Stolen Valor Case

[navytrooper]

I'm not sure if this is worth bringing up, but there is a guy who claims he is a SGT Michael Collins in the Army Rangers who just recently graduated this spring from the USMA and is currently in Iraq. Is he an imposter? Also..it's on Youtube, which is why I was reluctant to bring it up. I decided to post it here, better to be safe than sorry I suppose..oh and did I mention that SGT Michael Collins is a movie character?

YOUTUBE COMMENT:


YOUTUBE PROFILE:


PROOF THAT THE NAME "SGT MICHAEL COLLINS" IS A MOVIE CHARACTER:



So my questions are:
1) Is he authentic?
2) If not, should action be taken (everyone lies on Youtube, after all)?
2) Is there simply inconclusive evidence?

[SlightlyCatholic]

Well if he graduated from USMA he'd be a 2LT, not a SGT. That's a red flag right there.

[navytrooper]

Originally Posted by Seminarian_Tim

Well if he graduated from USMA he'd be a 2LT, not a SGT. That's a red flag right there.

That's what I thought too. I'm not sure what to do with this, though. I mean, it seems to be small potatoes since it's on Youtube...

[wukong]

Originally Posted by Seminarian_Tim

Well if he graduated from USMA he'd be a 2LT, not a SGT. That's a red flag right there.

Not necessarily so! A graduate can decline a commission or resign a commission. But, he or she will serve a commitment period as an enlisted soldier. The situtation would be news worthy

[navytrooper]

Originally Posted by wukong

Not necessarily so! A graduate can decline a commission or resign a commission. But, he or she will serve a commitment period as an enlisted soldier. The situtation would be news worthy

Well, his profile says he's 21. You can join the USMA from 17-23 years old. Let's say he joined at 17, the youngest age anyone can join at. He graduates after 4 years, right? That means he would be 21, which is his current supposed age. He said he graduated last spring, so his story makes sense so far.

BUT

If he declined his commission after graduating LAST SPRING, how can he make SGT in such a short amount of time?

Anyway once we've established that he's a fake, is this worth following up? I mean, it is Youtube.
And if it is, who do I report this to?

[Drill for life]

lets say it on three

1...

2...

3...

he is a fake, it is illegal to impersonate us military personell but as you said it is youtube. Great thread thoug, all i can tell youto do is is contact someone at youtube and get his profile terminated. That's my two cents.

[navytrooper]

Originally Posted by Drill for life

lets say it on three

1...

2...

3...

he is a fake, it is illegal to impersonate us military personell but as you said it is youtube. Great thread thoug, all i can tell youto do is is contact someone at youtube and get his profile terminated. That's my two cents.

Leave it to Drill to sum up my feelings completely.

Does anyone know who exactly I should talk to?

[Drill for life]

Well I am good at reading Emotions(If you know what I mean)!!! That's just my two cents.

[fjer]

If you leave West Point (resign, separated, ect.), for something that would not prevent you from serving as an enlisted soldier, after the beginning of your 3rd year you have to serve as a non-promotable specialist. No way he could graduate from USMA, resign his commission, and be a Sergeant. You also have to question whether or not he would have been able to complete the training necessary to deploy to Iraq as a ranger.

[navytrooper]

I think that we have enough evidence that we can safely say that he is a fake.




Now what do I do? Drill for Life suggested I contact someone at Youtube to delete this user's account, but quite frankly I have no idea who to talk to. I'd prefer sending an email, but the only contact information is Youtube's company address. There is a way to contact by mail, but it doesn't meet the criteria. It isn't abusing anybody, it isn't copyright infringement, it has nothing to do with technical bugs, and I'm not suggesting any additions to Youtube.