I wish the whole notion of ‘Stolen Valor’ would go away.
It’s a free country. If some schnook who didn’t even serve his country in uniform at McDonalds wants to dress up in a U.S. Military uniform with more decorations than Audie Murphy, he’s just wearing a costume. What, is someone afraid he might get laid or something? Free Veterans Day cake at Chilis? A 10% discount at the movie theatre? Come on. There isn’t one thing in the U.S. Constitution against dressing up in a uniform and pretending to be something you’re not. If you use it to try to get entry to a military base, that’s a different story, which is why base security doesn’t give a flip about what uniform you have on but your identity card.
What, there’s an exception we make when Tom Cruise dresses up like a Naval officer for a movie, but some twit named Marty can’t dress up in Marine Dress blues from a surplus store -— which is where many dress blues end up anyway.
I got rid of a lot of my old uniforms at a garage sale. Probably some punk rocker is wearing them now. I could care less.
I believe the ‘Stolen Valor’ thing does not apply to the wearing of a uniform or non-combat medals/awards, but applies specifically to the wearing of combat medals:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/258
Public Law No: 113-12 (06/03/2013)
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)
Stolen Valor Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to rewrite provisions relating to fraudulent claims about military service to subject to a fine, imprisonment for not more than one year, or both an individual who, with intent to obtain money, property, or other tangible benefit, fraudulently holds himself or herself out to be a recipient of:
a Congressional Medal of Honor,
a distinguished-service cross,
a Navy cross,
an Air Force cross,
a silver star,
a Purple Heart,
a Combat Infantryman’s Badge,
a Combat Action Badge,
a Combat Medical Badge,
a Combat Action Ribbon,
a Combat Action Medal, or any replacement or duplicate medal for such medal as authorized by law.