(insert explictive) FAKES!

[McNair]

Eh, people who have experience only in shooting bbs at each other are likely to sometimes do well against those who are trained to act as if the objects coming at them will kill them. In the world of airsoft we do a lot of shit that we wouldn't do in the real world. Shit, I do a lot of stuff I didn't even do in reenacting.

[LiquidSnak]

Eh, people who have experience only in shooting bbs at each other are likely to sometimes do well against those who are trained to act as if the objects coming at them will kill them. In the world of airsoft we do a lot of shit that we wouldn't do in the real world. Shit, I do a lot of stuff I didn't even do in reenacting.

Sometimes training kicks in and you don't want to get shot. As for what Matt has to say, yeah, I'm an ex-Marine. Yeah, I get shot all the time by kids. But kids who don't say "damn, I'm the 1337 Army Ranger, yo!" Kids who can play airsoft better than me.

However, it doesn't condone someone saying that they served when they didn't. End of story, and I'm likely to shut your mouth for you if you run around saying you were a service to this country when you weren't.

[Glorytown]

What can you do to stop it though? Start asking people to post up their DD214? The first post I read on this forum was from a guy claiming to be a seal. It is pretty annoying but I have also had people assume I was special operations when I tell them I was a Operations Specialist in the NAVY.

[MarksInnerDemon]

1. Just like the police officer who pretended he was a SEAL, he inadvertently hurt the PD and made the whole police force look bad. Wearing tridents around and pretending he was a SEAL not only blew up in his face but also in the face of the courts, and his credibility.

What does this have to do with airsoft? Lots! Who do you think would find the most enjoyment in this sport? Gun owners. Who do you think could back this sport up the most? Gun owners. Who takes more flack and more grief over issues created by idiots with airsoft guns? Gun owners..... Your second base of people are probably going to be military/ex-military/people supporting military. Same issues.

2. When we shrug and ignore the situation two things happen. First if we don't police ourselves some idiots in the GOV will figure we are a threat to society, or promote aggressive tendencies in everyone. You may disagree but I can point out that Cali will probably be the first to start this crap. What does this have to do with fakes?

Breaking News: Former Navy SEAL trains kids to shoot then lets them loose on school How about SEAL goes berserk on airsoft field, or god forbid "Man claiming to be SEAL shoots innocent civilian he thought was a threat" Eventually this will happen as we have seen enough of this kind of crap for real but what the internet has done is given every person doing a story, the ability to Google someone in 5 seconds. When they do they don't look hard, and use the word alleged (which is ignored) in front of SEAL to cover there butt. Weeks later we find out he was a poser wack job and another strike against Airsoft in the papers, and the retraction on page 12 is ignored by all but the community.

First we can condemn the hell out of these guys, and make pariahs out of them in our own community. That should give the community more credibility by the people we would have the most fun shooting at and having fun. John Wu and others have promoted the combination of soldiers into this sport for the fun cool factor, but most Mil and LE scoff at airsoft because of the bad press alone. If we don't promote ourselves and good clean fun, honest, straight forward, then anyone who takes a glance will see this....

Headline: A bunch of fake Navy SEAL, Delta, Operators are out again on a field pretending they are as cool as the characters from COD4.... again.

If you dont see that as a issue maybe the airsoft community needs to get smacked around a bit and woken up to the fact.

As for the DD214 comment, if you are smart enough to bring that up then you are smart enough to spot a fake, and bring it to people like the POW net, etc. To many of us are soldiers, gun owners, and enthusiasts not to realize this crap may sink our ship in the end. I would like to see us get up and prosper.

[Ivan Daylovich™]

We've had posers in this community and have run them out. (DOA springs to mind, also that recent painter guy.) We by no means abide by people falsely claiming military service.
The media doesn't care for truth and accuracy when it comes to airsoft. They just use us as bullshit sensationalist stories.

Also why does it seem that blaming people for their actions seems like a foreign concept to so many? Why do people love to associate the blame with random other things?
Personally I don't care to pander to these dumbasses.

[Steve]

My only addition to this is as follows:

Airsoft is a sport of honor.

Anyone who falsely claims service in MIL/LE lacks honor.

Therefore, anyone falsely claiming service should not be on the field, since they cannot be trusted to act honorably.



That being said, when it comes to DD-214s and the like, there are plenty of folks who can back-vet somebody claiming to have an operational background. It's apparently a pretty small community, and they all know somebody who knows somebody who did a tour, or a class, or a detail with someone else. It's not our job to perform document verification. The right folks usually end up pointed at the wrong people pretty quickly around here.

I don't particularly care to share the details of my DD-214 publicly (mainly because of all the personally identifiable information), and a lot of other vets I've met say the same thing. If you weren't there, it's none of your d*** business. If you were there, you already know. Folks as what lay claim to operational experience generally get outed pretty quickly without needing some sort of sticky or special forum where people post up their DD-214s. Providing paperwork to support my claim that the Army invested 5 weeks and 3 days way back in 1998 into teaching me how to count band-aids has zero bearing on my performance, conduct, or honor on the airsoft field. If it impacts how you interact with me, that's a "you" issue, not a "me" issue.

Down that road lies the paperwork madness that is uploading scanned copies of NCOERs, LODs, and the rest of the masses of random crap that the military just loves to commit to paper or digits. And then it degenerates into needing some sort of verification process to weed out forgeries, sucks real rank into a recreational activity, and generally kills everything fun about the hobby.

I've met a lot of players with absolutely zero "boots on ground" time that do just fine at assembling ad hoc elements and pushing them where they need to be, and seen enough guys who've "been there" that don't demonstrate the herding cats ability necessary to convince airsoft players to make mission. Of which, sadly, I am one. Having developed and delivered a proper 5-paragraph op order for a mission, the element I "commanded" failed to achieve any of my objectives due entirely to my inability to adapt my leadership style to the players entrusted to me.

[Nasty_D9]

Nasty from Northwest Arkansas dropping in to say "Hi" and provide additional information on how the community is taking care of this.

I am not a part of his team and don't know him personally. I've only attended ops he was a part of. I have no commentary on the situation and only wish to provide links on how it has been handled. I do this, because I hate rumors and here say.

See below.

http://milsimevent.com/forums/showthrea ... is-a-fraud

http://milsimevent.com/forums/showthrea ... -Community

https://www.facebook.com/AirsoftCorps - Airsoftology provides additional links on the share

Thank you all for your time.

[Catch22]

Hmmm i bet we have a sticky somewhere expressing the disinterest in posers

Yeah, there is. If anyone feels there's a fake on these boards... Just call them out. It's worked every time in the past.

[icebullet]

My only addition to this is as follows:

Airsoft is a sport of honor.

Anyone who falsely claims service in MIL/LE lacks honor.

Therefore, anyone falsely claiming service should not be on the field, since they cannot be trusted to act honorably.

This. Right here.

[Pacman]

Heres a couple of sites to open some eyes, the first has a mix of blogging with a heavy emphasis on Stolen Valor the other is direct from the military times:
http://thisainthell.us/blog
http://www.militarytimes.com/projects/hallofstolenvalor
The problem is these a$$ clowns take advantage of peoples goodwill towards our military folk and commit a crime just by doing it. Next time I jump a 14 year old's shit and ask why he/she is wearing rank or a CIB or anything else that doesn't belong in airsoft maybe they will see it's only because there are people fighting and dying who earn the right everyday to wear the accoutrements and awards of military service.

[Glorytown]

Anyone ask this guy any questions? He was claiming to be seal team 2 in another post. Age didn't quite add up, 36 now but in Bosnia in 1995. How long does it take to become an operational seal?

http://airsoftpacific.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=38694

I don't want to start a witch hunt, but is this what we should be looking for?

[Pacman]

Quick way to verify is to ask them what their BUDS/UDTR Class Number was or who their training Master Chief was. These are things they would never forget and easily verified via other channels.
Anyone claiming to be a SEAL is hanging out his a$$ if he wasn't.
I suppose they could've activated a bunch of Sea Scouts :/
http://newseascout.org/articlelinkseal

[MarksInnerDemon]

My point isn't a witch hunt and it sure as hell isn't a attack on this forum. This is a word of warning so we don't end getting dug into more issues by people poseing and a reminder that even people that may look semi reputible may not be. Glad to see some of them getting run off.

[Osprey]

I hate it when people say they served and didn't. It's like smacking a soldier in the face. Real soldier have seen shit that will make you throw up, or wet your self.

I agree with Steve if you lie about being a soldier or SF then you don't belong on the field.

[Snake_Eyes]

I'd like to shamelessly plug this website (socnet.com) its an amazing resource and meeting area for anyone who was a service member with a focus towards the SOF community. These men and women will happily investigate and call out the asshats stealing valor from the true men and women who risked their lives.

Also as said earlier its a two sided coin. You have the the guy/girl who claims to have served and tells tall stories of their time yet have nothing to back it, THEN you have the service member who belittles those around them who play airsoft for enjoyment and scoff and those trying to take part in something they admire. I know a few people who would have LOVED to join the military but due to health issues or timing they couldn't. This is their way to live the dream they couldn't.

"Those that served are RESERVED" In my experience, posers and frauds will always introduce themselves as military and avoid the real servicemen and women like they're the plague.