Free Republic

Criminalizing speech is a tricky business, but Congress seemed to think it had found the right balance in 2006 when it overwhelmingly enacted the Stolen Valor Act, which made it a crime simply to lie about having received a military medal or service badge. Stolen Valor Act ruling Xavier AlvarezTherese Tran/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Xavier Alvarez falsely claimed to have been a U.S. Marine and Medal of Honor recipient. But the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit begs to differ. In a decision released on Tuesday, the three-judge panel, based in San Francisco, declared the law unconstitutional...

A federal judge in Denver has ruled the Stolen Valor Act is "facially unconstitutional" because it violates free speech and dismissed the criminal case against Rick Strandlof, a man who lied about being an Iraq war veteran. "The Stolen Valor Act is declared to be facially unconstitutional as a content-based restriction on speech that does not serve a compelling government interest, and consequently that the Act is invalid as violative of the First Amendment," Blackburn wrote in his opinion. Strandlof, 32, was charged with five misdemeanors related to violating the Stolen Valor Act - specifically, making false claims about receiving...

In 1997 Wes S. Cooley, a sitting first-term eastern Oregon congressman, was convicted on charges he'd lied about his military service in official state voter guides. Cooley had claimed Korean War service with Army Special Forces. An Oregon newspaper learned that Cooley hadn't finished training until nearly a month after the signing of the 1953 armistice. A judge sentenced Cooley to two years' probation, a $5,000 fine and 100 hours of community service. Well-known actor Brian Dennehy often shared stories of his service with the Marines in Vietnam. Burkett verified that the movie tough guy was indeed a former Marine...

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, trying to save his campaign for the Democrat party's nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Chris Dodd after he was exposed for falsely claiming to have served in the Vietnam War, turned for support today to a veteran who himself was accused of wearing service medals and rank he had not earned.The man, Elliot Storm, actually served in Vietnam, unlike Blumenthal, however Storm was called out by the POW Network several years ago for embellishing his decorations.According to Ct News Junkie, Storm was invited by Blumenthal's campaign to stand with Blumenthal at...

A soldier who was just 18 when he braved enemy fire to rescue his wounded commanding officer in Afghanistan has been awarded the Military Cross. Private Alex Kennedy had been in the Army for only eight months and is believed to be the youngest winner of the gallantry award since the Second World War. But yesterday the young rifleman modestly insisted that he was 'just doing his job' and added: 'I don't feel like a hero - that title should really go to those who go out to Afghanistan and don't make it back.' Private Kennedy risked his life crawling...

In 1940, Lewis L. "Red" Millett, a 17 year old native of Mechanic Falls, Maine, dropped out of high school and joined the Army Air Corps in order to fight the increasing fascist threat in Europe. But when President Roosevelt stated that the U.S. would not be entering the war, Millett decided to become a deserter and head to Canada - not to avoid combat, but to seek it out as part of the Canadian army. He was sent to London where he served as an anti-aircraft gunner during the Nazi's "Blitz" bombing campaign. "I deeply believe that if you're...

A police officer who intervened to stop a shooting spree at America's biggest military base was hailed today a heroine as she received treatment for the wounds received in a shoot-out with the gunman. Major Nidal Hasan, an army psychiatrist due to be posted to Afghanistan, shot dead 13 people and wounded 30 others after opening fire with two handguns at Fort Hood yesterday afternoon. But the death toll from the rampage could have been far worse had it not been for the actions of Sergeant Kimberly Munley, a civilian police officer stationed at the base who was the first...

It took 43 years, but Marine Pfc. Daniel Hernandez finally got his medal... "His immediate and fearless actions, while himself painfully wounded, undoubtedly saved many lives," said Marine Lt. Jim Lupori, reading from the Silver Star medal citation that, because of lost paperwork, was never awarded to Hernandez by the secretary of the Navy after he left Vietnam in the late 1960s. The four-decade wait only made the honor more meaningful to Hernandez, 63, as several hundred relatives, friends and fellow veterans gathered for a ceremony in his honor at the Hollenbeck Youth Center. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger... and a host...

Hollywood cares more about its stars than the Defense Department about its own. One can go online and find every Academy Award winner on its database. Not only does the Defense Department not have a comprehensive or complete database of all those awarded medals of valor but the Defense Department is opposed to proposed legislation to create one. What’s wrong with an Honor Roll for those we have honored?

In the heat of an ambush in Afghanistan's most lawless province, a 19-year-old Nebraskan jumped in front of a grenade to shield other Marines in his platoon. Richard Weinmaster was critically wounded by the blast. But the bloodied Cozad native stayed in the fight, firing his machine gun at the enemy position until he collapsed from his wounds. Looking back at the July 8, 2008, engagement, Weinmaster says he was “just doing my job.'' But his bosses in the Marine Corps — and the Secretary of the Navy — felt otherwise. Advertising On Thursday, they awarded the now 20-year-old Weinmaster...

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del., Aug. 17, 2009 – In 2003, Catherine Roberts, a midwife and a 25-year quilter from Seaford, Del., wanted to give a wounded soldier a quilt to bring him comfort during his recovery. Angie Carr and Air Force Capt. Sandra Bannan display a Quilt of Valor June 12, 2009, at the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center on Dover Air Force Base, Del. The quilts have been awarded to several hundred workers at the center since late 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Matwey  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “We are a...

Five Medals of Honor have been awarded for actions during the war on terrorism. In each case, the recipient took extraordinary action to save the lives of his fellow warriors, and in each case, he was killed or mortally wounded in the process. Most Medals of Honor are awarded posthumously: 55 percent in Word War II, two-thirds in Vietnam and 75 percent in the Korean conflict. Not a single Medal of Honor has been awarded to a living recipient for an ongoing conflict since 1973.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Eight years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. About 4,000 members of the U.S. military killed in action. More than 34,000 wounded. Just six considered worthy of America's highest military award for battlefield valor. For some veterans and members of Congress, that last number doesn't add up. They question how so few Medals of Honor—all awarded posthumously—could be bestowed for wars of such magnitude and duration. Pentagon officials say the nature of war has changed. Laser-guided missiles destroy enemy positions without putting soldiers in harm's way. Insurgents deploy roadside bombs rather than engage in firefights they're certain...

WASHINGTON, July 9, 2009 – The fifth Army Reserve soldier to earn the Silver Star since the terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001 spoke about his experience in a “DoDLive” bloggers roundtable July 6. Army Spc. David Hutchinson receives the Silver Star medal from Army Col. James Doty on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, June 6, 2009. Hutchinson earned the award for valor during and following an ambush in Afghanistan on May 21, 2008. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Spc. David Hutchinson of the 420th Engineer Brigade discussed...

The wife of the pilot who safely landed a crippled jetliner in the Hudson river says her husband is a "a pilot's pilot" who "loves the art of the airplane."

EXCLUSIVE Brits fight off deadly pirates                      By DAVID WILLETTS Published: Today       A TEAM of hero Brits battled back deadly pirates four times in 24 hours armed only with Molotov cocktails and flare guns, The Sun can reveal. The three-man ex-military security team were hired to protect cargo ship S. Venus in the pirate infested waters of the Gulf of Aden off the Africa coast. On four separate occasions between New Year's Eve and New Year's Day Somali pirates – armed with AK-47s and rocket propelled grenades (RPG) – tried...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, July 14, 2008 – A soldier from 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team was awarded a Silver Star Medal in a ceremony here July 12. Army Capt. William G. Cromie receives the Silver Star Medal from Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, Combined Joint Task Force 101 commander, at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, July 12, 2008. Cromie was recognized for his valor and leadership abilities in a combat operation on Nov. 16, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Christina Sinders, Combined Joint Task Force 101  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, Combined Joint Task...

KORENGAL VALLEY, Afghanistan, July 12, 2008 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff yesterday took the opportunity to present 12 paratroopers with awards here for valorous and heroic achievements in combat. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen pinned five Army Commendation Medals with valor devices, five Purple Heart Medals, one Bronze Star with valor device, and one Silver Star on the troopers’ chests during a ceremony at their combat outpost here. “It’s an honor and privilege to be here,” Mullen said to the awardees. “This ceremony is about individuals who represent the sacrifice of so many.” The paratroopers are assigned...

Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, the commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division and Multi-National Division - Baghdad, presents an impact Bronze Star Medal to Sgt. Shawn Griffith, a native of Richwood, W.Va. Griffith, who serves with 769th Engineer Battalion, 35th Engineer Brigade, was one of six of the battalion's Soldiers recognized for their hard work and dedication in installing approximately 130,000-square feet of rocket-propelled grenade fencing and sniper-screen material over a 1,200 foot distance, with heights measuring up to 40 feet, at Joint Security Station Ur in the Sadr City District of Baghdad to veil the aerostat and its docking...

Pure hell of the siege of Musa Qala A little-reported battle against the Taliban in which seven of our (Poster's note: "our" means British, the Royal Irish Brigade troops) troops died has been revealed as one of the fiercest and most heroic of the Afghan campaign. Lieutenant-Colonel DJ Reynolds Musa Qala, a besieged outpost deep in Taliban territory, holds a special place in the battle records of the Pathfinder platoon of 16 Air Assault Brigade – and of the Irishmen, Danes and other soldiers who braved face-to-face fighting to relieve them. When a column at last got through to Musa...