STOLEN VALOR

     Yesterday, right before I left work, this video showed up on Facebook, so I decided to watch it and it made me sick to my stomach. Now, I was never in the military, but my brother-in-law and his family members are in. My brother-in-law actually served two tours of duty; once in Gitmo Bay and the other in Iraq, which I thank him for all the time. Then you see a piece of crap like this guy wearing a uniform just to get military discounts on Black Friday. It makes me sick!

     So, anyway, a U.S. veteran busted a bogus Army Ranger in the middle of a Pennsylvania mall this past Black Friday and shamed the purported imposter with his cell phone camera. After Ryan Berk, a sergeant in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan, confronted the camo-clad man only identified as Shawn in the video clip. Berk shared the clip with the Stolen Valor Facebook page, a community dedicated to outing phony soldiers. Needless to say, the video went viral, prompting Bucks County officials to investigate possible fraud and stolen valor offenses. 

     Berk, who is 26, said he spotted the faker while Black Friday shopping with his girlfriend and her son at Oxford Valley Mall in Langhorne, PA. In the video, he approached the man, cell phone camera in hand, and said the boy wanted to meet the soldier. Unfortunately, for the phony soldier, the conversation quickly turned serious and Berk grilled the supposed Ranger on his uniform. Berk asked where the man earned his three Combat Infantryman Badges. When the man said he got all three in Afghanistan, Berk fired back that only one could be earned from service in the War on Terror. He later pointed out that the man's flag was too low on his sleeve. Eventually, Berk identified himself as a veteran and called the man's bluff. He screamed in the middle of the mall, "Stolen valor at its finest. Why don't you just admit that you're a phony?"

     An investigation on the man known as Shawn has begun because while wearing an Army uniform without serving is not illegal, reaping the benefits of military service like money, discounts and other perks is. The cell phone video does not show the man actually cashing in on any possible military benefits, but why else would he be wearing a uniform on Black Friday?

     This is absolutely disgusting! Like I said, my brother-in-law did go over there to fight for our freedoms and in that time, I'm sure he's seen many of his brothers fall. In fact, we weren't sure if he'd even come back himself. We're more than happy that he is home now, but to have assholes like this dress up and have the same honor as my brother-in-law and reap the same benefits as my brother-in-law is absolutely despicable. I'd love to see this guy get what's coming to him. I mean, watch the video below. Trust me, you will feel angered too after watching it.