Poser neighbor

2004 my best friend went to P.I. when he got home I gave him a Copy of Gen. Pullers biography. He asked me who the f*** was Chesty Puller and he meant it. He had no clue. Now his old man served two tours North of Da Nang while a Marine. He laid his own son out for not knowing who Chesty Puller was. He then got a hold of my buddies DIs and proceeded to chew them out for allowing his son to graduate without a firm knowledge of Marine Corps History
 
SMOKE top secret is the highest level clearance, but can have attached access qualifications added on. such as Q clearance (nuke), EOPO (eyes of president only), CRYPTO (com.) are just a few.
if you climb mt. everest you can have hot coffee, hot chocolate or brandy.

I understand your explanation but (typical of the military) it makes no sense got it.

Thanks
 
There have been a lot of comments on my comment about security clearance. So, let me give you a little primer on how it works.

There are 4 levels of security; Unclassified, For Official Use Only, Secret and Top Secret. All these classifications mean is how the information is handled. It has to do with what you do when it is not in your immediate possession, how it's transported and who you can tell.

In all of this there is an overarching rule called "need to know". The bottom line here is that you don't tell anyone unless they have a need to know and it doesn't matter what the level is. For example, if you have some information and it's classified as Secret and the General of the base comes in and asks you to tell him what it is, but he doesn't need that information to do his job, you don't tell him.

Further, the guys talking about special access codes are correct. They can come at the Secret or Top Secret levels. You get those codes because you're working on a special project. They include more in-depth background checks and some times monitoring of the holder. There are numerous variants of this depending on the project.

The beauty of this system is that people who really have the clearance, don't ask. They understand the value of security and let you do your job without getting in the way. If the General came to my workplace and wanted to know what I was doing, he would recognize my hesitance right away and move on to another subject.

The easiest way to tell a poser, when talking about security clearance, is what they claim to be privy to. I had a guy tell me once that he had a clearance above Top Secret and that he could get into any place or get any information he wanted at Edwards because he had this clearance. I called him on it right there, but he persisted. Oh well, if it makes you feel important, OK.

Watching the local broadcast of a Cardinals baseball game one night Joe Buck interviewed a Marine returned from Iraq. He congratulated the kid for "winning" the Purple Heart.
It's a mistake in wording, but it also shows a lack of understanding. These guys deserve too much respect for me to insult them by thinking of it as a game. Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Purple Heart and maybe a couple others I can't think of, are all given to those who didn't expect it. They didn't try to get one, they were just in a particular situation they didn't want to be in.

I was a Remington Raider (clerk) during Nam with a training unit. I'm always hesitant when places like my Masonic Lodge ask all the veterans to stand up for recognition. Feel I didn't do all that much.
Don't sell yourself short; you served. It wasn't your choice to not be shot at. Without your efforts the guys on the front lines couldn't do their job as well as they did. Thank you for that service.
 
I just can't understand these people. How could they do something so disgusting. I have failed at many things in my life, and never lived up to my potential. But, I could never just make up stories to convince folks that I was some kind of hero, or lived a fictional tale. Well, except maybe on the forum. (NOT!)
 
I got out of the Army in August, 1977. Other than enlisting to be a tank driver, going to Germany, getting to see Graf and the Alps, re-upping to come back to the States, going to the proving grounds in Yuma AZ & Dugway UT, and volunteering for EOD, I don't remember much else. I do remember it wasn't fun and I counted the days til I got out.
Posers? Fun to screw with until they get mad and run away.

Thats what happened to the kid I busted. Later that night, he finally admitted to my next door neighbor (whom he had thoroughly hooked with his stories finding and deacting IEDs and such) that he slightly embellished his story. One thing (in his mind) that helped his story, was he wore a vintage Army tunic with the woodlands pattern camo along with a boonie hat with the chocolate chip pattern. I remember he said the allowed that to distinguish themselves from those who never served in Iraq and the other sand box.
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. If the General came to my workplace and wanted to know what I was doing, he would recognize my hesitance right away and move on to another subject.

The Crowning moment of my military career was the day I got to tell the ADCM at Fort Carson (Brigadier General Geoff Miller) that I couldn't release patient diagnoses to him due to Hippaa regulations.

He got a little bent but I couldn't do it.
 
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I work as a security guard; this is a “career” field that seems to draw posers like barn yard byproducts draw flies.

A former coworker was especially bad, in one conversation he told me that his only son fell under the Sullivan Law (I will give him credit for getting the name right) and hated the military and would never join. 15 minutes later he tells me his son (gotta be the same “only” son right?) is in Afghanistan and went from PFC to 16Z (Zulu is a designator for senior NCOs who are basically postable to any billet in their MOS like a 13Z could go to any Field Artillery unit)in 6 months.

He hates guns and doesn’t think any security guard should be armed. His reasoning? One night in Alabama he watched a crack team of security guards led by a 19 year old retired Special Forces colonel get wiped out by some drunk red neck with a single shot .410 before a one of them could draw and return fire.

He then told me about a guard he worked with who went in to full scale Tonic Clonic seizures during which he managed to empty a SAA revolver.

He was never in the Army unless he wanted to tell stories about how he and “The Sergeant Major” went around Ft. Jackson (?) South Carolina arresting Colonels (he never clarified what for).

He also assisted the DEA in various small southern towns arresting corrupt sheriffs (as a security guard mind you).

About the most exiting story I have as a security guard is I did a special detail at the USOTC one night where I got to watch the US Women’s Volley Ball team play against Brazil.

Olympic level Volley Ball is still boring but it was fun to watch and how many people get to see an Olympic completion live?
 
Safearm is correct. TS is the highest clearance. The others are selective to limit the number of folks who know about specific programs. The term is 'need to know.'
TS clearances require an extensive background check. Once you are TS cleared you may be granted access to some of the programs on a need to know basis.
One time back in my puppy dogs days, I was assigned to a B-52 Squadron. While waiting to go to upgrade school, **** details loom. I was sent over to the plans vault with another guy to work on combat mission folders. Like in nuking Russia. SAC had some TS maps. These were regular JN -jet navigation maps with a TS overprint. We took a look and said 'We can't work on those.' The plans guy says why not? We ain't got no TS clearance. What? Everybody here has one. We don't. Ours hadn't come through yet. He says- don't move. He goes down the hall to the command section. In a few minutes he returns with a page of paper. It says we now got interim TS clearance, signed by one of the Colonels. Let's make some mission folders!
 
Making stuff up

I wonder about that, when peoples' lives are so empty that they feel the need to stand around and make **** up. :confused]

While driving a truck for a big asphalt company a bunch of us would gather after work and BS. Several guys had been over the road drivers and had lots of "adventures" to relate; heavy loads hauled over treacherous mountain passes;non-stop west coast turnarounds; beating speed traps Smokey and the Bandit stuff. One day a newbie was listening wide eyed, I nudged him and asked if he had any stories to share. He replied "gosh no, I've never done anything as exciting as you guys". I said 'just make something up, that's what we do".

I got the stinkeye from a couple of the guys the others burst out laughing.

Jim in Iowa
 
Those that brag about their imagined made up adventures didn't live it. Those that saw the elephant never brag...

While I'm sure that applies to phony accounts of military adventures, it is just about required that old retired firefighters talk about their career experiences. Usually, all it takes to jump start the tale-telling is a couple of beers, and two or more old firefighters getting together...

By the way, do y'all know the difference between a child's fairy tale and a firefighter's war story? Well, the child's fairy tale always begins with the phrase 'once upon a time...' and the firefighter's war story always begins with the phrase 'Hey, now this is no ****..."

:)
 
I am not sure of other branches of the service, at least for me while serving in the Marines '68-'71, my security clearance was adjusted for every duty station I was at..Need to know..
The highest clearance I had was Secret Crypto..That was the highest clearance available..TS clearances were few and far between during my time in..
Yeah, i was a grunt with a radio (an/prc25) on my back in country ( Nam)...Wound up with 1st Recon, 1st Mar Div...
Just another day taking care of business..;)
As far as "Chesty" Puller..Ya gotta love this guy..My favorite quote among others..

"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of
us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time"
- Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, USMC

Here are others, you might get a kick out of..

http://www.military-quotes.com/chesty-puller.htm
 
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My father used to say "them that talks don't know, and them that knows don't talk."
My memory isn't good enough to lie.
That's why I always tell the sweet young things that I can't talk about it.:D
But since you guys are my friends, I can tell y'all that I was a Navy Otter which is the select group of Seals they pick for the jobs that are too dangerous for the regular Seals like Team 6 ;) Couldn't make the cut for Navy Flounder :(
 
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SMOKE top secret is the highest level clearance, but can have attached access qualifications added on. such as Q clearance (nuke), EOPO (eyes of president only), CRYPTO (com.) are just a few.
if you climb mt. everest you can have hot coffee, hot chocolate or brandy.
You forgot the most important clearance; DTA (don't tell anybody).
 
By the way, do y'all know the difference between a child's fairy tale and a firefighter's war story? Well, the child's fairy tale always begins with the phrase 'once upon a time...' and the firefighter's war story always begins with the phrase 'Hey, now this is no ****..."

I understand that's how sea stories begin, too. :D

SMOKE, how the emulsified HELL do you meet all these outlandish people? Are you an idiot magnet?

If so, I can sympathize to a degree. I worked in mental health for many years. But you encounter some real beauties.
 
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I once knew a guy, who had such a problem with telling the truth, that he would cheat at Monopoly. You know, if you've played the game enough, you remember what the rent is for most of the properties. You would land on his property, and he would tell you a bogus amount. What a creep.
 
I wonder about that, when peoples' lives are so empty that they feel the need to stand around and make **** up. :confused:

While driving a truck for a big asphalt company a bunch of us would gather after work and BS. Several guys had been over the road drivers and had lots of "adventures" to relate; heavy loads hauled over treacherous mountain passes;non-stop west coast turnarounds; beating speed traps Smokey and the Bandit stuff. One day a newbie was listening wide eyed, I nudged him and asked if he had any stories to share. He replied "gosh no, I've never done anything as exciting as you guys". I said 'just make something up, that's what we do".

I got the stinkeye from a couple of the guys the others burst out laughing.

Jim in Iowa

I've been a diesel mechanic since 1997.... Or was it 1922? :D

I know all about truck driver BS stories. ;) :D
 
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