thedrifter
02-26-06, 09:15 AM
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Features And Opinions
Hero wannabes’ photographic imagination
Sunday, February 26, 2006 12:16 AM MST
COMMENTARY BY LEE BASNAR
HERALD/REVIEW
Retired Army officer Drew Dix and I met at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga., in 1969. As former noncommissioned officers who had received direct commissions, we became acquainted while attending the Infantry Officer Basic Course. Staff Sergeant Dix earned the Medal of Honor (MOH) in Vietnam during the 1968 Tet Offensive, and President Lyndon Johnson had presented the medal to him in the White House shortly before we met. Dix tells his remarkable story in his book, “The Rescue of River City.”
The former Special Forces soldier is one of the calmest men I’ve ever known, but he was agitated when he called to talk with me about imposters. He loves soldiers and veterans, but he detests the phony heroes who brag about their imagined exploits in Vietnam. Dix says the phonies are “wannabes with photographic imagination.”
Many who served in Vietnam have met men who allege they performed clandestine missions in Southeast Asia. Some claim they were awarded the MOH under a different name because of the secrecy of their missions. Most profess to have been “Green Berets,” so-called because of the distinctive headgear that was adopted in the 1960s. Real Special Forces soldiers seldom refer to themselves as green berets, Dix said. Other wannabes claim they were Navy SEALS. Regardless of their claims, they say they can’t talk about their experiences because their missions were secret.
Many Vietnam-era soldiers who served in elite units still network with each other, and even if they haven’t met, they know the names of their compatriots. They often uncover phonies by asking them to identify the Special Forces or SEAL class they trained with and by requiring the imposters to name some of their classmates.
The incident that tripped Dix’s trigger involved a resident of Cochise County. The imposter reported someone he thought was a phony. Turns out that the man he reported was a real former Special Forces soldier, and the wannabe ended up being exposed.
The president of the Special Forces Association is taking action to expel the phony from the local chapter, according to Dix.
Although the phonies’ claims seem trivial, they detract from the heroic efforts of the ordinary Vietnam combat soldiers. The “grunts,” as infantrymen refer to themselves, performed admirably, for the most part, day after day in the jungles and rice paddies of Vietnam. They earned their Combat Infantryman Badge, and many were true heroes whose exploits weren’t recorded. Consequently, they didn’t receive well-deserved awards for bravery. Many who served well and returned to civilian life were draftees. Most Vietnam vets seldom talk about their experiences.
The phonies weren’t ordinary grunts. Such a claim wouldn’t elevate them to hero status, in their view. Therefore, the pseudo-heroes can’t talk about their secret missions, but they want everyone to believe they were special. Many of them never went to Vietnam, or, if they did, they never served in the field. “The wannabes tell better stories than we do,” Dix said.
Dix mentioned an incident he observed during a MOH convention in Branson, Mo. A man in a wheel chair wheeled himself into the foyer of the convention hall. An FBI agent challenged the man, asking him where he was going. When the man said he was attending the convention, the agent — who apparently recognized the phony in the wheelchair — said, “No, you’re not.” When the man insisted, the agent told him to leave or he would be forcefully removed from the building. The wannabe in the wheelchair stood up and strode away.
Drew and I chatted about the current war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not all recipients of valor awards serve in the combat arms. “Some of the heroes in our current war are truck drivers and military policemen,” he said.
A few clandestine warriors may be employed on secret missions in both theaters of operation, and we may never hear about their exploits. However, phonies and wannabes will emerge from the current war just as they did from the Vietnam era. Uncovering today’s phonies will be a task for today’s soldiers.
Hundreds of phonies claim to be Vietnam War heroes. At least two of those wannabes reside in Cochise County. Some of us know their names.
LEE BASNAR may be reached at basnar@cox.net or by writing the Herald/Review, 102 Fab Ave., Sierra Vista AZ 85635. His column appears every other Sunday
Ellie
Features And Opinions
Hero wannabes’ photographic imagination
Sunday, February 26, 2006 12:16 AM MST
COMMENTARY BY LEE BASNAR
HERALD/REVIEW
Retired Army officer Drew Dix and I met at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga., in 1969. As former noncommissioned officers who had received direct commissions, we became acquainted while attending the Infantry Officer Basic Course. Staff Sergeant Dix earned the Medal of Honor (MOH) in Vietnam during the 1968 Tet Offensive, and President Lyndon Johnson had presented the medal to him in the White House shortly before we met. Dix tells his remarkable story in his book, “The Rescue of River City.”
The former Special Forces soldier is one of the calmest men I’ve ever known, but he was agitated when he called to talk with me about imposters. He loves soldiers and veterans, but he detests the phony heroes who brag about their imagined exploits in Vietnam. Dix says the phonies are “wannabes with photographic imagination.”
Many who served in Vietnam have met men who allege they performed clandestine missions in Southeast Asia. Some claim they were awarded the MOH under a different name because of the secrecy of their missions. Most profess to have been “Green Berets,” so-called because of the distinctive headgear that was adopted in the 1960s. Real Special Forces soldiers seldom refer to themselves as green berets, Dix said. Other wannabes claim they were Navy SEALS. Regardless of their claims, they say they can’t talk about their experiences because their missions were secret.
Many Vietnam-era soldiers who served in elite units still network with each other, and even if they haven’t met, they know the names of their compatriots. They often uncover phonies by asking them to identify the Special Forces or SEAL class they trained with and by requiring the imposters to name some of their classmates.
The incident that tripped Dix’s trigger involved a resident of Cochise County. The imposter reported someone he thought was a phony. Turns out that the man he reported was a real former Special Forces soldier, and the wannabe ended up being exposed.
The president of the Special Forces Association is taking action to expel the phony from the local chapter, according to Dix.
Although the phonies’ claims seem trivial, they detract from the heroic efforts of the ordinary Vietnam combat soldiers. The “grunts,” as infantrymen refer to themselves, performed admirably, for the most part, day after day in the jungles and rice paddies of Vietnam. They earned their Combat Infantryman Badge, and many were true heroes whose exploits weren’t recorded. Consequently, they didn’t receive well-deserved awards for bravery. Many who served well and returned to civilian life were draftees. Most Vietnam vets seldom talk about their experiences.
The phonies weren’t ordinary grunts. Such a claim wouldn’t elevate them to hero status, in their view. Therefore, the pseudo-heroes can’t talk about their secret missions, but they want everyone to believe they were special. Many of them never went to Vietnam, or, if they did, they never served in the field. “The wannabes tell better stories than we do,” Dix said.
Dix mentioned an incident he observed during a MOH convention in Branson, Mo. A man in a wheel chair wheeled himself into the foyer of the convention hall. An FBI agent challenged the man, asking him where he was going. When the man said he was attending the convention, the agent — who apparently recognized the phony in the wheelchair — said, “No, you’re not.” When the man insisted, the agent told him to leave or he would be forcefully removed from the building. The wannabe in the wheelchair stood up and strode away.
Drew and I chatted about the current war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not all recipients of valor awards serve in the combat arms. “Some of the heroes in our current war are truck drivers and military policemen,” he said.
A few clandestine warriors may be employed on secret missions in both theaters of operation, and we may never hear about their exploits. However, phonies and wannabes will emerge from the current war just as they did from the Vietnam era. Uncovering today’s phonies will be a task for today’s soldiers.
Hundreds of phonies claim to be Vietnam War heroes. At least two of those wannabes reside in Cochise County. Some of us know their names.
LEE BASNAR may be reached at basnar@cox.net or by writing the Herald/Review, 102 Fab Ave., Sierra Vista AZ 85635. His column appears every other Sunday
Ellie