Blake Hall
Former U.S. Army Combat Engineer Christian Palmer, 21, noticed this man at the Fresno International Airport a few months ago wearing an Army Ranger uniform and his hat inside (against protocol) which prompted a quick interrogation.
According to the imposter, the uniform belongs to his stepson. He said he had nothing else to wear. Funny how his only option for attire allowed him to get a 20% discount at Starbucks?
What’s not funny is that this is stolen valor.
It’s also against the law.
Just recently, lawmakers in New Jersey and Massachusetts pushed bills that would impose stricter laws that would make fakers like the guy in the video above face severe consequences — even more so than the federal restrictions that exist currently (2006’s Stolen Valor Act signed by then President George W. Bush that was amended and reinforced by Presidnet Obama in 2013).
“There are certain areas you don’t go,” Massachusetts State Representative John Velis, a Democrat from Westfield who served tours in Afghanistan. “Any person who has served will tell you that it’s reprehensible when someone fraudulently represents themselves as a veteran for some type of financial gain.”
According to Velis via Fox News, the bill would make it a criminal offense to commit an act of stolen valor, carrying at least a year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
It would be the toughest stolen valor law in the entire nation.
“Just because there’s a federal law doesn’t mean that the state should nap on this,” he said. “The fact is that there have been no arrests under the federal law. Understandably, it’s not something at the forefront for the U.S. Attorney’s office. This [state] law will take it a step further to stop those seeking financial gain.”