quote:

Originally posted by CGSCOTTY:
Here's my count, 4yrs and 4 duty station. You must have been a real winner in the guard. Never made Petty Officer even and to think all those stories about your past CO's and XO's. I can see why you made up being someone you never were. Window lickers and butterfly chasers never made it as a rate. I will admit you are a great writer thou. I think they are looking for another Nostradamus.
EM1

Two duty stations... three at the same group - it's true I didn't finish the BM3 until my fourth - slacker on the academics... Sad but true.

I'm sorry you found my last answers silly. I would likely have had a more similar answer to one you might like until I listened to President Wilson's arguement against lying - even in cases of national emergency. I think he made some great points.

It seems now we want it both ways. I'm a scumbag because I lied believing the end was worthy, but it seems in your eyes, I was wrong - though lying toward a worthy end is reasonable. You are too complicated for me.

I would challenge this group to a find two lies you feel I have said. The first I have plead guilty to. That leaves you but one.

I feel I have been forthright to everyone here. Some of you have earned my respect, but I took a Courts Martial rather that Salute that pig that Commanded The Esacanaba. That wreteched man sent many men away tattered and torn who deserved a little respect themselves. When I was found not guilty on all but one charge, the officers asked if I would salute him, just for the uniform he wore, I explained how much I understood their efforts to come to a just decision in the cases before them, but the Capt's own witnesses came forth and told truth after truth, and still, I agreed to salute him -- if any of them would.

NONE WOULD!

They returned me to the ship with $10. taken from my next two paychecks. $5. from each.
I thought it was worth ten bucks not to have to salute that scum again.

Rank is awarded. Respect is earned.

I hadn't competed for rank the way I should. He had been passed over time and again.

I am ussually far to busy for this kind of thing. It has been - well - an experience.

Now for your easy part.
One more lie. Then I can run in shame. Caught for being what you would like me to be.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: gaylordstevens,

You assisted a USPHS doctor, in surgery, while underway, .

Where, oh where, was the rated corpsman??????????

Shall we go to the Reunion Site here and check and see if any of the old crew remember you????????.

What was the Doctor's name. I would thionk,, that in that situation, I would have the names imprinted in my mind. Any what no commendation, for you as a SN, Whay how ungratful, pf us.

Gaylord, if as another poster put it, if it was high Noon in San Antonio, and you told me the sun was shinning, I go outside to see.

You have not answered even one question sanely put to you by anyone here. First you said you were on a small boat station. what station where.
Then it was then Escanaba, for 68-72. What months.

Gaylord Stevens == BS artist and military Phoney


Jack

So what he claimed to be a SEAL, it is not like he claimed to be BMC in the CG or something else really serious!!!! Gaylord - Give up making excuses or explaining what you did. Don't justify doing something wrong. Anything you accomplished could have been done with hard work not lying. You cannot be excused, but you can be forgiven. Forgiveness comes with repentance and good work. Take on another challenge, this time do it the right way. Help steer others onto the right path. And don't ever hide from your CG history and hide behind a fake identity. What you have failed to articulate is whether you feel Coasties are truly special in your mind. Perhaps you could find a way to convince us you feel that way, if you do. I applaud you for showing up and putting up a fight. That clown Barnhart is hiding under a rock somewhere. At least you showed up for the blanket party! Doing something good does not justify lying. But somewhere in this whole mess, in between allot of dumb and deceitful things, you did do a good thing. End does not justify the means, but ther eis some good in there somewhere. Everyone - at least this guy showed up for the beating. I would give him another chance, if he stays on the right side this time. What do you all think?

AT, some merit to your comments. He is close but no Klondike bar yet.



--M

quote:

Originally posted by cgrdcs:
You assisted a USPHS doctor, in surgery, while underway, .

Where, oh where, was the rated corpsman??????????

Shall we go to the Reunion Site here and check and see if any of the old crew remember you????????.

What was the Doctor's name. I would thionk,, that in that situation, I would have the names imprinted in my mind. Any what no commendation, for you as a SN, Whay how ungratful, pf us.

Gaylord, if as another poster put it, if it was high Noon in San Antonio, and you told me the sun was shinning, I go outside to see.

You have not answered even one question sanely put to you by anyone here. First you said you were on a small boat station. what station where.
Then it was then Escanaba, for 68-72. What months.

Gaylord Stevens == BS artist and military Phoney


Jack

Assist? No. I held a bucket. The Doctor had never been on a ship before. He was seasick.

You are welcome to find people who know me. The reunion site might be a great start. Can you find a Paul Yost from USPSH Boston, while you're at it. I'm trying.

There certainly has to be a record of that highline. Maybe even where I was on the ship at the time. Love to have that!

quote:

I would likely have had a more similar answer to one you might like until I listened to President Wilson's arguement against lying - even in cases of national emergency. I think he made some great points

Sorry - not buying your analogy; misrepresenting yourself for as of yet explained personal reasons or gain is not the same as in the interests of National Security. The invasion of Sicily during WWII was covered by a deception including this memorable ruse discussed in a book called something like Intrepid, The Man Who Never Was. A dead

quote:

The book tells the story how British Intelligence decided to mislead the Nazis in 1943 about where the next landing in the Mediterranean would occur. The original story was that they waited until a young man died of pneumonia, so he would have fluid in the lungs as cause of death. In fact, he was an unclaimed homeless man who died from eating rat poison. A submarine slipped his body into the sea off Spain, making it look like he was a Royal Marine officer and courier, and a victim of an offshore airplane crash. This was done near a town with a known active Nazi agent. The brief case he was carrying falsely showed that the Allies would invade Greece, not Sicily. The Nazi agent was allowed to see his papers which showed a coming landing in Greece.

That saved many allied lives during the Sicily Invasion...

Your lie? Are you Walter Mitty?

quote:

Originally posted by arctictraveler:
So what he claimed to be a SEAL, it is not like he claimed to be BMC in the CG or something else really serious!!!! Gaylord - Give up making excuses or explaining what you did. Don't justify doing something wrong. Anything you accomplished could have been done with hard work not lying. You cannot be excused, but you can be forgiven. Forgiveness comes with repentance and good work. Take on another challenge, this time do it the right way. Help steer others onto the right path. And don't ever hide from your CG history and hide behind a fake identity. What you have failed to articulate is whether you feel Coasties are truly special in your mind. Perhaps you could find a way to convince us you feel that way, if you do. I applaud you for showing up and putting up a fight. That clown Barnhart is hiding under a rock somewhere. At least you showed up for the blanket party! Doing something good does not justify lying. But somewhere in this whole mess, in between allot of dumb and deceitful things, you did do a good thing. End does not justify the means, but ther eis some good in there somewhere. Everyone - at least this guy showed up for the beating. I would give him another chance, if he stays on the right side this time. What do you all think?

I have not made excuses. I think if you read the posts, I have been clear. There are no excuses for what I did. I was wrong. I have said it that clearly on more than one occassion here.

I take every opportunity to help the Coast Guard in any way that I can.

Regardless of one quarter of horror, my time in the Coast Guard had convinced me I wanted a career there. Sometimes things don't turn out the way we plan. There were posts that talked about New Bedford during those years. There we a lot calmer places on earth!

Standing in front of a Courts Martial expecting a Kangroo Court when the only witnesses were those called by the Captain against me. I had every right to believe they would all lie. He was the Captain of the ship and they would still be stationed there when they left the court room.

Not one of them did. Not one lie. Each one, many who I believe did not like me very much provided the court with evidence that cleared me, likely placing their own careers in danger.

I think the deserved a medal of some sort for that. I often wonder if it had been reversed if I would have had the courage to do that. He was Capt. Bligh incarnate.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: gaylordstevens,

Walter Mitty. No.

Perhaps you found somewhere that anyone said I lied for personal gain. I was an established artist with my work in demand for prices ranging from $300 to $2500. I got a job with no problems in management at a sign shop that employed over a hundred men and women at $17. per hour with generous overtime. I was always asked to lecture at various universities for $500. plus expenses and had three great children I was raising.

I don't know that saying I was a SEAL added that much to my resume. Most people now assume my resume must be pasted together from the lives of five or six people, including those who work with me.

Long after those events, someone suggested I was trading my name connected to the Museum to help me sell art - no matter I was an established artist long before I had the funds to begin the museum. (A name is an important asset in this field.) Still, I didn't like that rumour, so I began painting under a different name. In the art world is like starting over. I still don't paint under that name, even though there are obvious financial benefits. Prints that I used to sell for $3 are now selling on ebay... At one time I sold 168,000 of these a year.

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trks...d+stevens&category0=

Visit any ebay.com and type me name. My work is always being sold by someone. I wouldn't mind trading in of some of that now. I can still have prints made like those for about 15 cents. And, I could use the money on the next project, but there would be those who might believe I'm trying to profit off what I'm doing that is not related to my art.

I lied. I was wrong.

It's complicated because I still don't know if I wouldn't do it again. Even knowing the horrific trail that would be ahead of me: including being trampled in this room. I listened to very close advisors, including some Congressional of Honor Reciepients: from the Navy, a guy named Williams and an Army guy named Benevidez and from the Air Force John Levitow. A member of the 173rd with a cluster of Silver Stars named Reyes and a kind hearted Irish Medic named Mosher with the 23rd who lost his entire platoon in a single battle. I listened to a CAG Marine Gonzalez and many others who insist I did what needed to be done. There were other voices in that room, some that said it was a stupid thing to do, and that it wouldn't matter. Jesse, my dearest friend who never hesitates to tell me I told you so. And he was RIGHT.

Still, all of this doesn't make the lie Right. Not by a little bit. It only makes it complicated, at least for me.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: gaylordstevens,

quote:

Originally posted by gaylordstevens:

I served on the Escanaba. Do you think that's a lie? Who in the ***** would lie about being on that white elephant?

This thread is absolutely fascinating.

Who would lie about being on the Escanaba? Well, who would lie about being a Navy SEAL?

We know the answer to the latter, why would you not lie about the former as well? is it only normal to lie about "cool" things but lying about normal things weird?

I was really hoping to hear a real explanation as I have never had the opportunity to hear from the horses mouth why someone poses as someone else.
You said you didn't need to lie but you did anyway. Why?

You went on to explain that you did it because even though you used only first names, it would be easier to disappear if you pretended you were a Navy SEAL. An organization that maintains a tight "membership" list. Do you really think someone would be able to go "I need to find that Gaylord guy. I know he was in the Coast Guard at some point, it should be easy to find." That dog just doesn't hunt.

But I did get an answer. It seems you couldn't help yourself. I do find it admirable that you own up to it, but I still want to know deep down inside, what made you think to yourself, "Today, I am going to pretend I am a Navy SEAL!"

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tankkllr,

quote:

Hey Doc - if you were on that ship those dates -- then if the name doesn't ring a bell... how about a guy a cabbie brought in after seeing him dropped from a bridge in front of a train. (A lucky bounce sent me off the tracks) but neither the cabbie nor I noticed I had a knife in my back until I got to the ship... Through my peacoat, through my quaterhorsehide bike jacket and through my blue work jacket and shirts... (Hey, I was from the south.)

You remember, the guy that they wouldn't give any help to who lived in the black ghetto about thirty blocks from the ship... the white guy. The guy who got beaten so badly he couldn't wear sunglasses because of the swelling.

Do you remember the watch being given firearms so they could be protected (in case someone was shooting at me) (Gun shots were reportedly heard by the GM on duty. He believed they were shooting at me, but my request for transfer was torn up and tossed into the trash by the XO in front of me.

I can go on.... I may not remember who worked on me each and every time I was nearly dead, but I do remember how I got that way - each and every time. I remember dodging bullets flying through my car windows and and the guy wearing the black jacket with red shoulders standing in the street with the automatic firing through my windshield and I remember sliding and turning in the snow and crawling from the wrecked car to get away...

Sounds like a fantasy you have convinced yourself was reality. Or the plot of a really bad movie.

quote:

But I did get an answer. It seems you couldn't help yourself. I do find it admirable that you own up to it, but I still want to know deep down inside, what made you think to yourself, "Today, I am going to pretend I am a Navy SEAL!"

He said.

quote:

I lied. I was wrong.

It's complicated because I still don't know if I wouldn't do it again. ...

It is this line that has me baffled. It seems to me it is like saying "sorry I stole your car, it was wrong. It's complicated and I might do it again."

Gaylord, you puzzle me.

--M

quote:

I lied. I was wrong.

Gee a complete answer to a direct question. Several times in my Coast Guard career I was priveleged to sit on Officer-in-Charge Pre-boards to evaluate candidates who were preparing for the District OINC Review Boards. I want to share with you the best advice given to the candidates that was offered up (and not just me - but by all the board) -

Answer the question. If the answer is yes or no then answer yes or no. If you don't know the answer to the question say I don't know - when someone tries to answer a question and they don't know the answer; guess what; it becomes very apparent, very quickly - and the slight dent becomes a canyon that no shovel will big enough to dig yourself out of.

You sir, in my opinion, don't know the answers to some questions and are trying to convince others that you lied for the benefit of a noble cause. I don't believe you. You tried to steal valor and got caught. I've visited a website, that exposes people who claim to be SEALS. From what I've read there and elsewhere I doubt the "support" you claim you got from the heroes you list, for the cause you claim.
Name dropping? To rationalize your actions after the fact? Any search of the internet can turn up true heroes of the US Military - for any conflict...

All the rest of your posts are BS and don't answer the questions.

Gaylord,
Everyone bullshits and lies! Say your sorry and move on man! Some will forgive you, some wont, and some really don't care who you think or say you are!
Peace,
Dick

quote:

Originally posted by asm3driscoll:
Gaylord,
Everyone bullshits and lies! Say your sorry and move on man! Some will forgive you, some wont, and some really don't care who you think or say you are!
Peace,
Dick

This is absolutely the truth.

As was the advice given in the post directly above your's.

Why did he lie about being a Seal? Same reason all the dorks lie about it.

Cause it's cool.

If I was a Seal I wouldn't tell anyone. Whenever someone says they were a Seal everyone automaticaly thinks they're full of $hit and laughs at them on the inside.

It's changing though. I've found that all the dorks now say they work for Blackwater.

What a bunch of douch bags. lol

I won't always have time to visit with this board, but I do want to say it was interesting. I hope some of you will visit me from time to time.

FACES

I couldn't get this photo to paste into this slot... I started a myspace account to hold the picture in a url but seems you have to sign in to get to it. Sorry, it's my inexperience.

I created a website for the project but pulled it down temporarily while we are re-working it.
I will try and post it later.

The new versionof this exhibit, a permanent one (tiles along a walk), will carry the faces of those from Korea through Iraq. I wish they would allow us to go back to the American Revolution, but sometimes I still have to take what I can get. This one is funded by the City of San Antonio.

You know it's true you wanted to be cool

Gaylords real identity:

quote:

Originally posted by Jimmy_Z_:
Gaylords real identity:

Hardly. I don't like guns. Never have pretended to. They are loud. They make a lot of noise and they hurt people. I have been forced to rely on them in the past, but I really hate them. I certainly never looked like that.... I took a far more fearful approach.

I see you're a cook. I was on a base once that had a really good cook. Some Amiral who came by to fish and soon, took him. We missed him a lot.

quote:

I hadn't competed for rank the way I should. He had been passed over time and again.

If my memory serves me correctly the C.O.'s of WHEC's were all full Captains, so I don't see how this guy was passed over "time and again". The vast majority of those that make Captain retire at that rank.