Stolen Valor
Rick Glen Strandlof is a posuer.He tried to pass himself off as a United States Marine with injuries from Fallujah. He claimed three combat tours in Iraq. He claimed to be a survivor of the September 11 attack on the Pentagon. He claimed he was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He claimed to have been decorated with the Purple Heart.
Rick Glen Strandlof never spent a day in the military. A federal arrest warrant has been issued for Strandlof. He will be prosecuted under the Stolen Valor Act of 2005. His actions are punishable by a year in jail and a $250,000 fine.
Labels: Dirtbags
posted by Xavier at 8:47 AM
20 Comments:
It is unfortunate that this will get little play on the MSM. I wish we could sentence him to a pillory in Iraq for all to see. Sad day indeed, but representative of the lefts mantra that "No low is too low" if it delivers the goods.
Good, Now he needs to serve for a few years to understand what he has done!
Classifying this guy as a dirtbag gives dirtbags a bad name. On a more positive note, great blog, Xavier - keep up the good work!
Why is it that most 'real' veterans (that I've known at least) are hesitant to speak about their actions? The more 'heroic' they were, the more they refuse to talk about what they've done.
So, this loser was a Democratic Party Functionary? I know there are some real (and heroic) veterans whose political views tend to run toward the Democrat end of the spectrum but this guy?
Words fail me right now...
Typically these poseurs are almost immediately uncovered in a conversation with an actual veteran. The unfortunate fact is that in today's society the percentage of people with any exposure to the real military is miniscule. There are a number of folks actively engaged in documenting the fakers, and a couple of the best are Chuck and Mary Shantag at www.pownetwork.cor.
I've known them for years and they are veritable bulldogs in their search. Give them a name, a birthdate, almost any tag of an identity and within an hour they'll have validation of a service claim all from public sources.
The bad part is that federal justice is very reluctant to pursue criminal charges. I wonder why?
Punishing people for the spiritual evil of lying in itself, without using the lie to take physical property from others?
That's God's job. Not man's.
You cannot protect the non-physical intangibles of "honor," "valor," or "dignity" with physical force.
-Sans Authoritas
At least his family and friends won't have to wonder anymore if he is a loser.
"The Stolen Valor Act of 2005 (the Act), signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 20, 2006,[1] is a U.S. law that broadens the provisions of previous U.S. law addressing the unauthorized wear, manufacture, sale or claim (either written or verbal) of any military decorations and medals. It is a federal misdemeanor offense, which carries a punishment of imprisonment for not more than 1 year and/or a fine; the scope previously covered only the Medal of Honor."
This is a punishable offense? Being a liar? If the guy somehow gained monetarily from his mendacity, I could see punishing him, but if no one was harmed, he should be scorned for the puke he is and left alone.
Sans Authoritas, you are 100% correct on this.
For crying out loud, we need a law for this? We already have enough laws on the books against fraud, prosecute him under those if he gained unlawfully.
Why sentence him "to a pillory in Iraq for all to see" when he can just be sentenced to practically any U.S. prison and get buggered for his dishonesty? Yeah, that'll teach him.
"You cannot protect the non-physical intangibles of "honor," "valor," or "dignity" with physical force."
Well said.
There's no arguing that the guy is a jackass, but punishing people for being jackasses is not the proper role of gov't in a free society.
"Punishing people for the spiritual evil of lying in itself, without using the lie to take physical property from others?
That's God's job. Not man's.
You cannot protect the non-physical intangibles of "honor," "valor," or "dignity" with physical force.
-Sans Authorita
Sans,
Honor may not be physical characteristic, but it is every bit as tangible and real. If I were to start posting blasphemous comments all over the web and signing your name to them, do you believe there would be no impact on yourself. Do you believe that only G-d has the right to punish those who lie and steal the accomplishments of others?
Antibubba
So nobody noticed he was sporting a pretty gay haircut for a Marine? :-)
He spent time in a mental hospital. That explains his support of the Democratic party!
:-)
"Sans authoritas" demonstrates why. The concepts of honor, valor and integrity stand for themselves. What is punishable under the law is impersonation of an officer, unauthorized wear of the uniform, unauthorized display or wear of decorations, falsification of records, forgery of official documents, false claims for benefits/pay/earned entitlements, etc.
That is "con authoritas, verdad!"
An interesting candidate for phrenology...
I wish it were still possible to banish scum like this.
Sans Authoritas:
You are tight, we don't need laws for this type of thing.
All we need is to put guys like this in a room with the type of men that I served with in the Corps, film it and broadcast it on the nightly news.
Much less of this shit would go on.
as part of his sentence, add in 2000 hours of community service as a volunteer in a VA hospital.
I'll go you one better curtislowe. Put him in a room full of people who didn't serve when they could and kick themselves every single day for missing the opportunity. It may take a bit longer and won't be as neat, but it'll get done.
Ed Rasimus,
All the "crimes" you mentioned, except for false claims for benefits/pay/entitlements, do not in themselves deprive anyone else of their their property. Or of their achievements. If I said I was an astronaut, and you really were an astronaut, would my claim make you any less an astronaut? Would it have made your training and experiences any less real? Not in the slightest.
"Sans Authoritas" is not Spanish.
-Sans Authoritas
Curtislowe,
Again, you believe that you can defend "honor" with fists, and that you have some claim to enforce God's prohibition against the spiritual evil of lying.
You are wrong.
Your former colleagues would doubtless prove something about themselves by their actions.
-Sans Authoritas
another candidate:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6660017.html
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