[maple_leaf_eh]

Be careful when challenging someone over their medals. This last fall, there was a major $hitstorm on a Facebook forum for veterans and serving members. A photo was posted of a middle aged fellow attending a small town 11 Nov parade. The collective wisdom (or in this case hysteria) couldn't identify half of his medals, and jumped to the conclusion that he was a fraud. A few more careful fellows did some photo-interp, and someone else put a name to the man. The case was solved, and all ranks were told to dummy up and stand down.

It seems he is a Reserve officer from Toronto. His employer is a major consumer product manufacturer with generous military service absence policies. He has been able to ladder step up in ranks in both organizations. As a skilled staff officer, he was tapped for all sorts of oddball UN and overseas missions. He did such a good job, he was named to a couple of orders in Canada and some miscellaneous French order. As an executive, he was able to bring a cosmopolitain and military-influence leadership style to the business. It helped them make money and be good corporate citizens.

No fraud involved, just an unusual service career.