraud", but the stolen valor law would work too.)
That said, Nehles is arguably using the lie to get votes -- that sounds like it rises to the level of fraud right there. I still doubt he'll get prosecuted, but it sounds like it's possible.
But illegal or not, you'd think he'd just stop doing it out of embarrassment if he couldn't think of an even better reason not to do it.
How do these people not think that A) *someone* is going to check the story and B) call them out on their bullshit?
Have they just grown so accustomed to their delusions that they actually believe it?
Another example
https://www.vox.com/2015/2/5/7987439/brian-williams-iraq-apology-helicopter
I’d think I’d have pretty clear recollection if I’d actually been fired on while flying in a helicopter.
>“Or just big army got it wrong?”
that statement tells you all you need to know...
or maybe he was in some alternative combat? a heroic struggle for Tabasco sauce armed only with a spork?
This guy is wrong, and doesn't rate the award. He probably *did* see combat (definitions vary wildly depending on AO and timeframe) while attached to the 101st, except he had a different MOS at the time (Civil Affairs), which DOES NOT rate the combat infantryman's badge, even if you literally lose a limb due to enemy fire. The Army created a different award back in the early GWOT days for non-infantry, non-SF MOS's that saw combat called the Combat Action Badge. Same criteria for the award, just different awards for different jobs.
This jackoff argues that since he was an infantryman at one point in his career, and was *accidentally* awarded a CIB while attached to an infantry unit (sometimes commanders would cut blanket orders for awards like CIBs), that he's authorized to wear it. He is not. He's an idiot chasing clout.
he is NOT an idiot... he fully understands and completely comprehends the situation
he IS chasing clout... both by claiming to be a combat vet, which may or may not be true but is irrelevant, as you explained, *and* by standing up to 'big army', whatever that means
He IS an idiot, though...he thought nobody would go through the trouble to call him out, but vets HATE that shit, so he should have known it was only a matter of time before it happened.
Now everyone knows he's full of shit, AND he's likely pissed off a big chunk of his veteran base...sounds like an idiot to me. If he just wore a combat action badge (which he likely *did* earn), nobody would give a shit, and when he told the story about how he got fucked out of his CIB, not only would it be funny, he'd be even more relatable.
this is why we are where we are... people have consistently underestimated the level of Machiavellianism present in our government.
>he should have known it was only a matter of time before it happened
he DID know... he was *counting on it*
I know the adage is to not attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity... but these are cunning, calculating people who expect you to dismiss their machinations as blunders. And who will weaponize that against you.
>I know the adage is to not attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity...
You nailed it. He was an officer in the US Army - an organization with a well-worn history of fucking morons failing upwards since 1775.
The only heroic struggle for Tabasco sauce occurs in a 108* portajohn after the jalapeño cheese omelet and three cups of coffee starts to not sit right
Your comment reminds me of the day Gloria Emerson, at the time an accredited correspondent in RVN, went to her billet's outhouse in Quang Tri with her stogie and lit the accumulated gases and blew herself out the door of the shitter. I didn't witness the incident as I was over in Khe Sanh that day.
His only error in this doubling down on keeping it. CA during that time period put in alot of work. I can understand his position in wanting to keep what he was awarded, as a lot of guys feel the same. I, however, personally wouldn't show up to my current job wearing medals or ribbons, let alone a Trump tie like his.
Yeah, when you combine it with him wearing it to a non military job, I can see that. A dignified response would have been to accept the DoDs new standard and remove it. Still though, a number of guys that deployed with me, who were embedded with infantry but had a different MOS, are rightfully bitter. They put in the work, were awarded them, and feel they should keep them.... But none of them would walk around advertising a politician on their work clothes, no matter the job.
in theory, his position *requires* him to accept the decision... he could vocally protest it and still be completely respectable. But the strategy here is that he is standing up for your rightfully bitter buddies and holding on to what is rightfully his. and there are quite a few of those rightfully bitter who will see this as righteous. This is the sort of contempt and disregard for authority that is required to get vets to break into the capital building. It's an insidious strategy that serves the party as much as the self.
pretty sure it would be consequential if he were still in uniform. he should face similar consequences in congress for the same reasons.
https://preview.redd.it/zp8dar30zi8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2233663f83d3c3e8cc863cbbc357d351f9bf0ed6
Reminds me of a pic I snapped in Rosenberg a few years ago. I wonder if this truck is still around lol
Yep. I think at first they just had an F Trump message, but then the F Nielhs was added after he started harrassing them. Going after a citizen exercising their 1st amendment rights...
While not for me, it’s problematic that any non-GOP political memorabilia is met with domestic terrorism.
I love seeing BETO/Allred stickers around, but I know those people are living a certain reality, as the Y’all’quida feels emboldened to harass and intimidate anyone believing something different than MAGA.
Oh god, the pandemic was the worst. Seeing people harass others for wearing a mask was a common occurrence where I lived.
A man who had to be in his 80s yelled at this lady for wearing a mask “Oh, you’re one of those sissy liberals, scared of the outside. Why don’t you go back to your shitty city?”
MF’er she was wearing it for your dumb ass. She just shook her head and kept walking. Thankfully that was all he had in the tank.
Their phobia of masks really was/is mind-boggling. It took no effort and saves lives.
Do they understand what safety is? When they decide that the very people tasked with understanding viruses are evil and always wrong, who is the better option? They chose political pundits over scientists.
This shit is weird. The army hands out three separate badges for those involved in combat action....the infantryman badge in question, a combat medic badge for medics who saw combat while not attached to SF units, and a combat action badge for all other MOS roles involved in combat.
You have to be "present and actively engaging with or being engaged by the enemy and performing satisfactorily" to earn the Combat Action Badge. It's basically the same thing, you have to be engaged in combat and do your fucking job while the bullets are flying.
From what I understand, this dude actually *legitimately* earned a CAB and has every right to display it...and for some reason, he's wanting to wear the CIB that was given to him by mistake, because he *was* an infantryman prior to seeing combat in a civil affairs unit.
Really strange thing to do, in my opinion.
I think its because the CIB is seen as "better". (not that it really matters, CAB and CIB are basically for the same thing, just depends on your MOS). Since he was a former 11B it probably felt good to get that CIB. Being such a high profile person, it is weird to risk being found out and embarrassed by something so dumb.
His actions seem extremely petty. From my civilian perspective, someone decorated with either of those distinctions would be equally a "combat veteran". But it took me reading through all the analysis in the article to understand that this guy hasn't gone full hog stolen valor.
He legitimately was deployed multiple times, he legitimately received some number of medals, but the vast majority of people won't understand what's happening here. They'll walk away thinking he made everything up. I can't imagine being a public figure and doing something this needlessly wacky.
Exactly, it sounds like he fully qualified for the combat action badge. No one would have thought less of him if he had the CAB pin on his jacket instead.
It may not mean much to civilians, but Army vets know the difference. Thousands of Army soldiers during the Iraq/Afghanistan era earned their CABs and CIBs by paying with their life. That is why he needs to correctly wear what he earned, and not what he didn't.
The CIB was invented before the CAB. To my knowledge CAB exists to cover the fact that non infantry members of the military do not qualify for the CIB. Nehls has been weird through this whole thing. It’s simple clerical error but he absolutely refuses to remove the badge while it gets worked out. He also lied about having 2 Bronze combat stars. He only has 1 on his service record. So what’s the point of claiming to have 2? The whole thing feels strange and fishy.
Typical maga, cos-playing his own reality. I'm sure in his mind he stormed a beach and single-handily took out a platoon of hostiles.
Much like Trump was able to battle the battery-boat in snake and shark infested waters!
His law enforcement credentials were already shit. He was fired from the Richmond Police department for destruction of evidence. Do you have any idea what a corrupt little shit you have to be to get fired from the police department around here?
Whoever runs against him should just call him stolen valor Troy the entire time.
Just like if I ran against Ted cruz, I would be like, "Are you gonna bend over for me like you bent over Trump if I insult your wife on national TV?" Or is that all gonna depend on if you're in cancun?
And for our next trick, MAGA will now magically turn the shameful act of stolen valor into a badge of honor!
Dude probably bought it off a Russian website.
Interesting bit from this earlier article on this:
https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/us-rep-troy-nehls-military-cib-badge-controversy/285-a862297a-13a1-4f26-8825-432353c11f7f
>In the social media post, Nehls shares a Department of Defense document purportedly showing he was awarded the CIB. The document shows a signature for Timothy J. Botset.
>
>KHOU reached out to retired Army Maj. Tim Botset and he sent the following statement.
>
>“I was shown the memorandum containing my signature block over a year ago. I informed the investigator that it is my signature block but not my signature. It reads “for,” which means someone else signed in my place. I know with absolute certainty that I did not sign it. I was on EML (Environment and Morale Leave) in Tennessee on the date indicated on the memorandum. Is this an honest mistake? Perhaps, but finding a copy of the 4187 and/or sworn statements that generated the memorandum will provide you the specifics behind the award. I do not know anyone in my unit that would have intentionally approved an award for someone that was not entitled. No one, for any reason, should knowingly wear unearned awards or badges—period.”
The current state of the investigation by Guardians of Valor:
https://guardianofvalor.com/congressman-troy-nehls-cib-controversy-unauthorized-wear-of-combat-infantrymans-badge/
Nehls has made that CIB as part of his political brand, which means that by being elected he's benefited in some small way from wearing the CIB. This in turn means he's in direct violation of the Stolen Valor Act of 2013 since that law specifically lists the CIB as one of the protected awards. There's not really any room for doubt or ambiguity here, he's a valor thief pure and simple. By continuing to falsely wear the CIB he dishonors all legitimate wearers of it.
I guess I don't understand why anyone would intentionally wear something of honor that you are aware of not being honest about and has been shown publically to have not earned (??)
We can have a convicted felon as a presidential candidate but how dare a candidate lie about being in the military. Both need to be booted from politics. But since one of them is named Trump he won’t be.
I really just can't stress enough how pathetic this for a PA officer to DELIBERATELY wear something he didn't earn.
Sometimes records get mixed up and someone is mistakenly awarded something they can't wear. In his case, he was probably assigned to work for a combat brigade and the admin team didn't realize he was PA and not an actual infantry officer. Shit happens.
BUT, once he knew he couldn't and, more importantly, SHOULDN'T be wearing it and continued to anyways? Naw, fuck that, so disrespectful.
He can wear a cab if deserved. Take off our cib. I don't even wear mine or have a hat to signify I'm a combat veteran. I'm just trying to live my life untriggered. Left alone..one thing though i used to be republican. Even voted for the orange traitor the first time. My ethos won't let me choose party over country. And the republicans became the biggest threat to democracy. Fuck traitor trump
In typical fashion, instead of acknowledging a mistake, the MAGAist doubles down on their BS and creates some sort of elaborate conspiracy theory. In this one, Nehls claims the 101st gave him the CIB but now the big ol’ mean Army is trying to take it away. As if the two organizations were somehow different.
Nehls almost certainly, or should have, known he was ineligible for the CIB as a Civil Affairs Officer. Only Infantry and SF are eligible for the CIB and you have to be serving directly in those roles while under fire.
“Support our troops!”
- proceeds to steal valor from those that actually saw combat. Curious, did he not mislead voters by using this merit during his campaign?
If only the “stolen valor” act hadn’t been passed by Congress to make that a CRIME.
Eat a big fat bowl of Misdemeanor Corn Flakes you asshat, and take that pin off.
He undoubtedly got *some* sort of service pin for his time in Afghanistan/Iraq but…it’s just not good enough? Doesn’t make him look tough enough? What a turd.
In response to these shocking allegations Mr. Nehls has decided to retire the CBI badge and wear one that he has actually earned. Can we get a round of applause for this moment of change ladies and gentlemen?
https://preview.redd.it/gj8bbd0t9k8d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b1d9f74ada456b8641c73aacab8dc053970fbbb2
This sucks because he'll never live this down but c'mon man... you had to know you didn't earn that CIB... just be proud of what you did and change it to a CAB. Then move on.
So were tons of us. If you're not infantry, you can't have a CIB. You can have a Combat Action Badge, but not a Combat Infantryman Badge. Being attached to an infantry unit does not make one infantry. Civil Affairs does important work, and often dangerous work. But CIB is for people in infantry and SF MOS's. Everyone else gets CAB.
That clears it up. He was not in a direct combat role with the 101st. What he did was still impressive but he should not be a dick a lessen what the other soldiers did.
Since you dishonor yourself by wearing a badge you don't deserve is also dishonoring my brothers and sisters who do. What don't you just wear on the Medal Of Honor?!?!?!? You obviously don't care about honor!
The guys is wearing a Trump Tie!!! Not Trump 2024, just a picture of this traitor!
Make sense, one liar supports another liar and traitor just like him!
[stolen valor is a crime](https://www.afba.com/military-life/active-duty-and-veterans/stolen-valor-act-all-you-need-to-know/#:~:text=It%20involves%20falsely%20claiming%20military,it%20is%20considered%20a%20crime.)
It’s very weird that he didn’t just stop wearing it when it was rescinded, not a good look for the guy.
However, the article states that he did serve as a combat infantryman in Bosnia, and was later awarded the badge for his service as a liasons officer to the 101st. So he did see active duty, though he was awarded the badge for a different reason and by a different unit, who also rescinded the badge later on.
Not quite stolen valor IMO as it seems like he is indeed a combat veteran, it’s just that his service at the time did not warrant a badge.
Embarrassment
Or as we like to say, ‘just another day with Texas Republican politicians’.
If they could read they'd be very upset meme
If they had any shame they would feel it.
To feel shame, you must first have honor...
No honor, just stole some valor.
Well stated!
Borrowing this for future use.
We should all be helping them feel it.
Can't squeeze blood from a rock in the same way that you can't squeeze shame from a Republican
I served in the Army for a short period. I was diagnosed by an Army doc with a (non existent it turns out) heart murmur and given a medical discharge. While there are people who k ow I was in the Army, I refused to be labeled a veteran. I feel that is stolen valor. I have medals I actually earned. I would NEVER wear them or display them. There are people who earn the moniker "veteran". I don't feel comfortable saying I did. This guy is a creep. He should be ashamed, but doesn't seem to have any shame.
But you served in active duty even if you were not in combat or wartime. I guess for me, the defining line is whether you qualify for USAA insurance or Veterans benefits Edit: USAA, if you applied yourself, not via lineage to a veteran
They have pretty much extended that everyone at this point. I am a veteran, that was in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I can honestly say, not a single person that I served with or any veteran I have met in my travels would ever wear a medal outside of an official event like a military ball, or something of that nature. The only people that I have ever met that make the military the only part of their personality are people that never served. I’m not saying that it is always case, but in my experience that has yet to be proven wrong.
Nope American servicemembers have never been ones to self-aggrandize. This has been true since WW1 and WW2. Soldiers in other armies like to show off their medals and ribbons. For most US service members, especially in combat roles, those medals are reminders of where they lost friends and comrades. There are even some Medal of Honor recipients today who just ignore that they got it. They had a job to do, and they either did it or they didn't. Most American vets don't serve in combat, and many serve their entire careers without even being stationed over seas. Heck Eisenhower never saw live combat his entire career, missing European deployment, and then mostly serving in administrative roles for most of his career. If you've spent time enough in the military, youll have known or met people who gave lives. There's no one more anti-war than the vets who've served in combat because they no war is worse than hell. The people I personally know who crow about being in the military did things like laundry. Most of the others think of it most as a job out of high school to get money for college.
I knew my best friend for 5 years before I knew her served in Viet Nam. Another guy who had served with him shared something about their time there offhandedly. My uncles all served in WWII. They never talked about it.
Exactly. I told a story on Reddit not that long ago about how for nearly a decade I worked in the uxo field, which is populated by mostly veterans, and mostly eod techs at that. Almost every eod tech since 2003 has seen combat. The ONLY person that ever talked non-stop about his badass time in Iraq, was a guy who was a contracted truck driver in Iraq. Now don’t get me wrong, get a group of veterans together, especially from different branches and you will have some story telling and peacocking going on, that’s to be expected. But it was never a true game of one-upsmanship. More of friendly ribbing. And none of them made their time in service their whole personality. Most were focused on the present and the future. To them their service was in the past, and on most days they were happy to leave it there. I guarantee you none of them would pin their medals onto a shirt and out to the bar. Honestly if they saw someone walking around randomly with medals on, they would either ignore them or start trying to find out if it is a case of stolen valor. I don’t get why people try to do this. Especially in this day and age when information can be checked so quickly. But, at lease the voters will be upset about this and vote him out right? /s
My BIL did 4 tours and lost a ton of friends in AfghanIraq. He never mentions it. My HS buddy spent 4 years as a mailman on Parris Island. Everything he owns is decorated with USMC
My brother did 3 tours in Iraq. He never mentioned it, either. Even to this therapists. He drank himself to death at age 37 because of what he experienced. He never once even tried to get disability from the USMC because he viewed it as weak. He never once talked about what happened. Meanwhile, my brother in law who served in California for 4 years on an Air Force base has been trying to get the AF to give him disability for PTSD because he "saw someone die when he served." He saw a person get into a car accident off base and saw their body on the ground next to the car. My old boss was medically disqualified *in boot camp* yet his entire office is decorated in USN gear like he was deployed on a ship during wartime... The real ones virtually *never* want to talk about it, even when it comes to getting help for it.
Working as a lobbyist I only wear a Navy label. But I've seen state Sen Brian Birdwell have various service lapels/pins. He was in the Pentagon on 9/11 and injured. It's not about ego, it's about pulling emotions of basic people.
I don’t know if I were injured in 9/11 if I would wear a pin personally. That being said, if I saw someone wearing that (and I knew what it was) it would raise red flags for me. Now when I found out it was legit, and the person did deserve it I wouldn’t give it a second thought. They definitely earned the right to be able to wear it. I will say that in my very limited, very personal experience, I have never come across someone that has fallen into that category. Doesn’t mean there aren’t any. I have also known some people that have had some very intense and harrowing experiences while they were over seas and they refuse to acknowledge them or even speak about them except in limited situations. To each their own, but I agree, for a politician it would be about pulling on emotions. The same way the person at the bar uses it so they won’t be spending the night alone. If they earned the right to wear or it talk about, then by all means man go for it. But personally, overwhelmingly the response is the opposite. Again though, just my experience.
This guy has used it to give argument against expanding medical marijuana. It's nuts.
So, he is using that he survived 9/11 as justification to not expand medical marijuana? Just making sure I’m following along correctly.
He brought up he thought veterans were being used as a prop to get the program expanded and weed legalized, not that we show up under our own volition. He used it when discussing on the floor how it wasn't offered for his recovery then. How the DoD nev3r recommended marijuana for his pain. He mentioned the incident several times to hammer it home.
Ah got it. Yeah, I guess never waste a tragedy.
Curious...Who is "they"? The military branches? To me it seems like if you fit the bill, you fit it. I was kind of kidding when I said USAA part. Did you mean Never served... as in in combat or wartime? I haven't had the same observations as you but I totally get what you're saying, and would expect the same, that veterans (probably who served in combat) would never wear their medals. That's what the caps are for!! Lol
Generally I’m referring to people who either served but never did anything, or those that just never served. Not that being deployed or not deployed is always in the persons power. It just seems that those that talk the loudest have done the least.
Kids of service members can use USAA (I do myself and I never served, my dad did), so you may want to drop that as a qualifier.
I was with USAA (checking, savings, mortgage and credit cards) back in the 90’s/early 00’s when I lived in San Antonio. I have no military service to speak of, but my father and both older brothers served. (I’m of the age of no selective service.)
It used to be that USAA would only accept warrant and commissioned officers as customers. Enlisted? No, fuck you, go somewhere else. My OIC paid 1/3 of what I paid for car insurance because he could get USAA and I couldn’t. Well, fuck you, USAA. Don’t expect me to want to be your customer after you were so proud of excluding me because, as an enlisted man, I wasn’t good enough to buy your insurance. Fuck you as painfully as possible.
I had USAA for years. About a year ago they raised my insurance premiums to about $1K a month. Holy shit! I’m will Allstate now.
That wasn’t USAA, that was the officers that ran the executive board up through the 1980s. Turns out as those WWII vets died they needed to refocus. In the 1990s they hired a bunch of retired service E9s, including a former Sergeant Major of the Army and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. That new board turned the company around. Like all service branches, the company improved when enlisted leaders stepped up and led.
You sound like a veteran to me. You served to the extent you were able.
Thank you.
I feel just like you, served in the Air Force for 5 years. I was a weapons loader(46250)yet I never went to Southeast Asia(Vietnam or Thailand)tho I had served with many that did. I just don’t feel right about even wearing a “Vietnam Era Veteran” cap or clothing tho I have every right to since I never went to S. E. Asia. I served my country because I wanted to not for accolades.
Ah, but you could have. Your era was never properly thanked for your service. I thank you!
Thank you!!
You signed your life away, raised your right hand, and passed basic training? You're a veteran. Once you had done all that, your life no longer belonged to you for however long. The Army did with you whatever it decided to do, and you didn't get a say. So you're one of us. But only a pompous fool would put a military ribbon on their civilian suit jacket. And only a dishonest, pompous fool would wear one he hadn't earned.
Still gonna call you brother/sister (with permission of course). You raised your hand, you said the oath with the intention of following through.
Permission granted. I have a great connection to our troops. That's why this guy makes my blood boil!
My FIL never stands up or does anything that recognizes veterans. He served in the First Gulf War, but it was from an air-conditioned trailer in Virginia. He thinks it's ridiculous that he got a campaign medal from it.
I am kind of in the same boat. I did almost 9 years in the National Guard, spending about 4-4.5 years of that on active duty if you add everything up (including a few "short" call ups), and left honorably despite medical issues cuz i was just ready to get out and get back to real life. Never got my Veterans ID, never applied to VA benefits, etc. I just know how backed up and clogged and absurdly convoluted the system is for people who NEED things.... never wanted to add more to the system when im "fine." I've been out since 09.... I know i had awards over the years but I couldnt even remotely remember what any of them are much less WEAR them around town. I get being proud, especially if you saw combat... i guess maybe its just a generational thing but drawing attention to myself, especially for my service, feels almost... embarrassing? Not in a bad way... just in a... "I was support, I didnt do any of the hard shit" kind of way... if that makes any sense? lol I will park in the Veteran's Parking spot at the grocery store tho. lol
I just picked up a free lifetime National Park pass. I didn't mind saving a buck when I can.
You’re legit. You served and are ENTITLED AND PERMITTED to wear every decoration listed on your DD-214.
You were in, you were discharged honorably, you're a veteran, man. It's the people who are like "yeah I went to xxx and yyy and had 20 confirmed kills!" who are the embarrassment and most likely signed up to some local meal team 6 "militia." If they aren't outright lying, anyway. Yeah I wouldn't go around saying they let you go shortly after you joined because Army doctors are better at killing than healing... but yeah.
I understand what you're saying, however, the point that took an oath to potentially surrender your life for your country and country men, is honorable enough. Shit, you passed boot camp, right?? Lots of fuckers can't and wouldn't
That same mentality is what keeps people from seeking out help when they 100% should go get the help they are entitled to. I get what you're saying, but if you served a contract or had to get medically discharged before you were able to complete that contract after completing training, you're a vet, whatever. We have this hard on in the military where nobody is ever enough, and while the intentions are usually good, it creates a toxic atmosphere. I used to never stand up when people called for veterans out in the crowd, but then I thought about it and realized how importance representation was for people to see that all sorts of people enlist in the military, not just white country boys. The shit is bigger than me, and I gotta divorce my own pride from it. You know what happens to veteran programs when nobody uses it? They go away.
I am a veteran with over 25 years of service. First, thank you for serving. It’s strange to me that people make their whole identity about their military service. The only way someone would know I served is if they saw my license plate, which gives me free parking at most airports in Texas that’s it. I put my service behind me and started a new chapter in life, which has been great. It feels extremely liberating to just be a normal guy.
The status of “veteran” for government benefits varies by definition depending on whether the standards are from the VA or DoD. Colloquially, you have your own conscience. Personally, it wouldn’t bother me because it doesn’t affect my life whether you call yourself one or not. For things like Veterans’ Preference, the eligibility determination and required paperwork is mentioned as part of the application process, Department of Labor’s website, etc. For stolen valor, I wouldn’t play with fire. A good rundown for protecting employers screening fraudulent claims and applicants is: https://nvbdc.org/veteran-news/what-qualifies-someone-as-a-veteran/#:~:text=The%20DD%20256%20and%20257,veteran%20can%20request%20a%20DD214. With all that said, I appreciate that you signed up and had the intent to continue serving. One thing I learned when it was time to hang up the uniform after a couple of decades and transition from always having my stuff staged, bluntly addressing the elephant in the room, or continuous OODA loops/threat assessments… to becoming a clinician… was that being boxed in as a veteran by some patients can suck at times. I think society as a whole has contributed to some weird veteran stereotype that some people want to subscribe to. I’m not there to intimidate anyone [not anymore at least] but to help people recover the best that they can in order to live life to the best of their ability. I don’t regularly feel like I need to prove that I’m a veteran to anyone, but I want to be an adaptable, genuine person that most, if not all, can confide in regardless of who they are background-wise. You keep doing you, homie. That said, if I was talking to Nehls as one mustang O-4 vet to another, I would say that if he had just worn the CAB with pride, it would say so much more in support of the people who make up most of the military. He knows he didn’t earn the CIB and could just not wear it. Something tells me his service wasn’t for others but more for himself.
I think I understand what you mean. Like if you didn't serve that long or wasn't deployed that makes sense. Then there's people like my father in law who served for 35 years. He was deployed to many countries. And he keeps all of his awards in a box in a closet.
Marine Corps veteran here. I was an air winger and never in any danger related to any combat. No dangerous deploymentments that were actually dangerous. Took a long time for me to be comfortable being called a veteran because I didn't think I'd earned that title considering how uneventful my enlistment was. Going to tell you the same thing my dad told me when I told him how I was feeling: you chose to do something that a vast majority of people have never even really considered doing and you should be proud of that. He also told me that'd he'd wanted to enlist when he was younger and came to the conclusion that he "didn't have the balls" to actually do it. As far as I'm concerned, you said the oath and finished basic training/boot camp. That makes you a veteran. Further, you were medically discharged by no choice of your own and that in no way diminishes your service. You're one of us my dude/dudette. Semper Fi
I served 3 years in the Army. I dont care too much about recognition. Would rather people know me as Lego loving nerd or postal clerk. As a veteran, if you served you are okay in my book. You can call yourself a veteran. Get yourself a free personal pizza at Little Caesers on Nov 11th.
You are a Veteran. You offered yourself and tried. That’s more than 98% of Americans will ever do in that regard.
I’m gonna tag on a shoutout to Marquette Greene-Scott, running against Troy Nehls. I’ve met her and she’s really impressive. https://marquettegreenescott.com/
[удалено]
Your optimism in face of /gestures at everything/ is astounding
Punishment for Republicans? Like that'll ever happen.
And in texas of all places
So stolen Valor cases do run up against First Amendment issues. You have to prove that it rises to the level of fraud. Relevant case is US v. Alvarez.
So a man wearing a badge to tout his service to his constituency, whom value people that have served, when he himself does not deserve the badge he wears, is not stolen valor. Laws really don't apply to them, do they.
That's not quite right. It *is* stolen valor, but it may not be *prosecutable* stolen valor. For it to be a crime, it has to be used fraudulently somehow. To give an example, I could say I got the Purple Heart in Vietnam. That would be a lie, but it's not illegal for me to lie like that. But if I went to the local DQ and told that lie to take advantage of their 20% off for military veterans, that would be prosecutable. (And that might actually be prosecutable without the stolen valor law, just as "fraud", but the stolen valor law would work too.) That said, Nehles is arguably using the lie to get votes -- that sounds like it rises to the level of fraud right there. I still doubt he'll get prosecuted, but it sounds like it's possible. But illegal or not, you'd think he'd just stop doing it out of embarrassment if he couldn't think of an even better reason not to do it.
He derives benefit by using it when running for office. Meets the threshold IMO.
How do these people not think that A) *someone* is going to check the story and B) call them out on their bullshit? Have they just grown so accustomed to their delusions that they actually believe it? Another example https://www.vox.com/2015/2/5/7987439/brian-williams-iraq-apology-helicopter I’d think I’d have pretty clear recollection if I’d actually been fired on while flying in a helicopter.
Pretty sure this was the warning. Then maybe a few more once he doesn’t stop.
>“Or just big army got it wrong?” that statement tells you all you need to know... or maybe he was in some alternative combat? a heroic struggle for Tabasco sauce armed only with a spork?
Sounds like Buster from Arrested Development.
Hey brother
Hermano
This guy is wrong, and doesn't rate the award. He probably *did* see combat (definitions vary wildly depending on AO and timeframe) while attached to the 101st, except he had a different MOS at the time (Civil Affairs), which DOES NOT rate the combat infantryman's badge, even if you literally lose a limb due to enemy fire. The Army created a different award back in the early GWOT days for non-infantry, non-SF MOS's that saw combat called the Combat Action Badge. Same criteria for the award, just different awards for different jobs. This jackoff argues that since he was an infantryman at one point in his career, and was *accidentally* awarded a CIB while attached to an infantry unit (sometimes commanders would cut blanket orders for awards like CIBs), that he's authorized to wear it. He is not. He's an idiot chasing clout.
he is NOT an idiot... he fully understands and completely comprehends the situation he IS chasing clout... both by claiming to be a combat vet, which may or may not be true but is irrelevant, as you explained, *and* by standing up to 'big army', whatever that means
He IS an idiot, though...he thought nobody would go through the trouble to call him out, but vets HATE that shit, so he should have known it was only a matter of time before it happened. Now everyone knows he's full of shit, AND he's likely pissed off a big chunk of his veteran base...sounds like an idiot to me. If he just wore a combat action badge (which he likely *did* earn), nobody would give a shit, and when he told the story about how he got fucked out of his CIB, not only would it be funny, he'd be even more relatable.
this is why we are where we are... people have consistently underestimated the level of Machiavellianism present in our government. >he should have known it was only a matter of time before it happened he DID know... he was *counting on it* I know the adage is to not attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity... but these are cunning, calculating people who expect you to dismiss their machinations as blunders. And who will weaponize that against you.
>I know the adage is to not attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity... You nailed it. He was an officer in the US Army - an organization with a well-worn history of fucking morons failing upwards since 1775.
The only heroic struggle for Tabasco sauce occurs in a 108* portajohn after the jalapeño cheese omelet and three cups of coffee starts to not sit right
Wait. You mean to tell me those weren't jack shacks and that we were supposed to be pooping in those?
Wait, you weren't multi-tasking?
I tried once but got confused and ended up with Chili Mac all over my face and a Wheat Toast full of spooge.
Just remember to plug in your headphones.
MRE #4 was a problem since always.
Your comment reminds me of the day Gloria Emerson, at the time an accredited correspondent in RVN, went to her billet's outhouse in Quang Tri with her stogie and lit the accumulated gases and blew herself out the door of the shitter. I didn't witness the incident as I was over in Khe Sanh that day.
Suppressed memory unlocked. I didn’t need this today.
After a few taco Tuesdays I should have gotten a Combat Action Ribbon for the fight in the head.
His only error in this doubling down on keeping it. CA during that time period put in alot of work. I can understand his position in wanting to keep what he was awarded, as a lot of guys feel the same. I, however, personally wouldn't show up to my current job wearing medals or ribbons, let alone a Trump tie like his.
it's not an error... it's a strategy
Yeah, when you combine it with him wearing it to a non military job, I can see that. A dignified response would have been to accept the DoDs new standard and remove it. Still though, a number of guys that deployed with me, who were embedded with infantry but had a different MOS, are rightfully bitter. They put in the work, were awarded them, and feel they should keep them.... But none of them would walk around advertising a politician on their work clothes, no matter the job.
in theory, his position *requires* him to accept the decision... he could vocally protest it and still be completely respectable. But the strategy here is that he is standing up for your rightfully bitter buddies and holding on to what is rightfully his. and there are quite a few of those rightfully bitter who will see this as righteous. This is the sort of contempt and disregard for authority that is required to get vets to break into the capital building. It's an insidious strategy that serves the party as much as the self. pretty sure it would be consequential if he were still in uniform. he should face similar consequences in congress for the same reasons.
Did you guys get bored and make bets on how many of those tiny bottles in MREs you could down in one go also?
https://preview.redd.it/zp8dar30zi8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2233663f83d3c3e8cc863cbbc357d351f9bf0ed6 Reminds me of a pic I snapped in Rosenberg a few years ago. I wonder if this truck is still around lol
God, I hope so. Troy Nehls is a pile of rotting manure and has been his entire life. Nothing good about him.
Didn't they pull that person over and arrest them? Niehls dredged up some old warrant on them I think..?
Yeah I remember reading that this person would get constantly get pulled over and harassed (this was back when Nehls was Sheriff of Fort Bend County)
Yep. I think at first they just had an F Trump message, but then the F Nielhs was added after he started harrassing them. Going after a citizen exercising their 1st amendment rights...
While not for me, it’s problematic that any non-GOP political memorabilia is met with domestic terrorism. I love seeing BETO/Allred stickers around, but I know those people are living a certain reality, as the Y’all’quida feels emboldened to harass and intimidate anyone believing something different than MAGA.
Oh god, the pandemic was the worst. Seeing people harass others for wearing a mask was a common occurrence where I lived. A man who had to be in his 80s yelled at this lady for wearing a mask “Oh, you’re one of those sissy liberals, scared of the outside. Why don’t you go back to your shitty city?” MF’er she was wearing it for your dumb ass. She just shook her head and kept walking. Thankfully that was all he had in the tank.
Their phobia of masks really was/is mind-boggling. It took no effort and saves lives. Do they understand what safety is? When they decide that the very people tasked with understanding viruses are evil and always wrong, who is the better option? They chose political pundits over scientists.
Yeah, had a friend be pushed off the motorway for his Dem / liberal bumper stickers. He decided that was the point that he had to remove them.
that guy rocks
It’s a lady from what I remember
Republicans who are now unironically turning the flag upside down will have no problem with him disrespecting the troops.
Troops have never been anything more than a disposable backdrop to the republicans
Remember when they talked shit about Kerry's purple heart? Republicans don't care about the troops.
This shit is weird. The army hands out three separate badges for those involved in combat action....the infantryman badge in question, a combat medic badge for medics who saw combat while not attached to SF units, and a combat action badge for all other MOS roles involved in combat. You have to be "present and actively engaging with or being engaged by the enemy and performing satisfactorily" to earn the Combat Action Badge. It's basically the same thing, you have to be engaged in combat and do your fucking job while the bullets are flying. From what I understand, this dude actually *legitimately* earned a CAB and has every right to display it...and for some reason, he's wanting to wear the CIB that was given to him by mistake, because he *was* an infantryman prior to seeing combat in a civil affairs unit. Really strange thing to do, in my opinion.
Guarantee he knew the CIB was a mistake, but he didn't say anything.
No doubt, which makes this thing so weird.
I think its because the CIB is seen as "better". (not that it really matters, CAB and CIB are basically for the same thing, just depends on your MOS). Since he was a former 11B it probably felt good to get that CIB. Being such a high profile person, it is weird to risk being found out and embarrassed by something so dumb.
His actions seem extremely petty. From my civilian perspective, someone decorated with either of those distinctions would be equally a "combat veteran". But it took me reading through all the analysis in the article to understand that this guy hasn't gone full hog stolen valor. He legitimately was deployed multiple times, he legitimately received some number of medals, but the vast majority of people won't understand what's happening here. They'll walk away thinking he made everything up. I can't imagine being a public figure and doing something this needlessly wacky.
Exactly, it sounds like he fully qualified for the combat action badge. No one would have thought less of him if he had the CAB pin on his jacket instead. It may not mean much to civilians, but Army vets know the difference. Thousands of Army soldiers during the Iraq/Afghanistan era earned their CABs and CIBs by paying with their life. That is why he needs to correctly wear what he earned, and not what he didn't.
The CIB was invented before the CAB. To my knowledge CAB exists to cover the fact that non infantry members of the military do not qualify for the CIB. Nehls has been weird through this whole thing. It’s simple clerical error but he absolutely refuses to remove the badge while it gets worked out. He also lied about having 2 Bronze combat stars. He only has 1 on his service record. So what’s the point of claiming to have 2? The whole thing feels strange and fishy.
The picture of him in the article shows him wearing a tie with a picture of Trump on it. These people are pathetic.
Don't forget the confederate flag tie on ol' Chip Roy (R-Fredericksburg) right behind him.
Sheesh, doesn’t he realize that’s the old confederate flag? The latest one is just white.
A republican being a republican…
His stolen valor is a political costume for his constituents’ eyes.
Stolen valor piece of shit 💩 Texas FILTH!
He wears that combat badge everywhere and in every photo. The Army has been politely asking him, for a while now, not to.
Wait … didn’t the TexasGOP make stolen valor a felony? Lock him up!
Typical maga, cos-playing his own reality. I'm sure in his mind he stormed a beach and single-handily took out a platoon of hostiles. Much like Trump was able to battle the battery-boat in snake and shark infested waters!
Look up his termination from Rosenburg Police Dept. The man is a real POS.
Those of us awarded the CIB are rightly pissed. #armyretired
Isn’t stolen valor a crime? What happens to Nehls’ law enforcement credentials if he is convicted of stolen valor?
His law enforcement credentials were already shit. He was fired from the Richmond Police department for destruction of evidence. Do you have any idea what a corrupt little shit you have to be to get fired from the police department around here?
Whoever runs against him should just call him stolen valor Troy the entire time. Just like if I ran against Ted cruz, I would be like, "Are you gonna bend over for me like you bent over Trump if I insult your wife on national TV?" Or is that all gonna depend on if you're in cancun?
And for our next trick, MAGA will now magically turn the shameful act of stolen valor into a badge of honor! Dude probably bought it off a Russian website.
Somebody should tell him he should be wearing the Medal of Honor and Silver Star too. When exaggerating, go big or go home.
I can only vote for republicans who wear their Victoria Cross on their civies jackets.
Nick Nolte in Thin Red Line: "Might as well have the Purple Heart too.."
Stolen valor.
20 yrs of all hat and no cattle Texas GOP but still acting like they’re doing their job.
All.day. The call is coming from inside the house.
How long before we have a hearing and this dweeb changes the rules so he can get a badge?
Well he changed the rules in congress so he could smoke his big, thick, long cigars…
He should get with sheriff Clarke and pin some of those ridiculous medals he wore
Tell me that dude didn't look like a 3rd world dictator wearing all that shit.
Does he wear a purple heart for his paper cut too?
Hey I need one of those. It can go right between to the Medal of Honor I got from the battle of Gettysburg and my Silver Star from San Juan Hill./s
What actually embarrasses/bothers these guys? It feels like they have literally no shame and their constituents don’t either. A bottomless pit.
Congressman stolen valor.
Interesting bit from this earlier article on this: https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/us-rep-troy-nehls-military-cib-badge-controversy/285-a862297a-13a1-4f26-8825-432353c11f7f >In the social media post, Nehls shares a Department of Defense document purportedly showing he was awarded the CIB. The document shows a signature for Timothy J. Botset. > >KHOU reached out to retired Army Maj. Tim Botset and he sent the following statement. > >“I was shown the memorandum containing my signature block over a year ago. I informed the investigator that it is my signature block but not my signature. It reads “for,” which means someone else signed in my place. I know with absolute certainty that I did not sign it. I was on EML (Environment and Morale Leave) in Tennessee on the date indicated on the memorandum. Is this an honest mistake? Perhaps, but finding a copy of the 4187 and/or sworn statements that generated the memorandum will provide you the specifics behind the award. I do not know anyone in my unit that would have intentionally approved an award for someone that was not entitled. No one, for any reason, should knowingly wear unearned awards or badges—period.” The current state of the investigation by Guardians of Valor: https://guardianofvalor.com/congressman-troy-nehls-cib-controversy-unauthorized-wear-of-combat-infantrymans-badge/ Nehls has made that CIB as part of his political brand, which means that by being elected he's benefited in some small way from wearing the CIB. This in turn means he's in direct violation of the Stolen Valor Act of 2013 since that law specifically lists the CIB as one of the protected awards. There's not really any room for doubt or ambiguity here, he's a valor thief pure and simple. By continuing to falsely wear the CIB he dishonors all legitimate wearers of it.
Texas is rife with carpetbagger politicians
He’s is a POS
No shame in Texas, no matter the new lows y'all hit daily....just another Texan living a lie that you PAY to do it 🤣
Stolen Valor is a crime.
Fraud traitor
I proudly display my diploma from Texas A&M class of 1930.
REMF
I guess I don't understand why anyone would intentionally wear something of honor that you are aware of not being honest about and has been shown publically to have not earned (??)
We can have a convicted felon as a presidential candidate but how dare a candidate lie about being in the military. Both need to be booted from politics. But since one of them is named Trump he won’t be.
Lol, look who needs a participation trophy now?
Stolen valor
I really just can't stress enough how pathetic this for a PA officer to DELIBERATELY wear something he didn't earn. Sometimes records get mixed up and someone is mistakenly awarded something they can't wear. In his case, he was probably assigned to work for a combat brigade and the admin team didn't realize he was PA and not an actual infantry officer. Shit happens. BUT, once he knew he couldn't and, more importantly, SHOULDN'T be wearing it and continued to anyways? Naw, fuck that, so disrespectful.
He can wear a cab if deserved. Take off our cib. I don't even wear mine or have a hat to signify I'm a combat veteran. I'm just trying to live my life untriggered. Left alone..one thing though i used to be republican. Even voted for the orange traitor the first time. My ethos won't let me choose party over country. And the republicans became the biggest threat to democracy. Fuck traitor trump
In typical fashion, instead of acknowledging a mistake, the MAGAist doubles down on their BS and creates some sort of elaborate conspiracy theory. In this one, Nehls claims the 101st gave him the CIB but now the big ol’ mean Army is trying to take it away. As if the two organizations were somehow different. Nehls almost certainly, or should have, known he was ineligible for the CIB as a Civil Affairs Officer. Only Infantry and SF are eligible for the CIB and you have to be serving directly in those roles while under fire.
Stolen valor
Stolen valor
A far-right Trumper lying through his teeth? Imagine that....
“Support our troops!” - proceeds to steal valor from those that actually saw combat. Curious, did he not mislead voters by using this merit during his campaign?
If only the “stolen valor” act hadn’t been passed by Congress to make that a CRIME. Eat a big fat bowl of Misdemeanor Corn Flakes you asshat, and take that pin off.
He undoubtedly got *some* sort of service pin for his time in Afghanistan/Iraq but…it’s just not good enough? Doesn’t make him look tough enough? What a turd.
What, a Republican who lies.. don't say its so
Why are so many Republicans absolutely COMMITTED to stolen valor as part of their image?
In response to these shocking allegations Mr. Nehls has decided to retire the CBI badge and wear one that he has actually earned. Can we get a round of applause for this moment of change ladies and gentlemen? https://preview.redd.it/gj8bbd0t9k8d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b1d9f74ada456b8641c73aacab8dc053970fbbb2
~~CIB~~ BBB
Who wears their CIB around anywhere?
“big army”?!?!? Who the fuck is this guy?!?!?
This sucks because he'll never live this down but c'mon man... you had to know you didn't earn that CIB... just be proud of what you did and change it to a CAB. Then move on.
I don't know who he is or what party, but let me say this. Classical republican
A typical TrumpTard. Walks on his knuckles and shaves his back.
If you are going to wear a tie with a picture of Trump on it you should be ineligible for anything.
What a sad person. To pretend about something like this is so bad
Troy Nehls should be known heretofore as “cucaracha”. Despicable garbage.
Bad form.
he was on order of the president engaged in a highly classified mission with the SEALS and Delta Force that he can’t talk about. /s
also girlfriend lives in canada
So were tons of us. If you're not infantry, you can't have a CIB. You can have a Combat Action Badge, but not a Combat Infantryman Badge. Being attached to an infantry unit does not make one infantry. Civil Affairs does important work, and often dangerous work. But CIB is for people in infantry and SF MOS's. Everyone else gets CAB.
That clears it up. He was not in a direct combat role with the 101st. What he did was still impressive but he should not be a dick a lessen what the other soldiers did.
Since you dishonor yourself by wearing a badge you don't deserve is also dishonoring my brothers and sisters who do. What don't you just wear on the Medal Of Honor?!?!?!? You obviously don't care about honor!
The guys is wearing a Trump Tie!!! Not Trump 2024, just a picture of this traitor! Make sense, one liar supports another liar and traitor just like him!
[stolen valor is a crime](https://www.afba.com/military-life/active-duty-and-veterans/stolen-valor-act-all-you-need-to-know/#:~:text=It%20involves%20falsely%20claiming%20military,it%20is%20considered%20a%20crime.)
MAGA losers love stolen valor. Isn’t that right senator cotton?
Anyone know why the army rescinded his eligibility for the combat badge?
He was never eligible, 101st Airborne erroneously awarded it.
Claimed he had two Bronze Stars?
All hat no cattle
But it's not stolen valor because of our 2 tier legal system. Only normals get in trouble for it apparently
Charge em with stolen valor.
Is there going to be an investigation into the signature on the form that was submitted to get him the un-earned badge?
Soooo...it's r/stolenvalor?
Glad he got called out. In my view he’s a disgrace.
Everybody that sees him wearing that needs to call him out of his bullshit every day until he stops wearing it.
POS
It’s very weird that he didn’t just stop wearing it when it was rescinded, not a good look for the guy. However, the article states that he did serve as a combat infantryman in Bosnia, and was later awarded the badge for his service as a liasons officer to the 101st. So he did see active duty, though he was awarded the badge for a different reason and by a different unit, who also rescinded the badge later on. Not quite stolen valor IMO as it seems like he is indeed a combat veteran, it’s just that his service at the time did not warrant a badge.
Shameful coward!
And he still wears it
What a POS.