People Claiming to be Military on ATS, A Rant.

Because I post a lot on topics concerning the War on Terror and the various conflicts being fought here and there througout the world, I almost always encounter a person claiming to be military and suggesting that because I am not on the specific battlefield that I don't know what I am talking about. Just today a newly registered poster claimed to have been a passenger on the very helicopter that dropped all of those ballots from Afghanistan's recent election. He even went as far to criticize the article and claimed the media exaggerated and ony 4 boxes were lost.

I was recently thinking about the Star Wars Saga...a very popular movie franchise in America and a set of movies I've seen more times than I will count. In this movie there are Four layers of activity:

The primary layer of course is the story and adventures of the Jedi and Sith Knights (Luke, Obi Wan, Maul), the second layer is of Intelligence and Special Operations (Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, Boba Fett), the third layer concerns Military Leadership (General Tonkin, Lando, Grievous) and the final layer is filler action representing rank and file military operations (nameless, faceless rable who do most of the dying in the movie).

I find it doubtful that the people posting on ATS claiming to be military and telling me what I don't know represent any of those top three layers and are certainly the equivalent of the guys being choked to death by Vader, a Storm Trooper, one of the many guys that didn't return from the assaults on the Death Star or who's star ship was smashed into an asteroid.

So please, quit misrepresenting yourselves...I can't claim to be a Knight of Solomon's Temple and I can't say that the person who motivated me start this thread wasn't on that Helicopter. But it should be a T&C violation to falsely claim to be something you are not.

Rank and File soldiers are important, but as Star Wars taught me...they can be easily replaced and their sacrifice is nothing compared to if someone like Luke dies. I enjoy having a positive view of soldiers, please don't ruin it by acting like cops.

"But it should be a T&C violation to falsely claim to be something you are not."

It is. It's against T&C to knowingly post false or misleading information unless you're posting in the creative writing section of the website.

Ummmm I'm not sure Star Wars analogies are the best way to go!
Ats'ers pretend they are a lot of things, that's what the internet is all about.
We have people with "powers", military guys ( usually rock em sock em special forces types), abductees, wizards, and well, just a whole range of delusion and fantasy and outright lies. Don't take this site too seriously, have some fun. If you don't, your BS detector will be going off constantly, and thats just plain annoying!

Originally posted by ravenshadow13
"But it should be a T&C violation to falsely claim to be something you are not."

It is. It's against T&C to knowingly post false or misleading information unless you're posting in the creative writing section of the website.

Semantics...how are you going to verify if an individual has prior military service..?


You're not.


To OP:


The anonymity of the internet has created far more heroes than the allotted amount originally allowed. Another symptom...It can be frustrating.


Keep on keepin' man.

reply to post by IDK88


There will always be pretenders. Military, and ex-military can always tell the difference. If not immediately, in due time. Everyone who claims military affiliation that have never had any military affiliation always screw up eventually. Most have gotten their military knowledge from Hogans Heroes, and it shows.

Interesting thread.

I have never been in the military myself, never worn any uniform, never seen any combat. And have never claimed to have been.

But I have worked as an engineer on several hush hush high technology projects for military applications. I am more familiar with security and the "spook" side of things than the "grunt" and marching through the mud side.

So that must mean people like me know nothing.

Obviously junior air crew know far more about military aircraft performance than the guys that actually designed, tested, and developed the thing.

No, you don't need to be in the military to know how stuff works, what it can do, or how to properly use it..

I've never watched a Star Wars movie. Never. I don't know why. I guess it was all the hype. So I don't get the connection between fake military peeps and Star Wars.

Yeah, if someone says they were on your helicopter, and you believe they weren't. Call them out. But, then, prove you were on that helicopter yourself. Good luck with that. It's not like everytime I rode in with in a tank, or in armored personnel carrier, that I drove and so I know who was in it. lol. that it is recorded on my DD Form 214. Is that what its still called?

Originally posted by IDK88
Because I post a lot on topics concerning the War on Terror and the various conflicts being fought here and there througout the world, I almost always encounter a person claiming to be military and suggesting that because I am not on the specific battlefield that I don't know what I am talking about. Just today a newly registered poster claimed to have been a passenger on the very helicopter that dropped all of those ballots from Afghanistan's recent election. He even went as far to criticize the article and claimed the media exaggerated and ony 4 boxes were lost.

I was recently thinking about the Star Wars Saga...a very popular movie franchise in America and a set of movies I've seen more times than I will count. In this movie there are Four layers of activity:

The primary layer of course is the story and adventures of the Jedi and Sith Knights (Luke, Obi Wan, Maul), the second layer is of Intelligence and Special Operations (Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, Boba Fett), the third layer concerns Military Leadership (General Tonkin, Lando, Grievous) and the final layer is filler action representing rank and file military operations (nameless, faceless rable who do most of the dying in the movie).

I find it doubtful that the people posting on ATS claiming to be military and telling me what I don't know represent any of those top three layers and are certainly the equivalent of the guys being choked to death by Vader, a Storm Trooper, one of the many guys that didn't return from the assaults on the Death Star or who's star ship was smashed into an asteroid.

So please, quit misrepresenting yourselves...I can't claim to be a Knight of Solomon's Temple and I can't say that the person who motivated me start this thread wasn't on that Helicopter. But it should be a T&C violation to falsely claim to be something you are not.

Rank and File soldiers are important, but as Star Wars taught me...they can be easily replaced and their sacrifice is nothing compared to if someone like Luke dies. I enjoy having a positive view of soldiers, please don't ruin it by acting like cops.

A lot of people are military or former military, and we do say you don't know the half of it if you're civilian because you most likely know next to nothing about the military. I remember before joining thinking it was one thing, and now it's completely different. People ask, can you leave base? Do you march everywhere? Do you kill people?

No, it's like a regular job. Go to work, come home, eat poop and sleep.
No, I haven't marched since Tech School.
No, I don't kill people, my jet does.

Way to go soldier, I'M NOT A SOLDIER I'M IN THE AIR FORCE, I'M AN AIRMEN.

Some people claim to be more than they are, if they had integrity like they taught us in basic, then we wouldn't have to lie.

So yeah. My rant back.

Look out !
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/17c5a3c4a26f.jpg[/atsimg]

It's almost as bad as the posters who claim they "used to be Republicans" yet they are some of the most leftists posters on ATS. And almost every post they have to stress that so-called fact.

Example

"I used to be a Republican, and I love Mr. Obama."

reply to post by FantasmaTaans


Well said........s and f............Most of us that are real can recognize those that are not....

reply to post by IDK88


I agree with you.

As other posters have stated the net provides people other layers, a layer of anonymity and protection

This allows little people and cowards to become big men.

Don't know too much what you can do about it except keep on doing what you think is right.

reply to post by IDK88


I respect what you are saying, I too have encountered those fools, ANd you can smell them right away. There knowledge is limited to what they read on the net and watch on the Unit, and must of the vets/soldiers on here our more then willing to prove they are who they say they are. (myself included)

i must say bravo for having the balls to make your statement, it is absolutely true on all levels

there are many pretending to be something they are not

and even those who are what they say they are have psychologic issues where their point of view is clouded by propaganda and those higher in charge

i must say it is not just this way with soldiers on this board, it seems to be the same way with cops


throughout history it seems that all the actual warriors are in a way nothing but numbers

while it is those highest in power who make all the calls, and many of the times those calls are not exactly what is best for the numbers, however those higher ups spin it in a way that through all the bloodshed and battle fumes the mind is made to believe in the higher ups decision that what they have decided is what is best for all


in the film troy Odysseus makes a great statement to achilles before he speaks with agamemnon

Odysseus to achilles: War is young men dying and old men talking. You know this. Ignore the politics


but unfortunately too many of the young men ignore the politics and just follow blindly into the glory of battle whether or not they have truly been in the battle as here on the internet people are allowed to live out their fantasy lives, and they have no one in the pub to actually challenge them to a fight to back up the fact they are saying they are something they are not

Originally posted by habu71
reply to post by FantasmaTaans

 

Well said........s and f............Most of us that are real can recognize those that are not....

Yes! My first star hee hee hee.

Im in the Air Force as well....well at least for the next 2 months

Anyways, like some have said, people that arent in the service, dont know crap about what really goes on. Well most dont anyways. What you know about the military you learned from Anderson Cooper or Geraldo. Oh, and the so called replaceable Storm Troopers are the ones out there every day doing the work. The Air Force probably has spent about 100,000 dollars training me in the past 6 years.

Also, like most above have said, we can tell who is legit, and who is not...

I am in the military, what is your problem sir?


edit: and if you where in the military, you would be able to separate wanabees from colleagues
edit2: are you comparing star wars to real wars?



[edit on 28-8-2009 by Tetragrammaton]

To those that are real, LEO and MIL, don't be distracted by the fakes.....Continue to post what you know and can safely say.....Don't be drawn into the idiotic games.......Be a careful resource, (see my sig) but do not put yourself in a dangerous situation......

AND, please, check your spelling......it makes some of us look stupid....

reply to post by habu71


im not from the us (or any english speaking country), and for short messages i do not spell check...
there is a difference!

Thanks for all the responses...my specific encounter was with a guy who didn't just claim to be active duty or in the military...

this guy claimed that he was on the Helicopter that dropped all those ballot boxes in Afghanistan recently. This was very specific. He described in great detail what really happened aboard the craft and why the boxes fell out. He even criticized the article upon which my thread was based.

Apparently he joined ATS, just today and for no other reason than to post on the thread. So, I didn't know that military had open communication policy and anyone can discuss ongoing operations with random people they encounter on the internet, but I like the web for this reason; you learn new things.

I wonder if any military currently on duty in Afghanistan and on ATS would be willing to send me a detailed map of were suspected Taliban strongholds are in relation to US/NATO military installations. I want to use it for a school project or something. If you could just scan and post the map as a JPEG or something that would be fantastic.

Thanks in advance.