[hinckley buzzard]

A "flashback" can be a whole lot more vivid than you think. That having been said, however, no one ever said, in the middle of a flashback, "I am a Vietnam combat veteran." If he was actually having a flashback he wouldn't think of himself as a veteran but as a soldier.

[DesertRhino]

That’s a bunch of Hollywood. The movies got filled with it after Vietnam and after the Korean war (the “brainwashing” hype that turns them into a Manchurian Candidate zombie). It’s rare to almost unheard of for someone to actually think they are “back in the war”. I notice I never see them start digging a fighting hole, or cleaning their weapon, or being willing to sell their soul to take a nap”

Its a BS excuse that guys like him use. Its no different than guys who claim service to get special treatment. Flip side of the same lying coin.