It's been my experience that most people who are claiming to be vets looking for handouts or accolades are B.S. artists. I used to meet guys who claimed they got PTSD in Viet Nam but they were probably 15 when the war ended. Others can't tell you what outfit they were with, or where they were stationed, or what their MOT was. That said, some of the homeless are truly needy vets, but they're better off going to the VA than panhandling. 30 years ago I worked with homeless mentally ill in California, and their and their fellow homeless had damn few vets among them. Lastly some real vets are BS artists too. Alaska Republican Senator Brad Bradley claimed he was a POW.  He wasn't. Joe Miller implied his Bronze Star was for bravery, but it wasn't. He probably never heard a shot fired in anger. Ohio Dan Sullivan got promoted when his family gave General Abizaid a million dollars in stock and he got Dan's two endorsers overruled and Dan took the promotion to light colonel from a worthier vet.