Stolen Valor – A Crime Against Those Who Sacrificed So Much
Stolen Valor doesn’t often make it into the news. It takes a high profile case to catch the media’s attention and even then, it must fit their narrative, before the public is “informed.”
Valor (or valour in British English) – noun – boldness or determination in facing great danger, especially in battle; heroic courage; bravery (Dictionary.com)
When someone falsely claims to have seen action in any battlefield situation while serving in the military, that’s stolen valor. Some may question that, wondering what makes it a big deal simply to claim you were in combat “over there,” wherever that is.
The answer is simple. Anyone who has served his or her country in battle is a person of valor. That person has faced the enemy, been exposed to the risks, and medaled or not, has proven valor. It takes boldness and determination, even heroic courage, to face an enemy whose goal is to kill you.
In my personal life, I have at times come across people who have been really angry with my “let’s get it done” attitude. What that means is, if something has to be done, it has to be done. There is no “not feeling good, too tired, not enough time,” or any other excuse. If it needs to be done, it needs to be done. Let’s get it done.
That came from my dad. He was a soldier in the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, 2nd Battalion (2PPCLI ), a Canadian Special Forces battalion created for service in the Korean War. He volunteered and was in the first Canadian battalion to enter the Korean War, in 1950. A combat soldier gets it done, or he dies.
Many of Dad’s comrades did not come home. I recall him showing old photos and talking warmly about some of the things that made individuals stand out in his memory, then sadly closing with, “He didn’t make it.”
| Dad’s was the Canadian battalion that was at the Battle of Kapyong Hill. While a relatively small battle in a relatively small war, it was along the lines of Vimy Ridge and Juno Beach for the heroism displayed by everyone, from the commanding officers on down |
That was an ugly battle, in which the leader of the Canadian force called down artillery on their position. Dad was close enough to Captain Mills to hear him on the radio asking for the artillery and telling them them “We’ll duck.” There was no retreating, no surrender, no “can’t.”
Amazingly, while 10 Canadians were killed and 23 wounded in the battle for the hill, no Canadian was hurt from the artillery barrage, which proved to be the turning point in the battle, successfully stopping the Chinese offensive. Even so, those who were there, including Dad, will say little about it.
But Dad was just one of many soldiers from many countries who went into combat to fight for freedom in this world. They went into battle so that others would not have to. They went, eyes open, fully aware of the danger. Any who were not awake to the danger soon were.
These were the men and women (as modern PC, not logic, began adding women to combat positions) who faced the enemy in real battle, and then continued to face the enemy in their dreams, at night. The wars ended, they came home, but the battle continued in their minds. Dad never showed it, but he faced it. Once or twice, at the most, he briefly mentioned his dreams.
He once told me about a man he fought beside, a signalman, who talked about being afraid to die. While he lived with his fears, he didn’t back down or run. Instead, when he was sent out to signal the artillery to fire on an enemy position, they fired on him by mistake and killed him. Dad told me he could still hear him screaming sometimes in his dreams, and it would wake him up.
How many soldiers still live like this, even now, who have faced the enemy, seen their fellows fall, suffered terrible injuries, or experienced the horror of hand to hand combat in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and smaller, nameless theaters of battle around the globe?
How can we say that stolen valor is “no big deal?” How can we say that when those who really went to battle generally are quiet, humble people, while those who lie about the service they never gave make up fantastic stories to bring glory to themselves are so numerous and loud?
“Here’s evidence of how bad the problem is: approximately 3,400,000 Americans served in Vietnam, off its coast or in the Vietnam Theater. But according to the National Vietnam Veterans Foundation, nearly fourteen million have lied about serving in Vietnam. “During [the year 2000] Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is 13,853,027. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE Vietnam vets are not.”” https://www.breachbangclear.com – Stolen Valor is No Big Deal
As you look at those statistics, remember that of those 3.4 million Vietnam vets, an even smaller number served in combat. Yet more than 4 times that number in the US claim to be Vietnam vets. This is a terrible shame.
Just recently, this has come to the forefront, again, with the media screaming out headlines about “racist, white, beastly males” attacking a Native American “Vietnam War” Veteran. People were horrified, and rightly so. No one who has served his country in war should be so treated; racism should have no place, anywhere.
Yet in the following days, as more and more video of the event appeared on the Internet the narrative began to unravel. People must remember, these days, that wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, whatever you’re saying, someone, somewhere nearby, is recording everything on a smartphone.
The first think that came out is the fact that the boys, a group from a Catholic high school in Kentucky, did not attack the person in question. If there was any kind of intimidating behavior, it was on his part. He is the one who walked through the crowd of teens, beating a drum and singing until he stopped mere inches from one of the teens he seemed to have singled out. From that point, he alternated between beating the drum in the teen’s face and singing in the same.
But wait; there’s more…
As the days went by, people began to question the “war” vet’s story about that. Though it was reported by the media that he was an “elderly, Native American Vietnam War Vet,” a video clip from an interview by the media showed him saying he was a Vietnam era veteran, which is quite different from being a war vet.
His defenders were quick to proclaim that he never declared himself a war vet, which he wasn’t; he was a refrigeration mechanic who served with – shall we say – less than distinguished service.
| But in reality, he did describe himself as a Vietnam war vet, in very clear detail, as can be seen in this video he made, himself. His description of himself as a Vietnam War vet begins just past the 9:40 mark. He then goes on to claim he served with distinction, as has also been proven false. |
It’s really sad and pathetic when someone feels as need to pass themselves off as something they are not. It is usually an indication of a deep sense of regret for not living a more distinguished and memorable life.
But while it may be a symptom of personal issues, there is no excuse for it. Many of those who have personally experienced combat never completely leave it behind. They continue to fight the battles for the rest of their lives in the theater of their minds, often at the expense of sleep.
Real Combat Veterans
The majority of those who have served in combat are able to face their demons somehow and “soldier on.” But for some, it overwhelms them as PTSD takes over and destroys them. Far too many combat vets end up on the street, homeless or worse, dead. The suicide rate among combat vets is insanely high and climbing.
Joe Chenelly, executive director of the American national veterans group, Amvet, calls it a national emergency. It should be recognized as such. But for some perverted reason, it is not.
Soldiers are recruited with many promises of the benefits of serving their country. But when they return, often broken, they are one of the most set aside groups you will find. It does not seem to matter what “civilized” country you represented: when you finish your service, the promises evaporate and the expected benefits must often be fought for.
It’s all the greater travesty that many of those who perpetrate stolen valor do it to fraudulently reap the benefits that the suffering combat vets are unsuccessfully trying to get. It is a sad indictment of our veterans’ support systems that these con artists are often better able to get the benefits than those who actually deserve them.
One of the very sad ironies of that is that while those who are lying about their military service, having never even served, will push back against the bureaucrats who are supposed to be helping veterans. They’ll quickly stand up to anyone who tells them no or rejects a claim.
But veterans like my dad, who were taught to obey authority, no matter what, are easily shut down by impatient or unwilling bureaucrats. They are definitely not cowards! They are soldiers who were taught to obey authority, even if it made no sense at the time.
Stolen Valor as a Crime
Stolen valor was made a serious crime in the United States when George Bush signed the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, but in 2012, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the law, citing it as being in violation of the 1st Amendment, which protect freedom of speech.
A new law was passed in 2013, which is so weak that few in law enforcement want the burden of enforcing it, making it illegal to profit, in certain areas, from stolen valor.
In Canada, Stolen Valour Canada likely does far more to bring the liars to justice than the law, itself. It is a crime under the Criminal Code of Canada (CCC) – Unlawful Use Of Military Uniforms or Certificates 419, but the reality is that the greatest deterrent to such shameless posers is likely the Hall of Shame/Gallery of Space Shuttle Gunners at Stolen Valour Canada.
Note that such groups as Stolen Valour Canada and its counterparts in the US and other countries is made up of real veterans who work very hard to track down genuine posers. They are very careful to be certain that someone is guilty of stolen valor, before “outing” him.
Unfortunately, there are others who are less careful. Real veterans, who have already gone through enough hell in combat, have been falsely accused and shamed.
Sometimes this has been be someone who has made a genuine (but inexcusable) mistake, due to lack of knowledge. But it also happens when those who want to make a name for themselves as vigilantes take to the streets.
Stolen valor, whether the laws of the land have teeth or not, is a serious crime that needs to be carefully and properly proven by those who know what they’re doing. Once it has been unequivocally proven, the poser needs to be exposed.
What to do
The best way to deal with a suspicion that someone is guilty of stolen valor is to get a photo if you can (which usually isn’t hard, as one of the reasons they do it is because they love the spotlight).
Then report your suspicions with the name of the person and the photos if you have them, to the appropriate Stolen Valor organization in your country for them to investigate.