(The video below contains profanity.)
A veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom started recording recently at a Nebraska truck stop when he noticed the suspected phony soldier asking for money.
The veteran said he became fed up when he saw people thank the man for his service and one person give him money.
The veteran then confronted the man inside the convenience store.
He immediately called out that the man’s uniform didn’t look right, specifically that there was no name tag.
The man in question apparently had claimed to people that he had just returned from overseas, was injured in combat and was given three Purple Hearts.
The video (below) was posted on YouTube by a group that tracks alleged stolen valor cases. Guardian of Valor reported on its website that they know the man’s identity and that he has done this before.
This was filmed by a Veteran of OEF who served in both the Corps and the Army. He is currently serving in the reserves, and also a truck driver. He came across this fraud in Gretna, Nebraska, at the Flying J truck stop. Below is how it unfolded in his words:
“As I parked my truck and walked into the Flying J, I noticed this clown and a buddy standing outside talking. I glanced them over and noticed that both of them were ate up!
Being a truck driver I see a lot of other drivers wearing military clothing, maybe one or two pieces but rarely the full uniform with patches and partial name tape.
As I walked in both came in shortly after me and I noticed some patrons thanking him for his service. I looked back while standing in line and he was behind me and what caught my attention was he was still wearing his PC and his collar on his blouse was turned up. He also had two unit patches on his left sleeve one above the other and no name tape on his blouse or his PC.
I asked him who he was with and rattled off something about the “82nd out of Ft Bragg”. I started asking him about why was his uniform jacked up and pointing out he had no name tape and other issues. He then stated he just back from Iraq. At that point I asked to see his CAC and he didn’t know what I was asking for. So I pulled mine out and showed him.
I told him he was full of shit and I knew he was!
He walked off and at that point I had a couple of patrons come up and tell me he was telling people he was injured in the war and he’d received three Purple Hearts.
At that point is when I started taking pictures and videoing him. At which point I heard him giving some guy a BS story and how he was down and out and could he get a few dollars for a cab ride. That’s when I started to video him.
Some lady proclaiming to be the manager, (which I found out today she was actually just an employee filling in for the actual manager who called me today to apologize for the incompetence of his employee) approached me telling me that I was gonna have to leave because I was harassing customers and causing a ruckus.
She said someone in an official military vehicle dropped him off there earlier, which I also found out today was just what the fake had told them!
I called 911 because she was threatening me with trespassing and I wanted to state my case/issue and to not later be charged with something false. I wasn’t wrong and I wasn’t gonna run because she was trying to protect this imposter.
I was standing outside all the while I had patrons coming up to me telling me what I did wasn’t wrong and thanked me.
The deputies showed up and she literally ran to them to get her side of the story out and they told me to stay back.
After they got her side, I could tell by his demeanor that one deputy wasn’t trying to hear anything I was about to say. I told him the guy wasn’t in the military and he was basically wearing the uniform to get money. He then asked me to why was I causing trouble? I was like ” Are you serious”?? I told him I was protecting the uniform I wear and the same one that so many had given their lives wearing.
He then told me to leave the premises! After leaving I called Flying J’s corporate office to file a complaint. They were very appreciative for the call and informed me they would be contacting the store manager.
I watched them load this guy into their vehicle, and I found out through the actual manager from Flying J, that the deputies took him up to Sapp Brothers truck stop to drop him off but in the process they asked him for ID and he had three different ID’s , all with different names.
BTW, the manager informed that he took this personally and seriously because he had recently retired back in 2012 from 20+ years in the Navy.”
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