Medal of Honor Fakers

[ArchAngel]

I've heard of wearing a fake uniform and shit and how that pisses people off, but damn, how low can you get to wear a fake Medal of Honor and try and brag about it??

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060430/...onor_impostors

Medal of Honor Fakers Are Proliferating
By BILL POOVEY, Associated Press WriterSun Apr 30, 1:01 PM ET


A proliferation of phony heroes is prompting such groups as The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation to lobby for tougher laws to punish the impostors.
The organization reports that there are 113 living recipients of the nation's highest military award, but an FBI agent who tracks the fakes said impostors outnumber the true heroes.
"There are more and more of these impostors, and they are literally stealing the valor and acts of valor of the real guys," said Agent Tom Cottone, who also works on an FBI violent crime squad in West Paterson, N.J.
Some fakers merely brag about receiving the award — and that's not illegal — but some impostors wear military uniforms and bogus medals. The FBI has about 25 pending investigations of such phony heroes, said Cottone.
Anyone convicted of fraudulently wearing the Medal of Honor faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine. But there's no such penalty for other medals.
The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation and other veterans groups are looking to change that. They've enlisted the help of U.S. Rep. John T. Salazar, D-Colo., who is sponsoring the Stolen Valor Act to penalize distributors of phony medals and those who pretend to be decorated veterans.
Salazar's legislation would make it illegal to make a false public claim to be a recipient of any military valor award, such as the Medal of Honor, a Silver Star or Purple Heart.
"It is about more than punishing people," said Salazar. "It's about preserving the history and honor of those medals."
World War II Medal of Honor recipient Charles Coolidge of Signal Mountain, Tenn., got flimflammed out of his medal — at a military reunion of all places — when someone offered to help recondition it and gave him back a fake version of the award.
Cottone tracked down Coolidge's real Medal of Honor from a man who was selling and trading medals in Ohio.
"It was a big surprise to me to get it back," said Coolidge, 84.
Coolidge received the Medal of Honor for leading an outnumbered section of heavy machine guns during four days of fighting against German infantry and tanks in France in 1944.
Cottone said he recovered two fake Medals of Honor at a New Jersey gun show. Both were made by HLI Lordship Industries Inc., a former government contractor for the Medal of Honor.
The company, based in Hauppauge, N.Y., was fined $80,000 in 1996 and placed on probation after admitting 300 fakes were sold in the early 1990s for $75 each.
"If we don't maintain the integrity of these military awards, the real ones won't mean anything," Cottone said.

[ClutterbusterNY]

How stupid (and low) can people be?
Tom Cottone is great, he's the agent who caught the imposter wearing "dress blues" lots of stripes, ribbons and medals at the funeral of 2nd Lt. John T. Wroblewski.

[Donald]

Britain has its fair share of "Wantabes". There was a case in the UK press last month of a young lad with a chest full of decorations and campaign medals as well as claiming to be a Knight. Of course the type of decorations worn and what with the age the imposer, that was was his downfall.
He turned out to be Call Centre Operater with no military service

[SGRock]

We had a POS in 3/2 in 1983 that did something similar. He went to Okinawa on his leave time to visit a girlfriend. He flew over on a "Space A" flight. As most know, you have to be in uniform to do so. He wanted to look "Better" so instead of just wearing his only ribbon, Sea Service Deployment, he desided to put on a few more to in clude the NAVY CROSS and Navy/Marine Corps Jump Wings. He happened to meet a mjor in the airport who asked him about winning the NAVY CROSS. The POS told him he won it for giving someone CPR. The Major asked him a few more question; what unit he was in etc. . The MP's were waiting on that good for nothing when he got back from vacation. He went to the brig for six months, but surprisingly did not get kicked out. But he did the next year he did after stealing a fellow Marine's wedding ring while he was in the shower.

[66MP1]

This is my only response.

[Covertness]

It's a felony to even own a Medal of Honor let alone wear one unless you've been awarded it by Congress. If any of you see one for sale, let the Feds know.

[USMCRET6391]

if it wasn't the COMH it would almost be funny.......most of these idiots don't know what they are putting on their chests when they start adding ribbons, the just want the fruit salad to make themselves look more experienced than they are. Thats' how most of them get caught, as per SGRock's example. And Covert is correct also, if you find one for sale report them.

[Covertness]

after you kick their ass of course.

[ArchAngel]

Is that only the case with the Medal of Honor (the law thing) or is it with all because I know www.grunt.com and alot of other military apparel online stores sell real size, Purple Hearts, Silver Stars, Navy Crosses, and so on. I haven't seen a Medal of Honor but all the others including campaign medals are on there. Is that legal??

[Covertness]

Just the Medal of Honor. You can buy and own all the other medals you want. Don't get caught wearing them. First off the Feds are starting to crack down on that shit via the Stolen Valor Act and worse you might get caught by a Veteran and then you would be in a world of shit.

Unless awarded by Congress, or willed to a relative, it is illegal to own, wear, or sell a Medal of Honor.

[Hasbeen]

I had no idea it was a law, as it should be, Not that I was trying to find on on Ebay or anything but interesting all the same.

[Panzerman]

One of the more amusing instances of "faking the funk" I've ever seen was a 32 year old lance corporal we had, who was going to EAS in the next few days. This dude was already old as fuck to be a first term lance, but he looked like he was about 45.

He put on full-bird colonel insignia and went into the chow hall and started chewing SNCO ass. It was one of the most wrong things I've ever witnessed but good God was it funny. He had a SSgt scurrying off to find the MSgt that ran the chow hall...oh, it was priceless.

Needless to say, he didn't make it out an E-3.