Stolen valor

[Jim]

September 21, 2007

NORTHWEST CRACKDOWN ON FAKE VETERANS IN “OPERATION STOLEN VALORâ€

[Jim]

'Stolen Valor' revisited
By James G. Zumwalt
February 3, 2008

The book, "Stolen Valor — How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of its Heroes and its History," made the case years ago as to how the Vietnam veteran's image was unscrupulously tarnished through a combination of lies, poor journalistic judgment and distortion.

The picture Vietnam veterans were largely malcontents unable to adjust to civilian life after the war was an inaccurate one. Charlatans, fraudulently claiming to have served and earned medals for valor, told outlandish tales, reported by anti-military journalists who failed to research facts. The combined actions of the charlatans and journalists thoughtlessly stripped away a measure of integrity from true medal recipients and those who honorably served in Vietnam, planting in the public's mind a seed of doubt as to the mental stability of returning veterans.

Three-plus decades later, the anti-military journalists are hard at work again. A recent, lengthy, Page One article in the New York Times cites the statistic veterans returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have committed or are charged in 121 serious crimes, planting the seed again in the public's mind they are an unstable lot.

http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 75035/1012

[Jim]

Man convicted of falsely claiming MoH

Californian had never even served in military
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday May 8, 2008 7:04:55 EDT

It was a novel argument: freedom of speech protects falsely claiming an award of the Medal of Honor.

It didn’t work. And on Monday, Xavier Alvarez of Pomona, Calif., pleaded guilty to violating the 2005 Stolen Valor Act. In doing so, he acknowledged that he had falsely claimed to have been awarded the nation’s highest decoration for valor — and, in fact, had never served in the U.S. military.

Alvarez, 50, faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a $100,000 fine for the misdemeanor offense. But the government has recommended that he serve a term of probation and possibly be levied a smaller fine, according to Craig Missakian, the U.S. attorney who prosecuted the case.

Alvarez, as a member of the Three Valleys Water Board in Claremont, Calif., was punished for statements made at a July 2007 meeting of a neighboring water board. Alvarez was asked if he wanted to introduce himself.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/ ... oh_050608/

[rangertough]

Didi I ever tell you guys about my Malaysian Distinguished Service Cross with Pot leaf clusters?.No?.. Very hush-hush! Operation "Burnt Biscuit" '95.. was there as as Mega Force advisor.. can't really say much about it..

Mega-Force!!! Did you have the flying motorcycle like ACE or were you a 'buggy driver?

Tough