Did you know that “wearing unearned medals and badges” is in violation of federal law?
I had thought that law only applied to Boy and Girl Scout badges. Fear not. The G. is on the case. All terrorist cells in the US are kaput so the the Feds have the time to track down these somewhat pathetic folks whose philosophy flies in the face of movie history. Because most of us have lost loved ones in war, the idea of a phony’s wearing a DSM, Navy Cross, Purple Heart, etc is revolting, but I would be loath to use Federal agents’ and prosecutors’ time to nail some bozo who claims to be a sharpshooter and has the badge to prove it.
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“Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges.
I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!”
May 25, 2007 10:24 AM
Vic Walter Reports:
FBI agents and veterans will be on the lookout this Memorial Day weekend for phony military heroes, a disquieting trend that officials say has grown substantially in the years of the war with Iraq.
“I probably get three to five calls a day about someone spotted with suspicious decorations,” said Doug Sterner, who passes along the tips to veterans groups and the FBI.
Sterner operates the Web site Home of Heroes, which is dedicated to honoring true military heroes.
“I’ll be damned if I sit idly by while some wannabe phony wears awards that real heroes gave their lives for,” Sterner said.
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At his sentencing on April 3, U.S. Attorney Bradley Schlozman said, “This impostor received the maximum penalty for his dishonorable conduct. Such disrespect for the brave men and women serving in our nation’s forces won’t be tolerated.”
FBI Agent Michael Sandborn works to track down and expose phony military heroes.
“In cemeteries overseas, there are 124,913 Americans who paid for their Purple Hearts with their lives, and these impostors purchase theirs over the Internet and at surplus stores,” he told ABC News.
Recent passage of the Stolen Valor Act now makes any misrepresentation of military decorations punishable by up to a year in jail.
Watchdogs like Doug Sterner think that even with the tougher law, military phonies will still be out there tarnishing the image of the true military heroes.
Sterner says, “It’s so prevalent that you’re never going to catch and prosecute all of them.”
Image: (Treasure of the Sierra Madre) stinking badges via darryl,com
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Please find the entire article here.