Supreme Court strikes down Stolen Valor Act

I'm sorry, but this disgusts me to no end.  I am a military brat, grew up with a marine father who served in Vietnam, and the aftermath growing up seeing what he went through to live just a "normal" life after that.   He has told me stories of his experiences, but does not talk about them much anymore.  

My husband is a vet, and was stationed in Qatar and in Baghdad several times.  He also does not speak to me about the things he has seen or done over there.  

So in my experience with veterans and active duty, they are men and woman who are humble, serve their country to the extent that they would give their lives, and feel that it is their duty to protect our rights.  

Even if it is the right to make a mockery of their service.  

Yeah, but you're saying if someone said they too were an Army Vet, Combat type that wouldn't be too bad. 

My problem is with the desecration of the Purple Heart and the Medal of Honor.  Those two in-particular should have some protection.  Purple Heart means you were wounded in battle.  You actually shed blood in service to this country.  The Medal of Honor means that with great risk to your own life, you performed your service that should've gotten you killed (or did get you killed since most are posthumous awards).  Those two should have some special protection from jerkweasels trying to make themselves look good.  Especially since the MOH is not sold.  They special make those for the recipients. 

Despicable: Yes,  Against the Law: No.  I believe that they probably ruled correctly in so much that you can burn a flag if you want to and it is protected under freedom of expression.   Unfortunately he isn't the only case of this happening.  

I'm not as opposed to Flag Burning.  It annoys me, but I agree that it is free speech as long as they burn the flag they paid for with their own money.

My beef is that to have a Medal of Honor, you literally have to have stolen it.  The thing has far greater value than just the medal and ribbon.  You can buy purple hearts, but even those should have some greater value.

 Edited after Ecozenmama schooled me on the facts...

Unfortunately this is where the company who manufactured the official medals for the government started the entire FBI investigation into the medals being manufactured and sold to non recipients. You were able to purchase them from vendors after the company was selling them to a friend and he was reselling official medals.  

Article Here

Interesting, My bad.  I knew about the initial investigation, but not that they found a manufacturer sneaking these out on the side. 

How about a law where if someone is caught lying about their receipt of Purple Hearts or Medals of Honor, and they can't produce a DD214, then Military Members are permitted to punch them in the face?

How about that?  Call it the "Stolen Valor? OK...Punch in the Face Act".

Oh I agree, it makes me angry, but I have seen the effects of what my father went through to receive his medals.  My original point is that I do not know of any veteran who just comes out and tells people they have received one.  Yes, they wear them proudly on occasion, but they never brag or boast about receiving them.  

I know that I never knew my grandfather had even received one from WWII until he passed away and we went through his things.  

I just think that the men and women who would receive such an honor are incredible and don't commit these acts of valor out of selfish reasons, and therefore are not braggarts or boasters of such accomplishments.  They do what they do for their own moral and humanitarian reasons and not because they want to come home and tell the world how awesome they are.  

DanielG - 2012-06-28 11:35 AM

GomesBolt - 2012-06-28 11:30 AM How about a law where if someone is caught lying about their receipt of Purple Hearts or Medals of Honor, and they can't produce a DD214, then Military Members are permitted to punch them in the face?

How about that?  Call it the "Stolen Valor? OK...Punch in the Face Act".

 

Go the other way like a law in TX about flag burning. If someone's found to have committed assault with bodily harm (whatever the wording of the statute) one of the mitigating factors would be if the person being assaulted were found to have falsely shown to be a recipient of XXX medal (MoH, PH, whatever) then the person committing the assault can only be found at maximum to be disturbing the peace with a max of a $25 fine.

We're onto something now...

Ecozenmama, Did your dad receive the PH or the MOH?  Either way, thanks to him. 

I had a very good friend from The Basic School who I ran into in 2006 at a school where we were required to wear our Charlies (uniform with medals) and he had a purple heart with a star (i.e. 2 PHs).  I said "How the heck did you get 2 PHs in 4 years?" He was a huey pilot. 

He got really solemn and said "first one was an RPG, killed my pilot and both crew chiefs, I got out with minor burns and some schrapnel. Second was a bullet that tore through the cockpit and hit my copilot in the neck, then lodged in my leg, we crashed into a transmission line which electrocuted everyone on board.  I made it..." 

I felt like an @$$ for asking. 

Then after we talked about wives, kids, etc, I asked "what's your call-sign?" so I could know if I was talking to him on the radio in the field.  He said "Lucky." We both sunk our heads and that ended the conversation...

That and escorting several MOH recipients from Korea around Camp Lejeune for a week gave me a very firm level of respect for recipients of those awards. If we don't protect them, they won't be worth anything.

GomesBolt - 2012-06-28 10:50 AM

DanielG - 2012-06-28 11:35 AM

GomesBolt - 2012-06-28 11:30 AM How about a law where if someone is caught lying about their receipt of Purple Hearts or Medals of Honor, and they can't produce a DD214, then Military Members are permitted to punch them in the face?

How about that?  Call it the "Stolen Valor? OK...Punch in the Face Act".

 

Go the other way like a law in TX about flag burning. If someone's found to have committed assault with bodily harm (whatever the wording of the statute) one of the mitigating factors would be if the person being assaulted were found to have falsely shown to be a recipient of XXX medal (MoH, PH, whatever) then the person committing the assault can only be found at maximum to be disturbing the peace with a max of a $25 fine.

We're onto something now...

Ecozenmama, Did your dad receive the PH or the MOH?  Either way, thanks to him. 

I had a very good friend from The Basic School who I ran into in 2006 at a school where we were required to wear our Charlies (uniform with medals) and he had a purple heart with a star (i.e. 2 PHs).  I said "How the heck did you get 2 PHs in 4 years?" He was a huey pilot. 

He got really solemn and said "first one was an RPG, killed my pilot and both crew chiefs, I got out with minor burns and some schrapnel. Second was a bullet that tore through the cockpit and hit my copilot in the neck, then lodged in my leg, we crashed into a transmission line which electrocuted everyone on board.  I made it..." 

I felt like an @$$ for asking. 

Then after we talked about wives, kids, etc, I asked "what's your call-sign?" so I could know if I was talking to him on the radio in the field.  He said "Lucky." We both sunk our heads and that ended the conversation...

That and escorting several MOH recipients from Korea around Camp Lejeune for a week gave me a very firm level of respect for recipients of those awards. If we don't protect them, they won't be worth anything.

 

My father has the MOH.  He was in Vietnam, and they were sweeping a small village when a fire fight broke out.  The man my father was with was shot in the leg.  A grenade was then thrown into the hut they were in, and my father picked his friend up and carried him out, threw him to the ground and then covered him with his own body to protect him.  The hut blew up and as my father carried his buddy to the brush he was shot in the knee and the wrist.  He still has the bullets in his body.  When he moves his wrist a certain way you can see the actual bullet.  It's bizarre.  

A little side note: in the UK it is illegal to do this. 

Unlawfully using a military decoration.

The term we ex forces affectionately use is "Walting" (after Walter Mitty)

Link to a report of a Walt being arrested and sentenced to community service

HERE

I don't know this case here in the US, but I wonder if any gains were made from claiming military credentials?  Financial, status in community etc.  in the UK that can lead to criminal charges as well.

there are a group of ex forces chaps on a website (Army Rumour Service - AR.R.SE) called the WaltenKomandos they actively seek these guys out and report them to police etc.  Especially when the Walt is gaining from false claims etc.

I'm with you. This is not worth the time. Despicable behavior for sure, but I never agreed with the law. Lying under oath is already covered, but lying in general, so what. People have been claiming they are something they are not for a very long time.

My .02 cents worth, to boot. I served for 26 years with U.S.S.F., that's U.S. Special Forces, commonly referred to as U.S. Army Special Forces, although we have our own branch of service.. Green Berets to the uninitiated.  I am 90% disabled, I have been spit on by my own countrymen/women, blown up, shot, stabbed, urinated on in a hide site, and well, you get the idea. I have multiple combat tours so I have proven that I am not afraid to pull a trigger, nor bleed for my country.

I've lost roughly 23 friends over the past ten years in combat. Some would have made it had a MEDIVAC been available, but they weren't. I've held friends as the life left them, soldiers, warriors, Americans. To say that some someone can make the claim of having done the same is an insult to me, but more so, it is an insult to those friends I have lost, to their families, to those who continue to serve, and to those who have died for their country.

I don't have much compassion, in fact I have none, for someone who claims to be something they are not. I especially do not have any "feelings" for someone who seeks to benefit from the sacrifices that were not their own. Much like those who abuse our welfare system and feel that we, the tax payers, "owe" them something. Actually, I concur. I will be the first to offer up a .17 round to repay them for all they have stolen and all they claim to be when in fact they are pathetic excuses and oxygen thieves to boot. Weed the gene pool.

I suppose it is no big shock to know that legally people can lie about their "exploits" as a soldier and legally nothing can be done about it, except some may say "shame on you." Hell, Obama has been lying for years and look what has happened..

As for me, I earned the right to call this my country. I may get in some legal trouble, but I have no issue in popping someone in the mouth that dishonors myself, or anyone else who has honorably served this nation. I especially have no issue with taking the fight to someone who dishonors those friends who have died fighting beside me. Who do we punish then? Yep, For violating my freedom of speech, even if assault was a portion thereof. I accept my fate gladly, just as I always have every time I stepped off the ramp into the badlands.

So I can now add "Go ahead and let me catch you lying about a service you did not render and I'll introduce you to someone who believes in honor, integrity, and a man is as only as good as his word." which goes along well with my "Go ahead, try and burn this flag." mentality. Patriot or lunatic, call it what you will, but I HAVE been there and done that,and I do take offense.

Well, that's about it for my rant... It's sad that they have decided that people can claim to be something they are not in order to obtain something they do not deserve.  A pure shame. I DO NOT AGREE and I will never permit such indiscretion in my presence.

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS and those of us who have REALLY served. Thank a Vet, and openly admonish a lair. This is NOT freedom of speech, its theft.

Sorry everyone... I am still one of those old fashioned men who believe that integrity is not just a word, its a way of life. A man is only as good as his word and his handshake is his bond.

Wife brought this up last night.  Why is that not freedom of speech?  I guess the response is going to be something about public safety and screaming "fire" in a crowded movie theater, but if you just wear a police uniform and drive in a car with lights going, couldn't you be arrested?

Yes you can be arrested.