Louis is whining about Dan Peterson pointing out his stolen valor:
"Incidentally, Professor Midgley, somewhere I've seen one or two of these same fine anonymous individuals accusing you of having lied not only about your graduate studies but about your military service. You're evidently guilty of "stolen valor," in the manner of a politician who makes up false stories about his years as a warrior (e.g.,
https://www.nytimes.com/201...."
In a somewhat appropriately amusing mistake, Mr. Peterson posts a broken link. This, however, doesn't excuse what Mr. Midgley has been doing with regard to 'stolen valor' when he tacitly admits he used to do just that:
"I almost want to see the claim that I have "stolen valour" by making up my having been drafted and sent to Fort Ord and then managing to survive that experience, and so forth. My kids would love to know that I made all that up and that my wife was in on the fabrication. They would be stunned to find out that I managed to fake all those slides that I sometimes forced them to watch, and invented all those stories that I told, with Ireta, of course, playing alone."
To reiterate:
"... AND INVENTED ALL THOSE STORIES I TOLD..."
Freud couldn't have created created a slip so large if he had tried.
Whatever the case may be, stolen valor, as we know, isn't just lying about whether or not you made it to Boot Camp, but what stories you invented about your service that you tell others. Louis C. Midgley is, in fact, guilty of stealing valor that wasn't his, creating stories that don't add up, and who's service, where he admitted to going AWOL with his young male companion, is documented fact.
I also want to point out how odd it is that Louis' service isn't a part of his official bio nor his wiki page. That's a HUGE gap in personal history that's just too odd to not notice. Something's up with his service. I strongly urge Louis post his DD-214 so we can at least see if he finished his tour with honor.
- Doc