http://insider.foxnews.com/2014/12/02/video-army-vet-ryan-berk-angrily-calls-out-phony-army-ranger-pennsylvania-mallAs seen on Fox and Friends
When a U.S. Army veteran spotted a fellow veteran in uniform in a Pennsylvania mall, he noticed something was amiss about the man's appearance.
Ryan Berk, who was on "Fox and Friends" today, decided to confront the suspected Army Ranger imposter, asking him basic questions that any combat veteran would be able to easily answer.
For instance, he pressed the "Ranger" on why his combat patch wasn't on his uniform. The man claimed he had given it to a little kid.
"Why don't you just admit you're a phony? You know it's illegal what you're doing right now?" Berk said.
The man then walked off after denying he was an imposter and refusing to say his full name.
Berk then yelled "stolen valor" at the man in the middle of the crowded mall, telling the man that he had friends die in Afghanistan in the uniform he was wearing.
Watch the video below, which has been viewed more than 2 million times since Friday.
Warning: video contains profanity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOj07ClhEi8Ryan Berk sat down with Brian Kilmeade this morning (video above) to go over how the whole scene unfolded in the Oxford Valley Mall on Black Friday.
Berk said he often stops to talk to fellow veterans, but the man raised his suspicion with the stories he was telling to a young boy in the mall.
Berk added that the man's boots weren't tucked, the flag patch was not in the proper position on the sleeve and some of the badges were off center.
He said initially the man gave some answers that could have been correct, but his story seemed to unravel when he claimed he had three combat infantry badges from service in Afghanistan.
Berk told him it was impossible for a veteran to be given three different CIBs.
"I noticed his combat infantryman's badge, he had two stars above it, which would indicate that he served in three different wars which is almost physically impossible for his age," said Berk.
He told Kilmeade he believes that more and more phony vets are out there, with most going unnoticed.
"There's more than just this guy walking around, posing as service members, claiming they've sacrificed as much as some of my friends have. When it's seen, it needs to be called out and these guys need to be prosecuted," said Berk.
The Allentown Morning Call reports that Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) has contacted the U.S. Attorney's Office about the alleged imposter.
In a letter to U.S. Attorney Zane Memeger on Monday, Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick , R-8, Middletown, says the video, which has generated more than 1.5 million views since after it was filmed at the Oxford Valley Mall on Black Friday, could "possibly" contain evidence of a federal crime.
Under the Stolen Valor Act of 2013, which Fitzpatrick co-sponsored, it's illegal for an individual to fraudulently portray him or herself as a recipient of any of several specified military decorations or medals with the intent to obtain money, property or other "tangible benefit."
The video does not show the man attempting to obtain any benefit. And falsely claiming to be a member of the military alone is not illegal.
Northampton resident Ryan Berk, 26, who was a sergeant in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan in 2010-11, confronted the alleged Ranger after seeing him while shopping with his girlfriend and her son Friday.
"No one is going to question a guy in uniform, unless they already wear the uniform," said Berk, who earned a Purple Heart after he was wounded by shrapnel in 2010 while fighting in Afghanistan.
The newspaper is withholding the name of the alleged Army Ranger because he has not been charged with a crime as of Monday.
A woman who answered the door at the man's house Saturday night said that he had a military background but declined to provide details. She also said the family had no comment. The woman said she hadn't seen the 3-minute video.
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Military websites, including the U.S. Army Human Resources Command website, confirm what Berk said about the correct position of the American Flag patch and that only one CIB would be awarded for service in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn).
The National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning Georgia tracks Army servicemen with three CIBs and only 324 are listed. The alleged Army Ranger is not on the list. Army regulation authorizes only up to three awards of the CIB. There are four periods for which an award of the badge can be made: World War II, Korea, Vietnam and other Cold War era actions through March 1995 and the War on Terror 2001-present, according to the U.S. Army.
