Tampa veteran confronts panhandler wearing military uniform

TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS/TV)- A panhandler wearing a military uniform was called out as a fake. The confrontation was captured in a now-viral video.

Veteran Garrett Goodwin said when he saw the man Sunday, he decided to confront him.

Goodwin, an Army combat medic from 1994 through 2003 just happened to be driving through a Macdill Air Force base intersection when he noticed the down-on-his-luck dude.

“I would have made sure he had a place to live and food in his stomach and the services he needed, but he wasn’t a veteran.”

Goodwin says it was a JROTC patch on the man’s uniform that raised a red flag with him and made him see red. His questions of verification were evaded as Goodwin kept pressing and pressing until the panhandler appeared to retreat and re-think his ruse.

“I’m about public safety and public service and when it comes to the military, seeing people in uniform that, you know — we bled, sweat, cried and burned through — it disgusts me.”

Over the past 24 hours since he posted the little encounter on his Facebook page, he’s garnered a whole lot of praise for exposing the ersatz serviceman, but also a bit of grief for his gruff approach.

“I think he owed us an explanation. Some people have called me a bully on the Internet and I think he’s a bully wearing a uniform holding up a sign walking up to people’s cars in an intersection looking for money, I think he’s bullying people out of their money.”

An American Legion commander says if you want to confirm if someone has served, ask if they are registered with the VA, and if so, they should have a photo ID.