Stolen Valor

I've never heard of this before. I figured he would be charged with simple fraud. Does anyone know how long 'stolen valor' has been a crime?


(CNN) -- Richard Strandlof said he survived the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon. He said he survived again when a roadside bomb went off in Iraq, killing four fellow Marines. He'd point to his head and tell people he had a metal plate, collateral damage from the explosion.
Richard Strandlof says he didn't mean to cause harm when he lied about being a military veteran.

Richard Strandlof says he didn't mean to cause harm when he lied about being a military veteran.

None of it was true. On Friday, the FBI arrested him on the rare charge of "stolen valor."

Strandlof, 32, was held "for false claims about receipt of military decorations or medals," an FBI news release said. Charges had been filed in Denver, Colorado, the week before, the bureau.

"The penalty for his crime is up to one year incarceration and a $100,000 fine," it said.

Before his deception was revealed, crowds ate up his story. He canvassed Colorado appearing at the sides of politicians. Inspiring and seemingly authentic, he spoke on behalf of veterans at the state Capitol.

He formed a group called the Colorado Veterans Alliance.

The whole thing was a lie, he admitted to CNN's Anderson Cooper earlier this year....

 

Log in or Sign up to hide all adverts.

lol What the hell.. :bugeye:
That people are stupid enough to believe him on his word is no reason to fine him $100,000...
Jesus Christ! And he might even have some mental disorder too.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide all adverts.

Well the law is supposed to protect Decorations given in the U.S. Like if you bought a MoH and claimed to be a recipient.

I think it's a good law personally. But I try to operate on a currency of Honour.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide all adverts.

so just because he's a big fat liar means he has to go to jail? I could understand if he profited from his lie, but if he hadn't? Should it still be a crime?

 

You just don't lie about getting Decorated, esp in the States. Good law.

 

Wow, I had no idea this was even a law. So you can't be a liar? Or maybe it's similar to impersonating an officer? I could see him being arrested if he had actual done something that only veterans are privileged to, but simply lying about being a veteran is illegal? Well glad I know in case I ever felt like lying.

 

It should be a crime because it is a fraudulent act acting to be someone he is not . He profited to use peole as idiots and raise his ago too...!.

 

BUt isn't that the same as lying at your high school reunion and telling your old buddies you own a restaurant, when you're really just a waiter?

 

Nope Running a restaurant, being a Doctor, etc. does not often get you "killed".

Doing something to get Decorated does. Often Posthumously awarded.

It's along the lines of impersonating a police officer.

 

Not according to what YOU just posted, no.

In all likelihood, he will be fined a small amount and they will publicly humilate him so people know he is not who he claimed to be. This way he can no longer continue with his ruse.
This is why there is a good deal of leeway with sentencing.

No everyone who does this deserves a stiff penalty, but some do.

You mean profited monetarily?
Is that all that matters?
That's kind of ironic when you consider the nature and name of the crime - don't you think?

The point is to deter people from grabbing glory, honor and recognition from the grave suffering and death of others.
I think the law is just and fair.

 

But it isn't illegal to say you used to be on the force is it? I guess I'm confused.

 

Maybe he raised 100,000$ as a result of his lies, and that is why they are fining him that much.

 

The article said nothing about how much he will or will not be fined. Those are maximum penalties allowed under the law.

 

Valor is not some worthless bauble

I think it should be easy enough to nail people for fraud where that is an issue. In this case, he should be held accountable for anyone he swindled into contributing to his foundation. I don't think, however, that it does "valor" any credit to make it something that can be stolen. The very transformation that allows valor to be "stolen" makes it a condition that can be possessed and traded. Such noble concepts ought not be so denigrated. Some things are above possession. Truth is simply truth; it cannot be owned. Right and wrong are simply what they are. Some soldiers are told, "Good hunting," and their safe return is in our prayers. In history, many soldiers have been sent to the cannons simply to die. There is nothing good or evil in any of that until we consider the superficial manifestations.

Valor is subject to interpretation. The Russian Revolution occurred in part because the nobility, who were responsible for society, hid behind the peasant class. FARC, at one point, or the IRA, possessed noble causes. Yet it is hard to watch the thick eulogizing of men who slew families at fishstands or in bookstores, or who massacred indigenous tribes.

There are those who would question the propriety of the Iraq War, but does valor discriminate this way? Would we argue that Corporal Dunham, PFC McGinnis, Master at Arms Monsoor, or Sergeant Smith should not receive the Medal of Honor? We might argue about what the medal stands for, or what its value is in relation to integrity, but there is no question of valor.

Men have died for suspect causes, or even blatantly wrong, and still conducted themselves properly, even honorably and with valor. Everything in its context.

So somebody has "stolen" valor. He is a fraud, like many others. No more, no less.

I had the (mis)fortune of catching the premiere of the current season of The Amazing Race. Among the teams competing were a pair of professional poker players. They presented themselves to the other teams as two women who worked for non-profit children's causes, which is pretty sick when you stop to think about it. I mean, yeah, bluff if you think it helps. And the point of the game is to win. But come on, isn't the children's charity thing laying it on just a little thick? But who cares? It's a fucking game show.

One of the key aspects of a certain type of fraud is that it relies on people's sentimental values. It presents a specifically-contrived façade of honor in order to exploit people's sympathies and imply an aspect of obligation. There are plenty of fraudulent charities asking you to think about everything from Alzheimer's to babies to endangered zebras. Think about the children, think about your children, think about your parents, think about the Earth, think about your liberty, your security, your very lives. Give blood. Give food. Really, there are very few fraudsters sitting around in dark backrooms gleefully devouring their day's haul of Chef Boyardee.

In this case, valor is no different. Can you "steal" parenthood by concocting a false story about losing a child to cancer or a drunk driver or whatever?

We should not reduce valor to something like a pair of diamond earrings, to be jealously guarded and shown off as a symbol of superiority.

Valor is not some worthless bauble.

 

There are idiots.. :shrug:
And he didn't pretend to be someone else. He just lied about being places he wasn't at.

 

Many forms of lying are illegal and profiting from the crime is not required.

Fraud, Perjury, Libel, Impersonating Government Officials, Slander, False Advertising, ...

Also he did profit from the crime.

 

In the U.S it is probably illegal to say you were on the force and were decorated for bravery.

The law is there to protect the "value" in terms of "Honour" with decorations. I can easily understand why the general public would be confused by this...

 

He needs to be thrown in downtown Baghdad for two years as punishment.

It is a crime for impersonating a police officer. This is the same thing. There is no excuse for his behavior. It's insulting and immature. He needs to grow up and get a life.

 

If you put your life on the line to do your job and then someone else claims they did it when they actually didn't, would you not be pissed? And yes, it should still and always be a crime. I can't see how anyone could possibly feel any pity for this douche's actions.

 

No, I think he should be punished as well. I am by no means on his side.
I just don't understand the legality of it. I don't understand how you can steal valor.

Its like suing someone for 'alienation of affection', as if you can steal one person's affection away from another.

I don't understand how you can steal an non-physical thing. That's all.