Stolen Valor

[Shootin 4 Fun]

From time to time I see a comment or the name of a member and it reminds me this. Please don't insult those who served honorably with your BS.

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“Stolen Valor” is a term applied to the phenomenon of people falsely claiming military awards or badges they did not earn, service they did not perform, Prisoner of War experiences that never happened, and other tales of military derring-do that exist only in their minds.
Some phonies, with zero military experience, create their stories from whole cloth.
Others, having served an honorable but peaceful stint in the military, choose to embellish their records and “spice up” an otherwise unremarkable career.
Yet others, who are legitimate combat veterans – some of whom were decorated for bravery – also embellish an already-impressive military resume.
The common thread is that these folks are lying in public about their military service. It’s nothing new – there are stories going back many centuries of people boasting of their war record, and sooner or later are found to be lying.
In the United States, thousands of cases have been documented in recent years in which judges, politicians, celebrities, veterans’ group officials, antiwar activists, other prominent persons and average citizens have been exposed for lying about their military record.
Some of them simply boast of their fictional exploits. Others take it a couple steps further and don military uniforms and awards. Others go so far as forging government documents they use as “proof” of their stories. In a recent case in Texas, a young man claiming a Marine career - complete with combat tours and decorations - used forged paperwork to join the Army as a sergeant, even bypassing basic training.
While the phenomenon is most closely associated in the U.S. with Vietnam-era military fakery, many cases have sprung up in recent years with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; likewise, several fraudulent claims by World War II and Korean War-era “veterans” also have been exposed.

http://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/what-is-stolen-valor-1.107359

 

[SMS]

It'll never stop. It's a human nature thing...

 

[Shootin 4 Fun]

It'll never stop. It's a human nature thing...

It's pitiful and disgusting.

 

[donner]

It's pitiful and disgusting.

and also an act of free speech*, is it not?


*in terms of legal standing. The purposes of this board is another matter

 

[aviator41]

and also an act of free speech*, is it not?


*in terms of legal standing. The purposes of this board is another matter

The Stolen Valor Act of 2013 was signed by President Barack Obama on June 3, 2013.
The Act makes it a federal crime to fraudulently claim to be a recipient of certain military decorations or medals in order to obtain money, property, or other tangible benefit.

I guess if you're not doing it for gain, you're fine.

 

[crrcboatz]

The latest move by some of these guys is "service dog". They have a damn dog with them everywhere, all the while professing to need them for PTSD reasons. Question some of them and in just a few minutes and real combat vet can tell they are full of ****. Still they relish the attention the dog brings them. I just want to kick their sorry asses. Oh now wait till Veterans Day and see how many of these fake combat vets show up in classes all over the place with their "service dog" because it "soothes their damaged souls. Wish they had to carry their DD214 with them in order to have a dog in public or show their degree of disability service related letter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[blazeitornot]

From time to time I see a comment or the name of a member and it reminds me this. Please don't insult those who served honorably with your BS.



http://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/what-is-stolen-valor-1.107359

Yeah, pretending to be a soldier isn't cool. And anyone caught playing soldier to get free stuff and discounts should be called a Punchable.

 

[Shootin 4 Fun]

and also an act of free speech*, is it not?


*in terms of legal standing. The purposes of this board is another matter

Is all speech protected?

 

[donner]

No, but lying in the absence of fraud isn't one of the exceptions I don't believe. I could be wrong, though

 

[crrcboatz]

No, but lying in the absence of fraud isn't one of the exceptions I don't believe. I could be wrong, though

sounds like a lawyer kind of response. In that case ethics and honesty well I will go no farther.