Category: Stolen Valor Act

Our buddy, Pete Hegseth, the Executive Director of Vets for Freedom, gave us a shout out this morning on Fox & Friends;

Pete tried to get me on the show, but I have a face for radio. Thanks, Pete.

Richard David McClanahan was imprisoned for 30 months partly because of his violations of the now-overturned Stolen Valor Act in Texas. Now he has the opportunity to fight to have that portion of his conviction cleared from his records, but the 34-year-old says that he doesn’t want to do that according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram;

“I have no desire to have my record expunged,” he said. “I’m not the victim here. The law was put into place for a very good reason.

“I understand the legal reasons why it was overturned and have no doubt that it was the legitimate decision for the Supreme Court. But I respectfully disagree with the court’s decision. I wish the law had remained to prevent people like me from making absurd

McClanahan did not fight his prosecution. He pleaded guilty, and in two recent conversations with the Star-Telegram, he said that he hopes a new law can be crafted to satisfy the court’s objections. A new bill has been introduced in Congress that would tailor the definition of the crime to those who benefit financially from lying.

“I wish more people could be brought down and exposed,” he said. “I still have friends in the military. I disrespected them. I don’t believe that people should be able to get away with that, and this coming from the guy who was convicted and did time for it.”

It looks to me like someone learned his lesson.

We wrote about her in August 2010 and again in March of this year but I think it’s worth it to remind some of our newer readers about Melissa Campbell, the only person to be punished in the case against Xavier Alvarez, the man who took the Stolen Valor Act to the Supreme Court.

Ms. Campbell, a former Marine herself, lost her job as a hostess when upon hearing Alvarez’ outlandish claims of invading Iran on his own and returning to the Tehran embassy to retrieve the US flag even though he was wounded, Campbell confronted Alvarez and was fired from her job soon after. But she continued to help the FBI investigate and finally arrest Alvarez.

Her employer had asked why she should care since she was out of the Marines. Obviously her employer had never been a Marine. The Supreme Court might not recognize Ms. Campbell’s sacrifice for the honor of veterans, but we, here at This Ain’t Hell will never forget.

According to the Associated Press, the Pentagon announced today that they’ll establish a database of awards revipients in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to sink the Stolen Valor Act;

The idea of establishing a database is to make it easier to check on award claims, and perhaps to deter those who would make false claims.

Little said details of how the database would be established have yet to be worked out. He said the hope is to include valor awards and medals going as far back in history as possible.

I’d heard that Joe Heck was having a press conference in regards to the new Stolen Valor Act today, too. So someone is moving somewhat on rectifying the gaping hole that the USSC made in the stolen valor issue.

Thanks to Doug Sterner for the link.

Our buddy, Doug Sterner, with whom I stood on the steps of the Supreme Court when they announced their decision that the Stolen Valor Act was unconstitutional did this interview with Defense News. Aside from the new Stolen Valor Act currently in committee in the House and Senate, Doug is also pushing a database of awards that he claims will cost the government $8-10 million and will be 98% accurate. Doug has, nearly on his own and with a shoe string budget built the Home of Heroes, which includes tens-of-thousands of citations.

The Department of Defense claims that it’s not worth their time and expense, that there aren’t that many phonies out there. Well, a look at the participants in our Stolen Valor tournament only goes back to November and has 96 participants. And, tips are coming in at an alarming rate over the last few weeks.

As Doug says, a database is not a panacea for the problem, but it would certainly make my job easier, and we could be more responsive. Military.com used to have a relatively accurate database of people who had served, and AKO and MOL are good resources for those of us who can get to it. I don’t see the problem, because the systems and data exists, it just needs to be put in a publicly accessible format.

Some have served though most have not;
Taken all in all, they’re a sorry lot,
Who lie to find their missing needs,
Promote themselves on others’ deeds.

While cooks and clerks they may have been;
They dream themselves as fighting men.
And not content to be just grunts,
They expose themselves through foolish stunts.

While any combat should be enough;
They need to prove they’re really tough.
To get their glory, to seal the deal,
It’s Ranger, SF or Navy SEAL.

And even there, they’re not content
With claims of service false and bent;
To bolster lives of lack and pallor,
They make false claims to deeds of valor.

In uniforms so bright adorned,
With unearned honors all suborned,
They always give away their games
With lofty medals, shameless claims.

They always go a bridge too far,
Revealing who they really are;
Til we cut them at their sorry knees,
These phony warrior wannabees.

We sheepdogs know who is our foe:
The wolves who bring our flocks to woe;
But also shams as sheepdogs clothed,
Worth only scorn and to be loathed.

And while our highest court has ruled
These fakers’ right to keep us fooled;
All sheepdogs now must join the fight
And let these phonies feel our bite.

Fox finally put up the video that TSO recorded on Tuesday;

I think it’s unfair that the VFW guy wasn’t wearing his cap. I’m not even sure he’s in the VFW. We need to put pressure on the VFW to make their guys wear their caps when they’re on television.

But the video touts Joe Heck’s bill to replace the Stolen Valor Act which makes it criminal to claim military service and honors for a tangible profit. Didn’t Rick Duncan/Strandlof get something tangible from his veterans’ group? Doesn’t Dallas Whittgenfeld get something out of his buffoonery? Ken Aden tried to use his credentials as a “Green Beret” to win an elected office which would resulted in a paycheck.

Even Xavier Alvarez must’ve worn that Army uniform claiming to be a Marine before that meeting to win some sort of creds in his election. Like I’ve said, the new Stolen Valor Act will be another lawyer employment opportunity as they argue among themselves as to the meaning of “thing of value” which is the terminology in the bill.

I think their money would be better spent either funding a data base or funding TAH. Hey, I took a shot.