I met Gecko45's father this evening

[Hawkmoon]

Seriously.

I stopped in a McDonald's to grab a burger on the way to a meeting at my church. As I sat munching my burger, an older gent (looked about my age, which is mid/late 60s) walked by on his way to the men's room. He was wearing a military-style cap (not the baseball caps we wore when I was in the Army but the Marine style, such as the Army wears today) with a set of captain's bars on it. I figured him for another over-the-hill Vietnam vet like myself, so just for camraderie I gave him a salute as he went by, and he returned it.

On his way back from the loo, he stopped and asked if I had been in the military. I just said "Vietnam, 1968." He responded by thanking me for serving, which I thought a bit odd coming from a fellow (I thought) veteran. Then he said he hadn't had anyone salute him since he retired, so I asked him how long he'd been out. He said he retired in February.

Mind you, this dude was a seriously senior citizen, at least 100 pounds overweight, and walking on a cane. If he retired six months ago as a Captain from any U.S. armed force, we're in bigger trouble than we ever imagined. But ... not to worry.

He lingered to chat while his wife did the ordering. Turns out, he wasn't in the military. He worked armed security (and "personal protection of VIPs"). The discussion somehow came around to guns and gear, and he proudly told me that he always wore a tactical vest, that he carried a "fowtee" because he liked having the extra firepower, and that he always carried nine (9!!!) extra magazines because "when the bad guys start shooting you can't have enough ammo."

Nice enough guy, I guess, but ...

[gunsmith]

These guys always tell me that they didn't keep their dd214's ... I always ask- making it sound like a weapon. They always fail the test.

How is it that there are all these highly decorated trained operators out there that do not know what a dd214 is?

[Perd Hapley]

These guys always tell me that they didn't keep their dd214's ... I always ask- making it sound like a weapon. They always fail the test.

How is it that there are all these highly decorated trained operators out there that do not know what a dd214 is?

Cuz all we use is throwing stars, you rear-echelon fobbit. We don't use them jam-o-matic dd240-whozawatzits.

[Scout26]

G_d I hate posers.

This is why I don't wear anything military except for my blue "8th Infantry Division" ball hat every now and again.  While I'm proud of my service, I wasn't NinjaTeamSixSuperCommando.

And yeah, I love tearing apart Mr. "DD214isClassfied".  Especially in front of your girlfriend.  Loser.
 

[Jamie B]

No military service here, but I have yet to see a real poser.

Common sense always prevails. I do make it a point to thank the military folks who I see.

All of them have been legit, but the town where I grew up is about 40,000, so opportunity is small for the Geckos.

[Balog]

Always makes me slightly uncomfortable when folks thank me for being former .mil.

I haven't seen a fake in person since I worked at a gun shop. And even then it was one or two "former seal/special forces" types, not a whole epidemic. I wonder where some of you folks reporting seeing so many fakes live.

[grislyatoms]

I run into these types every now and then.

"Spare some change? I lost my leg in the Air Force as a Gunnery Sergeant for Seal Team 6."

"Sure ya did."

Haven't run into the hard-core poser-type yet, either.

[AZRedhawk44]

rear-echelon fobbit

Quoted for the lulz.  Makes me giggle every time I see it.

Proposal to change Fistful's APS name to "fobbit."

Can I get a second?

ETA:  No disrespect intended towards Fisty's service... it's just two funny-sounding syllables added together.  And it's his fault they sound so funny together.

[French G.]

Second and third.

[Fitz]

I use this one.

SomeGuy: Hey man, you was in the Army? Yeah, I was a ranger! Airborne Special Ranger *or some other such phrase*"

Me: Awesome dude! What battalion ?   ******** (or group, as the case may be)

SomeGuy: uh... SECOND. Yeah. Second battalion.

Me: Nice! They still in Fort Hood?

SomeGuy: Yeah, man. Still at Fort Hood.


Me: That's funny, I thought the second ranger battalion was at Fort Lewis. In fact, I'm sure of it. In fact, there isn't a single ranger battalion at fort hood.

SomeGuy:   *walks off*

[41magsnub]

I use this one.

SomeGuy: Hey man, you was in the Army? Yeah, I was a ranger! Airborne Special Ranger *or some other such phrase*"

Me: Awesome dude! What battalion ?   ******** (or group, as the case may be)

SomeGuy: uh... SECOND. Yeah. Second battalion.

Me: Nice! They still in Fort Hood?

SomeGuy: Yeah, man. Still at Fort Hood.


Me: That's funny, I thought the second ranger battalion was at Fort Lewis. In fact, I'm sure of it. In fact, there isn't a single ranger battalion at fort hood.

SomeGuy:   *walks off*

Well clearly they moved.....  I was in the 2nd ford ranger motorpool brigade before they moved to Camp Pendleton.

[Scout26]

Quoted for the lulz.  Makes me giggle every time I see it.

Proposal to change Fistful's APS name to "fobbit."

Can I get a second?

ETA:  No disrespect intended towards Fisty's service... it's just two funny-sounding syllables added together.  And it's his fault they sound so funny together.

"Fobbit" is actually the current term of derision used for the REMF's (or what used to be known as clerks and jerks) that are sent to a Forward Operating Base (FOB) In country, however those folks never go "outside the wire".   It's a twist on the Tolkien's Hobbit (small men or hole dweller).

However, as a point of order, Fisty was, I believe, an 11 Series MOS (can't remember whether you said 11B, 11C or 11M), which meant that he definitely would have ended up going "outside the wire".  Therefore, request to stick Fistful with the appellation of "Fobbit" fails on primie facie evidence. 

Motion denied.

[Perd Hapley]

Mechanized, and no hard feelin's.

[French G.]

Mechanized, and no hard feelin's.

Cool, a tank that carries its own crunchies!

[Hawkmoon]

This was in a small town. I guess his son, Gecko45, must have gone to the big city to find fame and fortune on his own.

This is the first serious poseur I've encountered -- I don't count the homeless people by the side of the road holding out a cup asking for handouts. Some of them might actually be veterans, but I suspect most aren't. But the last veteran I encountered at the same McDonalds was also a Vietnam veteran my age, and he was the real deal. He knew where he had been and he wasn't advertising.

[GigaBuist]

I guess his son, Gecko45, must have gone to the big city to find fame and fortune on his own.

Just to make sure everybody is on the same page, Gecko45 was a persona created by a guy we'd probably all get along with.  I've never met him but I know his main internet handle, his real name, where he works, and that he ate some pavement a couple years back when somebody briefly saw his concealed pistol at a grocery store and the local PD reacted poorly.

Gecko45 isn't real but the guy behind him is pretty solid.  Just keep in mind we're making fun of a FAKE person here.  That's all.

[Balog]

Ohhhhh, I was confusing Gecko45 with gunkid. Carry on...

[Hawkmoon]

No, Gecko45 is the ultimate Mall Ninja.

Punch it into Google ...

[Phantom Warrior]

Fitz:  I like what you did there.  I'm going to remember that one.

[Jamie B]

Just to make sure everybody is on the same page, Gecko45 was a persona created by a guy we'd probably all get along with.  I've never met him but I know his main internet handle, his real name, where he works, and that he ate some pavement a couple years back when somebody briefly saw his concealed pistol at a grocery store and the local PD reacted poorly.

Gecko45 isn't real but the guy behind him is pretty solid.  Just keep in mind we're making fun of a FAKE person here.  That's all.

Wow, that is interesting!
I read the original postings years ago, and thought that it had to be a false persona just for fun.
I had never heard any confirmation like this - quite interesting!
That persona has become interwebz lore for more than a few years now.

Funny stuff! I wish that he had played it out for longer, though, as he had quite an audience.
I cannot remember the original board where it started, but think that it is archived somewhere.

[Jocassee]

Wow, that is interesting!
I read the original postings years ago, and thought that it had to be a false persona just for fun.
I had never heard any confirmation like this - quite interesting!
That persona has become interwebz lore for more than a few years now.

Funny stuff! I wish that he had played it out for longer, though, as he had quite an audience.
I cannot remember the original board where it started, but think that it is archived somewhere.

I think it was Glocktalk or TFL.

[BlueStarLizzard]

Wow, that is interesting!
I read the original postings years ago, and thought that it had to be a false persona just for fun.
I had never heard any confirmation like this - quite interesting!
That persona has become interwebz lore for more than a few years now.

Funny stuff! I wish that he had played it out for longer, though, as he had quite an audience.
I cannot remember the original board where it started, but think that it is archived somewhere.

I wouldn't be suprised if the guy quit due to some people taking it seriously.

Some people don't get jokes, and others don't understand parady, especially when its based on them.

[BlueStarLizzard]

These guys always tell me that they didn't keep their dd214's ... I always ask- making it sound like a weapon. They always fail the test.

How is it that there are all these highly decorated trained operators out there that do not know what a dd214 is?

And just so this non military person can get the joke....

What is this thing you speak of?

[Jamie B]

Discharge, I believe, bsl.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

And just so this non military person can get the joke....

What is this thing you speak of?

It's the shoulder thingy that goes up.

Discharge, I believe, bsl.

Yeah, discharge papers that summarize your service. 
Example:
http://dd214.us/images/dd214-sample-form-lg.jpg