NOTE: As I state near the end of the question I am looking for a word or phrase that would specifically describe this kind of self-dellusion on the part of someone who served in military service. So generic phrases such as “delusional,” “wing nut,” “blow hard” or “self-aggrandizing” that do not in some way connect to the world of the military won’t cut it.
Okay, this is not a question hinged on disrespecting anyone who has served in military service. I have the utmost respect for anyone who would sacrifice their life for military service.
But over the years I have met some—no better way to describe this—self-congratulatory blowhards who have never served in an active combat capacity or even saw combat at all in their role in the military, yet when the topic of anything military service comes up they either yammer incessantly about how it “really is” when in reality many of these service personnel simply served in a field/clerical role and barely understood what it “really was” to begin with.
For example, if a news report on TV came up about an attack somewhere, this type of person would start talking about what “they would do” and do so without anyone around them asking—or even caring—for their opinion. And if anyone asks them to turn it down a notch, they still talk as if their service earned them the right to lecture others anytime, anywhere for any reason.
So what is the way to describe someone who served in a non-critical/non-combat role in the military yet implies/asserts more knowledge than they had/have in the civilian world?
The only word/phrase I can think of is “mall cop” but that is highly specific to the world of actual mall security guards. And words like “delusional” or “wing nut” are too broad. I am looking for a word or phrase that would specifically describe this kind of self-dellusion on the part of someone who served in military service.
Best Answer
A term with some topical currency which is unlikely to be misunderstood even after that currency fades into the background is 'Major Blowhard'. If you have sufficient control of emphasis and intonation, you will be able to convey a great deal of negativity speaking the phrase.
The term gets its currency from the recent (2015, San Francisco) success of a play called "The Braggart Soldier, or Major Blowhard". Originally written by Plautus (and titled Miles Gloriosus), the contemporary highly praised production was adapted and directed by Evren Odcikin from a translation by Deena Berg.
Unfortunately, the terms 'armchair soldier' and 'armchair warrior' have been co-opted by the realities of modern warfare--present-day verities which may muddy the waters for any term you choose, for the simple reason that drone warfare puts some soldiers in the virtual thick of it while at the same time leaving them safe in their armchairs.
The use of the 'armchair soldier' term in the title of an opinion piece, "Drones, Ethics and the Armchair Soldier" written by John Kaag and published in The New York Times, suggests this ongoing co-option is gaining, rather than losing strength. In any case the term's use has always been weak for your purposes due to its apt application to those who have never seen action, but who imagine nonetheless that they are masters of realtime strategy and tactics.