Stolen Valor

I3BrigPvSk

I3BrigPvSk

The Viking
I have been watching "Stolen Valor" videos on YouTube when veterans and active military personnel confronts these phony servicemen (and women)

Some of them are hilariously bad, they phonies don't know the difference between the US Army uniform, the Marine uniform, and/or the Air Force uniform. Some are mixing them or calling themselves Marines when they are wearing the ACU.

They phonies have bought the bronze star, the silver star, and the purple heart and all available ribbons. I cannot of obvious reasons recognize all US military medals and I don't know the exact regulations about wearing a US military uniform.

I don't add any videos, but do a search "Stolen Valor" on YouTube.

An ex Navy Seal calls out a lot of fake Seals and he has seen an increase of fake Seals.

How common is this? Have any of you faced phonies and how do you deal with it?
 
If I remember rightly there are or were moves in the UK to make wearing of uniforms and decorations by people who are not entitled to illegal.

If they like wearing uniforms and wearing medals, join up and earn them.
 
I don't say anything if a person is wearing military apparel when they are out fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, and/or other outdoor activities. The clothes are much cheaper than civilian outdoor clothes and they are durable. I have been hiking a lot and it is common to see people wearing military pants, not the entire uniform, though.

When I came across the Stolen Valor thing (it is not common here, we had a mandatory military service) I checked how easy it is to purchase military medals, ribbons, badges, tabs and other things. It seems to be very easy to purchase the items. I checked American online stores and British online stores. I can as a civilian buy British regimental ties, bow ties, cuff links, badges for blazers etc.

The US has or had the Stolen Valor Act, but the law was according to the Supreme Court in conflict with the 1st Amendment. It is illegal here to pretend to be a soldier if you aren't. Sweden doesn't have any economic benefits for the veterans and that might be the reason for why we don't see it here. Service personnel have discounts, but they must provide with the military ID to get and discounts.

According to the YouTube vids, US veterans get really upset and angry about phony servicemen. I understand why, it is an insult to the military, the injured, and the dead. Why some people do this? Oh well, they want the economic benefits, they want have the respect from the civilians. I also think many of the fake soldiers have mental issues.

Something I have reacted to is how US military veterans correct the wrongs about the phonies uniform and that is bad. Why to teach the fakes about how to wear a uniform
 
I've no problem with civvies wearing combat clothing when shooting or fishing etc, I object strongly when the walts attempt to convince people they served when they haven''t.
 
I3BrigPvSk said:
I don't say anything if a person is wearing military apparel when they are out fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, and/or other outdoor activities. The clothes are much cheaper than civilian outdoor clothes and they are durable. I have been hiking a lot and it is common to see people wearing military pants, not the entire uniform, though.

When I came across the Stolen Valor thing (it is not common here, we had a mandatory military service) I checked how easy it is to purchase military medals, ribbons, badges, tabs and other things. It seems to be very easy to purchase the items. I checked American online stores and British online stores. I can as a civilian buy British regimental ties, bow ties, cuff links, badges for blazers etc.

The US has or had the Stolen Valor Act, but the law was according to the Supreme Court in conflict with the 1st Amendment. It is illegal here to pretend to be a soldier if you aren't. Sweden doesn't have any economic benefits for the veterans and that might be the reason for why we don't see it here. Service personnel have discounts, but they must provide with the military ID to get and discounts.

According to the YouTube vids, US veterans get really upset and angry about phony servicemen. I understand why, it is an insult to the military, the injured, and the dead. Why some people do this? Oh well, they want the economic benefits, they want have the respect from the civilians. I also think many of the fake soldiers have mental issues.

Something I have reacted to is how US military veterans correct the wrongs about the phonies uniform and that is bad. Why to teach the fakes about how to wear a uniform
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We have a similar attitude here to it in that most people just regard the individuals as sad more than criminal, we also don't have a great deal of it happening here as the military is seen as a career rather than some patriotic calling.

The only serviceman I have ever spoken to about it was in the medical corps and replied that he didn't understand it as he usually got far more woman at pubs and parties by telling them he was a doctor.
 
MontyB said:
We have a similar attitude here to it in that most people just regard the individuals as sad more than criminal, we also don't have a great deal of it happening here as the military is seen as a career rather than some patriotic calling.

The only serviceman I have ever spoken to about it was in the medical corps and replied that he didn't understand it as he usually got far more woman at pubs and parties by telling them he was a doctor.
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Some of the American phonies have forged documents that gives them access to medical treatment, especially if they have forged the documents about the purple heart medal. The VA hospitals are backed up and cannot check the credentials when they are faked. The internet has caused the "copy, paste" issue

The military isn't really an occupation like others. It's different in what they are trained to do and what they do. That makes them different from other professions.
 
I3BrigPvSk said:
Some of the American phonies have forged documents that gives them access to medical treatment, especially if they have forged the documents about the purple heart medal. The VA hospitals are backed up and cannot check the credentials when they are faked. The internet has caused the "copy, paste" issue
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I would assume that would fall under the fraud category of the justice system though.

The military isn't really an occupation like others. It's different in what they are trained to do and what they do. That makes them different from other professions.
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I think that depends I think on where you are, every profession from accountants to zamboni drivers are trained to different things and have a specialist skill that few others have and "soldier" really isnt that different at its core, if we are solely talking about putting lives on the line then we have more fireman, police and emergency services personnel than we have military.

New Zealand is a relatively patriotic country but we are not bound to the trappings and idols of patriotism (flags, uniforms and anthems) so while the military is supported throughout the country we still see it as just another career, I think this is backed up by the fact that we tend to stay out of trouble so we are not dealing with death and injury figures on a daily basis.

As far as "Stolen Valour" goes I can understand people involved being upset about it and I personally struggle to understand the motives behind it but I believe most countries already have enough civil laws in place to deal with any fraud that may arise from it.
 
Years ago I worked in the aerospace industry. In our laboratory there was a technician who talked endlessly about his experiences in the Vietnam War. He went into great detail about the operations, the conditions, the blood and gore. He claimed to have been a U.S. Marine at the Khe Sanh siege.
In later years I learned that the guy was a complete phony! The man had never even been in the military. He had read every book about the war and would drop names of people and places from his reading. He made it sound very realistic. Some of these posers are very good.
 
Remington 1858 said:
Years ago I worked in the aerospace industry. In our laboratory there was a technician who talked endlessly about his experiences in the Vietnam War. He went into great detail about the operations, the conditions, the blood and gore. He claimed to have been a U.S. Marine at the Khe Sanh siege.
In later years I learned that the guy was a complete phony! The man had never even been in the military. He had read every book about the war and would drop names of people and places from his reading. He made it sound very realistic. Some of these posers are very good.
Click to expand...

We cannot see this kind of behavior here (what I know of) Would you say it is common in the US?

I have also pondered why this occur. There are many reasons, I guess. One seems to get the discounts at Starbucks, Taco Bell, and all the other fast food chains. They might be homeless and poor. Some might have mental issues, and others have only found a new way to scam people.

They can potentially make it harder for the real veterans and their organization to get support from the civilians. Especially, if the "vet" outside Walmart is a fake one and only scam people
 
I don't think the phenomenon is limited to the U.S. In the U.K. posers such as described here are called "Walts". Short for Walter Mitty a fictional character who has a rich fantasy life in which he imagines himself as a heroic figure.
I think you will see the military phony in any country where the military is held in high esteem. That is not very many countries. In most places fakers prefer to pass themselves off as successful business people or celebrities.
 
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I've met a few Walts over the years, one of the most memorable one was a Scotsman with a very strong accent, about 5 foot 3 inches tall, weighed at least 25 stone (350 pound or 159 Kgs) said "I was in the Special Air Service."

Most ex military people can recognise ex serving personnel by their mannerisms and speech.
 
A Walter Mitty in the UK. I must say, the RM is rather polite to him

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy-7eQgvaMc"]Jonah Meets Walter Mitty at Westminster - YouTube[/ame]
 
I have met a few Walters, only one wasn't homeless.

What I have seen so far is vets that simple encounter Walters, and then there are those that go around looking for stolen valor.

I have to ask, where is the law, in the US, that says you cannot wear a uniform? I worked in military surplus, and from what I learned from a legitimate retired colonel, anyone can wear any uniform, provided they are not wearing any patches, badges or medals. So OJ Simpson could go down to the MilSurp and buy real USMC Dress Blues, and wear it in public. Provided he is not telling people he's a Marine, not wearing any military patches, no campaign badges and no medals. Would he be an idiot for wearing it? Yes, of course. But what valor is there in an unmarked uniform? He could wear the uniform with Mario Brothers and Pac Man patches, but nothing identifying him as military.

OTOH, if he has a patch for the 101st Airborne, that is now crossing the line. It's not exactly criminal, but not legal, either. If he wears 5 purple hearts and a CMH, now he's in trouble.

I have seen videos of Don Shipley, SEAL ("Buds131" in Youtube), and I think he has a valid fight. In fact, here's a really good video of his- [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isjt1YR5fVQ"]Stolen Valor Chief Petty Officer? No... Big mistake and it isn't OK. - YouTube[/ame]

I have myself been approached by people when I'm wearing my fatigues, asking me questions that really is no one's business. The biggest problems I have encountered are cops and other veterans. The cops I dealt with simply overstepped their authority. The veterans, honestly, they are looking for a fight. They're bullies, they're no longer in the service where they can carry the ******* attitude and not get in trouble. So they go after people that clearly have mental health issues, bullying them. Is it right for people to claim to be something they're not? No, not by any means. But does that justify hunting them down?

I remember how I felt when a neighbor of mine claimed he was a USMC reservist. And I asked here about that. THAT is wrong. But the wear a uniform? Just remember that the public may be ignorant about a lot of things, but they can see through a fake fairly easy. Sometimes the best thing to do is walk away. Somethings are bet left unsaid.

But this guy has the perfect solution- [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ6Bm8DLwaY"]Types Of Questions To Ask Stolen Valor! - YouTube[/ame]
 
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