So if they have defrauded people or institutions of money by pretending to be something they aren’t, charge them with fraud. If they have harmed people in other bodily or material ways by doing what they do, charge them with the relevant crime.
Prosecuting them just for being sad walter mitty posers is born of the same oppressive logic that sees other people being prosecuted for saying and doing some of the legion of things that liberals and lefties find offensive.
Yes, its demeaning and offensive, but being a veteran doesn’t give you special rights over everyone else to not be offended by imbeciles, as every right-thinking person must tolerate on various levels as part of the price for living in a free society.
Prosecuting these people sets a dangerous precedent that gives justification for proscribing things on the basis of them being ‘offensive’ to various groups of people...
It might be different if they weren't wearing a uniform.
A person in uniform is set apart from the average Joe.
It makes it so that those in uniform are identified with the frauds even though they don't care to.
They also become “spokesmen” for the anti war crowd and news people give them credibility that is harmful to those who are serving honorably, and can't directly challenge them.