On Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:31:53 GMT, Ed Rasimus
wrote:

On Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:42:44 +0100, "William Black"
wrote:


"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
. ..

Chuck and Mary Shantag, mentioned in the original post, are the
premier sleuths in digging up the facts on these folks. The poseurs
and wannabes are despicable and should be prosecuted to the maximum
extent of the law. Chuck and Mary do a great job of that. They come to
the annual River Rats reunions and are well supported by all of us.

You miss my point.

1. Why do the fakers do it?

For the same reason people steal. They wish to have something of value
which they did not earn.

While they may have devalued military service in general and heroism
in particular they believe as well that they accrue some benefit by
claiming exceptional combat valor, courage and credentials.

Possibly, but bull****ters are more driven by the risk and the
desire to see if they can get away with it. Harry Frankfurt's "On
Bull****" has good insight. (It's a nice read.) Originally
published as an essay in Raritan, it is a book now. About $5 used
on Amazon.

Know your enemy


Peter Skelton