Posted on Apr 16, 2016
In New York state, a determined fight to make stolen valor a felony
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I don't think its right for anyone to wear a medal not earned, uniform or even impersonate someone in uniform
In New York state, a determined fight to make stolen valor a felony
Posted from militarytimes.comPosted in these groups: 
DAV
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)
Vietnam War
The American Legion
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
DAV Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Vietnam War The American Legion Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 13
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PO3 Ellsworth Allen Westgate thanks for the post, this hits home, I take to this seriously, I have lost a lot of Veterans serving and it would mean a lot to bust those that are perpetrators. Great read!
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My Dad was a great Dad, but hard as nails when it came to punishment. But he only hit me once. I was at a yard sale when I was 14 and bought a field jacket with Sgt. Stripes on it. I didn't even make it in the house. He came out of the door and slapped me so hard I went down in a heap. He then roughly stripped the jacket off me. "You haven't served. You haven't sacrificed. This is not a costume."
He then gave the jacket to my brother who had just finished 6 years in the Army and was a Sgt. It was three days before he talked to me. He apologized for the visceral response to an error of ignorance. It wasn't the jacket. It was the stripes. Then he handed me a copy of Starship Troopers and told me not to come out of my room until I finished it. Then we would talk. I understood
If I came in with medals on I'd just about be out of the coma now.
He then gave the jacket to my brother who had just finished 6 years in the Army and was a Sgt. It was three days before he talked to me. He apologized for the visceral response to an error of ignorance. It wasn't the jacket. It was the stripes. Then he handed me a copy of Starship Troopers and told me not to come out of my room until I finished it. Then we would talk. I understood
If I came in with medals on I'd just about be out of the coma now.
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SFC William Farrell
Your Dad sounds like how my Dad would have handled it Maj John Bell. I am sure he was proud of your service and I hope he got to see that.
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Maj John Bell
SFC William Farrell - He did. As a retired Navy Captain, he administered my oath of office. Although he swore I went Marines to spite him.
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Doesn't it seem that the courts have determined that awards for valor are worthless? Think about it. If they had value, then stealing them would be criminal. However, it appears that they a simply tokens and thus may be displayed as free speech. How odd it that attitude?
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SFC William Farrell
LTC Yinon Weiss - Agreed Major, real valor is not brought and neither is our service. I as just an ordinary soldier and am proud of the minor awards I have and also proud of my 26 years of service. I do believe that collectors should be allowed to buy our preserve the history of our medals and the deed behind them. It is illegal to buy, sell or trade the Medal of Honor, so where do they wind up? Germany, Canada, the UK and Australia. This should be a crime!
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CPT Jack Durish
LTC Yinon Weiss - Is it a dishonor to the Constitution for criminalizing the wearing of other honors such as a policeman's badge? You do know that's a crime, don't you (impersonating an officer)? Couldn't I wear a policeman's uniform as an expression of free speech?
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LTC Yinon Weiss
CPT Jack Durish - I'm glad you brought that up. I'm sure you understand the basic difference between a law enforcement officer and a veteran. A law enforcement officer has legal authority over people, such as arresting them, detaining them, and searching their houses if they believe they have probable cause. Therefore, there is a very real threat to people's privacy, and even their life, if anybody could impersonate the authority vested in law enforcement and begin detaining people under the guise of law enforcement. This is quite different from veterans, for if somebody chooses to wear the words "Army" on their shirt or a colorful ribbon on their shirt, they have no impact on anybody else other than hurting some people's feelings. Surely you understand this. Just because some people's feelings get hurt doesn't mean the government has the right to silence others. If we did that, nobody would be able to say or wear anything.
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