Have you seen this man?
Sam Wood at Philly .com reports that the man was wearing the uniform of a U.S. soldier at a mall and was raking in the respect and pride of a grateful nation, as well as taking advantage of store discounts for military people, but a sharp Army veteran named Ryan Berk called him out and captured the encounter on video.
A trip to the Oxford Valley Mall turned into a National Day of Shaming for a shopper dressed in camouflage fatigues on Black Friday.
But today, the shame turned an even darker shade for the shopper who now is being accused of falsely posing as a U.S. Army Ranger in order to obtain special military discounts at mall stores.
On Monday, U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) asked the U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia to determine if there was evidence of a federal crime, according to the Bucks County Courier Times.
The man’s nightmare began Friday and was captured on a video later posted to YouTube, where it has been viewed nearly 1.5 million times. He had just stepped out of a shoe store when he was approached by a real highly-decorated veteran.
Something about the man’s uniform didn’t look right to Ryan Berk, a recipient of the Purple Heart who served in Afghanistan as a member of the 101st Airborne Division.
Berk stopped the pudgy uniformed man on the pretext of introducing him to his young son. Berk pulled out his cell phone and hit “record.”
The man, who wore a name ribbon identifying himself as “Yetman,” was happy to meet the boy – at first. He did not remain in good humor for long.
Berk peppered Yetman with questions. The man claimed to be a U.S. Army Ranger, one of America’s elite fighting soldiers, and said he had served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
You can read the rest of the piece and watch the video via the below link:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/Fake_Army_Ranger_in_viral_video_may_face_federal_charges.html
Good job! Bravo Zulu to the real veteran!
ReplyDeleteWe had so-called "veterans" who showed up for free dinners at a couple of local restaurants on Veterans Day. Who knew there were so many veterans in the neighborhood! The demographics and appearances of many of the "veterans" raised and few red flags and made the reality obvious to any real veteran. (Note: Restaurants did not ask for proof of service -- DD214 or ID cards -- and the restaurants were overrun with the usual suspects -- the folks who show up locally for all free handouts.) Some "veterans" even complained that alcohol was not included in the free meals; other veterans left no tips for the food servers; another "veteran" took home some leftovers but returned the next day to complain about the quality and asked for refund. How is that for balls! If you think I'm making this up, think again. Some of the "veterans" were called out and exposed by the local newspaper who had a reporter with sense enough to smell more than a few rats.
RT,
ReplyDeleteYou're right - Bravo Zulu to veteran Ryan Berk.
As a reporter and columnist for Philadelphia newspapers for a good number of years, I always quesioned so-called veterans about their claims.
Every veteran event I covered had these guys in combat uniforms, medals hanging, and they were crying and hugging each other. I knew they were frauds. Few true combat vets act that way.
True combat vets also don't talk much about the war. These guys loved talking about the war or wars and combat.
Having served four years in the U.S. Navy and another 33 as a Defense Department civilian, I know more than most writers and reporters about the military, so I have shot down more than one fraud in my time.
But I've never captured the moment on video.
Ryan Berk once again served his country well.
Paul