Phony Marine Hero Faces 60 Years
I read about this guy recently in the Arizona Republic about how he impersonated a marine hero, wearing the Navy Cross, crashing Marine Corps Ball's and who, as it turns out, is not only NOT a marine hero but a complete phony! Seems he never got any closer to serving in the miltary than the one time a corporal ate in the same Taco Bell he worked in. Do you find that statement offensive? Am I guilty of racial profiling? Maybe, but it's not nearly as offensive as what he did, claiming falsely the honor of wearing one of our country's highest military awards. One thing the story didn't touch on at all was, is this Rodriguez even in this country legally? Being from Arizona I have a right to know.
"Sgt." John Rodriguez, a hispanic man convicted this month of up to 12 counts of forgery and fraud for impersonating a marine hero and Navy Cross winner, has flown the coop. This after posting bail and then not showing up in court to answer his accusers. Just a tad suspicious behavior for a "hero" with the Navy Cross.
I sit here stunned that someone like this could have gotten away with with impersonating a marine but the really shocking thing about it is how long he was able to perpetuate the charade. Now you know ol Duke (my choc lab) here is pulling your leg with his impersonation of a marine general officer, pretty obvious actually because after all, he is a dog. Has racial profiling infiltrated the military? Were other marines afraid to question the heroism of a hispanic man? Excuse me, wasn't it profiling that the FBI used successfully in investigations that lead to the capture of serial killers like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy? Havn't all of our police officers been trained in profiling so that crimes can be prevented before they happen. I see nothing racial about profiling, law enforcement lives by it.
Seems Mr. Rodriguez here went a bit deeper than your ordinary military hero impersonator, he did just a bit more than don a hero's medals on a surplus marine blouse. No, he actually went as far as to gain access and train with real marines at Camp Pendleton! AND he even crashed the Marine Corps Ball. But c'mon, somebody must have engaged him in a conversation somewhere?It didn't take these cops in the video long to figure out Eddie Murphy's gag.
It beats me how he got away with it becuase if he ever had a one on one conversation with a real marine they would have figured him out in a heartbeat. marines know how to spot other marines, it's in the eyes, body language, especially marines who saw combat. Heck, there is this guy in my support group of PTSD addled Vietnam combat vets, name of Jim. Heck of a nice guy and even though he was an officer I like the guy. This military impersonation thing really gets to Jim, makes him see red. And if he sees a guy in the airport or anywhere in public sporting the colors, regardless of branch, Jim sidles up to say howdy, and just like that – in about 30 seconds Jim either has a new friend or the guy will wish he had never even thought of putting on those medals!
I think the Vietnam vets (me included) get offended a bit easier than other war vets because we had to hide what we did just to try and live a normal life once discharged. World opinion was against what we had done and it was the best course to just lower your head and go forward. Just becuase my dog wears the uniform of a marine hero does that make him one? No disrespect for the Marine Corps intended, I just use it to emphasize my point and the ridiculousness of what this guy did by wearing the uniform and medals of a marine hero – when in fact he was a total fraud – never served at all! How could this guy slip by undetected with a NAVY CROSS around his neck at a MARINE CORPS BALL?!
Duke, my chocolate lab here is my best buddy, he saw my uniform hanging in the closet and just had to have one of his own. But jeez Duke, don't you think you overdid it a little? When Jim sees this off to doggy prison you must go! Does this impersonation thing have to go as far as the outragious behavior of Eddie Murphy's hilarious performance as in Trading Places.
All kidding aside, this is no laughing matter, the FBI estimates that since 911 there are about 50 people a month claiming to be a vet when they wouldn't know the difference between an irish pennant hanging down over maggies drawers didn't even sniff a didnt serve. Gives them some respect. My friend Jim, the Army 1st looey I was telling you about, he was shot, no, not friendly fire, but the real deal, on a patrol commanding a platoon. Heavy stuff and when he suspects a guy to be wearing the uniform falsely, whoo look out!
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I know that President Obama has already gotten enough grief from the Navy Corpsmen for his mis-pronunciation of corpsmen but I just couldn't resist giving him a jab of my own for what he did to my Marine Corps (pronounced "core"), not corpse.
The Marine of the Month for January 2010 is Donald John Riley 1925 – 2004, United States Marine Corps, Combat Service in the Pacific, 1943 – 1945 and the man that inspired a wonderful concept, that of Honoring The Life, Service and Bravery of Veterans, One Frame At A Time.
