Flynn, who served as executive director of accuracy in medias sister organization, accuracy in academia, from 1997 to 2003, teamed. American spectator exposes the stolen valor of famed. How the vietnam generation was robbed of its heroes and its history burkett, b. Navy seal, petty officer 2nd class e5, injured in libya during a covert seal mission, blog of shame 11. The law made it a federal misdemeanor to falsely represent oneself as having received any u. Mar 09, 2010 the stolen valor act of 2005 makes it a federal crime to claim unearned military honors. How the vietnam generation was robbed of us heroes and history, a book that is certain. Burkett, who has over the years exposed more than 1,000 phony vets, writes in his book, stolen valor, that in 1932, the federal government began offering pensions to civil. The absurd conservative obsession with stolen valor the. The law amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime for a person to claim they have served in the military, embellish their rank or fraudulently claim having received a valor award specified in the act, with the intention of obtaining money. Met a lad on holiday last year claiming he was a bootneck and that he was a firearms teacher and that on prmc his sgt told him he was the fittest lad he had ever seen. For example, the stolen valor facebook page, which exposes people who lie about their military service, has over 370,000 followers. A bill must be passed by both the house and senate in identical form and then be signed by the president to become law. Stolen valor goodreads meet your next favorite book.
The stolen valor act of 20 was introduced into the house by rep. The fake history from a real historian that fooled presidents and publishers by r. Sadly, the result is that many veterans like me have been targeted online by others claiming to be veterans with the intent of destroying our credibility, silencing us during a debate or some other malicious intent unknown to me. They are trying to attract the attention of the opposite sex, or they just want peoples attention and thanks.
Dale claims to have served for nine 9 years in the raaf in 1973 and discharged in march 1982 to pursue a career in business. Dod will unveil website to combat stolen valor this week. Attorney jonathan turley agrees that stolen valor is offensive, but argues that its also constitutionally. When any normal person reads action and fighting they are meant to assume combat. Stolen valor is illegal, this is how you get an arrest. Working with ten plus years in this field, with several notable prosecutions. A video team confronts nonveterans wearing military uniforms. Exposure to the true facts through the foia freedom of information act. Kelsie hoover uses fake michael cipriani persona, poses as. In addition, it reveals persons who were mistakenly given military awards. Buying old gi surplus shirts with patches on them is fine too.
This bill was introduced in the 1 th congress, which met from jan 3, 20 to jan 2, 2015. The stolen valor law of 20 makes it a federal offense punishable by fines and imprisonment to falsely claim military honors or awards to. Im sure all that any genuine vietnam vet would ask of anyone would be is to read this book stolen valor by b. A man who claimed to be a retired fourstar marine corps general had. If you and your buddies want to put army patches on fatig. Stolen valor is a term applied to those who falsely claim military service, either to gain recognition or, in some cases. The stolen valor of michael flynn veterans today military.
Dec 20, 2017 the stolen valor community takes itself very, very seriously. Youll be surprised of who you thought was a vietnam vet as they themselves boasted. Marine imposter rick strandlof exposed on anderson cooper 360. We read or hear much about the false heroes and veterans claiming honors that they never earned. Updatedon 21 february 2015, kelsie hoover, used a fake persona by the name of michael cipriani and posed as commissioned officer of the united states army. Guys like this are why veterans are getting a reputation for being out of control. To get discounts or free servicesdrinks, etc at stores or cafes.
Thanks to the stolen valor act, it is now a federal crime to pose as a soldier or claim to have earned medals like the purple heart and silver star for financial gain. If awards are given with no evidence of valor or combat and claims of action and fighting are made in the same paragraph where the awards are referred to, we develop a problem known as stolen valor. We provide expertise in all forms of stolen valor investigations that take place inside and outside the veteran community. Jun 15, 2017 a self proclaimed combat veteran has a road rage meltdown in colorado. 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. Stolen valor is in 4 parts, with appendices part i, the image, begins with a chapter about author b. Oct 14, 2014 the stolen valor law of 20 makes it a federal offense punishable by fines and imprisonment to falsely claim military honors or awards to affect personal, tangible gain. All the latest clips on stolen valor, in one compilation. True stories of liars in violation of the stolen valor act. Gerald jerry allyn fairman, fake seal, fake vietnam veteran. This bill was introduced in the 1 th congress, which met from jan 3, 20 to. Jun 03, 20 the stolen valor act of 20 was introduced into the house by rep. Stolen valor, like posttraumatic stress, is one of the most misunderstood issues in the u.
Weve put together a list of the top 5 most outrageous stolen valor incidents. The stolen valor act of 2005 makes it a federal crime to claim unearned military honors. This subreddit was established as a community to discuss matters related to stolen valor. If the claims by leroy foley were used to leverage work, military or civilian promotions, or anything else of value, he may have been in violation of stolen valor laws. He is a disabled veteran and has worked on veterans and pow issues for decades. It seems a couple of people were suspicious of his vietnam seal claim. The stolen valor epidemic and why civilians should care. Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the united states of. Jan 06, 2015 for example, the stolen valor facebook page, which exposes people who lie about their military service, has over 370,000 followers.
House bill 1187 stolen valor indiana general assembly. Records show that the veteran, robert ford, had served from 1958 to 1964. His actions are an insult to the veteran community. Makers for veterans helped charles zollicoffer ride a. Anderson may be the countrys most prominent stolen valor detective. Usmc stolen valor points out fraudulent citizens that claim they have earned the title of marine. Now, burkett and 1 have coauthored what amounts to a comprehensive indictment of this fraud. Joyce has made the mistake of being a cheat involved with the media and had his photograph published in a newspaper. If i wear a military uniform with no rank, medals, or. Use updown arrow keys to increase or decrease volume. Stolen valor is the act of pretending to be a service member or veteran with the intended effect of personal benefit.
Stolen valor 1 when a civilian who was never military, therefore never earned the rights and privileges associated with the honor of wearing the uniform, wear one due to any of the following reasons. See more ideas about women figure, veterans discounts and military benefits. Kelsie denise hoover gained national attention in 2015 when she was the first person to be arrested under the stolen valor act of 20. Oct 28, 2015 your funker530 guide on stolen valor accusations and the stolen valor act h. Please dont post videos of homeless people or the mentally ill, this subreddit will not tolerate bullying. Gordon is an accredited diplomat and is generally accepted as one of the top global intelligence specialists. With the stolen valor act under scrutiny by the supreme court today, it seemed like a good time to bring a story out of the mothballs. Stolen valor can also be a problem among activeduty troops. Jerry is the commander of american legion post 183 in fern park florida and also wears a cover for vfw post 7414. Stolen valor names names and backs up the uncovering of these honor thieves with facts. Makes it committing stolen valor, a class a misdemeanor, for a person to knowingly or intentionally, with the intent to obtain money, property, or another benefit. How the vietnam generation was robbed of its heroes and its history. The mission statement on the website guardian of valor, founded in 2012 and now the most popular outlet for stolen valor content, makes this clear. We value our service members, veterans, those who have given the ultimate sacrifice and their families.
The defense department will unveil a stopgap stolen valor website this wednesday designed to help citizens see if someone is lying about military medals. We are not on facebook, we are not on twitter, we do not have a blog nor do we confer with any authorities other than military personnel center and the veterans. The stolen valor community takes itself very, very seriously. Top 5 most outrageous stolen valor incidents the sitrep. Burkett, a vietnam veteran, and glenna whitley, an investigative journalist. Real veterans dont advertise their deeds and claim unbelievable acts of heroism. Stolen valor is one book that every vietnam veteran should read. Pretenders, liars and frauds claiming military honors they didnt earn.
Gordon duff is a marine combat veteran of the vietnam war. In 2009, i covered a story for marine corps times that falls squarely in the truthisstrangerthanfiction category. Feb 27, 2015 updatedon 21 february 2015, kelsie hoover, used a fake persona by the name of michael cipriani and posed as commissioned officer of the united states army. The absurd conservative obsession with stolen valor. Jul 23, 2014 with the stolen valor act under scrutiny by the supreme court today, it seemed like a good time to bring a story out of the mothballs.
Outting people who falsely claim military service andor claim unauthorized medals or tabs. It reveals that numerous people claiming to have been mentally injured by serving in the vietnam war never served there. Phony navy sailor walking around pierce college campus. The next four chapters detail the authors argument that the image of the vietnam veteran was tarnished by a combination of media coverage, veteran imposters, u. If you enjoyed the video, be sure to like, subscribe and comment what you want to see next. The claim of both the silver star and the purple heart may put foley in direct conflict with the federal stolen valor act of 20. Michael john joyce served with raaf number 1 operational support unit in vung tau vietnam for 91 days from 16 april 1970 until 15 july 1970 as a cook. A person commits the crime of stolen valor if he or she knowingly, with the intent to obtain money, property or another tangible benefit. The guy in the video is chad huntsinger, and he is having a serious episode of road rage. She was caught pretending to be a male soldier who had been. We took a pause on listing these due to site cleanup. Combat veteran has a total road rage meltdown in colorado. Wearing a military uniform without rank, ribbons, badges, etc. He also claims that he joined the army reserve in 2004 or 2005 and was appointed as an officer after graduating from the royal military college duntroon on 25 march 2007 as the oldest graduate in history.
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