Douche of the Week: Craig Pusley

By RU Contributor Jack Mandaville

It seems like I can’t go one day without a seeing a new “(insert Soldier, Marine, Airman, or Sailor here)_____ surprises (insert family member here)______ after deployment to (insert shithole country here)______” video or article on the internet. Look, I know I’m going to sound like a wretched bastard for saying it, but I have to say it: those videos haven’t brought me any joy in, like, five years. It’s the same thing every video—like watching thousands of different movies with the exact same plot: family member is idly standing in complete oblivion, guy in uniform walks in, family member goes through shock then becomes delighted, they embrace and cry, whoever organized the reunion tosses them a $25 gift card to Applebee’s, the video goes viral and makes the front of CNN.com for a few days. BAM!

Alright, I’m a miserable asshole… I’ll admit it. I do, however, understand why these videos are so popular. Stories involving our troops tug at the very core of our emotions. How can they not? For the last decade, thousands of American Servicemembers have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan (or both) and, during that time, have sacrificed their bodies, personal relationships, and time. These two wars have been an extremely tiring endeavor for everyone involved. That’s why the American people are drawn to these feel good stories. We need this stuff.

It should go without saying that whenever you have something as big as a decade-long conflict wrenching at a nation’s collective psyche, you’re also going to have plenty of dipshits slipping in to take advantage of peoples’ emotions.

Here’s a brief list of some of the top-tier assholes who have manipulated the American public with their false stories:

• Tim Poe – A cock-knocker who went on America’s Got Talent and duped the American people with a bullshit story of how he stuttered as a result of being wounded in Afghanistan. He went for the homerun of manipulative heart-tugging when he added that his stutter went away when he sang.

• Senator John Kerry (Our future Sec. of State) – I have neither the time nor the inclination to sift through the overwhelming amount of bullshit that has come out of this guy’s mouth regarding his service in Vietnam. I do know one thing, though: the majority of people who served with or around him during Vietnam came out and said that he is full of shit. (See: Swift Boat Veterans for Truth) And on a side note, one of the few people who defended his claims during his 2004 presidential campaign, Wade Sanders, was recently imprisoned after a child pornography conviction. Hooray for having friends!

• Jesse Macbeth – Most of you probably haven’t heard of this guy, but trust me, he is a god among douches. Homeboy never made it through Army basic training. So what does he do? He joins Iraq Veterans Against the War, tells everyone he was a decorated Army Ranger, and goes to a bunch of news outlets and claims that he and other Rangers slaughtered women and children while they were in Iraq. Peter fuckin’ Pan has a better grip on reality than this shit-stain. Anywho, the dude got outed pretty quickly and did some time in jail. But what most people don’t know about this saga is that his bullshit lies were translated into Arabic and spread around the Muslim world as jihadist propaganda. (Most of those folks never got the memo about his BS.) Nobody will ever know what his claims did to increase terrorist support and attacks.

But none of these aforementioned ass-hats will ever hold a candle to our latest Douche of the Week, Craig Pusley.

In the aftermath of the tragic school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, Americans have been searching for both hope and answers. Before the victims of this heartbreaking incident could even be buried, the ongoing—and often mind-numbing—gun control debate has taken center stage. For most of us, we’re still trying wrap our heads around the abhorrent actions of one individual and wait for the facts to come out.

Well, folks, have no fear… CRAIG PUSLEY IS HERE!

On Wednesday, December 19th of 2012, Craig threw on his Marine Corps desert fatigues, laced his combat boots, tossed on that old eight-point cover, and made his way to Hughson Elementary School in Modesto, CA to, get this, stand as an unarmed guard for all the kids at the school.

Now remember, people, I’m a pessimistic dickhead, so I’m not going to hold back the fact that the first words out of my mouth when I saw him doing this were, “What a douche.”

Contrary to everything Hollywood and legend has told us, an unarmed United States Marine—no matter how trained in MCMAP (the Marine Corps’ super ninja training regimen) he or she may be—is not properly equipped to singlehandedly combat a fucking nut job with an assault rifle and body armor. Not gonna happen.

This move by Pusley was purely for symbolic purposes—an overly romantic gesture to tug at the hearts of a nation trying to find answers after a violent act on the opposite side of the country. As far as I’m concerned, Pusley had already stepped into douche country. But dressing up in your uniform and parading yourself around like you’re the savior of Gotham isn’t necessarily immediate grounds to make the coveted Rhino Den douche list. Negative!

Here’s where things get interesting.

So a local news organization, The Modesto Bee, shows up to interview Pusley.

His claims: He’s a twenty-eight year old, unemployed sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserves who has deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Within twenty-four hours of his statement, the truth came out.

The reality (first reported by Business Insider on December 20th): He’s twenty-five years old, has never served overseas, was discharged in 2008 as a PFC for unauthorized absence after being in the Marine Corps less than a year, and is a world-class fucktard for having made the previous claims. (That last part was first reported by the Rhino Den, today.)

DING, DING, DING, DING, DING! We have a no shit, genuine douche, folks!

Of course, right after his lies were revealed, Pusley is claiming that this has all been a big misunderstanding. Right… I always accidentally put on a uniform I haven’t worn in years, bump myself up three pay grades from the rank I was discharged as, and proceed to make wild claims about my service to news outlets. It happens to the best of us, Craig.

Here’s what Pusley had to say to Marine Corps Times reporter, Dan Lamothe:

“I feel horrible about this. My intention was for the kids. I don’t understand why everyone has to find a negative in every situation.”

Are. You. Fucking. KIDDING ME?!

It’s because you lied to the American public, made real Marines look like assholes, and were a strange man hanging out in front of a school full of children. Not only that, you swept in to play hero-boy and gained cheap, unearned attention right after one of the most horrific massacres in the history of our country. That’s why we’ve found a negative!

Congratulations, Craig, you’re our latest Douche of the Week.

Have fun in Douchebagistan, pal. While there, you’ll be forced to stand guard—your back exposed and all—to a large mass of anus-hungry convicts from some of the most violent prisons in America. Have fun, hero.

24 Comments

1. 

   Shoppy

   December 26, 2012 at 12:47 pm

   Not a completely genuine fella to be sure, but I’m not convinced he deserves to be categorized in the same group as Lindsey Stone, Troops are Welfare Whores, and all the other serious oxygen thief’s.

   Reply
2. 

   Rotti

   December 26, 2012 at 1:41 pm

   Yeah…

   I thought he was a douche right off the bat too (read: before the uncovered lie) simply for being an unarmed guard.

   I’ll give him a pass for at least not being a 100% creepy dude (ostensibly) hanging out at an elementary, because he does have a kid at that school… I think.

   Kerry is about on par with Hanoi Jane in my book. Pusley’s a douche for lying about his service, but I’m not sure he’s worse than the condiment king.

   Here’s my real beef: you’re worried about you kid’s safety, fine, understandable. What’s so wrong with you putting on your goddamn Levi’s and a RUp T-shirt, letting the senior faculty know you’re there as an essentially worthless hall monitor for deranged killers, and “guard” your kids that way? Why the need to drag a crisp, barely worn uniform into the mix? I’ll tell you why, because our current educational system has no respect for parents. I guaran-goddamn-tee you that had a group of concerned parents, armed or not, had shown up in civies and said, “You’re failing at protecting our kids. We’ll be pulling your outer cordon,” they would’ve either been asked to leave or hauled away in cuffs.

   Yeah, he lied. So fucking what? He didn’t show up wearing a MoH. Lots of people say stupid shit when put on the spot. Sergeant in the USMC. Whoopty fuckin do. He’s still a douche, and I’m not making excuses for him, but at least he made his point: If you’re genuinely worried about your kids, do something tangible and proactive. Yeah, his plan could’ve been better executed, but a psycho doesn’t see a USMC washout. A psycho sees a hard target and moves on to the next one. Besides, there’s plenty of out of work non-PTSD or otherwise crippled veterans. Where the fuck where any of you badasses?

   Reply
   • 

     Antonio Aguilar

     December 26, 2012 at 3:44 pm

     And what does a vet WITH PTSD have to do with it? Can they not protect people? Are they a threat to people? What was your purpose of pulling PTSD into it? Do you think that every vet who doesn’t have a day job now has a place of duty in front of schools?

     It is the responsibility of the schools to protect the kids with armed guards or armed teachers to do that job. If this guy had showed up out of uniform and volunteered then he would be doing a good thing. The fact that he showed up in uniform and lied about who he was showed what his intention was; not to protect the kids but to make a name for himself. That is why he is a douche.

     Reply
     • 

       Rotti

       December 26, 2012 at 3:52 pm

       There are two kinds of veterans with PTSD:
       Those who are legitimately suffering, and those that are full of shit.
       I want neither guarding my kid. Do whatever you want with yours.

       Jesus fucking christ, can any of you asslicks read? I said as much about showing up in civies! YES, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT, but there’s not a chance in Hell the grand poohbahs of the school would’ve allowed it to last for more than a few minutes.

       Reply
       • 

         RU Rob

         December 26, 2012 at 5:06 pm

         I hate to break the news to you oh wise and semi-retarded Rotti, but there are many, many active police officers, SWAT officers and other public safety professionals who have PTSD, myself included. Yes, the same officers who protect you and your kids every-single fucking day.

         I know this may be hard to believe but there are more people who suffer from active PTSD and are productive in our society than not.

         Since you are “subject” to the same media as the rest of us, why don’t you pull your head out of your fourth point of contact and do some research. Then come back and try again to amaze me with your intellect, to this point you aren’t really doing such a good job.

         Reply
         • 

           Mr. Twisted

           December 26, 2012 at 8:04 pm

           What RU Rob said.
         • 

           Jack Mandaville

           December 26, 2012 at 8:20 pm

           What Mr. Twisted said about what RU Rob said.
         • 

           Rotti

           December 27, 2012 at 12:24 am

           So we’re censoring posts now? That’s fine. It’s your site to do with what you wish.

           Here it is again if you decide to put your big boy panties on and not be weak:
           ________
           Originally posted, fuck, I don’t know, sometime last night:
           ________

           Cute. Here’s some research for you:
           HR 2640 section 102(b)(1)(C)(iv): http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/110/hr2640/text
           It was blocked when it was initially proposed (by one man). Think it will be again, after DiFi/Brady Bunch’s next big legislative push?
           The section mentions U.S.C. title 18 922(g)(4), read it for yourself here: http://www.justice.gov/usao/eousa/foia_reading_room/usam/title9/crm01431.htm
           If you’re still not getting the picture, this is from the ATF:

           ***
           DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
           Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
           27 CFR Part 178
           [T.D. ATF-391; Ref: Notice No. 839] RIN 1512-AB41
           Definitions for the Categories of Persons Prohibited From Receiving Firearms (95R-051P)
           AGENCY: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Department of the Treasury.
           ACTION: Final rule, Treasury decision.

           178.11
           Adjudicated as a mental defective. (a) A determination by a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority that a person, as a result of marked subnormal intelligence, or mental illness, incompetency, condition, or disease:
           (1) Is a danger to himself or to others; or
           (2) Lacks the mental capacity to contract or manage his own affairs.
           (b) The term shall include a finding of insanity by a court in a criminal case.
           Committed to a mental institution. A formal commitment of a person to a mental institution by a court, board, commission, or other legal authority. The term includes a commitment to a mental institution involuntarily. The term includes a commitment for mental defectiveness or mental illness. It also includes commitments for other reasons, such as for drug use. The term does not include a person in a mental institution for observation or a voluntary
           admission to a mental institution.
           Mental institution. Includes mental health facilities, mental hospitals, sanitariums, psychiatric facilities, and other facilities
           that provide diagnoses by licensed professionals of mental retardation or mental illness, including a psychiatric ward in a general hospital.

           Four Federal agencies and three State agencies commented on ATF’s proposed definitions. Two State agencies questioned the meaning of “lawful authority” as used in the proposed regulations. In ATF’s view, “lawful authority” as used in the proposed regulations clearly means a government entity having the legal authority to make adjudications or commitments, other than courts, boards, or commissions which are specifically mentioned. Therefore, the final regulations do not further define “lawful authority.”
           Another State agency asked whether the proposed definition of “adjudicated as a mental defective” must include a court finding of insanity in all cases. The proposed definition includes a determination that a person, as a result of mental illness, is a danger to himself or to others. The term also includes a finding of insanity by a court in a criminal case. These are separate and distinct definitions. Therefore, a determination of mental illness under the first part of the definition would give rise to firearms disabilities and would not require a court finding of insanity.
           DOD commented that the Uniform Code of Military Justice was recently amended to include procedures for the commitment of military personnel for reason of a lack of mental responsibility. Consequently, DOD recommends that the following be added to the definition of “adjudicated as a mental defective”:

           The definition * * * shall also include those persons found incompetent to stand trial or found not guilty by reason of lack of mental responsibility pursuant to articles 50a and 72b of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. 850a, 876b.

           DOD’s proposed amendment will clarify the meaning of the term “adjudicated as a mental defective” with respect to the military and ATF is adopting the suggested change into the final regulations.
           In its comment, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs correctly interpreted the proposed definition of “adjudicated as a mental defective” to mean that any person who is found incompetent by the Veterans Administration under 38 CFR 3.353 will be considered to have been adjudicated as a mental defective for purposes of the GCA. Section 3.353 provides that a mentally incompetent person is one who, because of injury or disease, lacks the mental capacity to contract or manage his or her own affairs.
           ***

           Brandon Raub. http://www.examiner.com/article/veterans-quietly-forced-into-mental-hospitals
           John W. Whitehead, President, The Rutherford Institute: https://www.rutherford.org/key_cases/key_cases_brandon_raub/

           Let me be perfectly clear. What I am NOT saying is that there are no veterans suffering from PTSD, or that they, in general, pose a threat to those around them. What I AM saying is that the first time a vet with PTSD cooks off a round in a school, when/if that ever should happen, you can bet every last one of us will pay for his mistake.
         • 

           RU Rob

           December 27, 2012 at 9:01 am

           Jesus…where to begin. First dicksmack, I don’t censor anything, I am just not a troll who sits and waits for evey waiting comment. I have a life and am currently on vacation at that, so sorry I couldn’t approve your comment the moment you hit submit.

           Not for the rest of the bile that you so desire to have eveyone read…WTF does it have to do with PTSD and armed officers in schools?

           Since your googling skills are a little inept, let me explain what you copied and pasted.

           Those are rules of persons receiving guns….I know this is going to be hard for your already struggling brain to grasp, but so summarize (I have a little bit of experience in this realm…trust me)…if you have been adjudicated criminaly insane (that means found insane by a judge) you cannot receive a firearm. I would kind of want that, not that it makes a whole hell of a lot of difference anyways.

           You are still side stepping your own words though when you said…”There are two kinds of veterans with PTSD:
           Those who are legitimately suffering, and those that are full of shit. I want neither guarding my kid. Do whatever you want with yours.”

           I would still request a little bit more clarification but seeing as how the only thing you know is random, cut and pastes from long established procedures dealing with the criminally insane, I will just let you be (that and your trolling is getting annoying).
         • 

           James h.

           December 30, 2012 at 4:45 am

           Could not have said it better Myself.
   • 

     Dogpants

     December 30, 2012 at 2:54 am

     You didn’t mention the Marine in Tennessee that started all this horse shit by showing up in uniform to “guard” his kids’ school. What is your take on him? Douchebag or hero?

     Reply
3. 

   StrickNasty

   December 26, 2012 at 3:03 pm

   “Yeah, he lied. So fucking what?He didn’t show up wearing a MoH.”
   Are you serious. I’ll give you the fact that a MoH is a quite a bit more dramatic than rank is but there is no line. Fake is fake. If he had told the reporter the truth, even pulled her/him off to the side and explained the situation, if he had worn the rank he was when he was put out of the corps. then MAYBE it would not have been that bad. When it comes to the Military, if there was not groups like STOLEN VALOR, and the good people from Rhino Den/Ranger Up, then people like the above mentioned (Tim Poe, Mcbeth, and this guy) would go about with little fear of reprisal, remorse, or notice.

   And as far as “Where the fuck where any of you badasses?”

   Let me fucking tell you, most any Soldier I have ever met would have gone full force at some fuck trying to murder children had we been there when it happened, with or without a gun(of our own). You want to be a symbol and stand guard at a school your children go to because your scared it might happen again, fine, but leave the “dress-up” and “make believe” to the children attending.

   Reply
   • 

     Rotti

     December 26, 2012 at 3:45 pm

     Yeah, I give you that, he should have worn his correct rank. Like I said, the guy is still a douche, but he doesn’t seem to have done it for bullshit American Idol reasons as far as I can tell.

     *shrugs* Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe he doesn’t have a kid there at all. Maybe he’s a fucking whack job with a free candy van scoping out the place. I get my reporting from the same places you do, where it’s more important to be first than to be right. Speaking of…

     As for pulling a reporter off to the side and explaining the situation… never mind.

     “leave the “dress-up” and “make believe” to the children”
     Couldn’t agree more. Go try it at your local ISD and see how that plays out. I’m pretty sure I already addressed that though.

     Reply
4. 

   your brother

   December 27, 2012 at 1:20 pm

   I hate to tell everyone here but this is an old idea. Look up WatchDogs. Many of us already volunteer to “stand guard” as well as interact with our kids.

   What a veteran can provide (even unarmed) – situational awareness. Any vet should immediately be able to recognize that someone in body armor carting in weapons is NOT there to shop at the book fair. How many teachers lost their lives trying to talk down a psycho? A simple locked door at the front and active shooter lockdown would have changed everything.

   This by no means gives a wanna be an excuse to impersonate an NCO. Regardless of the rank, AWOL should have been a dis-honorable discharge anyways and he should have not put back on that uniform. Unfortunately he is an attention whore who just got what he wanted.

   Reply
5. 

   AirborneVet

   December 30, 2012 at 11:20 pm

   Christ, I read the article above and thought I forgot I wrote it. SPOT ON. I’m sick of the attention whoring going on by Veterans both legit and not legit. Combine that with the parents/wives/relatives trying to ride on the coat tails of their significant others accomplishments is getting old and quite sickening to boot. Now we have the obvious fucktards looking for 5 minutes of fame thinking they are somehow gonna stop a deranged individual with weapons with their Semper Fi Superman cape they were issued during serving. I guess the term selfless service is a term long forgotten as many are using their Veteran status as a excuse to further their own personal agenda. Coincidentally it seems most of these individuals doing this never even saw actual combat up close. Obviously never received enough attention as children or while in the military and seeking it now. Again couldn’t agree more with what the article had to say. And to RU Rob thanks for the old school pull no punches responses. Whatever happened to that type attitude in today’s society where you stopped playing grab-ass and just got to the point you were trying to make regardless if someone got their panties in a wad.

   Reply
6. 

   Nate

   December 31, 2012 at 11:53 am

   There’s a tiny part of me that feels sorry for him. This guy obviously has a huge need to feel special. It appears he got kicked out of the Marines. He’s maybe unemployed. Whatever. He must have had a pretty sad life in order to do what he did. He wanted some attention, and he sure got it!

   I used to work with a guy like Pusley. He was a former cop who was most like likely fired from his job for being a total douche. He was o.k. (mostly) until he threatened to kidnap and interrogate a fellow employee. Well, he told another employee of his plans, and he reported him to management. Boom, ex-cop gets fired. My boss told us all that he wanted to play the hero and save us all. The problem was that there was no threat. He created the whole thing in his head. He was majorly paranoid.

   Reply
7. 

   mike da silva

   January 2, 2013 at 2:21 am

   Excellent, out these weirdo dildo`s before they hurt themselves, via someone who really is in the armed forces boot to their cranium. The last arse hole is begging to get beaten repeatedly about the head and face with a shovel! Dig your to the point writing style filled with the suitable amount of sarcasm, just thick enough to choke on. Keep up the pessimistic flag and name and shame the wankers in off the shelf uniforms.

   Reply
8. 

   Poacher66

   January 2, 2013 at 10:50 am

   Veterans like myself deserve the benefits we recieve. Personally I was not injured nor was I not able to cope with what I saw during my tours. I am not on disability nor do I use my veteran status to gain attention (except for the local whores at the pub) and I feel that anyone who lies about their service should be convicted of treason.

   Reply
9. 

   Sheepdog

   January 2, 2013 at 1:48 pm

   It all comes down to honor. Either you have it or you don’t. To all my fellow Vets commenting on here, Thanks for your service! And my fellow brothers in blue, be safe!

   Reply
   • 

     greek chorus

     January 3, 2013 at 10:22 pm

     Seconded.

     Reply
10. 

    John

    January 5, 2013 at 5:42 pm

    I think the idea is good, but the way he carried it out was very wrong. He did give a sense of security to kids, which they might have needed after the shooting.
    The lying part is unforgivable in my mind. If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have much to hold against him. But he lied, and now he must pay the price of that.
    I will admit that I was suckered as well, as I am sure that other people where as well. I thought that here is as man who served his nation, and now he wants to protect kids. I truly saw no problem with that, but doing it in uniform outside of a school is not the best way to do that. As said before, it did give a sense of security, a false sense of security. But I will be willing to bet that the average parent of a child going to that school felt that their child was that much safer.
    Am I defending this man, no. I am not. I am defending the idea that, as far as I can see, is what he was trying to get across. that there are people willing to defend our children, given the chance.

    Reply
11. 

    Cliff

    January 31, 2013 at 10:28 pm

    Love the story. Myself and a few other Vets were on facebook fighting with a buttload of morons who were foolish enough to support this Douche. People actually telling us “Why don’t you do something worthwhile instead of picking on him?” Oh sorry we were busy ACTUALLY serving in combat zones. Unbelievable how many idiots (Mostly Women) there were. I weep for our species. Keep up the good work!!

    Reply
12. 

    tonym144

    February 16, 2013 at 12:48 am

    I think everyone’s missing the big picture here. He may have done it for publicity, he may have lied about everything, he may even be a douche…but if you were a psycho wanting to shoot up a school and saw someone dressed in camo in front of the school, you would not fuck with it. You’d move on to a different school just in case. So all you haters can shut the fuck up and give this man the credit due him. There’s not a single one of you mother fuckers out there disrespecting this man who would have to balls to try and protect a school full of children even if you had a gun. This man tried to do it WITHOUT a gun. When you can tell me that you actually got off your asses, went somewhere and risked your own ass to try and keep other people safe, then you can say something. Until then, STFU.

    Reply
13. 

    Rotti

    February 22, 2013 at 7:26 pm

    RU Rob:
    Remember that message you decided not to post on here, where I explained in painstaking detail exactly what my links above meant to veterans? The one where you more or less responded to me via e-mail to say I was batshit crazy?
    This is for you:
    http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/02/shock-report-veterans-receive-letters-from-va-prohibiting-ownership-or-purchase-of-firearms/

    Reply