Local Hero Poised To Make Good

[NIN]

Some may remember the tale of (former) CAP member Michele Anderson-Tesla (or is it Tesla-Anderson?) from Virginia.

If not, allow me to refresh your memory:
http://captalk.net/index.php?topic=16176.msg311322#msg311322

Seems that the folks over at the blog "This Ain't Hell" are running their (semi?) annual "Stolen Valor" tournament (kinda like the NCAA basketball brackets, but for people who lie about their service or lack thereof) and Ms. Telsa-Anderson-Tesla has made quite a showing through several rounds of voting and is poised to make it into the "Final Four"

http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=36751

Lovely.

[Private Investigator]

http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=36751

Lovely.

Now that is beaucoup dinky dao!   

[ProdigalJim]

This woman is like a bad lunch...she keeps coming up.

Every time someone is reminded of this doofus, it's just that little incremental bit harder for the rest of us trying to deal with agencies and peers. "Hey, didn't you guys have that Chelle person..?" And it goes downhill from there.

...sigh...

[Bobble]

This woman is like a bad lunch...she keeps coming up.

Every time someone is reminded of this doofus, it's just that little incremental bit harder for the rest of us trying to deal with agencies and peers. "Hey, didn't you guys have that Chelle person..?" And it goes downhill from there.

...sigh...

Well, for some of this, CAP has met the enemy and he is us (thanks, Pogo).

Anyone who didn't run as fast as possible and as far as possible from her, like your hair was on fire and fire ants were taking up residence in your boxer shorts, when the news broke has no one to blame but themselves.

1) No one in her CoC (from Squadron to Group to Wing) asked for or checked for backup documentation regarding her military service claims?

2) She continued on in her roles/assignments as an administrator for two Facebook CAP discussion pages even after the news broke.  Yes, the pages were not officially sanctioned by CAP, but anyone on the outside looking in would be right to question the judgement of allowing her to interact, even via electronic media/communications,  with CAP cadets at that point, especially wrt to the **WG Aerospace Education FB page,

3) From what I've heard, her CAP CoC allowed her to end her association with CAP via resignation, instead of 2B'ing her for her obvious breach of CAP Core Values (CAPR 35-3, Sect. B, 4, b, [2] and [6]).  Correct me if I'm wrong.  If true, that's pretty weak sauce.  And,

4) CAP membership assigned to the **WG CoC were still insisting as of April 12, 2013, that the investigation into Ms. Chelle-Michelle Anderson Tesla-Anderson-Tesla's military service claims were still on-going, despite the fact that the TAH article detailing her service record falsifications had been posted on November 5, 2012, FOIA documents included. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Oscar?

[NIN]

To be fair to the units that she encountered, it probably went like this:

She transferred from Texas as part of a family PCS move (fact)
She tells people she's a [however many] year veteran of CAP (fact)
She shows up in her uniform wearing all this stuff and nobody questions it, assuming that her prior unit vetted what she was wearing.

Who is going to march up to someone they just saw at a Wing Conference and go "Hey, nice purple heart. Gimme your orders.."?

As for the last thing, well, thats the ostrich effect to a point. Doesn't make it right, especially if they were presented the FOIA records (NVM the Pentagon spokesperson..)

[NCRblues]

To be fair to the units that she encountered, it probably went like this:

She transferred from Texas as part of a family PCS move (fact)
She tells people she's a [however many] year veteran of CAP (fact)
She shows up in her uniform wearing all this stuff and nobody questions it, assuming that her prior unit vetted what she was wearing.

Who is going to march up to someone they just saw at a Wing Conference and go "Hey, nice purple heart. Gimme your orders.."?

As for the last thing, well, thats the ostrich effect to a point. Doesn't make it right, especially if they were presented the FOIA records (NVM the Pentagon spokesperson..)

BUT..and a big but here...she already had issues and run in's in TXWG, to include incidents with cadets at an encampment where she was asked to leave and never return, as well as questions about her "service" even then.

The receiving units in a transfer should always make contact with the old unit.

[NIN]

<snip>
The receiving units in a transfer should always make contact with the old unit.

Don't disagree, but in a routine transfer situation, most units are not going to look at gift horse in the mouth when a new person comes in the door.

[Eclipse]

Don't disagree, but in a routine transfer situation, most units are not going to look at gift horse in the mouth when a new person comes in the door.

That's the problem - too many units are so desperate for people that anyone new is considered "good", and that doesn't include the misguided commanders
who think the number on their roster means something and will take everyone else's castoffs and empty shirts, then wonder why their unit is in constant drama.

The first thing I do when someone wants to transfer is ask "why?", the second is contact their previous unit or assignment.  The harder it is to get
simpler answers and information, the more likely there is a "history".

As noted, there is far too little of that in CAP, whether the moves are lateral or vertical.

I'm also inclined to be cynical and suspicious of everyone, and have found the more "excited" people are to share their accomplishments,
especially early on, the more likely they are suspect or have self-esteem issues.  The people I know who are the most accomplished and capable,
both within and outside of CAP, tend to not need to be too vocal about BTDT, since what they are actually doing now is evidence of where
they have been.

[Devil Doc]

I can tell you this My CC wanted to see my DD-214 First thing before I can even tell people I was Military. He also made a copy for him, and for other people who question it. He was on point making sure I was Legit before he let me around cadets.

[abdsp51]

I found this interesting that no one within the organization tried to verify the claims she made.  To add insult to injury she made local media attention where she is/was living in VA about the tattered flag at her apartment complex.  In that story they made sure to put emphasis she was a vet and a Purple Heart vet at that.  When the station was contacted they ended up having to retract that bit of information and aired an apology. 

I can tell ya if someone came into my squadron with a bunch of chest candy there will be some digging into it to verify the validity of it.

[NIN]

The other side of this coin is that very seldom is someone in charge in CAP willing to stand up and ask hard questions or take a difficult membership action without obvious wrongdoing.

You bend an airplane hot dogging outside of 60-1? Yeah, you're gonna get spanked.

You do something bad CPP wise? Yep, out you go.

But someone saying "Hey, are you sure Major Disaster's Distinguished Flying Cross is legit?" is often met with "Why do I care?"

Again, I can see how these things happen: guy transfers from Wing A to Wing B, has been in CAP for 10+ years and is a Captain.  AF vet, has a couple bits of AF fruit salad on the uniform. "Yeah, I flew C-130s in the 80s and got caught up in all the post- Gulf War draw downs during the Clinton years.."  You probably wouldn't think twice about it. I might not even (well, nowadays I would).

When I moved from one wing to another, I showed up as a recently promoted Major and a full deck of Army & CAP fruit salad. Nobody batted an eye.  My hand-carried 201 did not contain my DD-214 or my NGB Form 22.   Suddenly I was the Deputy Commander for Cadets...

Then again, maybe a -214 was asked for and provided.   And the guy looking at the 214 had NO idea what he was looking at.  Or it was doctored and the guy looking at it had no idea how to determine that.

We've even had conversations about this right here: http://captalk.net/index.php?topic=12787.0

Bottom line is: CAP regs really don't require it, so if its "just a good idea" do you really think ANY unit in the US is doing this on a regular basis?  Or just when they get that "this guy is hinky" feeling?

[UH60guy]

I know her situation was a little different in the fact that she bragged about the Purple Heart and such but...

Maybe the reason this slips under the radar is because of how (many) Senior Members don't wear their ribbons regularly- I think I've only worn mine twice in my time in CAP- for an encampment banquet and graduation. And, as I am active duty Army, that rack included a bunch of non-CAP stuff. No one asked me to verify it. I'm not debating whether they should have or not, that's a whole other discussion, but maybe because they're rarely worn no one bothers to look into it?

[Private Investigator]

The other side of this coin is that very seldom is someone in charge in CAP willing to stand up and ask hard questions or take a difficult membership action without obvious wrongdoing.

But someone saying "Hey, are you sure Major Disaster's Distinguished Flying Cross is legit?" is often met with "Why do I care?"

Nobody wants to be the bad guy. But the way I look at it if you can not be the "bad guy" then do not volunteer to be Commander or Deputy Commander. JMHO YMMV   

[Майор Хаткевич]

Has anyone ever run into a real vet that got pissed for checking? I would assume that they would appreciate people not giving posers a chance...

[jimmydeanno]

Don't forget to vote!

[Devil Doc]

IMO, if a vet gets pissed because you are Fact Checking him, he/she is hiding something.

[Eclipse]

IMO, if a vet gets pissed because you are Fact Checking him, he/she is hiding something.

My experience has been that the look on their face and first sentence out of their mouth when you raise the issue answers the question.

[NIN]

IMO, if a vet gets pissed because you are Fact Checking him, he/she is hiding something.

I fake-checked a Navy SEAL at the DZ once. He was legit.

He said "You're faker-checking me, aren't you?" and I admitted I was.  He then rattled off his BUD/S class #, his boat captain, swim buddies, etc.

years later, I got introduced to another guy at my DZ, and a week or two after that,  someone said "Dave was a Navy SEAL.." 

I immediately got my radar up (I've met 20-30 SEALs in my life... all but 2 were fake, so my percentages are poor) and faker-checked him. He laughed and said "You're fake-checking me, aren't you?" and then told me his BUD/S class numbers and dates, swim buddies and even offered phone numbers for two active duty master chiefs who could verify his claim.

He was the other of the two.

[JeffDG]

IMO, if a vet gets pissed because you are Fact Checking him, he/she is hiding something.

Well...it might get a bit tiresome if every place you went decided that because you told a story about something or another, that they then had to run a full background check on you.

[UH60guy]

Not to mention, when I retire, I don't personally plan on carrying my DD-214 everywhere I go. VA and the Army are lousy about keeping my social security number off things, so why would I want to add to the risk? Sure I could alter it to black that out, but now I'm carrying around an altered document that may make me look like a faker.

Out of curiosity, has anyone tried fake checking someone on active duty? As someone there myself, I don't have the DD-214 to show off- it's only issued at separation. Other ducuments like my Officer Record Brief list awards, but also have more information than I care to share with every random inquisitor not on official business. I wonder if uninformed fake-checkers ever cry foul when someone on active duty (who will not have a DD-214) can't produce that specific document?

IMO the problem is usually best avoided by me not going around trying to prove how awesome I am.