Why aren't people taking "stolen valor" more seriously? I feel they are downplaying this. Is impersonating a LEO a crime? Why? Same, same?

SGT Charles W. - The COL in the recruiting station did not actually get anything, and it was fairly apparent that she had some mental disability.
If the PX warrior you are referring to is the guy in khakis with the top secret, area 51, and Seal Trident going on, he was very obviously disabled. The woman that was in and out of the frame in the background was probably his handler. My son is autistic and he has a 'buddy' that takes him on trips to the store or gym.

Pick your battles. I'm more concerned with the one who gets very close and makes a scene demanding a veteran discount.

My concern for those soldiers who started addressing Stolen Valor is that they are acting out in public which is most definitely not good for us.

Also, since we have brought civilians into this and we say that they are thinking these "warriors" are real soldiers, we are assuming that they do not have enough knowledge of the military to separate those who are real and those who are frauds.

That being said, all they know is that a super nice guy who believed them to be a soldier suddenly has someone with a camera screaming about him being a fraud.

They do not see a soldier defending their valor, and they won't. The best that you can hope for is that everyone around you does not believe that you or the "fraud" are representatives of our US Military.

I came to this logic when I saw the young white male walking down the street in Air Force camp with shoes and an Army hat. They immediately attacked this kid and I was thoroughly disgusted by the acts of those "Defending Valor." I even got the impression that the kid may have had some developmental issues.

Personally, as a kid, you could routinely see my friends and I in school with the old OD green fatigues we bought from a surplus store. This encouraged me to join.

The Supreme Court has labeled that the desecration of our Nations Flag is protected under the Freedom of Speech. Title 10 of the US Flag code has been pushed back.

This is my opinion on the whole picture; to me, the desecration of our Nations Flag is a much greater transgression than Stolen Valor. Maybe before we head out and start chasing down those politicians who allow the Supreme Court to pass laws allowing people to do this.

As a note, I can't stand seeing our Nations Flag being desecrated, or someone wearing a uniform who does not deserve it?

Because I've seen 5 year olds wearing fatigues. What age do you start punishing? What age can you quit because of Alzheimer's or Dementia?

SSG Warren Swan, I hate flag burning and Stolen Valor, but as much as everyone hates to admit, we have all served to protect their freedoms to do just that.

We don't have to like it. But we HAVE to do it and maintain it. That's what separates US from THEM. I'm no fan of anyone burning the flag, but really what are you burning? You're burning a piece of fabric some inmate made in prison. You're NOT burning what it means to me, you cannot HARM what it means to me. So that cloth you're stomping on thinking you'll get a "rise" out of me? You'll get me laughing at how ignorant you are, and that's about it. When I deployed, it wasn't for the flag, it was for the Nation and those to my left and right. Flag be damned. You want to pose nude in Playboy with the colors on the ground, yet want to make a scene when students are stomping on it? You were kicked out of the AF over that, so what gave her the "right" to get on someone else's case? The Colors are not what holds this nation together, the colors aren't why we fight and kick ass when allowed, It's the people we defend, the nation that we defend. The flag is a piece of cloth that is used to rally around. It could be green, purple, strawberry in color and in the end, it's still the colors, and we're still the defenders of a nation of blood and guts with a piece of cloth to rally around. Helll take the cloth away and business will still be done. You will get your ass kicked for messing with us.

PO2 Paul Endes - Weeding them out while yelling, demeaning, or threatening, is not the way to go. The BEST thing to do is to talk to them, ask if they KNOW what they're doing is disrespectful, (even legal), explain to them what it means to you, and hope you struck a nerve. In the example with a elderly Marine who was flying in his Dress Blues, he was ridiculed online and on tv. Turned out the man was LEGIT and suffering from dementia, and that uniform he EARNED was where his mind fell back to. The family looked this on both places and showed his 214 showing he EARNED everything on his uniform. Do you think those who filmed it went back looking for him to apologize? NOPE. In others where folks are throwing hands on people ASSUMING, then proved wrong, did they go and apologize? NOPE.

Putting folks on blast was "cute" for a VERY short time. It was even "funny" for the more obvious ones like SGM Davis, and the Staff Sergeant in the mall, who took his in stride and made more videos taunting us because he KNEW the law was on his side. Those videos crossed the line and that's when many FB sites stopped showing them. It was getting out of hand, and the herd mentality took over common sense. I see folks wearing bits and pieces of a uniform. I've even heard the "cool guy" stories. I look, listen, laugh, and walk away.

Unfortunately true.

I have my national defense ribbon. I consider that valorous. :)

How many times have we seen Officers that did nothing but sit in an office for their deployment and walk away with a Bronze Star? When did that become a gimme award?

I think anyone who serves is brave, which is definition of valor.

PO2 Paul Endes - It depends on where you are, I think. Small towns, theres a lot of respect and support, but they all but hate us in places like San Francisco.

Amen to that haha. Grew up in a small Virginian town, now stationed in Cali... I can for sure see the difference.

A1C (Join to see) - I disagree to this point. It's not necessarily about respect to inanimate objects. Rather it's a lack of self-respect. But, I do agree with you.

SGT Charles W. - So let me take this away from what you are saying,the civilns don't seam to care about this iissue is this what you are asking. The reason I say this is it is the Vets that are policing the system and now we have Vets going after Vets in some caeses they are small infarctions that they turn into big cases. Case in point they just outed a guy that seams to be in question about some article written 4 years ago and satmnets were taken out of context to fit the writers end state. It shoud be noted the person in question was a Iraq Vet and has a ARCOM V and CAB. This is going to be more and more of a problem Vets going after Vets because a couple things don't sound correct and guess what these current conflics are not the same as the past so some troops that may not have normaley been in hrams way and can say they have been are being questioned by those that know the past not the new COIN wars we are and have been in the past 15 years.

Example is you have personel that are working ouside their MOS's (Air Force and Army) or Navy rates. Yes you have Navy and Air Force personel that have been assigned to Army or Joint Task Forces that operate outside the norm and have been shot at and have shot back. The problem like this is old school Vets will try to call this out. You can have submariners that could and have filled some of these roles. I had an Air Force Missileer with our Task Force back in 20110-11 and he was out at a unsecure site and we left his Vic took a Direct Hit and he is took a bad head hit but was not discovered till la couple days later and he now has TBI. Now if he was to say something to someone about him being in combat in Iraq and said he was a Missileer, what do think those old Vets would say that BS and try to call him out.

I get what your saying but I think the Vets are cracking down but believe they need to tone it down and yes civilians need to understand how bad SV is. Even heroes exaggerate or in some cases have lied. Case in point it has been proven that Chris Kyle fabricated half his stories and there has always been questions on Marcus Luttrell story about operation Red Wing's and they have made millions. So is that stolen Valor? I believe we are walking down a murky trail everyday with this issue and it is only going to get worse with this generation OIF'/OEF they are going to get it wrong more and more as we move on remember this war is different and it is not only the shooter who is fighting outside the wire.

Here is solution for venders all states now have VET ID'S and or license and well the other thing is do not offer discounts period.

No, not talking about vets on vets at all. These are very tragic examples and I understand what you're saying, but that's not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is civilians claiming to be military. I understand about people working outside their MOS/service, and not talking about that either.

But that's exactly the problem you get, people going around accusing what they don't know.

SGT Charles W. - I'm with you and that is a big one that makes me mad also. I think it is still civilians not understanding and truly respecting military service and honors. You have families today that have no members that have served. I come from a reach Military and civil service family on both sides so I and we get it, but we are loosing these type of service to country and community are few and far between today.

So what about the wannabe who's impersonating a service member? Anything in the law about that?

Vermont Law:

13 § 3002. Impersonation of officer

A person who impersonates or attempts to impersonate a sheriff, deputy sheriff, constable, police officer, fish and game warden, or any other state, county or town officer shall:

(1) for the first offense, be imprisoned not more than six months or fined not more than $500.00, or both;

(2) for the second offense and subsequent offenses, be imprisoned not more than two years or fined not more than $1,000.00, or both. (Amended 1981, No. 223 (Adj. Sess.), § 23; 1995, No. 146 (Adj. Sess.), § 2.)

Very well put

I wouldn't go with the flattering; I'm not flattered by it, but I guess I get why some may feel differently than I.

PO2 Paul Endes - Or when flag burners can do so under free speech. There's what is legal, and then there is what is right.

SGT Dave Tracy - I'm with you. I don't feel very flattered. I feel very disrespected.