STOLEN VALOR

We are engulfed in a national scandal. Unknown to most Americans, there is a virtual epidemic of impostors in this country - countless thousands of men who, since the Vietnam War, have been either inventing a non-existent military service, or inflating their war records. Military decorations are being falsely claimed, and often worn, by men never authorized to receive them -- the kind earned the hard way by genuine war heroes who are on the Wall.

Unless something is done about these Wannabe's their shameless, self-aggrandizing, and costly conduct will not only continue unabated; it will grow. Anyone who thinks such conduct is merely offensive and relatively harmless is misinformed.

There is no middle of the road on this subject you are either one who condones or you are one who finds these actions despicable, the horrible thing is some with their own agendas condone it by not decrying it.

The very real harm that Wannabe's visit upon innocent Americans - is incalculable. A few examples. Innocents, widows, wives and children in particular, experience shame and disillusionment when a Wannabe husband or father is exposed. Laws criminalizing Fake Warrior behavior continue to be un enforced. National security is compromised. Readers of nonfiction books are misled by authors whose credentials are fake.

The legitimate accomplishments of veterans who honorably served America are dishonored and depreciated. Worse, those accomplishments increasingly are shadowed by suspicion among people who conscientiously try to distinguish between the real and the fake. The well has been poisoned by the proliferation of Wannabe's.

To steal from those who "GAVE ALL" there is no defense, for actions like this, these thieves will answer either here on earth or to their Maker and to the ones on the Wall they pilfered from like a vermin in the night.

Thank God for people like Mary and Chuck Schantag at the POWNetwork who have been exposing these Valor Thieves for more than a decade on and off the Internet, they are the most respected source on and off the Internet for information and are used by almost every Wannabe web site on the Internet for requesting information on suspected offenders, and by many Veteran Organizations seeking information on suspected fakes.

Thank you Mary and Chuck for your dedication to preserving the Valor of those who earned it and especially for those who are on the black granite Wall who cannot speak out for themselves, God Bless you.

Those comments in GREEN are directly from military records (or lack of military records) obtained through FOIA. In this case the records were obtained from St Louis there is no "lack of records"

Home of Heroes

Stolen Valor

Wannabe SEALs

AMVETS ReportStolenValor.org

Military Times, Hall Of Stolen Valor

Australian New Zealand Military Imposters - Wannabes

MACVSOG

Professional Soldiers, Hall of Shame

Nativewayproductions.com Phony Veterans & Indians

Handy website
Quick Guide to Obtaining Military Records, Yours or Others

How to Request Military Service Records or Prove Military Service

"....I now know why men who have been to war yearn to reunite. Not to tell stories or look at old pictures. Not to laugh or weep. Comrades gather because they long to be with the men who once acted their best, men who suffered and sacrificed, who were stripped raw, right down to their humanity. I did not pick these men. They were delivered by fate. But I know them in a way I know no other men. I have never given anyone such trust. They were willing to guard something more precious than my life. They would have carried my reputation, the memory of me. It was part of the bargain we all made, the reason we were so willing to die for one another."

Please give Viper a vote here

From: LB Armstrong
To: foxreport@foxnews.com
Sent: 12/2/2004 9:15:00 AM
Subject: Journalism and the MILITARY -- You Reported on the "former Navy SEAL" incorrectly

Dear Fox Report:

Wednesday's broadcast featured a story on the man who allegedly stalked Sheryl Crow. I wanted to point out that you incorrectly reported he is a former Navy SEAL and also tell you WHY it is so important you check these characterizations before passing them along to your millions of viewers (which includes a majority of military and their families).

Please be aware the wire services are often incorrect on military topics because their reporters still have not taken time to educate themselves about the culture (I used to work with them, and have seen their recklessness with military facts).

www.authentiSEAL.com is a website devoted entirely to exposing the fakes who would steal the valor of our most professional of fighting men. They have stated the man involved in the Crow case has NEVER been a Navy SEAL. It is unfair to the SEAL teams to report him as such, as this sullies them. Honor is very important to them and their families.

Navy SEALS work very, very hard to attain the best and most professional status in the U.S. Navy, and deserve to be portrayed correctly in the media. A phenomenon that had its roots in the anti-war movement of the late 1960's is the FAKE WARRIORS who would speak out against the war, claiming they committed atrocities. This was a technique perfected by John Kerry's group, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and it was so shameful because most of the guys who got coverage were complete fakes. Their credibility was never questioned -- not even decades later when it became an issue in this most recent election. These fabricators' words were taken as fact by gullible or complicit reporters and passed on to the American public as true. And the political agenda of the far left was fostered by this shoddy journalism.

Please recommend to your reporters and producers covering the military that they take time to check out a book called "Stolen Honor" by B.G. Burkett. It will help them understand the entire background behind the FAKE WARRIOR phenomenon and its impact on events. It chronicles cases of media being duped, and it explains the great harm caused by the myths of war and the importance of fair and balanced coverage to those of us who have served or have loved ones serving. The book should be required reading in journalism schools across the country, especially in times of war. Young journalists especially will be interested in the facts surrounding Dan Rather's less-than-ethical reporting, even decades ago.

So many Americans admire the good job you at FOX do, and I have faith someone there will take my seemingly small suggestion to heart and help make others aware of this issue with journalism. As small as this Cheryl Crow case seems, it's an indicator that the media is not doing its job checking facts, but instead takes the word of America's criminals at face value. That some will claim to be heroes and steal the honor of the good men and women whose many stories of success and victory go untold, is a shame. Left unchecked, errors such as this are certain to foster an incorrect and unfair perception of our troops.

Sincerely,
Laura B. Armstrong
Atlanta, Georgia
(ABJ - '83 Grady School of Journalis\m