If anyone would like to know how seriously the whole "stolen valor" thing can be taken, just do a little research on Admiral Mike Boorda. He rose from an enlisted person and eventually rose to CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) - the first person in the history of the United States to do so. This happened as I served, and can vividly recall it. He was as universally respected by his fellow officers as he was beloved by those in the enlisted ranks. As CNO, he realized that the citations for two medals which he had been awarded decades before were missing some necessarily specific language to support the wearing of two bronze "V's" for valor, signifying that the award was won in direct combat operations, and voluntarily stopped wearing them, so as to avoid any conflict or poor reflection on the Navy. While the citations listed him as clearly serving in the combat theater, they did not say that it was in direct combative action. In a tragic twist of fate, it was his decision to admit the error and stop wearing them which first gained the attention of Newsweek magazine. A full year later, when Admiral Boorda discovered that Newsweek was not only questioning his wearing on the two bronze "V's" for valor, but was preparing to run a story on the subject, he walked onto the front lawn of the CNO house at the Naval Yard, and committed suicide in broad daylight by shooting himself in the head with his service revolver. Obviously, this is an extreme reaction, and a tragic one, but I can recall the vast majority of my active-duty friends (this occurred just after I had discharged, and when I still stayed in close contact to many) - each one a person who loved and respected Admiral Boorda, before the news of his "fake" medals came out - were sad at his passing, but placed the totality of blame on him, as he should - and must have - known better. From the Navy Times (by way of The Baltimore Sun): Link: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/19...031_1_admiral-boorda-mike-boorda-admiral-mike And as you'll see from the quotes below, this occurred at mere speculation, and even with Admiral Zumwalt (Admiral Boorda's predecessor) clearly saying that he felt that the V's were entirely appropriate, and it could have been easily rectified. From a story at the time: Link: http://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/18/us/admiral-in-suicide-note-apologized-to-my-sailors.html Finally, Boorda's suicide note (it is even more stingingly painful to read it now, with the added benefit of 20+ more years of my own failings, than it did when I first saw it years ago): It is what it is.
When the ribbon bar on a uniformed member of the armed services (or former member entitled to wear it) is jacked up, and the individual is old enough, through years or rank, to know better... you start wondering if maybe he or she didn't just throw a few things on that didn't belong, and that is why the order was wrong. Because when the uniform is on, it must be worn properly, or not worn at all. Which is where I was coming from. Turned out it was just on upside down. But a lot of times, that's where it starts. Something small and innocuous gets added (combat action ribbon was the most abused one during my stay). Or something gets added to a resume, because the thought is it makes you stand out. And then bam. The biggest abusers aren't dudes sitting in a bar claiming to be SEALs or guys trying to get another percentage out of the VA. They are dudes sitting in leadership roles in corporations who put something on their resume that didn't belong.
It's a case-by-case sort of thing, for me, and even the next two groups are not absolutes, by any means. Group 1: Former military / Dishonorable Shit-birds / Extensive Fraud that Becomes a "Real" Existence to Some For those who had some sort of military experience, or who have spent years upon years in fabricating an inreasingly elaorate story, they could be suffering with some mental illness, but I don't tend to think that they are. Group 1 Archetypes: Group 2: Everyone else Someone who just haphazardly throws on a uniform, medals, who runs their suck or looks like such a clear-cut mess as to not likely fool even civilians, yes, there is probably some sort of mental deficiency at play with the vast majority of these, IMO. Group 2 Archetype: But, it can be hard to quickly discern phonies from one branch to the next, because this is pretty much how every member of the Army, Air Force & Coast Guard always looks to me in their dress uniforms: Float can confirm that last bit.
In just the past few years, SCOTUS has struck down a multitude of "Stolen Valor" laws throughout the country, saying that the wearing of medals, uniforms, etc. are permissibly protected free speech, and I wholeheartedly agree with their ruling, insofar as the person isn't using these items to defraud others out of tangible goods / services, and the sort.
I wouldn't say it's a mental illness. I think it falls somewhere between carrying regret for not serving and attention whoring. It may be they have friends/family that served and they wish they had. I don't know....I do know that I couldn't fit into my uniforms anymore if my life depended on it. Also, I used holding bars for my ribbons and medals to a) keep them perfectly straight and b) to keep me from messing up the order. I don't understand the reasoning behind lying about service though. Sure, I'm proud to have served but it's not like it was a glamorous life or anything.
I had a sales rep who I went out with on a couple of appointments. In his spiel about himself, he talked about serving in Nam, and receiving the CMH. I confronted him on it afterwards, and after some bs he finally admitted it was a lie. I told him if I ever found out he said it again he was gone. I never heard about it.
I will say it's disrespectful for someone to do this but depending on the individual I typically feel more pity towards them than anger.
Good grief, if you are going to lie, don't like about the CMH. A) it is a shitbag thing to do and B) it is easily the easiest thing to check on. Might as well claim to be an ex-governor or ex-SCOTUS.
Think you could still fit into your uniforms? How about the dress blues with the 13 button fly? That was always a [itch bay]...
Unless you retired after 25 years, I don't know how anyone could still fit into a uniform you wore when you were 19 or 20 years old. It would not be natural. Unless you were a big ole dude to begin with.
Marine Online had this ribbon checker app that looked at your record, and gave you a visual representation of what and how you were supposed to order your spread. I just did that... The hardest thing was putting those stupid little stars on things. They never looked centered.
I don't think I could fit them if I removed two ribs. No body is meant to be shaped the way that thing is cut.
I'm all about tradition but these things were f'ing stupid and fit weird.... *Edit, these show a zipper and I don't recall ours having a zipper.
