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I have been thinking on this for a while, and today I felt like I just needed to put out some information for those who claim that they "really want to help" the "Homeless Veteran" problem in this country.
Now first of all, let me show you all a real picture of a "Homeless Veteran" I took with my cell phone about 2 weeks ago. Looks legit, right?
Well, few problems here.
Now having actually been a homeless veteran and caring about real Veterans in trouble, I thought I would spend a couple of minutes talking with him before I blew up on him. And in talking with him for less then 2 minutes, I knew he was a complete phony and fraud.
To begin with, no Marine will ever call themselves an "Ex-Marine". Period. Does not happen, once a Marine, always a Marine. So that was his first strike.
Asked him his MOS, had to explain that was his job code. He then said he was a "Logistics Specialist", so I asked him if he was an 0411 or 0431, he just said "Logistics Specialist". So he did not even know what his MOS code was, strike 2.
I asked him who he was with (military shorthand for unit), he said Marine Corps. I then specifically asked him for his unit, he said "Kilo Company". I looked at him for about 10 seconds, and no more information came forward. I prompted him again for his unit, he once again said somply "Kilo Company". No Battalion, no Regiment, nothing else. Strike 3.
I know from first hand experience that "Logistic Specialists" are not in a Company level TO&E, that is at a minimum a Battalion level position, strike 4.
He then told me he had been deployed and was a wounded veteran. He was apparently wounded in Iraq in 2002. We did not go into Iraq until 2003, strike 5.
Whenever I see somebody claiming to be a "Homeless Vet", I always stop to talk with them. When I still lived in LA I always had cards for US Vets, which I would hand to them. US Vets was a private non-profit which helped real homeless veterans. But amazingly, I almost never gave any out. This is because after talking with them for a few minutes, most showed themselves to be phonies.
I had a guy a year or so back that identified himself to me as a "19 Delta Cav Scout" to me when he came up to panhandle (was wearing my Marine Corps jacket), but had no idea what I was talking about when I said in the Marines I was the equivelent to an 11B (Infantry), or that now I was a 25B (IT, but any 18D would recognize the 25 series as being Commo). And his unit was 3rd ACR, Fort Irwin. To bad I know the 3rd ACR is in Fort Hood.
I have met guys from imaginary units (Second Battalion, Zero Marine Regiment was my favorite), guys with super-secret paperwork that shows they were spooks and their entire military career was ultra-top-secret-burn-before-reading, paperwork lost between transfer so was homeless until they straightened it out and he could go back on base, all kinds of crap. In short, most are liars and fakes, and are trying to scam money out of well-meaning people with a made up sob story.
Now for those who really want to help "Homeless Veterans", there are legitimate organizations out there that could use your money. US Vets is one I know of, and they only help real veterans. They provide transitional living, job training and placement services, and all of the assistance a real Veteran needs to get off of the streets. The biggest problems they have is in finding real vetterans who are ready to accept the help offered. Their only requirement is that the individual have a General Discharge or higher (no bad conduct or dishonerable discharges), and that the individual be drug and alcohol free for 30 days before being admitted, and stay drug and alcohol free during their entire stay with the facility.
For those that want to really help real vets, look at an organization like US Vets. You can also check your local VFW-American Legion for local organizations in your area. But do not give individuals who claim to be vets money, even if they are not liars they will likely only buy drugs or alcohol with it.
Home | U.S.VETS | United States Veterans Initiative
Now first of all, let me show you all a real picture of a "Homeless Veteran" I took with my cell phone about 2 weeks ago. Looks legit, right?
Well, few problems here.
Now having actually been a homeless veteran and caring about real Veterans in trouble, I thought I would spend a couple of minutes talking with him before I blew up on him. And in talking with him for less then 2 minutes, I knew he was a complete phony and fraud.
To begin with, no Marine will ever call themselves an "Ex-Marine". Period. Does not happen, once a Marine, always a Marine. So that was his first strike.
Asked him his MOS, had to explain that was his job code. He then said he was a "Logistics Specialist", so I asked him if he was an 0411 or 0431, he just said "Logistics Specialist". So he did not even know what his MOS code was, strike 2.
I asked him who he was with (military shorthand for unit), he said Marine Corps. I then specifically asked him for his unit, he said "Kilo Company". I looked at him for about 10 seconds, and no more information came forward. I prompted him again for his unit, he once again said somply "Kilo Company". No Battalion, no Regiment, nothing else. Strike 3.
I know from first hand experience that "Logistic Specialists" are not in a Company level TO&E, that is at a minimum a Battalion level position, strike 4.
He then told me he had been deployed and was a wounded veteran. He was apparently wounded in Iraq in 2002. We did not go into Iraq until 2003, strike 5.
Whenever I see somebody claiming to be a "Homeless Vet", I always stop to talk with them. When I still lived in LA I always had cards for US Vets, which I would hand to them. US Vets was a private non-profit which helped real homeless veterans. But amazingly, I almost never gave any out. This is because after talking with them for a few minutes, most showed themselves to be phonies.
I had a guy a year or so back that identified himself to me as a "19 Delta Cav Scout" to me when he came up to panhandle (was wearing my Marine Corps jacket), but had no idea what I was talking about when I said in the Marines I was the equivelent to an 11B (Infantry), or that now I was a 25B (IT, but any 18D would recognize the 25 series as being Commo). And his unit was 3rd ACR, Fort Irwin. To bad I know the 3rd ACR is in Fort Hood.
I have met guys from imaginary units (Second Battalion, Zero Marine Regiment was my favorite), guys with super-secret paperwork that shows they were spooks and their entire military career was ultra-top-secret-burn-before-reading, paperwork lost between transfer so was homeless until they straightened it out and he could go back on base, all kinds of crap. In short, most are liars and fakes, and are trying to scam money out of well-meaning people with a made up sob story.
Now for those who really want to help "Homeless Veterans", there are legitimate organizations out there that could use your money. US Vets is one I know of, and they only help real veterans. They provide transitional living, job training and placement services, and all of the assistance a real Veteran needs to get off of the streets. The biggest problems they have is in finding real vetterans who are ready to accept the help offered. Their only requirement is that the individual have a General Discharge or higher (no bad conduct or dishonerable discharges), and that the individual be drug and alcohol free for 30 days before being admitted, and stay drug and alcohol free during their entire stay with the facility.
For those that want to really help real vets, look at an organization like US Vets. You can also check your local VFW-American Legion for local organizations in your area. But do not give individuals who claim to be vets money, even if they are not liars they will likely only buy drugs or alcohol with it.
Home | U.S.VETS | United States Veterans Initiative