Rhode Island Rep. Lied About Military Service

Let's add this one to the Big Book Of Scandal Management: If you have a run-in with the law, do not explain it away by pretending to have fought in a war you didn't fight in. Rhode Island State Rep. Daniel Gordon is learning that one the hard way; Gordon was arrested recently on charges that he was involved in a 2008 police chase in Massachusetts. The arrest brought to light a four-month jail stint he'd served in 1999 for assault.

Amid calls for his resignation, Gordon said his problems were the result of alcoholism, which in turn was caused by PTSD suffered in the Gulf War. But the AP obtained his military records, and discovered that though he'd been a military aircraft technician, he'd never been near a battlefield—his only overseas assignment was in Japan. WPRI 12 then discovered that he hadn't been awarded the Purple Heart either, further puncturing his story that he'd been wounded by shrapnel in Baghdad.

News Source

So another politician lies about military service. I just don't get it. Do loads of people lie about military service and awards and such? Or is there something about politicians and this particular type of lie?

Round up of other politicians lying about military service, here.

I suppose that explains why we can't get a good 'Stolen Valor' law to stick anywhere. If the people passing it aren't in violation of the law themselves, they probably know someone who is. What a sorry state of affairs and a slap to everyone who did go and do their time overseas somewhere.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I hadn't heard of that law, and though I'm not a fan of making laws for the sake of law, this one sounds very reasonable. No kidding though, how can something come to pass when those charged with voting for it are the ones breaking it.

More info on Stolen Valor Act (overturned in August 2010)

But the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit begs to differ. In a decision released on Tuesday, the three-judge panel, based in San Francisco, declared the law unconstitutional because it infringed on the defendant’s freedom of speech, even if it was false. That defendant, Xavier Alvarez, had claimed to be a Marine and a winner of the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award. He was neither.

NY Times source

This reminds of my days hitting up the NYC bar scene after work. I'm a Marine, a grunt specifically (0311), but I never saw combat and never was awarded anything along the likes. I'm also honarably DD214'd now.

Anyways, at the bars I get talking to people and those in the military would sometimes have the most outrageous stories of valor and heroic deeds. After a few beers and more questioning by a fellow serviceman, sometimes these people would fess up that it's a lie they tell to get girls.

The moral of this story is, whenever I hear of someone who claims to be a war hero I am immediately skeptical of their claims. I say to myself, "that's great, now proof it."

But politicians, men especially, have be found or at least perceived to enter political office as a move to gain power (unlike women who are more likely become politicians for the betterment of their community). I wonder, since many of these men took the career path to politics (good college, law degree or advanced degree, local government involvement, state government involvement, federal...) if the time they spent in this career path doesn't allow them to serve the military, but they see military service as necessary to bolster their competency and credibility for office - so they lie.

I don't know. It's just odd to me.

Source for men vs. women in politics: www.stanford.edu...

Just for the sake of conversation on this, I've found an outstanding way of outing losers and it need not just apply for the military. I first came up with this little test when starting my trucking career because that industry seems to get at least it's fair share of village idiots claiming to be Einstein in disguise and I'm rather proud of some of the more odd and diverse things I've done in life. People claiming similar things without earning it just piss me off to no end.

Anyway... In trucking and with other topics I decide to put time into learning about..I look for the little things. The little details that are every-day, daily life type common to someone whose been there or done it but for those who haven't, such a thing is actually too common to make it into books, movies or whatever else the public would normally see. Trucking is fairly easy..because every city has it's little quirks on it's major highways that only locals really know about. As a Trucker, that knowledge is part of the job for dozens of cities. It makes a quick B.S. test, among a few other details.

My late father told me a handful of things about Vietnam in a similar way and a co-driver who was stationed outside Mogadishu when the battle happened was priceless on that whole place's 'little details'. If we can't pass a law to stop it, we can at least call B.S. when we see it can label a liar to be what they are for all to see.

As with just about anything in life, there's a continuum here, Some people who never served say they did, while some who served embellish their record. And this, too, can go from empathetic overreach to outright fraud.

From what I read about him, this guy seems to have some serious mental/emotional issues. The voters elected an admittedly unstable guy, which does happen from time to time, but, again, some officials are harmless and responsible while others, like this official, have a past and current record that says otherwise.


reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Ahh, the old smell test. Yes, details the bs'er can't provide.

reply to post by Jason88


What a fricken looser. Is this becomming more common? I seem to recall a few other jack offs doing the same thing. This is about the lowest you can go - what a bum.

CJ