Military fakers get busted

[USMCRET6391]

By John Hoellwarth
Times staff writer

There was something odd about the way 1st Sgt. David Blake ditty-bopped through the pedestrian traffic of New York City’s Times Square in his dress blues.

Reserve Gunnery Sgt. Alex Kitsakos, a New York City cop drilling at the Corps’ public affairs office in Manhattan over Memorial Day weekend, said he “noticed someone, not a Marine, but someone in a Marine uniform walking with no character, no bearing.”

Kitsakos called out to the first sergeant, who he saw only from the back through the pedestrian traffic. Blake stopped and turned to face the gunny, who said he knew right then that Blake was a poser.

He was sporting six hash marks on each sleeve and three or four days’ growth on his face, Kitsakos said. On his uniform, he wore gold jump wings, the Navy Cross, Silver Star, three Purple Hearts and a single Combat Action Ribbon atop his 27-award stack.

Things already weren’t adding up. But when Blake addressed the gunny as “sir,” the faker sealed his fate.

Kitsakos said Blake initially tried to say he was assigned to one of the Navy ships in town for Fleet Week. When asked what ship, Blake hesitated.

“I looked him in the eye and said, ‘You’re not a Marine,’” Kitsakos said. “I was livid.”

Kitsakos pulled Blake off the street into an Internet café and gave him a tongue lashing that ended when Blake surrendered his cover, dress blue coat and driver’s license. When Blake tried to explain that he runs a youth organization whose members wear the uniforms, Kitsakos told him he could pick up his ID at the Marine Corps’ office after Fleet Week if he brought all the youths — and their uniforms — with him.

The irate gunny sent Blake back out onto the street wearing dress blue pants and a T-shirt.

“You know how many people have died for this uniform?” Kitsakos asked. “If I find anyone else in this uniform as an impostor, they can expect to be walking around New York in their underwear.”

When contacted by Marine Corps Times, Blake said he didn’t want to talk about the incident.

Kitsakos called the FBI. Then he hung Blake’s coat — the trophy of his fresh kill — in the Marine public affairs office.

Between the public’s increased wartime reverence for valor and the ease of ordering proof of combat heroism over the Internet, FBI Special Agent Tom Cottone, who has been busting phonies since 1995, said fakers now are “coming out of the woodwork.”

The FBI has 20 cases pending against military fakers. This year alone, the bureau has launched a dozen investigations, which, if the pace keeps up, would double last year’s caseload.

And a lot of them seem to be Marines. Since January, at least eight cases of Marines embellishing their rank and awards or civilians impersonating Marines have been busted by newspapers, Marines or other freelance fraud-finders. Those who observe the practice suggest there are likely hundreds more.

[AmericanGirl]

lol... now if they could only still tar and feather these people...

[Brad]

- I don't know, taking the uniform then and there and sending them out on the street in their underwear sounds pretty good, too...

[AmericanGirl]

LOL! Yeah they wanted attention, they will definitely get it from running around in their underwear... but at least a big sticker that says BUSTED for being a POSER! would be infinitely more amusing!

[Vulture6]

He's lucky the only thing busted was his charade, and not his face, legs, arms...

[USMC Chuter]

Good on the Gunny for taking care of business!

[ClutterbusterNY]

Guess he thought he could get away with it and blend right in as NYC is always awash with Marines and Sailors during Fleet Week.
Not surprised that the "walk" gave him away. I wonder how many grateful New Yorkers thanked him for his service or bought him a beer?
Hope he gets a fine at least!

[cincymarsdad]

Last year I noticed a short haired young man, wife, and one of their parents at a restaurant. The young man had "military bearing" - not in uni. When the opp presented itself such that I wasn't disruptive, I asked, and he said he was Air Force, in the B2 program. When I said I had a son, a Marine, deployed, he gave me a B2 challenge coin - he was an officer in the maintenance area, which I can imagine is pretty sophisticated.

Point being if you can spot real military men/women in civvies, you can spot the posers in unis pretty equally.

Fun story though. The Gunny showed good judgment in how he handled the situation, I think.

This is a crime, is it not? I believe in Hollywood they apply for some sort of dispensation in shooting movies to get legal authority.