Mahatma Gandhi and Bruce Gilley?

I hear you thinking out loud: Mahatma Gandhi and Bruce Gilley, what's the link?  Well, something pretty straight-forward, but first I need to digress.  Everyone knows who the Mahatma is so I won't go into his background, but I am confident not many people in the general public know who Bruce Gilley is, or what he has done.  He is a professor at Portland State University and specializes in comparative politics of Asia in general and China specifically.  He is a theorist of political legitimacy. That's the short of it.  

So, this political expert gets on TriggerNometry Show on youtube and states: "Gandhi, of course, was a very loyal member of the British empire, and served in British Forces in South Africa in WWI, uhm, until he discovered he could make a name for himself by being anti-colonial."  Now, anyone can be wrong with their facts, even the experts; however, for people like Mr. Gilley, who make a living off of Asian matters, this is unacceptable.  You see, WWI was from 1914-1918, and Gandhi was back in India by 1915 without ever having joined the British forces during WWI.  It is true that he had assisted British forces with ambulatory services (Natal Indian Ambulance Corp) during the Boer War in 1900, but he never joined the British forces during WWI.

What is the moral of the story here, you ask?

Why would anyone listen or read Mr. Gilley knowing that he can get his facts wrong.  I mean, there will now always be this nagging question in the back of my mind regarding the "facts" Mr. Gilley presents.  Hence, check your facts before presenting them, especially if you claim to be an expert.