Witless Protection, or, Who Was That Masked Ham?

[W3WN]

So, I'm walking around the Uniontown ARC Gabfest on Saturday (08/14) morning, and as I usually do, I'm taking some snapshots for the newsletter.

I spot a tailgate vendor wearing, so help me, a gold Amateur Radio Operator badge. (Really? But I digress). No sooner than I snap his photo, then a person who just walked past me stopped, grabbed my shoulder to turn me around to face him (yes, very rude). Scrawny looking fellow, badly in need of a shave and a good meal, and from the smell, his weekly bath.

Anyway, the following exchange takes place...

"Did you just take his picture?" (well, duh)(and with that breath, he needs to see a dentist, too)
"Yeah. Why?"
"You can't take my picture. You'll get me killed. Delete it!"
"I'm sorry?"
"I'm in Witness Protection. If you take my picture and post it to Facebook, you'll get me killed. You have to delete my picture!"
"Wait. You're in WHAT?"
"Witness Protection. You can't take my picture of I'll be killed and you'll be in big trouble with the FBI!"
"If you're in Witness Protection, why are you walking around a hamfest wearing a ballcap with your call and name on it?"
"How do YOU know that's my real call?"

At this point, this was no longer amusing. So I simply said "Look, I didn't take your picture, I'm not going to take your picture, and if you're so worried about being seen in public, you should go home."

At this point, I got called an a$$h0le, and he walked away muttering some other obscenities.

(Almost wish I DID take his picture... and after this nonsense, I WOULD have put it in the newsletter.)

Never saw him again after that. And who the hell walks around a public or semi-public venue like a hamfest, and loudly proclaims to all around that he's in Witless Protection?

Funny thing, though. None of the hams I know, who witnessed the exchange, knew who this guy was either.