Stolen Valor - Tuskegee Airmen

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Met alot of people who love blowing their own trumpet, very often for completely see through (ie, BS) or souped-up tales - a psych would probably say to make up for an inferiority complex.
As Metallica put it, 'the empty can rattles the most'...
 
A4K said:
Met alot of people who love blowing their own trumpet, very often for completely see through (ie, BS) or souped-up tales - a psych would probably say to make up for an inferiority complex.
As Metallica put it, 'the empty can rattles the most'...
Click to expand...

The movie "Red Tails" exacerbated this problem - a lot of "wannabes" tried to get in on the action. I spoke with a gentleman from LA today regarding my original post, who says he is an "Airmen" historian, and he agrees that people like Mr. Garrison detract from the glory of the real "Tuskegee Airmen".
 
Any person who lays claim to anything they didn't do, especially in military operations, detracts from the real folks who were actually part of the operations, not just the Tuskegee Airmen. Being an idiot doesn't have any specifics (age, race, color, creed, etc etc etc).
 
evangilder said:
Any person who lays claim to anything they didn't do, especially in military operations, detracts from the real folks who were actually part of the operations, not just the Tuskegee Airmen. Being an idiot doesn't have any specifics (age, race, color, creed, etc etc etc).
Click to expand...

Exactly, Eric.
 
Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't is possible to obtain almost all records of those who served? I'm pretty sure that it does not take long to verify if someone was or was not in the military.
 
DerAdlerIstGelandet said:
Anyone who served has a DD214. Over time however records can be lost.

I know I keep lots of copies of mine.
Click to expand...

Some reservists don't get DD214s. I had a "Letter of Separation" and an honorable discharge certificate from the USNR. This played hell when I attempted to get a VA loan because some of the bureaucrats at the VA don't know this. I had one guy tell me that reservists weren't eligible for VA benefits!
 
[SC] Arachnicus;925018 said:
Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't is possible to obtain almost all records of those who served? I'm pretty sure that it does not take long to verify if someone was or was not in the military.
Click to expand...
A fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis in 1973 destroyed the personnel records for 80% of Army (which would include USAAF) personnel discharged between 1912 and 1960. There was no complete duplicate set of those files anywhere else.

However, if somebody claimed to be a decorated pilot in a USAAF combat unit his name would highly likely show up in surviving operational records of the unit, various dispatches and files of the numbered AF in question (15th in that case), files related to high decorations if he claimed to have been awarded them, and so forth. And as mentioned in the article, the man said obviously wrong things like the 332nd FG flying the P-38.

It seems it was easy enough to determine this guy was not telling the truth once anyone seriously looked into it, but I don't think there's any quick foolproof way in general to say someone is lying about Army/AAF service in that period.

I don't want to make it political or racial either more than it has to be, except politics and race *is* part of people's perception of history, not something totally separate from history, much as we might like it to be. And that's nothing new. Just the particular popular biases or popularly 'correct' views or attitudes vary with particular societies and times. Since the cultural/political chasm opened up in American society over the Vietnam War, IME relatively moderate liberals, which emcompasses most 'mainstream' journalists, are wary of being painted as 'anti-military dirty long hair hippy' types by sharply questioning veterans, especially of 'good wars', and then racial sensitivity obviously factors in wrt Tuskegee Airmen. The bigger story of the TA's to many people is the racial history of a US Army which hadn't wanted blacks in relatively prestigious role slike that, and hadn't allowed it up till then. So, IMO it's hopeless to try to separate the Tuskegee Airmen story from race in many people's minds, much as I agree in an ideal world it should have zero bearing on stuff like which German a/c they really downed or which bombers under their escort were really shot down.

Joe
 
Just saw this thread so I'm getting in late, but regarding the statement from MuscogeeMike about "the people" don't want to hear anything about it other than he was a hero, doesn't surprise me at all.

If your from Texas (I've lived in Texas my whole life - 46 years) and you know about Tyler (been within a 1.5 hour drive of Tyler for 35 years) and know about the racial makeup of that city, this nails that type of attitude perfectly. Enough said on my part.

Glad to hear they will not be putting his name on the building.
 
FLYBOYJ said:
Some reservists don't get DD214s. I had a "Letter of Separation" and an honorable discharge certificate from the USNR. This played hell when I attempted to get a VA loan because some of the bureaucrats at the VA don't know this. I had one guy tell me that reservists weren't eligible for VA benefits!
Click to expand...

Interesting. I did not know that. I thought that all that served, received a DD214 when they separated. I guess it only applies to those that were Active Duty.

I know I received one original copy that is signed in ink. I made tons of copies of it then, and only give out copies. Which reminds me, I still have not heard back from the VA about my Veterans License Plates that I ordered. It has been about 3 weeks now.
 
Just shows how misinformed people are. I'm shocked at how it wasn't discovered during his lifetime.

I wonder if he had a Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Diamonds with Glitter streamers in the stash of medals, that he pulled out of his last victim's plane, a Japanese Airman flying for the for the Germans in his Fokker Triplane. Even us reguler folk can make up a story! The main thing is if people beleive it or not, As long as the media backs something up usually people will beleive it hook, line and sinker without checking any facts, I doubt some kids know what a FW-190 is and think Focke Wulf is some sexual Kama Sutra Move.
 
DerAdlerIstGelandet said:
Interesting. I did not know that. I thought that all that served, received a DD214 when they separated. I guess it only applies to those that were Active Duty.

I know I received one original copy that is signed in ink. I made tons of copies of it then, and only give out copies. Which reminds me, I still have not heard back from the VA about my Veterans License Plates that I ordered. It has been about 3 weeks now.
Click to expand...
To make matters worse, my discharge certificate was signed by an O-6, "C.M. Saylor"!!! I thought it was a joke but the dude was real!
 
I served in a Texas National Guard unit, went on active duty for six months in 1959, came back and served for two years of drills monthly and two weeks summer camp and then was called up for active duty in 1961-62. Was discharged in 65, received an honorable discharge from the Army of the United States but received no DD214.
 
Did they not have DD214's back then? Nowadays you don't sign out of the military without one.

Finally get my Veterans plates tomorrow. About time...
 
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