Stolen valor act, which upholds the right to lie about. Real veterans dont advertise their deeds and claim unbelievable acts of heroism. Sterner, a vietnam veteran and military times contributing editor has consumed himself with verifying this data by source material such as official award citations, narratives andor synopses from individuals or records from the national archives. The stolen valor act should be found unconstitutional by. Was the military really repacking the brains into the skulls of wounded infantrymen.
This is a discussion on stolen valor within the army forums, part of the armed services category. It doesnt to me oh and in case youre wondering why im beating a dead horse, i forgot about this waste of o2 until someone by the name of neil jackson left a comment on a past amy jane stolen valor post today with this gem. See more ideas about military humor, how to get money and military memes. Veterans day, stolen valor, and free chicken strips. Like these historical laws, the sva operates as a social ordering mechanism. Stories of stolen valor you wont believe, and those who hunt them down and. The hall of valor is a searchable database of valor award citations collected by doug sterner, a vietnam veteran and military times contributing editor, and.
Hello forum members many of you already know that the military times web site has a list of awards for valor for service members from civil war until today. Stolen valor proof submitted 1 year ago by cnorwk8 a new coworker 34yrs old claims to be a navy vet special forces, oil tycoon, exfirefighter, millionaire, etc. It is a monumental effort to identify the halfmillion. The war in vietnam was not lost in the field, nor was it lost on the front pages of the new york times or the college campuses. How the vietnam generation was robbed of its heroes and its history. I find it strange that you can go to jail for impersonating a police officer, soldier, or government official, but you dont get squat if.
Find recipients of the purple heart, medal of honor, and other military medals in our database of u. For example, a af pilot who turns out to have served as an e5. The military times hall of valor is an effort to document and preserve the accounts of u. Stolen valor names names and backs up the uncovering of these honor thieves with facts. Terminally ill makeawish child accused of stolen valor. If youre in or you know youve been in, you dont have to prove shit to anyone. Dod will unveil website to combat stolen valor this week. But it does bring with it a certainty that somewhere in that eating establishment there is some stolen valor trying to swipe some of my chicken strips. Stolen valor, for veterans and active duty alike, is a very serious issue.
People who would use what so many have fought and died for to meet their ends is despicable, but there is a fine line between. Supreme courts june 2012 decision to strike down the stolen valor act of. Army investigating we were soldiers legend for inflating. Wtf since the supreme court shot down the stolen valor act, is there any real recourse to punish the sleazebag through our judicial system. How viral videos became the way veterans combat stolen valor. If youre going to attempt to steal valor, it helps to have your fake or real name match the name thats displayed on the uniform youre wearing. Burkett, a vietnam veteran, and glenna whitley, an investigative journalist.
Michael murray reenlisted in florida for an explosive ordinance unit and found himself more than fit to fight. Fraudulently claiming military service or awards there has long been concern over persons who falsely claim to have served in the armed forces, to have been awarded military awards, or to have been members of elite fighting units such as the army rangers, the green berets, or the navy seals. Military times hall of valor military medals database. In the militaryrich hampton roads region, we struck gold. Search by name, award, branch, rank, and conflict or war. Stolen valor is one book that every vietnam veteran should read. It reveals that numerous people claiming to have been mentally injured by serving in the vietnam war never served there.
True stories of liars in violation of the stolen valor act. Army investigating we were soldiers legend for inflating awards. The stolen valor act should be found unconstitutional. Military, free speech and the stolen valor act board of veterans. We read or hear much about the false heroes and veterans claiming honors that they never earned.
In addition, it reveals persons who were mistakenly given. Its funny i worked with shane at the hall county sheriff department back in 20042005 i knew he served but never asked him what medals he was awarded, and during that time he did not claim or boast to have had a purple heart, just goes to show you never know the bs someone will pull. Military times opens up hall of stolen valor catching the wave of a spate of posers who claim military honors, ranks or benefits to which they are not entitled,the military times folks have initiated an online hall of stolen valor featuring verified accounts of such fakes. Back in 1987, i was awarded the congressional medal of honor. Military, free speech and the stolen valor act eric c. Im assuming everyone knows about the stolen valor page on facebook, and theyre doing some pretty good work. Military times independent news about your military. Stolen valor, a lot more prevalent than you even know. Defense and veterans hearings on capitol hill for the week of jan. Sterner, doug, curator, military times hall of valor, prepared statement of. Pretenders, liars and frauds claiming military honors they didnt earn. Stolen valor of course is the occurrence when nonmilitary types put on military gear and claim to be military or veterans for reasons unknown to me. Stolen honor stolen innocence it is hard to add to the book description because it so accurately and completely sets out a fair representation of this book. Shane ladner goes to court for stolen valor the american.
In the latest case of veterans exposing and shaming military imposters without error, six yearold terminallyill cancer patient and makeawish participant timmy. There is a real difference and if flynn doesnt remember such things we will refer to this recent article in military times. Walking around staples center, and found this ranger walking around uncovered, wearing black boots, full grown dirty beard, stuttering when asked the simplest questions. Eventually, i would track down his book, stolen valor. The 2005 stolen valor act, which doug sterners wife, pam, helped draft, made it a crime to falsely claim military decorations, but the supreme court overturned the law in 2012. A historical perspective on the regulation of military uniform and decorations ramya kasturit this note traces the roots of the stolen valor act sva to medieval sumptuary laws and laws regulating the use of heraldry. Has anyone here ever been accused of stolen valor when. There are many gaps in the awards and often time there is a statement of citation needed because the site only list a list taken from a go o. How the vietnam generation was robbed of its heroes and its history burkett, b. Anyway, presuming that this is not fake, this woman has to be the most. Posting award citation on military times hall of valor. Hes lost a lot of friends, and hes busted more people than i can even keep count of. Were combat marines really taking time to pat snow cakes for their buddies.
However, i am seeing a trend of kneejerk reactions by people who jump all over anyone in uniform. The hall of valor is a searchable database of valor award citations collected by doug sterner, a vietnam veteran and military times contributing editor, and by military times staff. The military times hall of valor which i curate, currently contains the names and. Thousands of phonies busted, with help from others like stolen valor facebook, guardians of valor and others. Pam sterner herself had been inspired by the 1998 book stolen valor. How the vietnam generation was robbed of its heroes and history, a book that is certain to provoke controversy and redress decadesold wrongs that have tainted societys view of vietnam vets. For a new subscription, click here or call 8004080030. If this same person walks into a starbucks, job interview, bank, etc. Beware the con who steals the valor of military heroes. How the vietnam generation was robbed of its heroes and its history stolen valor. All recipients in the database are verified by source material such as official award citations, narratives andor synopses from individuals or records from the. Search for military medal recipients military times hall. The fake history from a real historian that fooled presidents and publishers.
Gordon hamel, beware the con who steals the valor of military heroes, beware the military con, diane dimond, diane dimonds weekly crime and justice column, gilbert george rainault, military records archive in st. The video was first posted by the guardian of valor website, which. Valor and sacrifice in combat is not a joke and, minimally, flynn owes combat veterans an apology in our estimation for claims made in this letter. He was presented the armys highest award given to a civilian, the distinguished civilian service medal, by former president george h. Military times is your trusted, independent voice for news about service members at home and deployed around the world. Military times hall of valor curator doug sterner discusses how the unique database was started and how it grew into the most authoritative record of military valor awards available online. Stolen valor cases and the important role my own database of award. When his organization distributed postagepaid envelopes at vfw halls. Richard blumenthal for lying about serving in vietnam14 medal of honor recipients have joined the bandwagon and are using it to point out the. Presently there exists no such book of merit for any award other. This could be a repost, but ive never seen it before. The hall of valor is the worlds largest public database of american military award citations, collected by doug sterner, a vietnam veteran and military times contributing editor. In addition, it reveals persons who were mistakenly given military awards. Military men and women who have been awarded some of our highest.
Now, burkett and i have coauthored what amounts to a comprehensive indictment of this fraud. I can only add that i was formerly of the opinion that the moral declension of america that i have observed in my 67 years was, in most part, due to the collateral damage of wwii in its. Medals of dishonor military, free speech and the stolen. We will respond to all email requests within 2 business days.
Stolen valor can also be a problem among activeduty troops. There exists out there in the digital ether scores of youtube videos taken in a. Mco military times independent news about your military. Kelsie denise hoover gained national attention in 2015 when she was the first person to be arrested under the stolen valor act of 20. Restoring valor and millions of other books are available for instant access. He is the coauthor of stolen valor, which won the coveted colby award for outstanding military book. How the vietnam generation was robbed of its heroes and its history 1998 is a selfpublished book by b.
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