Do acts of Stolen Valor bother you?

[carlos cadona]

After several cases of men who actually severed in the military getting beaten up or humiliated by guys looking to make a name for themselves trying to call out fakes my personal opinion has largely turned against the hot headed young guys looking for any excuse to go off on someone in public, you can call someone out but if you physically assault someone then your just a criminal.

 

[Ultrashogun]

If valor could be stolen it wouldnt be much good to begin with. If kudos from the populance are of such importance that you feel they are diluted by imposters then you need to reconsider why you joined the military in the first place.

I believe this to be true for any kind of job btw. Ive never understood how certain jobs are considered more or less honerable than others. Anybody who has a passion for doing their job well deserves praise.

 

[oldshadow]

It bothers me but not to the extent I would attack someone for it.

If you tell people you are a SEAL and get confronted verbally by a real SEAL then you deserve it, same as with any other thing like that.

 

[JosephDredd]

"Stolen Valor" is the term used whenever someone who has not served in the military claims that they have. This includes going around wearing a military uniform or some that can be confused with a military uniform. This is done so they can receive praise and/or some sort of benefit from people who think they are/were in the military. It's also illegal.

My question to you War Room nuts is "do it bother you"? What if the person is only doing it for praise and not for any monetary benefit? Would you call the person out? Would you go further than just calling it out?

I think they should be investigated and exposed, especially if they're profiting or using their "expertise" to push dangerous ideas.

I don't think they should be pursued by the average idiot on the street because the average idiot on the street jumps to conclusions and hurts legitimate veterans.

 

[Big Nasty Edison]

Stolen Valor is sickening.

 

[Torrid]

No, because it leads to hilarious videos.

 

[DoomPatrol]

It's not a big deal at all. People dress as cops and firemen every year for Halloween and nobody cares about that. Veterans need to get over it.

I don't give a fuck if you want to play soldier like a child would. My problem is when you pretend like you really went though something you didn't.

 

[Gutter Chris]

Yea it bugs me. I was raised punk and poser is about the worst thing you can be. Doesnt matter what your posing as its despicable

 

[sub_thug]

People who do this deserve to get exposed and their asses kicked. It's just a really douche-bag thing to do. I wouldn't go around offering medical advice and saying that I'm a doctor, lawyer, or teacher. Don't put on my uniform like it's a Halloween costume and say that you've done the tough stuff that comes with wearing it.

 

[djacobox372]

Depends on the degree, if it's some homeless man calling himself a vet to get a handout it doesn't bother me anymore than him falsely claiming to be religious or to have a family to feed--I don't expect the truth from a beggar.

But if it's a politician that makes a claim that's untrue (like Jesse Ventura claiming to have been a SEAL), than it pisses me off.

I also get miffed by the special-snowflake vets that think they deserve to be put on a pedestal and given special rights.

 

[HunterSdVa29]

I don't like it and have called people out for being full of shit when they're at the bar telling "war stories"

As have i, or rather i simply ask a few question until they expose themselves and hopefully just quit while they're ahead

I've been told by quite a few cats that they were Marines, and went to Boot Camp at Camp Pendleton (and not MCRD San Diego).......word?

 

[HunterSdVa29]

It's not a big deal at all. People dress as cops and firemen every year for Halloween and nobody cares about that. Veterans need to get over it.

Don't you live in Guam?

You know, a US Territory freed by Veterans?

 

[Cmart]

It bothers me but not to the extent I would attack someone for it.

If you tell people you are a SEAL and get confronted verbally by a real SEAL then you deserve it, same as with any other thing like that.

I pretty much feel the exact same way.

 

[TheWalkinDude]

Does it bother me that people pose at vets? Sure.

Will you find me in public chastising someone with my phone out yelling "stolen valor" like a fucking goober? Sorry, I've got shit to do and if it's gotten so bad for them that they're wearing a fake uniform to get 10% off a sub nothing I can say is going to make their life any worse than it's already gotten.

 

[Konquest]

What pisses me off more than "Stolen Valor" is my wife's cousin who did a tour with the Army as a cook, and comes home and is the biggest welfare leech I've ever seen. Never saw one minute of combat, yet claims to have been "injured", walks with a cane, has a service dog for "psychological issues", wears camo all the time, constantly posts pictures on facebook of himself at the range, and feels that his tour gives him the inalienable right to constantly spout racist shit online and in public because he "loves 'Murka". Although he did serve in the military, he is more stealing valor from vets who legitimately saw action or have PTSD because he gets all of the real government dollars and not just 10% off at Applebees or whatever.

His dad is the same way. Airplane mechanic in Germany during peacetime, yet he acts like John fucking Rambo. Dude cut off his finger on a tablesaw and lies about it being a war wound to people in public who don't know. You point out their bullshit and the whole family gangs up and calls you "anti-American".

 

[Gunshow74]

I'm a vet and it doesn't bother me a whole lot. The only time it does is when they're committing fraud for some type of veteran's benefits.

 

[Abortedone]

I have never served but it kind of pisses me off I have a father inlaw who was in Vietnam and a brother inlaw who was in during gulf 2 but I don't think he ever saw action. I know what questions to ask and see if they are legit or not.

 

[Horse Style]

It doesn't bother me at all. Someone impersonating a cop or a doctor is harmful as cops are authority figures and doctors are looked at for expert advice on health. Someone who is a fraud with these two positions can hurt others. Someone pretending to be a war vet isn't hurting anything but the feelings of some.

 

[Steve-French]

What pisses me off more than "Stolen Valor" is my wife's cousin who did a tour with the Army as a cook, and comes home and is the biggest welfare leech I've ever seen. Never saw one minute of combat, yet claims to have been "injured", walks with a cane, has a service dog for "psychological issues", wears camo all the time, constantly posts pictures on facebook of himself at the range, and feels that his tour gives him the inalienable right to constantly spout racist shit online and in public because he "loves 'Murka". Although he did serve in the military, he is more stealing valor from vets who legitimately saw action or have PTSD because he gets all of the real government dollars and not just 10% off at Applebees or whatever.

His dad is the same way. Airplane mechanic in Germany during peacetime, yet he acts like John fucking Rambo. Dude cut off his finger on a tablesaw and lies about it being a war wound to people in public who don't know. You point out their bullshit and the whole family gangs up and calls you "anti-American".

100% Agree with this.

 

[Lord Coke]

Depends on the degree, if it's some homeless man calling himself a vet to get a handout it doesn't bother me anymore than him falsely claiming to be religious or to have a family to feed--I don't expect the truth from a beggar.

But if it's a politician that makes a claim that's untrue (like Jesse Ventura claiming to have been a SEAL), than it pisses me off.

I also get miffed by the special-snowflake vets that think they deserve to be put on a pedestal and given special rights.

Jesse Ventura was a SEAL. Techincally there was no such thing as the Navy SEALS back then. He was in the organization that would be renamed the SEALS a few years later.