Douglas “Chipp” Reid – US Marine Corps GySgt Retired, Two Purple Hearts, Blog of Shame

militaryphonies

5 years ago

BACKGROUND

Douglas “Chipp” Reid comes to us from Annapolis, Maryland. Reid is 56 y/o at the time of this writing – April 2021. He more often goes by “Chipp.”

Reid is an author and historian. He specializes in Navy and Marine Corps history. Reid has written several books for the Naval Institute Press that are sold there and on Amazon. On a comment on the Naval Institute website for a book on Marines, Reid is identified as a “USMC historian.”

Reid is often sought for speaking engagements.

In the following clip from C-SPAN, Reid claims that he is both an Army and Marine Corps veteran, implying that he decided to become a man in 1992 after seeing the light. We are not certain if this implies his decision to join the Marine Corps, but one could draw this conclusion based on the inference.

Reid was also featured on the popular TV documentary “The Curse of Oak Island” where Reid was brought in as a Naval historian and was introduced as a retired member of the U.S. Marine Corps. Rick Lagina, the show’s star, thanked “Chipp” Reid for his service.

SOURCE: https://www.history.com/shows/the-curse-of-oak-island/season-7/episode-5

In August of 2017 the Naval War College in Newport RI detailed the upcoming speakers for the Naval War College Museum’s Eight Bells Lecture Series. On Thursday, October 5th they advertised: “To the Walls of Derne: William Eaton, the Tripoli Coup, and the End of the First Barbary War,” by Chipp Reid. In a short bio that followed, Reid was introduced as a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

SOURCE: https://usnwc.edu/News-and-Events/Events/Eight-Bells-Lecture-Series-To-the-Walls-of-Derne

At a Pearl Harbor Commemorative Dinner held on December 7, 2020, “Chipp” Reid was asked to be the Master of Ceremonies. The dinner took place at the Hilton in L’Enfant Plaza, Washington, D.C. with about 50 people in attendance.

In the Winter 2020 versions of the Naval Order of the United States magazine, a photo and brief article captured the event. In the photo, Reid can be seen with USMC GySgt (E-7) stripes and a Purple Heart medal with a second award, signifying two Purple Heart awards.

SOURCE: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55eb4805e4b0c7e05226cf5f/t/5e3dfc7aff19c47890cb096a/1581120649632/Winter%2B2020.pdf

The Eagle, Globe and Anchor insignias are worn backwards.

It is hard to tell if one of the ribbons is a Combat Action Ribbon – it may or may not be. As someone pointed out, it would be worn on the right side if it is worn with the dinner jacket in the first place. However, it is rare to be awarded a Purple Heart but not a Combat Action Ribbon. Exceptions are the Fort Hood and Chattanooga Tennessee Reserve Center terrorist shootings.

In the same publication, on the same page talking about the Pearl Harbor Dinner, Chipp Reid was referred to several times as a GySgt which is a rank unique to the U.S. Marine Corps.

SOURCE: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55eb4805e4b0c7e05226cf5f/t/5e3dfc7aff19c47890cb096a/1581120649632/Winter%2B2020.pdf

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ACTIONS CONDUCTED BY MILITARY PHONIES

Douglas “Chipp” Reid’s military records were ordered through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Variations on the initials of his middle name were account for in the request.

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FOIA RESULTS

NATIONAL PERSONNEL RECORDS CENTER (NPRC)

FOIA – NPRC – Douglas “Chipp” Reid – Assignments

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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY – US MARINE CORPS (USMC)

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DISCUSSION and SUMMARY

As stated in the FOIA results – the NPRC summary sheet states that Reid’s records show he was in the Army Reserve and got out as a Private (E-1) after 9 years.

The U.S. Marine Corps could not locate a record on him.

There are no Purple Heart awards for his time in the U.S. Army Reserve. Since there are no records that were located for the US Marine Corps, the Purple Heart awards are a moot point.

It is odd that he only got an Army Service Ribbon for his time in the Army Reserve. There are possible reasons for that but it is most likely related to his discharge as a Private (E-1) and we’ll leave it at that.

If Reid has used these claims to leverage anything of value – employment, sale of books or other items, paid speaking engagements, etc. he could be in violation of Stolen Valor laws.

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