Posted on Jul 13, 2015
Do you think being able to purchase medals online increases the likelihood of Stolen Valor?
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Well! Now if a person wants to imitate being in the Military, they can, and unless they use it to get monetary gain, it's not illegal.
Nearly every single award that American soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines fight, bleed and sometimes die to receive can be bought by everyone else on the Internet — even from the same company that makes them for the U.S. military.
With the lone exception of the Congressional Medal of Honor, it’s all perfectly legal.
It’s even legal to wear them now, unless the person is using his fraudulent medals to gain something of value.
Yet to many, it is a deadly serious matter.
George Washington’s general order of Aug. 7, 1782, established the first American military awards. Ever since, U.S. service members, veterans and many civilians have reviled those who wear them fraudulently and sadly expected it to happen.
“Should any who are not entitled to these honors have the insolence to assume the badges of them they shall be severely punished,” Washington said in the order to his troops.
The job of punishing those who fraudulently wear military awards became much more complicated when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, citing free-speech concerns.
Under the 2005 act, it was illegal to wear an unearned medal of valor at all.
Bronze Star -- $22.00 Northwest Territorial Mint. It provides about 40 % of the U.S. military's medals, according to Ross Hansen, Mint Master (director of the mint). https://store.nwtmint.com/Military_Awards/ The hierarchy of U.S. Army awards for valor in combat is as follows: 1. Medal of Honor 2. Distinguished Service Cross 3. Silver Star 4. Bronze Star with "V" device
http://jacksonville.com/military/2015-07-11/story/no-need-steal-medals-military-valor-you-can-buy-them
Nearly every single award that American soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines fight, bleed and sometimes die to receive can be bought by everyone else on the Internet — even from the same company that makes them for the U.S. military.
With the lone exception of the Congressional Medal of Honor, it’s all perfectly legal.
It’s even legal to wear them now, unless the person is using his fraudulent medals to gain something of value.
Yet to many, it is a deadly serious matter.
George Washington’s general order of Aug. 7, 1782, established the first American military awards. Ever since, U.S. service members, veterans and many civilians have reviled those who wear them fraudulently and sadly expected it to happen.
“Should any who are not entitled to these honors have the insolence to assume the badges of them they shall be severely punished,” Washington said in the order to his troops.
The job of punishing those who fraudulently wear military awards became much more complicated when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, citing free-speech concerns.
Under the 2005 act, it was illegal to wear an unearned medal of valor at all.
Bronze Star -- $22.00 Northwest Territorial Mint. It provides about 40 % of the U.S. military's medals, according to Ross Hansen, Mint Master (director of the mint). https://store.nwtmint.com/Military_Awards/ The hierarchy of U.S. Army awards for valor in combat is as follows: 1. Medal of Honor 2. Distinguished Service Cross 3. Silver Star 4. Bronze Star with "V" device
http://jacksonville.com/military/2015-07-11/story/no-need-steal-medals-military-valor-you-can-buy-them
Posted in these groups: 
Medals
Stolen Valor
Medals Stolen Valor
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 11
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Hey! It's free enterprise. What can you do? You can still approach someone wearing medals and ask questions. One dead giveaway is most of these medal mongers have them in the wrong place on their fake uniform. Some even have medals on from several branches of the military. Remember, don't touch, just harass.
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Well I hope the Congressional Medal of Honor can not be bought without orders SGT (Join to see). Same for the Distinguished Service Cross.
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SGT (Join to see)
The article mentioned that the CMH isn't one of the medals copied. It didn't mention anything about the DSC., but let's hope it's not one to be copied like the CMH.
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SGT Jerrold Pesz
At least one site selling medals online (Medals of America) does not list the MOA or the DSC.
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SGT (Join to see)
Right. That's the medal company I was referring to. When you order replacement medals with an SF-180, MOA is where they come from.
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SGT (Join to see) Most of us that have earned the medals have put them in a shadow box on the wall or they are buried in a desk along with other "love me” paraphernalia or they’re on my uniforms that are hanging in the closet that I will never wear again (or) maybe I'll pull it out for a military ball someday (if I get invited), and they will be handed down to my daughters when I'm cremated & my ashes are laid to rest in a National Cemetery. They are in my official records jacket that I took home with me when I retired and their listed on my last Biographical Profile when I was a Colonel, other than that I will never wear them on anything else that you aren't allowed to wear them on (no where) from my standpoint. Those are the military veterans or individuals that will never steal medals of military valor - because they are humble and they don't have to show off what they’ve earned. That's how I will know the difference and unfortunately there is nothing we can do based on law to stop those who will continue to do it. Again, just my humble opinion!
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SGT (Join to see)
COL Mikel J. Burroughs, I totally understand and agree with that. Mine are in a shadow box on a shelf that nobody ever looks at. BTW, my wife had the put in a shadow box. Before she did that, they were in a box in my sock drawer. Nobody ever looked at them in there either. Lol
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MSG (Join to see)
mine are on my dress blues and in a desk drawer cant afford shadow box, last time i checked about 300 bucks just for basics, at this point dont really know who is stealing from who, but those that want it will do it legit or not, now we have people questioning smg plumley, we have people questioning chris kyle whos next chestie puller
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