Stolen Valor: Free Speech or a Crime? - In Military

Wrong is wrong. You don't wear a military uniform you did not serve with, nor awards you did not earn. I don't care what your specific problem is, the issue needs to be rectified. Of course it does not have to be in a public place or forum. This can be easily be handled in a side room, or via e-mail. Privately, and remove emotion from the conversation. It's not to difficult to see a faker. And yes, sometimes they have mental illness, but still no excuse for what they are doing. Now if the faker in question is wearing a MOH, them the Master Gunny will revert to medieval methods and smite them with the jaw of an ass. Semper Fi.

should be a crime....go to jail...charge? Being a pathetic loser

Nice article and I will agree with a couple of your points, as veterans we should hold ourselves to higher standards. The one thing I will disagree with is the free speech part. Yes you did differentiate the difference between speech and conduct, but if the speech could result in conduct, then I think they should equally be held accountable. If I told someone I was CPR qualified because I saw them do CPR once on TV and then someone dies as a result of me thinking I could do CPR, then I should be held accountable for that. Much in the same manner as military posers. They might not dress up in the full uniform, but they might start spinning tales of courage and heroism for financial gain.

Yes, some of these people might have personality disorders or need mental help. But that doesn't mean we should be given in to their delusions. We should be getting them the help they obviously need.

Unfortunately, especially in the Internet age, people are too quick to judge and because of anonymity the things that come out of our mouths are usually less than friendly. Great article overall.