The US military, regardless of branch, typically gets a bad rep because of a few bad apples on top of a general dislike for its boss, the head honchos in D.C. That said, there still is a degree of admiration that many try to uphold despite being one of the more stressful careers one can get into. Unfortunately, one National Guard Reservist in North Carolina threw away any military honor or dignity he had out the window in exchange for some cheap clout and easy donations.
For those unaware, members of the National Guard Reserve can have other jobs besides their military service, since they are “part-time soldiers,” so to speak. The North Carolina Reserve service member worked a normal civilian job in a company, where he told his co-workers he was getting deployed. In reality, though, he was lying and was just taking a job elsewhere. Yet, he used his so-called deployment as a cheap trick to gain some clout and respect from those he worked with. One of his co-workers felt betrayed and understandably frustrated when they found out and posted the story to r/mildlyinfuriating.
“It wouldn’t bother me except he really hammed it up about being worried about where they’re sending him and we each sent him some money on Venmo to support him,” the co-worker recalled. The amount they donated presumably wasn’t a huge deal since they didn’t provide any exact numbers. Still, plenty of people in the comments took offense at what the Reservist did and felt that the lie was a lot more serious than what OP took it for.
“Find out when his next drill is, and talk to his first sergeant,” suggests a commenter. “If you have texts or other evidence, show them. That should have some funny results (for you). ‘Bringing discredit upon the service’ is actually a punishable offense.” Others claiming to be a veteran or have been deployed also agreed with this recommendation, saying that the two-tongued North Carolina Reserve service member deserves some form of punishment.
Others questioned in disbelief as to why any of his co-workers donated in the first place. “If he was being deployed, he would have been paid for it. It’s not like he/his family was going to be without an income,” remarks one user. “Him taking venmo from y’all as a result of you thinking he was deploying is a misrepresentation of service. That’s considered Stolen Valor,” adds another. “This is why I don’t assume all service people are honorable,” sighs a third.
Needless to say, there are bad actors in every organization, meaning that just because one service member is a troublemaker doesn’t mean everyone else is. Still, one bad apple can spoil the whole batch, especially for the military.
