re: Harrisburg police officer wrongly accuses veteran, 75, of 'stolen valor'

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So you are suggesting that an AD Marine outside the maximum/minimum height/weight standard is prohibited from wearing Dress Blues?

I've seen a few fat Marines in Class A's in my time.

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If the fat active duty Marine's Commanding Officer orders that Marine back to the company area, and the uniform for the company area is cammies, then, that fat Marine will retire to the company area and get in the proper uniform.

If the Base Commander issues an order that Marines will wear civilian clothes off base unless they are going to or from the place of duty, in which case they will wear cammies, then that fat Marine will comply.

The fat Marine will be enrolled in a weight control program and given time to lose weight. If he fails, he will be administratively discharged from the USMC.

I suppose that the fat Marine could wear his dress blues for an Official Photograph for his personnel file, but those photos are seen by promotion boards. He could wear his dress blues at home. If his unit participates in some ceremony requiring Dress Blue wear, his Commander could prohibit him from participation and to remain in cammies in the company area.

Yes, Commanders have wide discretion in keeping the fat Marine out of his dress blues.

Most Commanders want their Soldiers and Marines to cut a sharp profile and sharp military appearance, especially in the dress uniform, and they have the authority to make that happen. At least that's how I understand how this works.

But I don't want to continue hi jacking the thread.

Getting back to Mr. Ford. If any of us lived near that place, I hope that we would ask to speak to the Chief of Police and/or Mayor in order to express our concerns about this situation. I would hope that we would take this step.

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You are insufferable, just coming across like a total prick in this thread. No one gives a frick what the marine regs you keep posting are, there are such things as extenuating circumstances- like being 75 years old and at a memorial serice- but since you went ahead and did that let me ask you- those rules apply to the current dress blues. does the story state explicitly anywhere that he was in the current version?

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I agree with you that the police acted stupidly.

I apologize for upsetting you. I hope that the rest of your day proceeds free from further upset.

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those rules apply to the current dress blues.

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This question is logically inconsistent with your declaration that "No one gives a frick what the marine regs you keep posting are", so, I assume that the question is rhetorical, and I suggest that we stop hi jacking the thread. You are acting from pure emotion at this point, I would surmise.

You're an insufferable know it all.

People hate you.

ManBearTiger:

The focus of this thread is on the police officer acting stupidly.

Focus on that.

I get arrested for wearing my civil war uniform all the time.

Spoken like someone who couldn't qualify for the military. Couldn't get in, so you hate everyone that is in.

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and the Soldier should be reprimanded as well.

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These "Stolen Valor" threads have been very constructive for me personally, because it has caused me to give thought to how best to handle these kinds of situations, should I ever encounter one.

How best to "de-fuse" a heated situation when a Vet is acting too much out of anger and emotion while attacking somebody he believes to be a "Stolen Valor" suspect? I'm still thinking about that question. How would "I" de-fuse that situation?

How would "I" approach a person who appeared to me to be "Stolen Valor" suspect, or just someone who appeared in public out of uniform? Good question for me.

My baseline principle for whatever I might say or do is to follow Hippocrates: "First, do no harm." These are emotion-charged situations, and, I can see from this thread that even the best of intentions can be misinterpreted and turn away from something constructive.

Confrontation is the most commonly used method up to now, but, the Vets doing the confronting are all too often doing the "confronting" in too much of an emotional, angry, accusatory and violent fashion. This is, IMHO, the wrong approach. I'm still thinking about what IS the right approach. I'll have to ask around and see what my comrades think.

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Why can't you just leave them alone to live their lives and mind your own business?

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Stout! Believe me, that is the leading solution for me right now!

That approach has great merit. The "Confrontation Approach" is not working. The Vets doing the confronting need to have a "bedside manner" but instead are going in with claws and teeth bared. This doesn't work, as we all can see at this point. I intend to make my opinion known that the "in your face" confrontation approach never works out for the best and should not be used.

I believe that the opinion of the American public is decisive on this question. It's clear that the public considers "in your face" confrontation in this situation to be a complete discredit to the armed services in every way. So, we know for sure the answer to the question: How not to handle the situation? That is completely clear to everyone from all walks of life.