A man claiming to be a U.S. veteran pranked C-SPAN on Memorial Day with a call into the Washington Journal program.
On Monday, Memorial Day, C-SPAN opened the phone lines to veterans and retired military personnel. The first caller identified himself as Jack from Kansas.
"I am retired military," Jack claimed. "Before I begin, I would like it if you could please thank me for my service."
C-SPAN host Pedro Echevarria seemed to be caught off guard.
"We'll do that all during the course of the morning, and thank you for doing that," the host said.
"As I said, I am retired military," the caller continued, identifying himself as Colonel Jack Strickland. "I fought under General Chad King in Iraqistan."
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"I'm proud to say that I have over 300 confirmed kills, and the Purple Heart that I received after an oil drum fell on my foot," he insisted. "Now, despite all of that, the VA has been giving me a raw deal when it comes to receiving benefits."
Strickland said the VA had refused to cover his legal fees.
"A few weeks ago, I was at a grocery store, and I saw a young boy, couldn't have been more than six or seven, and he was wearing a camouflage jacket," he opined. "I found this deeply offensive because nobody that young has ever served their country."
"So I began screaming, stolen valor, and then I beat the child with a crowbar."
At that point, it was clear to Echevarria that the call was illegitimate, and he disconnected.
"Okay, we'll go to Danny in Arizona, a member of the military family," the host said.
