Capitol Hill Blue Forums Military & Security Military & Veteran's Issues Stolen valor

I ran across an interesting bill in the Nebraska legislature. I’m not quite sure what I think about it and wanted to see what you all had to say. It was intended to create the offense of stolen valor, and while it proposes a penalty be created, it doesn’t actually state one.

I didn’t know what “stolen valor” was so I had to look it up. Apparently it refers to a false claim of military service, rank, or decoration. Oddly, it doesn’t seem to refer to claiming of military or veterans benefits.

I don’t know how often stolen valor occurs. I find that my view of it is shaped by old movies, where someone fakes military background in order to avoid looking like a coward, and then has the Dookie beat out of him behind the local bar when he’s found out. I don’t mean to be flippant; that’s just the picture that comes to me.

The other image that comes to mind is of people standing on street corners with big signs that say “veteran - please help.“ I don’t really expect these people to be vets, that’s not the reason I give to them (when I do,) and personally, I don’t think it matters.

Job applications are the other place where it might matter.

I didn’t realize that “stolen valor” was a problem that required legal action. And it seems to me that the problem it does cause has to do with respect or lack thereof, rather than any economical or physical damage.

A conservative friend of mind, a vet, says yes, make it a law. My conservative side says this law is completely unnecessary.

Not a good idea. We don't need laws that punish people for indirectly hurting other peoples' fefe's, even if it is dishonorable.

Like you say, if there is some actual damage caused by lying about military service, that is probably already covered by some fraud statute.

And consider it from another viewpoint - I was once dabbling on a rightwingnut site where a retired navy guy was always whining about how he served his country and leftie scumbags didn't. He also spent a lot of time humblebragging about how he 'almost' got an appointment to the Naval Academy. I asked him a few questions about his experience, after which I began to gather hadn't involved any real risk (no combat service) and so, since he already disliked me immensely for being a cowardly Leftie, I asked him if he got paid. Of course he had, and was enjoying a military pension at a fairly young age, so I said, "Sounds like what you had was a pretty good job! How is that any different than a job in the private sector?" That made him really mad, so a tirade of insults followed, blah, blah, blah.

Finally I told him that I had been in the navy, too - I had accepted an appointment to the Naval Academy during the Vietnam era. But, it wasn't for me and besides that was the same year the war was ending, so I resigned. That really put his knickers in a bunch and he began yelling "STOLEN VALOR!! STOLEN VALOR!!!" For a month he trolled every post I made with that (apparently he thought I was lying...).

I am quite sure that if it hadn't been an anonymous blog, and if there had been a law about stolen valor, he would have sued me.

So, I'm agin any stolen valor laws.

Me, I thought it was kinda stupid, myself.

Welp, as this post points out, mebbe being associated with the military isn't such a humblebrag after all.

Loggy, do you remember a Disqus user by the name of Stolen Valor at Greta's?

I remember the name but nothing else.

I suspect there are two similar situations where such bragging makes a difference: 1) Getting free drinks in a bar. 2) Running for office.

The people who do it during a campaign usually end up being found out and disgraced, so they are mostly Republicans (since disgrace is not an impediment). I'm sure it works much better for mooching drinks.

Yet Madison Cawthorn made such claims (R - NC) and he won election - even though he doesn't have a leg to stand on in the valor regard.

Just in case anybody doesn't know how Madison ended up in a wheelchair at 18, he was riding back from spring break at Daytona Beach when his friend fell asleep at the wheel and hit a barrier at 65 MPH. He was asleep with his feet on the dash, so the airbag messed up his spine. His friend actually had to punch out the passenger window to get out of the burning SUV, and then pulled Madison out. So I guess he should have sued the auto maker for making such an attractive foot rest. He would have been fine if he'd had his feet on the floor.

During his campaign, he claimed he was left for dead in a burning wreck. But he was asleep and then unconscious the entire time according to his deposition. I guess that sounded better than "I was drunk and did something stupid, and got injured as a result."

My stole valor comment regarding Madison Cawthorne has to with not being admitted to the Naval Academy due to the accident. Turns out, Madison was denied admission prior to the accident.

The Naval Academy reference is a key part of Madison's public portrait, featuring prominently in speeches and interviews. Cawthorn is careful to say he was nominated and that his plans were “derailed” by the crash, two statements that when taken together create the impression he was headed to Annapolis to attend the prestigious academy were it not for the 2014 crash.

Madison has not publicly corrected the misimpression that he would have entered the academy in the class of 2018 were it not for the auto crash - which is why I label the guy as a "stolen valor."