Do I call bull dung?

[Joseywales]

Telling one "war story" after another to anyone who will listen, and seeking an emotional boost from deliberately tying into a storied past? IMO, those are the sole domain of the poseur. I didn't even realize how bold some of these imposters were until I met one at an 82d Airborne Association Convention several years ago. He was quickly discovered and, uh, "forcibly ejected" by several of my drunken colleagues. (I almost felt bad for the guy.) Not saying it is the case here, per se, but I do find it sad the lengths some men will go to in order to find some sense of self-worth and/or belonging.

Chief

Chief, I am with you on this. I want to emphasize that he never has told me any of these stories. He only has told them to my sister (his wife) and my second oldest brother and his wife. I don't know how much he has told or the content. I just hear from my brother's wife that he was in super secret "Pentagon Forces", trained at Quantico, and worked for the CIA.

It certainly would not surprise me if he was. You would have to meet him to understand. But the way my sister-in-law describes it, it all sounds like shit to me.

[UVvis]

100% likely.

A very good and trusted friend of mine did something along these lines. There were so many politics in that war, everybody in the government wanted first hand information from someone, somewhere.

[9x19]

Chief, I am with you on this. I want to emphasize that he never has told me any of these stories. He only has told them to my sister (his wife) and my second oldest brother and his wife. I don't know how much he has told or the content. I just hear from my brother's wife that he was in super secret "Pentagon Forces", trained at Quantico, and worked for the CIA.

It certainly would not surprise me if he was. You would have to meet him to understand. But the way my sister-in-law describes it, it all sounds like shit to me.

Unless your sister-in-law has been in the military, there's no telling how she might have confused something he said. Is there any reason you haven't just asked him?

[Striker5]

In one of my former jobs renting really low rent apartments, I chatted up a number of Navy SEALs. I asked one guy which team he was in. He said "Team? I was in Riverine Commando Squadron Four" or something like that. This is why I don't really buy the whole "homeless vet" thing. I would say homeless panhandler, playing to your sympathy.

There was some guy who had built an entire career on saying he was a Vietnam vet and had a teaching position at Berkely, opining how Uncle Sam made him into a killing machine. He was "outed" by a Marine Gunner. Don't know if he kept his job or not.