If you do, I'd love to know his name.Why am I asking? Well... I'm kinda sorta suspicious that perhaps he's not who he's dressed to be.
This picture was taken 12 December at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, as the Victory Party for now-Mayor Annise Parker
Leave aside I can't think of anyone with *two* Distinguished Service Crosses (the second highest valor award) and British SAS wings, and who wears a *CIA* liver badge (as we call those things that aren't on the lapel... and that in order for him to have a Combat Infantryman's Badge with *two* stars on it means he would have had to have earned his *first* one during the Korean conflict. In fact, I was rather unaware that there *was* a CIA liver badge. They usually don't advertise that kind of stuff.
That and he's dressed as a Brigadier General. Only Colonels and below can earn the CIB. Which means he would pretty much had to have been, charitably, a brigade commander during the March on Baghdad... and given the need for Korean War era service, that would mean a combat brigade commander in his... late 60's at best. If we're being charitable and assume he earned his first CIB when he was 18. The criteria for subsequent awards are... byzantine. From AR 600-8-22, Military Awards:
f. Second and third awards of the CIB are indicated by superimposing 1 and 2 stars respectively, centered at the top of the badge between the points of the oak wreath. To date, a separate award of the CIB has been authorized for qualified Soldiers in the following qualifying periods:1) World War II (7 December 1941 to 3 September 1945)
(2) The Korean Conflict (27 June 1950 to 27 July 1953).
(3) The Republic of Vietnam Conflict. Service in the Republic of Vietnam conflict (2 March 1961 to 28 March 1973) combined with qualifying service in Laos; Dominican Republic; Korea on the DMZ; El Salvador; Grenada; Joint Security Area, Panmunjom, Korea; Panama; Southwest Asia Conflict; and Somalia, regardless of whether a Soldier has served one or multiple tours in any or all of these areas. The Republic of Vietnam Conflict Era officially terminated on 10 March 1995.
(4) War on Terrorism (Afghanistan, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM) and (Iraq, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM).
g. Subsequent awards of the CIB is not authorized for the same qualifying period, as outlined above.
In other words, he had to have earned that first CIB in by 1953 at the latest. The Auld Soldier, my father, was 21 when Korea started. He died last year at age 80. The liklihood of this gentleman being an actual Brigadier General of the United States Army with all that fruit salad and none of my usual pack of thieves and cut-throats knowing him and looking that good for the age required to have accumulated all that stuff... well, makes me wonder if he isn't perhaps... padding his resumé?
I mean, all that iron - Airborne, Air Assault, Pathfinder, 3 CIBs and... no Ranger tab? I guess *that* would have been going too far.
I admit, I have lost track of the number of Brigadiers, active or reserve, retired or not, who have... soul patches for facial hair.
Mind you, a fair number of my less-than-charitable bretheren and sisteren are just calling this guy a poseur.
Blackfive Boston Maggie Bouhammer CDR Salamander From My Position Hooah Wife Kiss My Gumbo A Soldier's Perspective This Ain't Hell, for example.
Me? I'm sure this guy's legit. I just wanna know his name so I can shake his hand.
Yep. That's it.
[Update] Someone at the ABC affiliate in Houston is a fan of the 'Phibian, so local news is going to look into the story. Methinks our Brigadier is about to be the recipient of a lot of attention he wasn't banking on. There's a lesson here, boys and girls. Don't wear the uniform unless you earned the right to, and if you did - wear what you earned. Even if all you did was shovel shite in Louisiana, that was honorable service.
However, to my 60 year old eyes he's too young to be a BG and the facial hair is definitely a no-go at his station for any Gerenral Officer in my Army. But then, what do I know? I got passed over for O-5.
Maybe the Quartermaster Store had a sale?
I was an over-paid 11B10, not a PAC clerk.
Ever read B.G. Burkett and Glenna Whitley's "Stolen Valor"? Nice case study for the sequel......
Are you sure it's his hand you want to shake? That pencil-neck is calling out to me to reach out and touch it.
Fred - possibly, I'm willing to entertain even probably.
Still an illegal wearing of the uniform.
Anyone able to get onto AKO white pages and see if there is indeed a "Retired BG" with this D-bag's name listed there?
No CAC login capability at the moment here..
I suspect it's rather like Fred is suggesting... he appears from his Friendster entry to be gay (not in and of itself an issue, unless he was active duty) and he was at the victory party of the first openly gay mayor of Houston, so I'm guessing the defense will be "satirical mocking of the anti-gay military" or somesuch.
If he thinks he was put0upon when he was in uniform (if, in fact, he EVER was) then he ain't seen nothing yet.
Man deserves to be in prison, for sure.
I'm an Air Force guy who's dealt with both Army and Air Force 4-stars, so a lot of stuff on a uniform, especially an Army one, and especially an Army Mess Dress one, doesn't necessarily shock me. In fact, I for one am the last to judge Army protocol on uniform stuff--they always out a lot more stuff one their outfits than we do, anyway, usually half of which I have to ask, "What's that one for?. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
HOWEVER, comma, the hairs, man, the hairs! No line around the ears and the mere presence of facial hair on a GO made my eyes cross.
Now, about the milblog reaction. Nowhere near strong enough. He should be marched out in front of his brownstone condo and set alight. Disgraceful, and a slap in the face and spit in the eye to every CIB wearer alive or dead. But that's why they call me Attila.
so... if he's 44 and did it, mayhap he just really did earn all that tinsel.
..or maybe he's just a dick.
On his way to the wall, it would have been appropriate to "drum him out" first, no?
Hard for the pants to stay up when all the brass buttons are cut off...
Now, who does that Mess Dress really belong to? Perhaps theft or burglary or somesuch might have to be added to the list of specifications.
...which would have made him about six years old when he earned that Vietnamese Civic Action Honor Medal. Mmmmmmmmmmaybe -- but then there's the matter of the WWII Victory Medal...
Not unless he was the Governor's choice for Adjutant General of the National Guard of the State, but, when last I checked, Houston wasn't a state yet.
It's also a federal offense to impersonate an officer with intent to deceive, but since he's got the precedence for the fruit salad all out of whack, he can probably claim that nobody would possibly believe he was actually a GO. Of course, the Silver Star nails him as a f*cktard poseur, because there ain't no "Tenzin Chophak" in the SS Awardee online database...
...of course, he may have a different name on his birth certificate, because he sure doesn't *look* like any Sherpa I've ever seen.
Military service Infantry (11B), Jan 1992 – Aug 1994, United States Army, Berlin, Germany
• Medically separated from service on August 11, 1994 with 10% disability determination
• Received the Army Superior Unit Award, 5th Bat., 502nd Inf., Jul 1994
• Maintained security clearance and a hazardous materials license
Infantry (11B), Feb 1989 – Jan 1992, National Guard, Carlsbad, NM & Lubbock, TX
• Honorable discharge, transferred to active duty status on January 10, 1992
And from the other side of it
Dear Dharma Friends,
We have received information from the office of HH Dalai Lama that
Tenzin Chophak ( Michael Mc Manus) did not have an Audience with His
Holiness Dalai Lama on Oct.14 '99, at which he said he had received the
Tsogyal Dzambala Practice, to benefit Land of Medicine Buddha..
While at LMB we gave Tenzin Chophak more than adequate opportunity to
improve his work perfomance and in no way was he mistreated.
With Love
Breige & Gabriel
Interim Directors of Land of Medicine Buddha
Oh the best part
While stationed in Frankfurt, Germany in 1986, then-Sergeant McManus served as Then-General Colin Powell's personal bodyguard and interpreter; Sergeant McManus came out of the closet as a gay man in 1993 at a Memorial Weekend Requiem in San Francisco honoring the Unknown Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Soldiers
U.S. Army Captain Michael McManus revealed that General Colin Powell knew he was gay while McManus was serving as his personal bodyguard, and that it made no difference to the general. While stationed in Frankfurt, Germany in 1986, then Sergeant McManus served as Powell's bodyguard and interpreter, and it was during that time that Sgt. McManus "came out" to him, confiding to him that he was gay.
According to McManus, Gen. Powell, who was at that time the commander of the U.S. Army Fifth Corps, replied, "What do you want me to do about it? As long as youare doing your job well, that does not matter to me. And you are doing an excellent job."
--
"bodyguard and interpreter" Another lie. They are separate jobs, and those that have met them know why. Well picked PSDs are fantastic. They are not dumb gunslingers or they would not be on the PSD. They may even be pretty good at the local language. However they are not interpreters. At best it is a title he has self imposed. He may have some language skills... but....PSDs are rightly concerned with whether they need to shoot each person they do not recognize. Not quite the same people who greet the Mayor of East BF Chollanamdo. From time to time they are the people who put said mayor face in the dirt because he arrived early, and broke the security line trying to make a rush to the rest room. Just kidding, he was just restrained.
--
"What is that sign?" "Sir it says their tires are as cheap as shoes." (Wow, I'm an interpreter!)
--
I almost need to laugh thinking of how he would fare at the audition for the PSD at my current command. The MSG in charge has several native speakers and they are all hands on type people.
Says he graduated from High school 1n 1989 so too young for Panama so no two stars on CIB
Came out as a Gay guy in 1993 as a SGT, but was a Capt 1986.
Here is hoping to see this guy on the New's as he is hauled off to Jail.
http://cid-310be8dee9cf3185.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/.res/310BE8DEE9CF3185!117
But this goes wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy beyond that.
I'm sure it will be used, as mentioned by others here, as a "I'm just protesting the machine man, the ee-bil government opressment against my peoples, ya dig?"
And he will be allowed to go scott free.
I'll toss up a cross post at my place on this as well just to see if we can't help validate the identity of the offender per se, for whatever its worth.
FYI--Another blog that wasn't listed above is on him, as well. (SOCNET)
OVER-achiever! LOL
<A HREF="http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=16814"> Ta Da</A>
<A HREF=""http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=16768">Michael Patrick mcManus Chan</A>
I didn't find anything on channel 11 or 13's websites, those are the only ABC affiliates I know of in Houston (my ex-wife lives in pearland. Gave her a shout for giggles to get the stations. She was married to me while I was still in so she understands the questions)
He is, however, the very Model of a Modern Major General...
CIB with two stars. The last of these was awarded for WW II, Korea, Vietnam. Because of the way that they grouped conflicts, everything from Dominican Republic (Actually Bay of Pigs for a few, but that story is for another day) to Gulf War I (ODS) was grouped together for CIB purposes, only 1 CIB no matter how many of these gigs you showed up for. When we took on the Taliban in 2002, those awarded a CIB in Vietnam, Grenada, ODS, etc. could get a second CIB and many did. But to get the third one, you would have to have had a Korea era CIB. No one qualified, so no 3d CIB has been awarded since Vietnam.
Decorations. No multiple awards of the DSC since Vietnam, this guy's no Vietnam vet. Defense Distinguished Service Medal and Distinguished Service Medal - given to GO's mostly, not to dweebs like this. Also wearing a Legion of Merit and Distinguished Flying Cross which he is wearing in the wrong order. Forgot to ask Marlow White to mount them for him. Neck decoration is the Commander, Order of the British Empire (Civil Version). He was never gazetted for this, guaranteed, but if he were if would be to the Military Division (different ribbon)
Badges. No stickin' gringo can wear the SAS badge on his gringo uniform
Facings. The facing on his mess jacket are blue for Military Intelligence. General Officers wear black facings (Can't see his sleeves, so we don't know what rank he is wearing, but reports say he was posing as a Brigadier General.
Shave. I suppose that he had a shaving profile after the contusions that he got at the limbo contest at the gay and lesbian ball.
Leavenworth had one of these posers, Michael Wielbacker. I caught Mike red handed when he applied for a secuity clearance and fired him. A year later he showed up at the Marine Corps Ball in St. Louis wearing a USMC mess jacket adorned with a Navy Cross among other decorations. One of his table mates was a Marine veteran FBI agent. Mike plead guilty and was given probabtion
known to associate with: "Dobie"
last seen carrying bongoes.
I think he actually has a BG uniform on - black facings. But the rest, well, it's as we've all been saying.
We (collectively, the milblogs) got the local ABC affiliate, FBI and a US atty interested. Methinks Michael, who clearly needs help, is about to get all the incentive he needs to get his act together.
Heh.